The Time Lords: Power Elite or Conspiracy?
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Image 1 is a scene from the episode “The Sound of Drums” from season 3 of the 2005 reboot of television show Doctor Who. The image shows the landscape of Gallifrey, the planet that is home to a species called the “Time Lords.” Said Time Lords are shown in image 2, which is another screenshot from the series. The Time Lords are shown in some sort of ceremonial attire in a large assembly of fellow Time Lords. This image depicts the Time Lord leaders appearing before their constituents. Throughout the series, the Time Lords who live on Gallifrey are rarely shown, and this is one of the few times the organization of their civilization is seen. They appear to be a very uniform and traditional group, a claim which is supported by what is said about them throughout the series. The series mainly follows the adventures of The Doctor, who is pictured in image 3. The Doctor is a Time Lord, but he was displaced during a war on Gallifrey and was unable to return to his home planet, so, believing that he is the last of his kind, he travels through time and space with a companion, which is essentially the premise of the show. The Doctor pictured in the third image is its tenth regeneration, played by David Tennant, but several actors have taken on the role of The Doctor over the past seven decades as Time Lords have the ability to regenerate rather than die. The “police box” from which he emerges is actually a ship called the TARDIS, which is what allows The Doctor to access his extraordinary abilities of regeneration and time travel.
These three images help paint a picture of the role the Time Lords occupy in the Doctor Who universe. The Time Lords are described as the oldest and most superior race in the universe, which comprises an infinite number of planets home to an infinite number of species. The Gallifreyans do not have absolute authority over all other planets and species, as the organization of the universe in the Doctor Who universe is relatively decentralized and feudal. However, the Gallifreyans, having acquired the ability to lord over the universe with their control of time and advanced technology, assumed a de-facto role of superiority over all other species. The power of the Time Lords is entirely self-generated, with their abilities emerging through scientific discovery and experimentation. Over time, the Time Lords came to see themselves as the keepers of time, taking on this role of accountability for the entire universe. This culture of superior ability came to define the Gallifreyan race, and they take on the task of watching over and minding, essentially, everything that has ever existed. The Doctor looks back on his fellow Time Lords with reverence, but also some repugnance, calling them “crazy,” “corrupt,” and "duller than you could possibly imagine." Still, he looks upon the Time Lords and his time on Gallifrey with fondness, and is hesitant to reveal information about them and his past to his companions, leaving much of what is known about the Time Lords to the imagination. The Doctor does divulge in the episode “The Sound of Drums,” that the Time Lords are educated on Gallifrey at the Time Lord Academy. At age 8, a young Time Lord would participate in a ritual in which they look into the “Untempered Schism” and see the entirety of the power of Time Lords in the Time Vortex. That ritual had varied effects on the young, but would prime them to spend “centuries” studying at the Academy, as they have the ability to live far longer than a normal human lifespan.
C. Wright Mills discusses the concept of the Power Elite, which is described as the group of individuals who exist in the intersection of three overlapping orders: economic, governmental, and military. Those who have power in all three of these domains make up the “power elite,” and are characterized by being in positions in which they can make decisions with major consequences. What Mills stresses is that the Power Elite are not innately superior to the rest of society, but the importance of the institutions to which they belong generates the creation of suitable people to run them. Thus, the Power Elite embody these idealized, “superior” traits because they have been brought up and conditioned to occupy positions in society which require them to possess a certain standard of behaviors, abilities, and sensibilities. In order to analyze the power elite without slipping into the realm of conspiracy, Mills posits that three aspects of their world should be looked at. First, the psychological and social conditions of the individuals who make up the Power Elite. Second, the structure of the institutions and domains which they control. And Third, the coordination of the Power Elite and their institutions. These three criteria keep our understanding of the Power Elite rooted in reality, rather than conspiracy.
In the Doctor Who universe, the Time Lords make up somewhat of a Power Elite, as they are an insular group that is inaccessible to outsiders, maintain control over the three overlapping domains, and quite literally do have the capacity to change and determine history. What is interesting about looking at the Time Lords as an example of the Power Elite is that they do have some biological and innate differences from the other species which they lord over, but in this universe, every species has very distinct abilities. The “superiority” of the Time Lords is entirely self-created, as they developed the technology and abilities which allow them to maintain this position of the Power Elite. The responsibility of being the keepers of time is entirely bestowed upon themselves by themselves. The Time Lords are not individually extraordinary, as their abilities are acquired and not innate, but those abilities are also protected by the institutions which they control. Mills writes that the importance of those institutions is what creates more individuals capable of maintaining them, which is where the Academy and the Untempered Schism come into play. The Time Lords are told from a young age that they have superior power and are responsible for maintaining it, but perhaps that isn’t even true. There are several species across the universe which are known to have powers equal to or even greater than the Time Lords. There is no reason why another species couldn’t develop the same abilities of the Time Lords, but because the Time Lords created several institutions to protect those abilities and keep them contained within the species, they take on this role of the Power Elite. The question, when it comes to the fictional universe of Doctor Who, is whether the status of the Time Lords as the Power Elite is considered conspiratorial or not. Mills writes that our understanding of the Power Elite descends into conspiracy when we begin to see them as somehow innately superior and look for explanations as to why, rather than the structures of their society and institutions. The problem here is that every species that exists within “time” that the Time Lords rule over is vastly different, and does have innate abilities that may be considered superior or inferior to another. With the broader universe being so diverse and decentralized, what gives the Time Lords the authority to oversee time and maintain absolute control over the universe? Through the Millsian lens, it is the structure of Time Lords’ society and culture that gives them the authority and standing that they have, and the fierce attitude by which they protect it is conditioned by their self-perceived importance as the Power Elite.
Image 1 is a scene from the episode “The Sound of Drums” from season 3 of the 2005 reboot of television show Doctor Who. The image shows the landscape of Gallifrey, the planet that is home to a species called the “Time Lords.” Said Time Lords are shown in image 2, which is another screenshot from the series. The Time Lords are shown in some sort of ceremonial attire in a large assembly of fellow Time Lords. This image depicts the Time Lord leaders appearing before their constituents. Throughout the series, the Time Lords who live on Gallifrey are rarely shown, and this is one of the few times the organization of their civilization is seen. They appear to be a very uniform and traditional group, a claim which is supported by what is said about them throughout the series. The series mainly follows the adventures of The Doctor, who is pictured in image 3. The Doctor is a Time Lord, but he was displaced during a war on Gallifrey and was unable to return to his home planet, so, believing that he is the last of his kind, he travels through time and space with a companion, which is essentially the premise of the show. The Doctor pictured in the third image is its tenth regeneration, played by David Tennant, but several actors have taken on the role of The Doctor over the past seven decades as Time Lords have the ability to regenerate rather than die. The “police box” from which he emerges is actually a ship called the TARDIS, which is what allows The Doctor to access his extraordinary abilities of regeneration and time travel.
These three images help paint a picture of the role the Time Lords occupy in the Doctor Who universe. The Time Lords are described as the oldest and most superior race in the universe, which comprises an infinite number of planets home to an infinite number of species. The Gallifreyans do not have absolute authority over all other planets and species, as the organization of the universe in the Doctor Who universe is relatively decentralized and feudal. However, the Gallifreyans, having acquired the ability to lord over the universe with their control of time and advanced technology, assumed a de-facto role of superiority over all other species. The power of the Time Lords is entirely self-generated, with their abilities emerging through scientific discovery and experimentation. Over time, the Time Lords came to see themselves as the keepers of time, taking on this role of accountability for the entire universe. This culture of superior ability came to define the Gallifreyan race, and they take on the task of watching over and minding, essentially, everything that has ever existed. The Doctor looks back on his fellow Time Lords with reverence, but also some repugnance, calling them “crazy,” “corrupt,” and "duller than you could possibly imagine." Still, he looks upon the Time Lords and his time on Gallifrey with fondness, and is hesitant to reveal information about them and his past to his companions, leaving much of what is known about the Time Lords to the imagination. The Doctor does divulge in the episode “The Sound of Drums,” that the Time Lords are educated on Gallifrey at the Time Lord Academy. At age 8, a young Time Lord would participate in a ritual in which they look into the “Untempered Schism” and see the entirety of the power of Time Lords in the Time Vortex. That ritual had varied effects on the young, but would prime them to spend “centuries” studying at the Academy, as they have the ability to live far longer than a normal human lifespan.
C. Wright Mills discusses the concept of the Power Elite, which is described as the group of individuals who exist in the intersection of three overlapping orders: economic, governmental, and military. Those who have power in all three of these domains make up the “power elite,” and are characterized by being in positions in which they can make decisions with major consequences. What Mills stresses is that the Power Elite are not innately superior to the rest of society, but the importance of the institutions to which they belong generates the creation of suitable people to run them. Thus, the Power Elite embody these idealized, “superior” traits because they have been brought up and conditioned to occupy positions in society which require them to possess a certain standard of behaviors, abilities, and sensibilities. In order to analyze the power elite without slipping into the realm of conspiracy, Mills posits that three aspects of their world should be looked at. First, the psychological and social conditions of the individuals who make up the Power Elite. Second, the structure of the institutions and domains which they control. And Third, the coordination of the Power Elite and their institutions. These three criteria keep our understanding of the Power Elite rooted in reality, rather than conspiracy.
In the Doctor Who universe, the Time Lords make up somewhat of a Power Elite, as they are an insular group that is inaccessible to outsiders, maintain control over the three overlapping domains, and quite literally do have the capacity to change and determine history. What is interesting about looking at the Time Lords as an example of the Power Elite is that they do have some biological and innate differences from the other species which they lord over, but in this universe, every species has very distinct abilities. The “superiority” of the Time Lords is entirely self-created, as they developed the technology and abilities which allow them to maintain this position of the Power Elite. The responsibility of being the keepers of time is entirely bestowed upon themselves by themselves. The Time Lords are not individually extraordinary, as their abilities are acquired and not innate, but those abilities are also protected by the institutions which they control. Mills writes that the importance of those institutions is what creates more individuals capable of maintaining them, which is where the Academy and the Untempered Schism come into play. The Time Lords are told from a young age that they have superior power and are responsible for maintaining it, but perhaps that isn’t even true. There are several species across the universe which are known to have powers equal to or even greater than the Time Lords. There is no reason why another species couldn’t develop the same abilities of the Time Lords, but because the Time Lords created several institutions to protect those abilities and keep them contained within the species, they take on this role of the Power Elite. The question, when it comes to the fictional universe of Doctor Who, is whether the status of the Time Lords as the Power Elite is considered conspiratorial or not. Mills writes that our understanding of the Power Elite descends into conspiracy when we begin to see them as somehow innately superior and look for explanations as to why, rather than the structures of their society and institutions. The problem here is that every species that exists within “time” that the Time Lords rule over is vastly different, and does have innate abilities that may be considered superior or inferior to another. With the broader universe being so diverse and decentralized, what gives the Time Lords the authority to oversee time and maintain absolute control over the universe? Through the Millsian lens, it is the structure of Time Lords’ society and culture that gives them the authority and standing that they have, and the fierce attitude by which they protect it is conditioned by their self-perceived importance as the Power Elite.
Bibliography
Anon. n.d. “Time Lord.” Tardis Wiki. Retrieved April 17, 2026 (https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Time_Lord).
Doctor Who Youtube Channel. 2014. “ the Legends of Gallifrey | the Sound of Drums | Doctor Who.” Youtube. Retrieved April 17, 2026 (https://youtu.be/kDZU-4jpZuU?si=Uca1qQTNhB5UiZ6X).
Mills, C. Wright. 1956. The Power Elite. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Radio Times. 2018. “David Tennant Reveals the One Problem He Always Had Using His Tardis on Doctor Who.” Radio Times. Retrieved April 17, 2026 (https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/david-tennant-tardis-one-problem/).
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