Doctor Who’s Timeless Child aptly explains why the TARDIS remains a police station

Chris Chibnall’s Timeless Child twist is probably the former showrunner’s biggest and most controversial addition Doctor Who Canon, but it also paradoxically explains one of the potential plot holes created by the plot. Doctor WhoIn the Disney era, Chibnall’s divisive contribution to the series’ continuity was gently mentioned but not as focused on. The Doctor’s TARDIS was also affected by the shocking revelation due to the strong connection between the Time Lord and the iconic blue box. However, Timeless Child’s story also explains why the TARDIS looks so recognizable.

The TARDIS has been an important part of the series since the first episode from Doctor Whois the classic era. Although it has the potential to blend seamlessly into its surroundings, it is never perceived as anything other than a 1950s police station. Of course, the show had long explained why this happened before Chibnall took charge, but the Timeless Child variant quietly adds to this lore. The biggest clue comes when a surprise actor is added to the group of those who played the Doctor.

The TARDIS may have remembered being a police box before the First Doctor (and decided to stay that way)

The Doctor’s TARDIS may have looked this way for a lot longer than the show suggests

Doctor Who Season 12, Episode 5, “Fugitive of the Judoon,” introduces Jo Martin’s Fugitive Doctor. Her debut brings with her the Doctor’s TARDIS, but both the ship and its owner predate William Hartnell’s First Doctor – an entire era that the series’ main character has no memory of. What’s a little confusing is that the fugitive Doctor’s TARDIS already looks like a police box. According to the lore available at the time, this should not have been the case at this point in the Doctor’s timeline, as it is said to have a functioning chameleon circuit. On the other hand, it offers a brilliant alternative theory.

Although It is also strongly suspected that the TARDIS’s memory was erased by Divisionthe time and space machine could remember a fragment of its past from before the memory wipe. If so, it might remember that it was in the shape of a police box before its pilot took the form of Hartnell’s Doctor. If so, the TARDIS may have made a conscious decision to stay that way – although it may not understand why. In short, the appearance of the Fugitive Doctor’s TARDIS may not have been a production oversight, but rather a deliberate attempt to predict the Doctor’s future.

The Ageless Child would also explain why the doctor never fixes his chameleon circuit

The Doctor’s underlying affection for the TARDIS’s appearance may have been a factor

The TARDIS’ chameleon cycle can still be broken, even if the doctors before Hartnell are taken into account. Likewise, the doctor’s explanation that he didn’t fix the problem because he liked the look of the blue box may still be true. However, this new theory, sparked by Chibnall’s contributions, may provide additional motivation for the refusal to repair the circuit in question. In summary, The Doctor may also have some form of memory that the TARDIS was a police box when they were in the service of the division. This means the usual appearance can be provided Doctor WhoThe main character conveys an underlying feeling of familiarity.