First days of the Time War

Some referred to the "first days", or the "early days" of the Time War between the Time Lords and the Daleks, (TV:, GAME: ) although those alive in the conflict were faced with the fact that recognisable days no longer existed. (AUDIO: Day of the Master)

Queen Elizabeth I became aware that the Zygon homeworld had burnt in "the first days of the Time War", (TV: ) falling within the first year of the Time War. (PROSE: )

When a temporal crisis allowed him to get knowledge from his future incarnations, the Fourth Doctor told Leela that "in the early days of the Time War, the Daleks sought to isolate Gallifrey — they wiped out whole planets, just so they wouldn't be allies of the Time Lords". One of their targets during this phase were the Minyans who, after reaching Minyos II and rebuilding their civilisation using the race bank, were predicted to align themselves with the Time Lords in recognition of the Fourth Doctor's role in saving them. A small party of Daleks went back in time to board the Minyan ship on its way to Minyos II, claiming they only wanted to borrow the race bank for "study". They actually intended to alter the genetic codes with a Mutation Device so that the new Minyans would become a slave-race instinctively loyal to the Daleks. However, the Doctor and Leela foiled this attempt at interference. (GAME: )

The Tenth Doctor recalled that Davros had been killed in "the very first year of the Time War" at the Gates of Elysium, having witnessed his command ship fall into the jaws of the Nightmare Child. However, Davros was rescued by Dalek Caan, who had broke the time lock from the post-Time War universe. (TV: ) According to one account, it was the War Doctor witnessed Davros' apparent fall at the Gates of Elysium, (PROSE: ) having been witness to the seven deaths of Davros. (PROSE: ) Human historians in the post-Time War universe reflected that Caan's emergency temporal shift had sent him back into the heart of the Time War itself. (PROSE: ) Rassilon, who had been resurrected to lead Gallifrey, (AUDIO: ) saw to the sterilisation of the Tharils, the Porfue and the Krajonnu in the first year, deeming them threats to Time Lord supremacy. (PROSE: )