Howling:The retinal scanner for the Eye of Harmony in the TV Movie

Can anyone think of a good explanation as to why the Eye of Harmony inside the Doctor's TARDIS in the TV Movie had a retinal scanner keyed to only respond to a human eye pattern? Actually, why was there a scanner designed to open the Eye at all, if Time Lords aren't supposed to do that? 82.2.136.93talk to me 15:12, May 21, 2012 (UTC)


 * In The Apocalypse Element all Gallifreyan technology is operated by eye-scan. When the Daleks invade the Doctor reprogrames the Gallifreyan systems to use a human's iris to prevent the Daleks from gaining access.
 * There is also the fan theory that the Eye inside the Doctor's TARDIS is just a representation of the Eye, rather than the actual Eye. So the Doctor may have programmed the representation to only respond to humans. --Tangerineduel / talk 16:10, May 21, 2012 (UTC)

But why was there a means of opening the Eye in the first place, as it's evidently such a hazardous thing to do? It doesn't make sense. 82.2.136.93talk to me 21:38, May 22, 2012 (UTC)


 * well, the eye is the power source for the TARDIS, and we don't really know how it works, so there could be any number of reasons to open the eye, under safe conditions, that are more legitimate than stealing the Doctor's regenerations.Icecreamdif talk to me 21:42, May 22, 2012 (UTC)

Well, the Doctor does say in the TVM that if he were to look into the Eye, his soul would be destroyed. What good reasons could there be for opening it up, if it's capable of doing this much damage? 82.2.136.93talk to me 09:57, May 23, 2012 (UTC)

When the Master opened it up, he was able to use it to spy on the Doctor. Besides, it's an ancient Time Lord relic, and we know what the Time Lords used to be like. Maybe they used it to punish criminals.Icecreamdif talk to me 17:24, May 23, 2012 (UTC)

Maybe the TARDIS Eye is only supposed to be opened in a safe environment, such as the Black Hole Shipyards on/around Gallifrey where TARDISes are grown and maintenanced. The Eye might have to be powered down before it can be opened, so its inner workings can be adjusted. One other question though: What is the TARDIS Eye's relationship to the heart of the TARDIS shown in the new series? Are they one and the same? I would think not, as neither Grace Holloway nor Chang Lee became Bad Wolves when they looked into it, as Rose did in The Parting of the Ways. 82.2.136.93talk to me 18:56, May 26, 2012 (UTC)

well, Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen didn't turn into a bad wolf when she looked into the heart of the tardis. she turned into an egg instead. the tardis is sentient and can probably control what happens if somebody looks into its heart/eye/whatever. Imamadmad talk to me 08:39, May 29, 2012 (UTC)

They are probably not the same. In both The Deadly Assassin and The TV Movie, it was a major plot point that the thing was difficult to open. Both stories would have ended faster if all that the Master needed was a big yellow truck.Icecreamdif talk to me 16:12, May 29, 2012 (UTC)

Could the means of using the retina scanner to open the TARDIS Eye have been connected to some ancient, arcane Time Lord ritual, similar to novices on Gallifrey being brought to look into the Untempered Schism? Perhaps this ritual was originally intended to only be done in the Time Vortex, and had been discontinued by the Doctor's time (The TARDIS was a museum piece when the Doctor first found it; newer TARDISes might not even have an Eye)? Doesn't explain why the Eye in the Doctor's TARDIS would be keyed to a human retina pattern though...82.2.136.93talk to me 13:21, June 1, 2012 (UTC)