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Tardis
Retirement

Retirement was the action of ceasing to work in a professional capacity or the state of having done so.

The Doctor[]

The Sixth Doctor decided to retire from his adventures when he believed he was destined to become the Valeyard, until the Fates told him that becoming the Valeyard was but one possible future, reinvigorating the Doctor's desire to roam the universe again. (PROSE: The Spindle of Necessity)

In a possible future for the Eighth Doctor, (PROSE: The Tomorrow Windows [+]Jonathan Morris, BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures (BBC Books, 2004).) the Doctor retired on his home planet of Gallifrey before aliens invaded, and most of the Time Lords retreated into the Matrix before the Doctor and the Master sent the aliens "packing". The Doctor's love, however, was "truly dead", whilst the Time Lords sent the Ninth Doctor off to sort the most dangerous problems in the universe. (PROSE: Doctor Who - The Ninth Doctor [+]Paul Cornell, DWM short stories (Panini Magazines, 2013).)

Following the loss of Amy Pond and Rory Williams (TV: The Angels Take Manhattan [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2012).) and narrowly averting disaster after being manipulated by the Daleks, (PROSE: The Dalek Generation) the Eleventh Doctor retired from his travels to Victorian London, secluding himself in his TARDIS for a lengthy period of time. (TV: The Great Detective [+]Steven Moffat'"`UNIQ--ref-00000000-QINU`"', Doctor Who Children in Need Special 2012 (BBC One, 2012).) He eventually returned to action to investigate the mystery of Clara Oswin Oswald. (TV: The Snowmen [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who Christmas Special 2012 (BBC One, 2012).)

Upon seeing the burnt and ruined Trenzalore, where he was fated to die, the Eleventh Doctor sardonically joked that he had hoped to one day retire and take up a quiet hobby. (TV: The Name of the Doctor [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 7 (BBC One, 2013).) When he later visited the National Gallery, he again voiced this hope, musing that he could become the museum's curator. Immediately after, he met the Curator himself, who implied that he was a future incarnation of the Doctor. (TV: The Day of the Doctor [+]Steven Moffat, 50th Anniversary Specials (BBC One, 2013).)

The Twelfth Doctor promised Nardole he would semi-retire from leaving Earth to guard the Vault at St Luke's University. Upon meeting Bill Potts though, he struggled to keep this promise. (TV: The Pilot [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 10 (BBC One, 2017).) He eventually broke it completely. (TV: Oxygen [+]Jamie Mathieson, Doctor Who series 10 (BBC One, 2017)., World Enough and Time [+]Steven Moffat, Doctor Who series 10 (BBC One, 2017).)

The Fourteenth Doctor, coming to terms with admitting his mental decline and emotional trauma, and having seen how his successor emerged from his bi-generation a more happy and well adjusted person, would retire on Earth with the Noble family and Melanie Bush on the suggestion of the Fifteenth Doctor. By deciding to retire, the Doctor created a bootstrap paradox with it being acknowledged that the Doctor had effectively completed rehab "out of order". (TV: The Giggle [+]Russell T Davies, Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Specials (BBC One and Disney+, 2023).)

By one account of the Unbound Doctor's life, he eventually returned to Hong Kong and grew to enjoy his exile as a peaceful retirement. (AUDIO: The 100 Days of the Doctor)

Humans[]

In 1964, Rachel Jensen retired to raise begonias and write her memoirs, ending her career in her early forties. (PROSE: Remembrance of the Daleks, Who Killed Kennedy) However, she later came out of retirement. (AUDIO: Threshold)

In 1976, Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart retired from UNIT and became a mathematics teacher at Brendon Public School. (TV: Mawdryn Undead)

As the oldest-serving staff member by several centuries, Jack Harkness' Torchwood pension would be massive, should he ever retire. (AUDIO: The Torchwood Archive)

Jeremiah O'Kane retired as director of Hawthorne and left his successor, Colin Dove, with a lifetime supply of tea. (HOMEVID: The Zero Imperative)

Whittaker was headmaster of Winterborne School for decades before the governors persuaded him to retire, replacing him with the younger Gavin Purcell. (HOMEVID: The Devil of Winterborne)

Dave Cooke retired as a cleaner at Torchwood Tower and was given a cake and engraved pen by Yvonne Hartman. (AUDIO: Locker 15)

Tommy Pierce wished to retire after fifty years of working at Torchwood One. However, Yvonne told him that he had agreed to work at Torchwood for life. (AUDIO: Retirement Plan)

Anne Hartman retired from the Land Registry due to her increased workload and depression. She moved to a small cottage in Shropshire. (AUDIO: The Rockery)

Graham O'Brien was a bus driver, but had retired prior to becoming a companion of the Thirteenth Doctor. (TVThe Woman Who Fell to Earth [+]Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who series 11 (BBC One, BBCA, Space and Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2018).Rosa [+]Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall, Doctor Who series 11 (BBC One, 2018).)

In the Unbound Universe, Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart was disgraced and removed from UNIT. Though he'd hoped to settle in New Zealand, he retired to Hong Kong and managed the Little England pub. (AUDIOSympathy for the Devil) By one account, the Doctor eventually returned him to Hong Kong and joined him in retirement. (AUDIO: The 100 Days of the Doctor) By another, Alistair had spent some time as the Doctor's companion and chose to retire on Skaro following the Quatch invasion, acting as a mediator for the Thals and Daleks. (AUDIO: Masters of War)

Other species[]

Prentice retired from adventuring to Keelmouth in 1933. (PROSE: Bide-a-Wee)

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