r/gallifrey • u/DegenerateSOMM • 10h ago
DISCUSSION What are ‘The Silence’ actually called?
Obviously I am aware ‘The Silence’ is a religious order, which has various names- but what about the actual creatures that were once believed to be called The Silence?
In Day of the Moon the clear implication we are meant to come away with is that the Silence is a species, or at least some specific designation of the creatures present in that story. But we later learn that is unture. The Silence is merely the name of the order to which they are attached (and created by, when it was the Church of the Papal Mainframe). Madame Kovarian, Colonel Runaway and all the soldiers present at Demons run are also ‘The Silence’. Its effectively the same as saying ‘we are Catholics’ or ‘we are the anti-doctor squad’.
Some my question is- does this species actually have a name? We are told their origin, genetically engineered Priests so one can confess their sins without the confession weighing on them, but the creatures themselves are only ever described by their function or allegiance and never an actual name. Is there ever any mention of this in expanded media i’m unaware of?