9
the companions and by his
unwillingness to part with the TARDIS. The
Doctor has satisfied the second factor of
adverse possession.
Open and notorious possession requires that the possession
must be visible and obvious so that the owner is made aware
via a reasonable inspection into the property. The Doctor may think
that he is clever enough to go unnoticed, but that world has seen the Doctor
and his magic blue box. Gallifrey has also been put on notice. The Doctor’s antics have gotten the attention of Gallifrey and therefore the true owners
of the TARDIS know that the Doctor has it.
Adverse and hostile possession varies on a state-by-state
level but we will apply the majority rule, so the mindset of
the Doctor is irrelevant to this case. The rule states
that the Doctor must possess the TARDIS in
a manner that is hostile.
Continuous possession
requires that the possession needs to be
as continuous as possible given the nature
and character of the property at hand. Since there
is a lack of information about how other time lords used
their TARDIS, we will work under the assumption that the
Doctor has met this requirement. The Doctor stole the TARDIS when
he was 236 years old and he is still traveling space and time well past his
900th birthday. The TARDIS has never left the Doctor for any substantial length
of time. This factor is also met.
To meet the statutory period requirement, the possession of the property must meet the time set by law. This can range from 5-20 years. The Doctor has
clearly met this standard. Gallifrey may have a longer standard but
it is safe to assume that the Doctor does in fact own the TARDIS.
In The Doctor’s Wife, the TARDIS told the Doctor that
she stole him. So the TARDIS could own the
Doctor in a sense. But that is a subject
for another day.
Allons-y and Geronimo,
till next time.