[Firestorm]

Yeah, many times throughout Doctor Who have the Timelords used regeneration as a means of reward or punishment, such as forced regenerations, awarding a victim the aggressors remaining regenerations, or even awarding someone a whole new regeneration cycle (12 more regenerations). And like you said, they ever resurrected the Master and then awarded him a new full cycle, and like you said you can get around it by "possessing bodies" and stealing regenerations. Although these methods seem unlikely for the Doctor.

This would suggest to me that regeneration is a genetically engineered trait, and the use is controlled by the Timelords. With the death of the timelords its hard to say what is left for the Doctors regeneration. It is possible that he could find a way to "recharge" his "regeneration gland" and get 12 more and just keep doing it over and over. Also we know Rassilon had infinite regenerations, so he could just find a way to copy him.

That said, the writers may also choose to kill the doctor off forever one day and stick to the whole 12 regenerations thing. What's more, Moffet strikes me as the sort of bloke that would take advantage of the partial regeneration in end of the last season, saying something like, while Doc10 only partially regenerated, he used up a full regeneration to do it. Making Doc11 actually Doc12 (in a way). That would allow us to see more of the Valeyard, even his potential "birth". Which seems possible as there are a lot of rumours about his return. I also think Moffet is the sort of writer that would give the doctor his "death". Purple speculation on my part though.

[Alex Ooiue]

i dont know, it wouldnt seem right for the Doctor to lose a regeneration because of that or even to gain loads more because we dont want him to go
besides, the Time Lords wont be able to do anything to resurrect The Doctor as they were all killed off -.- :/
besides, in the episode, the Doctor says he only used it to heal himself and he didnt change, which suggests he used it for healing himself so he didnt use another life up AND he was the same guy PLUS he had the same characteristics the one from the series, so it cant be another regeneration, but i see where you're coming from

plus i bet loads of us will kill Moffat for saying he used another regeneration like that

[Mr Dobilina]

besides, the Time Lords wont be able to do anything to resurrect The Doctor as they were all killed off -.- :/

Not technically true.

Especially due to the revelation at the end of this weeks Doctor who - time can be rewritten/unwritten. Therefore, he could possibly find a way to bring them back before they went bad...

Also anyone else weirded out by the ending of that episode.. wtf?

[Alex Ooiue]

well, the Time War is "Time-Locked" according to the Doctor and Davros in Journey's End and the Doctor on several more occasions, so i wouldnt bet on the TL return any time soon

but then again, The Valeyard would have to find a way to go back to Gallifrey and do the Trail of the 6th Doctor somehow...which I suppose suggests you are right in some way, but we'll have to wait through the entire 11th and 12th Doctor's life before seeing him again :/

besides, its been known for a few years now that time can be rewritten, like when the Doctor says it when he first meets River in the Library at the end of Part 2 in cuffs . another example is the Last of the Time Lords where the Master says he "has the right" to rewrite time at his will due to him being a Time Lord lol

and yes, that ending was wierd

[Firestorm]

besides, in the episode, the Doctor says he only used it to heal himself and he didnt change, which suggests he used it for healing himself so he didnt use another life up AND he was the same guy PLUS he had the same characteristics the one from the series, so it cant be another regeneration, but i see where you're coming fromplus i bet loads of us will kill Moffat for saying he used another regeneration like that

Actually that's not necessarily true. While your right in saying he only used it to heal himself and not to change, he did use up what was clearly all the energy used during a regeneration cycle, he just sent the excess energy (that left after he healed himself) into his "spare handy hand".

This would seem to confirm beyond all doubt that he did use up a full regeneration cycle, he just found a sneaky way to bypass the change.

Like I said, I think Moffet is the sort to use that to his advantage as a plot point. However should it not come up, I imagine it will simply be ignored and the Doctor will generate two more times. Just remember, Doc10 said on many occasions that he feels he has "lived too long" and he even gave up 10 years of his life to power the TARDIS without a seconds thought. I don't think the doctor would mind having used up a regeneration.

Plus remember, its not like the Doctor was denied a regeneration cycle, he did regenerate, it wasn't wasted he just didn't change his face. It just denies him another incarnation.

[Firestorm]

but then again, The Valeyard would have to find a way to go back to Gallifrey and do the Trail of the 6th Doctor somehow...which I suppose suggests you are right in some way, but we'll have to wait through the entire 11th and 12th Doctor's life before seeing him again :/

I never thought of that! Well spotted. That said, we don't know if the Time-Lock prevents time-travel to before the time-war, I would imagine that at the very least it prevents any changes in time from before the time-locked time-war to change the time-war. Then again, that seemed to be the very definition of the timewar. Its complicated and not well explained.

In that 5min special were Doc10 meets Doc6(?), it was explained that Doc10's TARDIS and Doc6's TARDIS simply collied in the time-vortex, which would suggest that pre-timewar events can still be accessed.

Maybe the only thing stopping the Doctor from going back is that he doesn't want to cross his own timeline, which he would, and would be especially obvious to a race of time-sensitive time-travelling timelords. Furthermore he did say it was "strictly forbidden" so to travel back may result in punishment, or simply a memory wide and being sent back to his future.

As I said its complicated.

[Alex Ooiue]

it was Doc5 not Doc6 to confirm your question mark

plus, its against Gallifreyan law to travel backwards and forwards in Gallifreyan timeline, ie. you cant travel back on Gallifrey's past, because i think punishment is death or something, and yes, he doesnt want to cross his own timeline

but think, if Doc10 and Doc5 crossed, then maybe the Valeyard would use the same trick on the Master's time stream, as he encountered the Valeyard first presumebly (because of dialogue on Trail of a Time Lord), but that'll need a TARDIS and itll put an end to the series :/