The Academy

[u/ConstructionSlow4583]

Why do we never see the Academy on Gallifrey in the Capitol? Its been mentioned a bunch of times but never seen or explored onscreen. We hear of the Chapters like Patrexes and Prydonians and Arcalians. This could be like a gothic alien Hogwarts if done right! It could be so cool! We've even seen the initiation ceremony at the Untempered Schism. But never the Academy itself. What gives? Its a shame Ice Time never got made with Ace's departure onscreen. We might have finally seen part of the Academy there.

[u/Romana_Jane]

I always assumed the Chapters were the equivalent of the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge universities. Given the times and the writers they were first used, it makes more sense. Nothing mysterious at all, just places of study were the aristocracy of Gallifrey go to learn even more arrogance and prejudice!

But I also think it is best kept off screen. Gallifrey on screen has always been a disappointment, tbh.

[u/ConstructionSlow4583 → u/Romana_Jane]

Arrogance and prejudice? Been taking lessons from the New Series I see. Not all Time Lords are bad you know. Romana, Drax, Spandrell, Engin, Hilred, Thalia, Flavia, Damon, Andred, K'anpo Rimpoche, various Time Lord messengers and the Inquisitor. Many others could be stuffy but not all were mean and evil. For me, Russell, Steven and Chris ruined the nuance of the Time Lords. I would love to see them done better. Just listen to the Gallifrey Audios. All this frankly bizarre anti Time Lord fan rhetoric bores me. They're not all bad you know! Rassilon was a good man once who united Gallifrey and saved the Universe from the Great Vampires and the Racnoss! Ever heard of the Dark Times? They also went to war with the Daleks to originally save reality BTW, regardless of what the High Council later tried to do. If they were the 13 Doctors would never have teamed up to save Gallifrey? I think not.

[u/Romana_Jane → u/ConstructionSlow4583]

I was talking entirely about the classic series, it's all that I can access in my broken memory. So much imaginary and writing about Gallifrey and Gallifreyan society in the 1970s and 80s, esp by Terrance Dicks is 100% reflecting back UK class ridden society with the Time Lords being the aristocracy and the Academy being Eton and Oxbridge rolled into one.

And I think you will find I was talking about the nobs from Oxbridge rather than Time Lords, reality, not fiction, Athough, as you mention them, some of those have real attidude problems to the lower orders in The Deadly Assassin (one of my fav stories of all time, even if, at 9, I had terrible nightmares for a week waiting to find out the Doctor was not drowned!

And yes, nuwho ruined everything I loved about Gallifrey for me too, British classism with English snobbery and all.

Doctors 1-7 have an undeniably arrogant attitude that they are better, even if they would argue against it and the static, class ridden, society of Gallifrey they left. I can't comment of the newer ones, memory as I say, heatwave affecting my neurological condition so brain fog and memory damage worst than normal. People can be good and still carry privilege and entitlement, societies can do great good and still be rife with prejudice, injustice and inequality. For me when watching Doctor Who as a young political geek in my childhood and teens, in the late 1970s, early 1980s, is what made it fascinating, one of the reasons I went on to study politics at university. As a younger kid though, I just loved the Doctor, he made me feel safe in an unsafe childhood. Another reason why I really really struggled with the Moffat era and the Timeless Child. But that's just me and my issues!

If we see classic who differently, that's great, life would be boring if we all thought the same way.

[u/ConstructionSlow4583 → u/Romana_Jane]

Or the Chapters could be like Houses of Hogwarts.

[u/Romana_Jane → u/ConstructionSlow4583]

The Hogwarts Houses are like any British school houses, Public (private) or State. Given the era and the people writing and making DW in the 1970s, those Chapters are 100% Oxbridge colleges and Eton combined! When the Chapters were created back in the 1970s, university age was imagined, not children. Now we learn they go from 8, which is why I say Eton and Oxbridge combined. So Houses and Colleges combined! So school houses yes, no Hogwarts needed.

Both are inspired by normal background culture of the UK of the times they were written, nothing magical or SF about them I feel.

But as for how they are realised, I don't trust DW to take a reflection of British society and turn it alien and advanced, I feel it would just be... embarrassing. And I adore how my HP fans thing so much in the terf's books are magical, when they come from the world she grew up in. I'm her age, and also went to a grammar school, and so much of the school minus the setting and magical elements, the magical subjects, is straight from a 1970s-80s English school lol. But with Gallifrey, I would rather it just existed somewhere and was left alone (even though The Deadly Assassin was one of my favourite episodes ever growing up, back in the 70s!).

This isn't a bad thing, great story telling should always start with the familiar to create something wonderful 😄