Justin Richards - The Whoniverse: The Untold History of Space and Time

Confession dial BBC

1. CHAPTER ONE
   
   THE EARLY UNIVERSE
2. CHAPTER TWO
   
   THE BIRTH OF KNOWLEDGE
3. CHAPTER THREE
   
   THE AGE OF EXPANSION
4. CHAPTER FOUR
   
   THE RISE OF THE CYBERMEN
5. CHAPTER FIVE
   
   THE AGE OF EMPIRE
6. CHAPTER SIX
   
   THE TIME OF THE DALEKS
7. CHAPTER SEVEN
   
   THE END OF TIME

BBC

BBC

IN THE BEGINNING

Kick-Starting the Universe

The origins of reality, of space and of time, are shrouded in mystery. They have been hotly debated for millions of years on millions of worlds. It is now generally accepted by most civilisations that the universe was created billions of years ago in an event usually called the Big Bang. That was the moment when the universe exploded into being as a single point of origin, and it has been expanding from that point ever since.

As the universe cooled after the initial explosion, subatomic particles formed, followed by atoms and later with the help of gravity stars and galaxies. From a tiny beginning, all of reality was formed. Our own galaxy was created in what is sometimes termed Event One a huge and sudden in-rush of hydrogen. The forces in play at Event One were so powerful that it is said they would have sucked in and destroyed even a TARDIS time machine as used by the Time Lords of Gallifrey.

But the mystery of what exactly caused the Big Bang in the first place remains unsolved. According to one theory, the spaceship later known as Terminus was responsible for the Big Bang. Terminus is better known for becoming a treatment centre for Lazars Disease. But, as Terminus is at the very centre of the universe, it has been suggested that this ancient spacecraft of unknown origin was once capable of travelling through time. It is difficult to believe this was the case, given the run-down and dilapidated condition it was in when the treatment facility was established. But the theory suggests that, on one journey through time, the ship jettisoned unstable fuel into a void, billions of years ago, before the universe as we know it even existed. The fuel detonated within the void causing the explosion that was in effect the Big Bang. And so the universe was created.

But however it came about, it would seem obvious that before the Big Bang, nothing could have existed. Obvious, but wrong.

From Before the Dawn of Time

There are beings who transcend time, and which may well have existed before the start of the universe. The Guardians, for example, are an almost elemental force, maintaining a universal balance of good and evil throughout creation. The Guardian of Light in Time or the White Guardian as he is also known is balanced and opposed by the Black Guardian. How or when the Guardians came into being is unknown. But they continue to maintain the universal balance, and are said to have the ability to stop and reset the universe using the legendary Key to Time.

The Eternals too have, perhaps, existed for longer than the universe. Mindreading, telepathic beings who function outside of time in the domain of eternity itself, the Eternals are tortured creatures endlessly seeking diversion to fill the emptiness in their infinitely long lives. To this end they exploit the minds and imaginations of other races or Ephemerals, as they call life forms that exist within the confines of time to sustain their existence.

The Chronovores also exist outside time itself. Little is known about these creatures, although they were once described as time-eaters who will swallow a life as quickly as a boa-constrictor can swallow a rabbit, fur and all. Certainly they are immensely powerful and can manipulate Time itself.

The gods of Ancient Greece owe at least some of their background to the Chronovores. The name of the Titan Kronos the father of Zeus, king of the Greek gods is almost certainly derived from one of the Chronovores: Chronos. Kronos is usually depicted holding a sickle, one of the symbols of Time itself.

The Chronovores seem to have been as dismissive of lower life forms as were the Greek gods. Worshipped in Atlantis, Chronos apparently responded to a mans request that he be granted the strength of a bull by also giving him the head of a bull. This may be the origin of the myths about the Minotaur. Chronos is also said to have been instrumental in the destruction of Atlantis although that has been attributed to the Dmons too.

The creature known as Fenric seems to have been born along with the universe. The renegade Time Lord known as the Doctor described Fenric as: Evil since the dawn of time... The beginning of all beginnings. Two forces, only good and evil. Then chaos. Time is born. Matter, space. The universe cries out like a newborn. The forces shatter as the universe explodes outwards. Only echoes remain, and yet somehow somehow the evil force survives. An intelligence, pure evil...

Legend has it that, at some time in the distant past, the Doctor carved chess pieces from bones pulled from the desert sands and challenged Fenric to solve a chess puzzle. When Fenric failed, he was trapped in the Shadow Dimension.

Chris J. Lees

The Guardians watch as the Universe is created.