It would make sense that if the Time Lords were actually going to war that they'd extended or completely remove the limitation for regenerations for everyone involved. It would be logical to give your troops as many "1-ups" as possible.

Of course I suspect that the Time Lords will have eventually made a return, in one capacity or another, by the time we we get to his 13 regeneration, so the rules might be radically changed by then.

"What I want to know is how John expects to be able to watch it in 100 years !"

Hey, if it's wrong to want to live to 140, then I don't want to be right.

It is worth noting that the production team that set up that status quo quickly left the show once it got established, leaving the incoming team of producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks to immediately try to figure out how to actually make it work one story after the next, as well as attempt to break out of the formula as soon as possible.

I always thought that introducing the Master as a recurring adversary was probably the best way to go, in that he had a grudge specifically against the Doctor, and he was leading all manner of alien menaces to Earth just to piss off his nemesis. Kinda helped make it a little more plausible why all these invaders from space kept showing up, one after the other. Otherwise, you almost could imagine a big line (or queue, if you're British) of them forming in orbit above the Earth, each waiting for their shot at conquering the world, with the next coming in to land once the previous guys got thumped by the Doctor

But the constant? It’s about a mysterious man with a magic box that can go anywhere in time and space.

Well, there are more constants than that. He always charges into danger completely vulnerable, which contributes substantially to what makes the character so cool. In one of the behind the scenes Dr Who confidentials, Tennent asked around the creative staff to what makes a monster, and one of the things they touched on is how none of the monsters are monsters to the Doctor. This makes sense for a character who confronts strangers completely defenseless.

There's also that thing that Captain Jack Sparrow does -- at least since the Tom Baker era -- where his plans often fall into place in a manner where the people around him are even wondering if he planned the vistorious outcome most of the episodes end on. In the more somber eras, it comes out more as an issue of (ir)responsibility, especially with Davison and Eccleston.

As I recall, the Master was _offered_ the new regeneration cycle, but didn't live up to the bargain in the end and so never collected. Since he was able to regenerate in the new series, presumably he did something else to earn a new set, possibly involving military service in the great time war.

Personally, I figure that the 13-life limit is either more a law than a fact of nature (and thus unenforced now that Gallifrey is no more), or else the ability to grant new regeneration cycles has devolved either to the Doctor or the TARDIS following that fall...

They got REALLY close to doing that during a Pertwee-era episode, if memory serves. Too bad they didn't go all the way - would've been fun to see the Third Doctor sporting an Evil Goatee.

Daleks sure, but the episode with that other dimension heavily implied that there's one group of Time Lords for all the dimensions. Thus why the death of the Time Lords in the main dimension led to the dimensional walls closing for _all_ of them, why there was no local Doctor helping folks out there, etc.

I'd say you're downright OBSESSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blackjak, it's always been established that Time Lords meet each other in sequence...so you don't have the Doctor bumping into a younger Romana, for example. (doesn't mean that they can't just change it and drive the fandom nuts...it's what they live for:)

Also, the alternate dimension episodes seem to point to their being Time Lords, period. kinda like Oans were pre crisis...no alternates...they're the group from everything. (again..until mirror universe doctor shows up)

Scavenger - the line was 'a whole new regeneration cycle'. I always thought that kinda implied it was a cycle of 13. In any case, as everyone has said, writers will always find a way out of that problem. What I want to know is how John expects to be able to watch it in 100 years !

... And.. to counter my own argument... just for the heck of it, we've seen other dimensions with other Mickeys, etc., Surely they must have Time Lords and Daleks of their own? They have Cybermen...

We could always have a Doctor from another Dimension (that at least was my personal thought about the news that Tom Baker may be cameoing next season...)

Plus, all that needs to happen is the Doctor finds the Toenail of Rassilon and gets a new bunch of lives, or they finally reveal that he is in fact The Other of Time Lord legend, or the Guardians of Forever say "take this nice coupon book...it's got 2 meals for one at Stuckeys..and 10 new lives..."

And even with a limited amount of Doctors, there is always room for other Doctors like Peter Cushing, Rowan Atkinson and Richard E. Grant.

Unfortunately, isn't part of the story that Gallifreyans have a limit of 13 incarnations? Or has that changed?

I really wish they could entice Paul McGann back to do a feature-length TimeWar, bridging the gap to Ecclestone...