There is actually one more Time Lord that doesn’t appear in any of the lists of Dr. Whos heretofore published in all of the documents relating to his origin. In fact, it has been noted that what most people know as the “first Doctor” may not actually have been the first regeneration!
What’s more, this “forgotten,” unknown Time Lord appears to have an even more jumbled history than any of the Whos who followed him. This one, as I have learned, has done a considerable amount of back-and-forth time traveling that puts the others to shame. I wouldn’t be surprised if his chaotic meandering hasn’t disrupted the fabric of the time-space continuum on more than one occasion, causing massive revisions in history, geography, science, the collective memory of humanity, etc.
As I understand it, such enormous changes have repercussions far beyond what we can imagine. Even the Doctor himself may have been affected – much in the same manner as this thing you 21st century people call “jet lag.” More than simply a case of extreme fatigue, however, this particular disturbance could have wreaked havoc with his memory, resulting in a sort of amnesia concerning the chronology of his travels, as well as a full comprehension of his true identity.
Scientifically speaking, of course, I am extremely baffled and befuddled by all this. I cannot fathom the idea that one can suddenly lose all sense of self and temporal stability. It would be as if I had awakened one morning to find myself in a totally foreign country, not only far from my native Philadelphia, but also in different time period than the 1700s.
Hmmm. Come to think of it, that is what happened to me, in a manner of speaking. My own arrival in this 21st century world, no doubt, is as equally confusing and disorienting as it must be for this little-known Time Lord. Although I suppose I can say that I have not lost any memory in the process. At least I don’t think so. Or have I? Now I am beginning to wonder.
I have occasionally experienced a nagging feeling that there is a huge chunk of my life – aside from my days in the 1700s and my recent foray into the 21st century – that is missing or unaccounted for. And that worries me somewhat.
I am perfectly in possession of all my faculties, mind you, and do not have any problems remembering from day to day the countless wonders I have observed here in this new American nation, so different from what I have been accustomed to in colonial times. Nor do I have any gaps in my recollection of my many years, from birth to adulthood, leading up to the Revolutionary War.
But yet, I have a sneaking suspicion that there may be more than that … much more!
I have always had a secret fascination with the heavens – the incredible infinity represented by the countless stars above our heads. And, I daresay, this has been accompanied by a corresponding impression of one-ness with this vast universe. Now, how do I resolve that phenomenon?
Hmm. There it is again. That odd sensation. And a flash of some deeply-buried memory, too dim to make any sense of.
My dear reader, you may also be interested to learn that I also have experienced an unusual “familiarity” with that blue police call box associated with the Doctor – as if I had been acquainted with this object before, in a prior life. But that is absurd! There weren’t even telephones in my day, in the 1700s!
You don’t suppose…. Could it be? Hmmm. That might tie some loose ends together. But, no, put this out of your mind, Benjamin. It would be sheer nonsense to think….
Even so… What if I had been the one who has the dubious distinction of being this forgotten, unknown Time Lord? It could explain not only my presence here, but also the fact that people of my time had often said I possessed a strange wisdom or futuristic, prophetic insight that few others demonstrated in colonial days.
There’s that feeling again. A little stronger this time. Like a dim vision gradually becoming more focused.
Franklin’s honorary doctorates
Aha! I see it now! It is all becoming clear now. As the history books attest, I was awarded my first honorary doctorate in 1759… but what if there was more to the story than that? Is it possible that this recognition was merely an affirmation of what and whom I had already been? That, in fact, I was this first “Doctor” who had traveled from Gallifrey to Earth – and, in the process of doing so, had suffered extreme chronological dislocation and severe memory loss?
Now I think back to that momentous occasion in 1778, when I was acknowledged at the royal court of King Louis XVI in Versailles as Doctor Franklin, the first ambassador of the United States. Could any ordinary mortal have achieved what I did?
And all those scientific inventions of mine – were they simply the result of my other time travels, during which I had picked up an idea or two from more advanced civilizations, and transplanted them to colonial America?
What other human being could have been so creative, so prolific, and so multifaceted and curious about so many different fields of science?
Looking back at my previous Dr. Who blog now, I realize that this was no doubt my long-dormant memory coming to the surface, taking in the various stories written about the Doctor, and then wanting to connect on some level – even though I was in fact one of the earliest regenerations of the Doctor myself! Therefore, I am that “forgotten” Time Lord!
Your humble servant,
B.Franklin