Would you Regenerate? RAR

[Tribble]

One day you unfortunately suffer from a mortal wound / terminal illness.

Right before you die, Q appears and grants you a one-time ability to regenerate similarly to a Time Lord.

Should you choose to do so you may regenerate, which will cure the illness / wound as well as any major underlying health conditions, injuries, missing limbs etc, with the exception of overall cellular decay due to the ageing process. So if you are 50 now, you will regenerate into the body of a healthy 50 year old etc.

Your lifespan after regeneration would be whatever was natural for a healthy individual at that age.

Your regeneration will be human, so no Zor-type transformations lol.

Also, while people will most certainly recognize your regeneration and the changes that occur (see below) Q alters overall perception of events in such a way that it’s not remarked upon. So no worries of things like doctors/governments trying to kidnap and/or experiment on you, media hounding etc.


However, this comes at a cost. Like the Timelords, the process will result in your body physically changing. You may change gender, height, weight, skin colour, hair etc, within the confines of a physically healthy person of your age.

More importantly, while post regeneration you will retain most if not all of your memories, your personality and consciousness as such effectively “dies”. The new you will also have a unique and new personality, with subsequent impacts on both yourself and others. For example, your relationships stay more or less the same, may change or may even come to an end, depending on how post regeneration you now feels.

Post regeneration you will still be heavily influenced by prior memories (especially early on as s/he has no other memories and experiences to draw upon), but s/he will view them from having come from a lifetime ago, and from a different perspective. And of course subsequent experiences will be interpreted from the lens of the new regeneration. “You” are more or less dead, but your memories and experiences will carry on into the new regeneration.

Q tells you all this and gives you a 24 hour “grace period” where your present body is both physically and mentally restored (the ladder of which so that you can make an informed decision).

You may decide at any point during that period to regenerate; however if you have not decided to regenerate by the end of the 24 hours you die.


Which would you choose?

[Jub]

I have no reason not to take the offer. I view the change, not as a death, but as a peculiar type of amnesia that also involves a change in my physical form. Even if my consciousness fades and is replaced entirely by this new entity more of me survives by taking the offer than would survive if I simply ceased to exist.

[Batman]

Fuck no.
I've come back from actual fucking death more times than I care to remember without changing much. I'm not accepting all those changes just to avoid another

[Tribble]

Hmmm, I’m not sure how I would respond myself… would I really want my memories being carried on, even if the person is not really “me”? Or would I rather die and be known for what I was at that moment?

Part of it may depend on how old one is at the time?

Would a younger person be more inclined to do so, while an older person would more hesitate (since they would live proportionately less)?

[bilateralrope]

Would a younger person be more inclined to do so, while an older person would more hesitate (since they would live proportionately less)?

This is what leaves me unsure. The older I am at the time, the less regeneration has to offer me, so the less likely I am to accept it.

[Bedlam]

Would a younger person be more inclined to do so, while an older person would more hesitate (since they would live proportionately less)?

This is what leaves me unsure. The older I am at the time, the less regeneration has to offer me, so the less likely I am to accept it.

We'll you've traded up from a sick and dying person of your age group to a healthy person of your age group, true you're still getting less life expectancy the younger you are be in all but the very oldest you're probably getting at the very least several more years if not decades.

I guess there's an argument to be made that even if you didn't regenerate your near death experience would likely have a significant effect on your personality anyway.

[Eternal_Freedom]

I take the deal. Whatever I may turn into, I will be comforted by knowing that s/he will be a physically healthy 29 year old, able to see properly for the first time in my/our life, and able to experience things that I, at present, have forever been denied.

I want to be able to watch a sunset properly for once, even if it's as an altered version of me.

Plus taking this option means my brother won't have to explain to my four year old nephews why their uncle isn't around any more.

[Solauren]

Is Q willing to tweak the offer to individual requests?

[Tribble]

Is Q willing to tweak the offer to individual requests?

Generally no - Q is already providing you with an opportunity to in a sense survive something that would otherwise be fatal, albeit at a price.

Tweaking a regeneration to suit someone’s individual needs, or requesting something like passing it off to another person would be off the table.

[Tribble]

Would a younger person be more inclined to do so, while an older person would more hesitate (since they would live proportionately less)?

This is what leaves me unsure. The older I am at the time, the less regeneration has to offer me, so the less likely I am to accept it.

We'll you've traded up from a sick and dying person of your age group to a healthy person of your age group, true you're still getting less life expectancy the younger you are be in all but the very oldest you're probably getting at the very least several more years if not decades.

I guess there's an argument to be made that even if you didn't regenerate your near death experience would likely have a significant effect on your personality anyway.

Sorry if I wasn’t clear, the injury/illness is fatal but for the opportunity to regenerate. If you choose not to regenerate you’ll die.

Basically Q is giving you the choice of whether to die as you are, or for a significantly altered (to the point of effectively being a new person) version of you to survive?

[GuppyShark]

What is the likelihood that the new personality would diverge so far as to become someone morally repugnant? The Doctors seem to be ultimately the same person with some quirks, not new people.

[Eternal_Freedom]

What is the likelihood that the new personality would diverge so far as to become someone morally repugnant? The Doctors seem to be ultimately the same person with some quirks, not new people.

^This. I'm in a position where I either die, with all the consequent effects on family/friends, or regenerate into a new version of myself that's fully healthy, everyone else accepts this and I can continue to exist, albeit changed by the experience.

Really, this isn't a choice.

[Bedlam]

What is the likelihood that the new personality would diverge so far as to become someone morally repugnant? The Doctors seem to be ultimately the same person with some quirks, not new people.

Your current self might consider the you in a decade morally repugnant not taking into account regeneration, people change over time anyway, this is just a bit more extreme than average.

[Solauren]

Is Q willing to tweak the offer to individual requests?

Generally no - Q is already providing you with an opportunity to in a sense survive something that would otherwise be fatal, albeit at a price.

Tweaking a regeneration to suit someone’s individual needs, or requesting something like passing it off to another person would be off the table.

I was just wondering if I could get a whole new ID/fresh start. My family gets closure and all that, and I get a chance to start again with what I know now.

[Zor]

This is really just a get out of disease or horrible free card with massive personality shift. If I could regenerate to being 20 or 30 this would be good, but as it stands this is really limiting.

Zor

[Tribble]

What is the likelihood that the new personality would diverge so far as to become someone morally repugnant? The Doctors seem to be ultimately the same person with some quirks, not new people.

^This. I'm in a position where I either die, with all the consequent effects on family/friends, or regenerate into a new version of myself that's fully healthy, everyone else accepts this and I can continue to exist, albeit changed by the experience.

Really, this isn't a choice.

I think at least in NuWho a regeneration is more than just "same person with a few quirks," from the perspective of the person regenerating anyways. All of the Nu Who Doctors (including the 1st Doctor retroactively) appear to view it as a form of significant change / death, and react in their own way:

8 initially wanted to die, then specifically chose to regenerate into a form that would not be the Doctor. We don't actually see most of the War Doctor's life on screen, but according to 11 by the last day of the Time War he already "had more blood on his hands than any other," and that was before he stole the Moment.
War Doctor accepted it, as he knew he was getting old, he knew what his future incarnations were like and regenerating after the Time War made sense to him (which he didn't want to live after anyways).
9 was clearly sad and resigned that he wouldn't be able to continue on with Rose in his incarnation, but was at least happy he had made a difference.
10 clearly did not want to regenerate, with his entire final arc trying to avoid it and putting it off as long as possible (including stopping a full regeneration via his severed hand).
11 was similar to 9: sad to see himself go, but also happy at what he accomplished.
12's form was deliberately chosen by either 11 and/or his overall subconscious to be Caecilius, as apparently there were serious concerns over what he would be like and that was a way to "hold him to the mark".
12 and 1 did not want to regenerate/change either, and both of them seriously contemplated just dying instead.

Also to be clear, your friends / family will know that you regenerated. How they react and whether or not they accept the new version of you it is up to each individual, just as your new reactions to them. I have no idea how my family interactions would be if I chose to regenerate, though I hope it would be overall positive.

I was just wondering if I could get a whole new ID/fresh start. My family gets closure and all that, and I get a chance to start again with what I know now.

Not via Q, it's up to your new incarnation if s/he wants to leave and get a fresh start. I'm sure there are ways to change your name / get new ID, whether legally or otherwise lol.

This is really just a get out of disease or horrible free card with massive personality shift. If I could regenerate to being 20 or 30 this would be good, but as it stands this is really limiting.

Zor

Exactly. And physical change as well. Do you still think it would be worth it?

[Broomstick]

If I'm going to die anyway why not regenerate? It would be a way to live on in some sense, be remembered a bit longer. I don't really see an insurmountable downside to it, not when the alternative is death.

[Eternal_Freedom]

If I'm going to die anyway why not regenerate? It would be a way to live on in some sense, be remembered a bit longer. I don't really see an insurmountable downside to it, not when the alternative is death.

Exactly what I said.

Yes, regneration in NuWho seems to be a crapshoot - for The Doctor. In contrast the other two regenerations we see (that I can immediately recall) where the Jacobi/Simm Master regeneration, and while the surface personality changed he was still quite definitely the Master, and fully functional in short order. The other is the Time Lord General from Hell Bent, who is shot, regenerates, changes gender, gets up, makes a quip about being male, and goes straight back to work as if nothing happened.

So, are we defining this as a Doctor-typical regen or a generic Time Lord-typical regen? Cos they are different things.

But again, even with the Doctor's spotty record of regnerations, their fundamental personality remains the same. Surface elements change, sometimes drastically, but at the core they're the same. Granted, different versions rarely seem to like each other (but I suspect that's more to do with the Doctor's psyche than any more general effects) - but I somehow doubt I'd like my 19-year old self - or my 9 year old self, or my 39 year old (future) self either.

I will still be me, just not dead, fully healthy for the first time, and able to continue existing. The alternative is death.

Seriously, this isn't a choice.

[Tribble]

If I'm going to die anyway why not regenerate? It would be a way to live on in some sense, be remembered a bit longer. I don't really see an insurmountable downside to it, not when the alternative is death.

YMMV of course, I just feel that given the Doctor's overall view it makes for an interesting choice, assuming is view is fairly accurate:

12th Doctor: Why are you trying not to regenerate?
1st Doctor: I have the courage and the right to live and die as myself.

...

12th Doctor: We are in a state of grace, both of us. But it won't last long. Either we change and go on, or we die as we are.

Yes, regeneration in NuWho seems to be a crapshoot - for The Doctor. In contrast the other two regenerations we see (that I can immediately recall) where the Jacobi/Simm Master regeneration, and while the surface personality changed he was still quite definitely the Master, and fully functional in short order.

On the other hand the Simm / Missy incarnations ended up killing each other over their differences (IMO the best Master "death" in the series thus far). Missy truly, genuinely felt remorse, wanted to reform and stand with the Doctor... while the Simm Master would literally rather die than help, up into and including killing his future self to stop her from doing so.

The other is the Time Lord General from Hell Bent, who is shot, regenerates, changes gender, gets up, makes a quip about being male, and goes straight back to work as if nothing happened.

True, though we don't actually know much about the General either before or after the event (IIRC he was on his 10th incarnation when he was shot?) given that we've only seen him/her for a handful of minutes.

I will still be me, just not dead, fully healthy for the first time, and able to continue existing. The alternative is death.

Seriously, this isn't a choice.

It will be you, in some ways, sure. Perhaps it is a crapshoot - maybe the physical and psychological changes can be minor, or major, somewhere in between.

While I'm still unsure I'm actually leaning a bit more on no tbh.

[Solauren]

I should have specified -

I want my old body to die, and get buried, and therefore my old identity to be legally dead, and I get a new body somewhere else in the country, complete with legal background, education that matches my work experience, and 6 months rent at a new apartment with a new job I start tomorrow.

[LadyTevar]

If I regenerate, I do NOT want to be a "healthy 50yr old". I want to be a healthy 21yr old, dammit!!!

[Crazedwraith]

[

On the other hand the Simm / Missy incarnations ended up killing each other over their differences (IMO the best Master "death" in the series thus far). Missy truly, genuinely felt remorse, wanted to reform and stand with the Doctor... while the Simm Master would literally rather die than help, up into and including killing his future self to stop her from doing so.

Of course the kicker there is, how much of the difference in their characters due to regeneration and much is because of character development? if the Simm Master had been saved from execution by The Doctor and spent however long it was taking the slow path with them in the cell, would they have come to see the light in the same way?


(Then again I here the master is evil again in 13's run so it really may be an abberation of that particular regeneration. Which is a litle sad)

[Broomstick]

Either that, or centuries/millennia of near-total isolation with fuck-all to do warped Missy's mind to the point she'd do anything to get out of the situation, including recanting past actions and changing her stance on quite a few things.

[darth_timon]

I'd regenerate and take my chances. What have I got to lose in the circumstances? I wouldn't deprive my daughter of her father, even if I was different. I might have missed it, but would regeneration become a regular thing or is the one go all I'm getting?