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The Valeyard
The Valeyard (/ˈvæliɑː(r)d/, VALLEY-ard) is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He appears in the show's twenty-third season, dubbed The Trial of a Time Lord. The season's four serials are interconnected through one overarching plot line in which the Valeyard serves as a court prosecutor in the trial of the Sixth Doctor. Within the series narrative, the Doctor is an alien who hails from a race known as the Time Lords. They travel in time and space in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. At the end of the Doctor's life, the Doctor regenerates, changing their physical appearance and aspects of their personality.
Toward the end of the trial, the Valeyard is revealed to secretly be an incarnation of the Doctor, being an "amalgamation of the darker sides" of the Doctor who hails from somewhere toward the end of the Doctor's life. The Valeyard had been working with the Time Lords to incriminate the Doctor in exchange for the Doctor's remaining regenerations. The Valeyard attempts to escape and destroy the Time Lords but is stopped by the Doctor. The Valeyard is presumed dead but is revealed to have escaped at the end of the episode. The Valeyard has subsequently appeared in various pieces of Doctor Who spin-off media.
The Valeyard was introduced by the show's then-producer John Nathan-Turner and the show's script editor Eric Saward, who created him to serve as the prosecutor of the trial and act as an overarching antagonist of the season in favor of character the Master, whom Saward felt would be too obvious as an antagonist. Though the Valeyard was originally supposed to have his fate left unknown, alongside the Doctor's, to create a shocking ending, rewrites would result in the Valeyard surviving, allowing him to return in later episodes. The Valeyard has been portrayed by Michael Jayston in all of his appearances, including in audio dramas released following The Trial of a Time Lord.
The Valeyard has been met with a positive response for his role in the narrative. He has been the subject of analysis due to his relationship with the Doctor and the nature of his existence within the series' narrative.
Doctor Who is a long-running British science-fiction television series that began in 1963. It stars its protagonist, The Doctor, an alien who travels through time and space in a ship known as the TARDIS, as well as their travelling companions. When the Doctor dies, they are able to undergo a process known as "regeneration", completely changing the Doctor's appearance and personality. Throughout their travels, the Doctor often comes into conflict with various alien species and antagonists.
The Valeyard appears in all four segments of the 1986 story The Trial of a Time Lord – The Mysterious Planet, Mindwarp, Terror of the Vervoids and The Ultimate Foe. During the events of the story, the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) is put on trial by his people, known as the Time Lords, for interfering with history, which the Time Lords have an oath against doing. The Valeyard (Michael Jayston) acts as the court prosecutor in the trial, presenting evidence against the Doctor's innocence.
As the serial progresses, it is revealed that the Valeyard tampered with evidence, allowing him to paint the Doctor in a negative light. The Doctor's old enemy the Master (Anthony Ainley) reveals that the Valeyard is actually a future incarnation of the Doctor, stated to be "amalgamation of the darker sides" of the Doctor's nature, from somewhere toward the end of the Doctor's life. The Valeyard has been working with the Time Lords to cover up their involvement in moving the planet Earth from its proper place in the universe and killing nearly every human on the planet; as the Doctor discovered the Time Lords' actions in the past, they wanted to execute him under the pretence of a trial. In return, the Valeyard would have received the Doctor's remaining regenerations, extending the Valeyard's lifespan.
The Valeyard had been planning to kill the Time Lords after they had given him this, however, and when his identity and plans are revealed to the court, he escapes into the Matrix, a massive data repository for the Time Lords. The Master and the Valeyard are both seemingly trapped inside the Matrix and destroyed; the Doctor escapes, and the Time Lords allow the Doctor to leave, the charges against him dropped. As the Doctor leaves, the Valeyard is revealed to have escaped in disguise as another Time Lord.
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The Valeyard AI simulator
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The Valeyard
The Valeyard (/ˈvæliɑː(r)d/, VALLEY-ard) is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He appears in the show's twenty-third season, dubbed The Trial of a Time Lord. The season's four serials are interconnected through one overarching plot line in which the Valeyard serves as a court prosecutor in the trial of the Sixth Doctor. Within the series narrative, the Doctor is an alien who hails from a race known as the Time Lords. They travel in time and space in the TARDIS, frequently with companions. At the end of the Doctor's life, the Doctor regenerates, changing their physical appearance and aspects of their personality.
Toward the end of the trial, the Valeyard is revealed to secretly be an incarnation of the Doctor, being an "amalgamation of the darker sides" of the Doctor who hails from somewhere toward the end of the Doctor's life. The Valeyard had been working with the Time Lords to incriminate the Doctor in exchange for the Doctor's remaining regenerations. The Valeyard attempts to escape and destroy the Time Lords but is stopped by the Doctor. The Valeyard is presumed dead but is revealed to have escaped at the end of the episode. The Valeyard has subsequently appeared in various pieces of Doctor Who spin-off media.
The Valeyard was introduced by the show's then-producer John Nathan-Turner and the show's script editor Eric Saward, who created him to serve as the prosecutor of the trial and act as an overarching antagonist of the season in favor of character the Master, whom Saward felt would be too obvious as an antagonist. Though the Valeyard was originally supposed to have his fate left unknown, alongside the Doctor's, to create a shocking ending, rewrites would result in the Valeyard surviving, allowing him to return in later episodes. The Valeyard has been portrayed by Michael Jayston in all of his appearances, including in audio dramas released following The Trial of a Time Lord.
The Valeyard has been met with a positive response for his role in the narrative. He has been the subject of analysis due to his relationship with the Doctor and the nature of his existence within the series' narrative.
Doctor Who is a long-running British science-fiction television series that began in 1963. It stars its protagonist, The Doctor, an alien who travels through time and space in a ship known as the TARDIS, as well as their travelling companions. When the Doctor dies, they are able to undergo a process known as "regeneration", completely changing the Doctor's appearance and personality. Throughout their travels, the Doctor often comes into conflict with various alien species and antagonists.
The Valeyard appears in all four segments of the 1986 story The Trial of a Time Lord – The Mysterious Planet, Mindwarp, Terror of the Vervoids and The Ultimate Foe. During the events of the story, the Sixth Doctor (Colin Baker) is put on trial by his people, known as the Time Lords, for interfering with history, which the Time Lords have an oath against doing. The Valeyard (Michael Jayston) acts as the court prosecutor in the trial, presenting evidence against the Doctor's innocence.
As the serial progresses, it is revealed that the Valeyard tampered with evidence, allowing him to paint the Doctor in a negative light. The Doctor's old enemy the Master (Anthony Ainley) reveals that the Valeyard is actually a future incarnation of the Doctor, stated to be "amalgamation of the darker sides" of the Doctor's nature, from somewhere toward the end of the Doctor's life. The Valeyard has been working with the Time Lords to cover up their involvement in moving the planet Earth from its proper place in the universe and killing nearly every human on the planet; as the Doctor discovered the Time Lords' actions in the past, they wanted to execute him under the pretence of a trial. In return, the Valeyard would have received the Doctor's remaining regenerations, extending the Valeyard's lifespan.
The Valeyard had been planning to kill the Time Lords after they had given him this, however, and when his identity and plans are revealed to the court, he escapes into the Matrix, a massive data repository for the Time Lords. The Master and the Valeyard are both seemingly trapped inside the Matrix and destroyed; the Doctor escapes, and the Time Lords allow the Doctor to leave, the charges against him dropped. As the Doctor leaves, the Valeyard is revealed to have escaped in disguise as another Time Lord.