TARDIS (Dr. Who and the Daleks)

TARDIS (TV: Dr. Who and the Daleks), or either the TARDIS (NOTVALID: Doctor Who 3 - The Third Motion Picture) or the Tardis, (PROSE: The Story of the Film) was a space-time vessel invented by the human scientist Dr. Who. It was larger inside than without. The machine was described by Dr. Who as capable of breaking down everything into their respective electrical charges which were transferred in time and space, and when it arrived at the destination they were reassembled in their proper order and their proper place.

The Dalek Survival Guide indicated that TARDIS was constructed in a version of reality "B" relative to the First Doctor's version of reality "A". (PROSE: Dalek Survival Guide)

Interior
TARDIS's interior was initially filled with electronic components and masses of wiring, components hanging by cables, linked to instruments. The large interior was just a single room. (TV: Dr. Who and the Daleks) This was later changed to a neater arrangement with control consoles in silver casings with a brown seat nearby. It was controlled by a large lever in front of a small bank with fluid links that used mercury. (TV: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.)

Though originally painted TARDIS blue, (TV: Dr. Who and the Daleks) the interior side of the police box doors was white by the time Tom Campbell entered TARDIS. (TV: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.)

Exterior
TARDIS's exterior resembled a police box. The door opened outwards and didn't require a key; although the outside of it was usually blue. (TV: Dr. Who and the Daleks, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.)

One account depicted it as a dull, fairly light shade of green instead. (COMIC: Dr. Who and the Daleks)

When it dematerialised and rematerialised, TARDIS emitted a sound much like a revving motorbike. (NOTVALID: Doctor Who 3 - The Third Motion Picture)

Abilities
TARDIS was described by Dr. Who as a matter transmitter, breaking itself and everything inside it into constituent electrical charges, which were sent to the destination. (TV: Dr. Who and the Daleks)

TARDIS travelled from Earth to Skaro in a second. (TV: Dr. Who and the Daleks) Later on, however, the travel from 20th to 22nd century Earth was more gradual.

Dr. Who told Tom Campbell that TARDIS could travel to any age, any planet and any universe, implying the machine could travel to alternate universes safely and easily, and could return to its original universe with little to no trouble. By using TARDIS, one could travel back to an event and change its outcome; having initially failed to thwart a robbery, Tom Campbell was returned to just before it would have occurred where he was able to stop it, with the earlier Tom who joined the TARDIS not being present for this new version of the event. (TV: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.)

History
Following its completion, Dr. Who, along with his granddaughters Susan and Barbara presented TARDIS to Ian Chesterton, Barbara's boyfriend. By accident, Ian transferred TARDIS through time and space before Dr. Who could set the controls, resulting in them arriving on the planet Skaro. After helping the Thals defeat the Daleks, Dr. Who attempted to return TARDIS home only to land in front of marching Romans. (TV: Dr. Who and the Daleks) Another account had TARDIS land in front of a caveman. (COMIC: Dr. Who and the Daleks)

TARDIS was nearby the scene of a "smash and grab" when PC Tom Campbell entered the vessel just as Dr. Who de-magnetised the doors. Dr. Who, accompanied by Susan and his niece Louise were on course to Earth in the year 2150 and, with Tom joining them, found that the planet had been occupied by the Daleks. After the Daleks were defeated, Dr. Who returned Tom to just before the smash and grab occurred, allowing him to catch the perpetrators in the act. (TV: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.)

Behind the scenes

 * The interior of TARDIS (not called "the TARDIS" in the films) did not use the familiar television set-up of a central console with walls on each side, but a more random assortment of technological apparatus.
 * TARDIS seemed to lack a lock and key mechanism, unlike the television TARDIS. Several people entered the machine — Ian Chesterton, Alydon and Tom Campbell to name a few.
 * However, in the second film, Dr Who mentions that Tom must have opened the door just as he de-magnetised it.
 * This was the first TARDIS to have white police box doors inside the console room. The main Doctor Who series would adopt this detail with the revived Series 1 in 2005. It had also been displayed by Doctor Why's TARDIS in the parodical 1975 TV story Hallo My Dalek.
 * In the comic adaptation of the film Dr. Who and the Daleks, the police box-shaped TARDIS is oddly coloured green as opposed to TARDIS blue.
 * It was never explained in either Dr. Who and the Daleks or Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. as to why TARDIS looked like a police box.