all in a name

[ksmith]

Watching Forest of the Dead, and I have a question for the Whovians--why was Romana's name just a name? She didn't hide it like the Doctor did his. It didn't seem to be something she could only share with a select one or two. Is that just a case of canonical hiccup, or was she of a different rank than the Doctor, or what?

Comments

[scott-lynch.livejournal.com]

The first glimpse of the actual non-renegade Time Lords (in the second and third Doctor eras) didn't give them personal names-- they were just mysterious figures of authority.

In the fourth Doctor's era, more Time Lords were introduced in a more domesticated sort of manner, and they were all given individual names-- Borusa, Spandrell, Goth, Flavia, etc. They had titles that were genuinely related to rank and ceremony (Chancellor, Lord President, Castellan, etc.).

So, that would be my offering from the classic Who era-- flashy idiosyncratic titles were an affectation of renegades like the Meddling Monk, the Master, the Rani, the Doctor, etc., while those Time Lords that hadn't turned their back on Gallifreyan society seemed perfectly content to use their given names.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

This makes sense. I remember the Baker era in a vague way--he was my first Doctor, but it's been 20 or more years since I've seen those episodes. I recall enjoying the Gallifreyan stories, and some of the names you posted strike a distant chord. I know Romana 1 didn't think much at all of the Doctor at first. He was not a favorite son.