How the federation could beat the empire

[mr friendly guy]

To be fair he has used a tractor beam to carry objects which immense mass, such as a neutron star in "Creature from the Pit" and the Earth itself in "Journey's end", so there is some precedent. Despite being able to generate such force, the tractor beam (like most sci fi tractor beams) seems to preserve its target without damaging it, witness how its used on much weaker ships vs planetary bodies. So I am incline to say it won't tear an object apart unless the Doctor deliberately modifies it, and we have no idea just what modifications he can do to a tractor beam anyway. Should be sufficient to simply dump some ships out the way though.

Plus the TARDIS can deflect a few missiles from a third target by modifying its force field, which is clearly an unorthodox use of the technology - "The Armageddon Factor".

[Simonoz]

Just for the record, I never said he would use his tractor beam, while others might have.

Most likely, the doctor will technobabble his way through the problem, or confuse the hell out of the imperial officers until they just get so weirded out that they decide to leave. The usual solutions to doctor who episodes, or at least combinations and variations of that.

[Stark]

To be fair he has used a tractor beam to carry objects which immense mass, such as a neutron star in "Creature from the Pit" and the Earth itself in "Journey's end", so there is some precedent. Despite being able to generate such force, the tractor beam (like most sci fi tractor beams) seems to preserve its target without damaging it, witness how its used on much weaker ships vs planetary bodies. So I am incline to say it won't tear an object apart unless the Doctor deliberately modifies it, and we have no idea just what modifications he can do to a tractor beam anyway. Should be sufficient to simply dump some ships out the way though.

Plus the TARDIS can deflect a few missiles from a third target by modifying its force field, which is clearly an unorthodox use of the technology - "The Armageddon Factor".

Don't make me put you in the same box as these clowns. The TARDIS can do a lot of stuff, but uh, killing space fleets is pretty fucking obviously not one of them. Luckily it's not necessary because a time machine is more powerful than any gun, but there are a lot of cretins around here. The TARDIS could erase the empire from existence... And it doesn't need 200 biggatons of traction beam to do it.

Man a 'list of Doctor Who eps where he decides not to use his galaxy-conquering space warship and nearly dies' would be pretty fucking funny.

'Oh noes the Daleks'
PEW PEW
'Lol'

[avatarxprime]

Ever think it's just a personal choice? The Doctor doesn't like guns, he tends to go out of his way to try and not kill anyone, and normally comes up with ways to defeat his enemies based on tricks rather than ka-booms. His stated reason for never drawing on the full power of the TARDIS is that he'd become an angry, vengeful god. Clearly the Doctor using his super doom forcefields and tractor beams to just smash enemy fleets apart doesn't fit with the character. However, he also fought in the Time War, so clearly when it comes down to combat being the only option, he'll fight. However, I doubt a fight against the Empire would push the Doctor as far as the Daleks would. I mean, the "Nth Degree" shows that Fed tech can operate at signficantly higher levels than they currently do. The Doctor could probably just up arm the Federation if it came right to it.

[The Romulan Republic]

The Doctor is often willing to kill. Examples include brainwashing the human race into committing genocide against the Silence in "Day of the Moon" and ensuring the villain got blown up by missiles in "Dinosaurs on a Space Ship".

However, he usually doesn't shoot someone. He seems to prefer committing mass murder through trickery or sabotage.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Thinking about it, The Doctor is the Time Lord equivalent of MacGuyver, he lets others get their hands dirty where killing is needed...

[jwl]

Counterpoint to TARDIS ability being about manipulating time vortex refuted by example of time vortex doing stuff.

That was a counterpoint to the "tardis doesn't have it" argument. I already knew about that, I just didn't bring it up because I was already had other examples of how he doctor could win. I have plenty more.

I just don't know what to say. I'm glad you agree the TARDIS has no weapons, though. Why would it need them? The whole idea is both absurd and really narrow minded and unimaginative.

I was just talking for the sake of the argument. "surely this ship has an automated defense system!
"Oh Zoe, of course it has. But if it wasn't disabled, don't you think I'd have activated it by now?"
-Wheel of ice

But yeah, he'll use the TARDIS to kill everyone like all those times enemy spaceships/fleets/robots/cities/armies/missile swarms were no problem at all.

You mean all those times he was seperated from the tardis, ie practically every episode? Often when he does get reunited with he tardis, the problem is solved. And the doctor generally prefers to beat things with wit, and without killing everything.

[bilateralrope]

Think of all the times in Star Trek where the Prime Directive was used as the reason why the Federation refusing to step in and save a civilization from total destruction was the moral choice. How angry will the doctor be about learning about those incidents ?

[Stark]

Ever think it's just a personal choice? The Doctor doesn't like guns, he tends to go out of his way to try and not kill anyone, and normally comes up with ways to defeat his enemies based on tricks rather than ka-booms. His stated reason for never drawing on the full power of the TARDIS is that he'd become an angry, vengeful god. Clearly the Doctor using his super doom forcefields and tractor beams to just smash enemy fleets apart doesn't fit with the character. However, he also fought in the Time War, so clearly when it comes down to combat being the only option, he'll fight. However, I doubt a fight against the Empire would push the Doctor as far as the Daleks would. I mean, the "Nth Degree" shows that Fed tech can operate at signficantly higher levels than they currently do. The Doctor could probably just up arm the Federation if it came right to it.

Aside from this being pretty baseless, I'm glad you admit that there's little chance he'd suddenly decide to destroy the imperial space fleet with the TARDIS in a way never before seen. Phew! I won't bother quoting the Doctor putting far lower limits on his machine's performance than wankers like to think.

Ps I love you people seriously being so limited and unimaginative that you think it's even important. Time machines don't need guns, and if you think they do it's time to go back to school. Time war must have used BATTLESHIP TURRETS to EXPLODE DALEK SHIPS!

[Simonoz]

The doctor doesnt normally use the tardis to take out major enemies - once he becomes part of events, he cant time out and rejoin. The tardis can transport him through space, but not along that particular part of the timeline.

But yeah, the doctor wouldnt use direct weapons - most likely he will manipulate the empire intomeither going away or blowing itself up.

[Eternal_Freedom]

Or he might decide "this isn't my world, this isn't my fight. Time to leave." Like he had planned to do before Rose got him involved with the Cybermen (by wanting to go see her parents).

[Simonoz]

True, but at that stage he wasn't aware that there was a problem. Besides, his personality depends on his regeneration - the tenth doctor might not want to get involved, but( for example) the fourth doctor might.

[jwl]

If we are talkin about motiviation, the current version of the doctor doesn't care about even his own universe, never mind this one. I'm talking about what would happen if he was somehow motivated to help he federation as best he could out of character.

[Dr. Trainwreck]

Yeah, and then ze Doktor warps 30,000 years into the future and brings back the God-Emperor of Mankind before he became a vegetable. Is there any more insanity we can pile on this shit?

[Eternal_Freedom]

Yeah, and then ze Doktor warps 30,000 years into the future and brings back the God-Emperor of Mankind before he became a vegetable. Is there any more insanity we can pile on this shit?

This is tempting fate. Naturally the Doctor travels to the far future and brings back some absurd Futurama-style technology. Casually blowing up planets for fun, travelling across the unicverse in hours, 200% fuel effeciency and so on.