Doctor Who: The 10 Most Pathetic Plans Put Forward By Villains

9. The Valeyard's Plans to Steal His Own Lives

The Valeyard is a dark version of the Doctor from near the end of the Doctor's lifetime, who, desperate for more lives, plots to steal them from his younger self. In order to make this happen, he sets up an elaborate trial against the Doctor. He aims to prove that the Doctor is a chronic interferer incapable of rehabilitation, who should therefore be put to death. Apparently along the way the Valeyard would somehow be able to capture his younger self's future regenerations for his own use and would achieve the added bonus of separating himself from the influence of the Doctor's conscience. What Makes This Pathetic? It is quite pitiable if we consider what this means for the Doctor's character, as most creation stories for the Valeyard give the Doctor some hand in his creation. It is deeply saddening to picture a version of the Doctor willing to abandon his moral principles in exchange for more time. The man who has been so aware throughout his lives that "everything has its time and everything dies" would hopefully always accept his own, no matter what. Additionally, the Valeyard's methodology in this first trial seems rather flawed. Even at this point in the Doctor's personal history there was enough evidence of interference that there should have been no need for manipulation of information. Some people suggest this misstep is a result of self-sabotage, the Doctor within the Valeyard fighting to foil his plot. But most in excusable of all, the Valeyard should know better than anyone else that the Doctor's friends are particularly good at showing up to ruin even the best laid plan, and that tangling with his younger selves was a losing proposition for so many. Still, the Valeyard hasn't been the only one with some trouble letting go and his plan seemed to have the potential for success, unlike the next desperate soul on this list.