[Kody]

Originally Posted by MI7

It's never been stated that Rassilon did anything relating to regeneration...where are you getting this from? He invented the Gallifreyan transduction barrier, TARDIS technology, Time Travel (with Omega) and validium...but it never says he had anything to do with regeneration.

It's been stated in the 8th Doctor Audio dramas, where you hear it from Rassilon himself. It's also been mentioned in other media. If you don't consider these canon, eh, then there's no point of this discussion continuing between you and I.

^ The John Peel-authored book The Gallifrey Chronicles attributes regeneration to a "nanomolecular virus" that rebuilds the body. The audio play Zagreus attributes regeneration to "self-replicating biogenic molecules" designed by Rassilon, which do much the same thing, with a built-in limit of twelve regenerations to prevent the molecules' decay. According to the Virgin Missing Adventures book The Crystal Bucephalus by Craig Hinton, Time Lords have triple-helix DNA: the third strand was added by Rassilon to make regeneration possible.

Originally Posted by MI7

Coupled with the fact that Gallifreyans who are not Time Lords are often seen to die and not regenerate seems to suggest the process is not a biological one but one that is either implanted or learnt at the Time Lord Academy.

Well, that's because we've always been lead to belive there's a big difference betwen being a Gallifreyan and a Time Lord.

One major reason for that is, yet again, Rassilon influenced stuff that they most likely inject into your DNA or something at the academy.

The Rassilon Imprimatur is the name given to the symbiotic nuclei that allow Time Lords to withstand the molecular stresses of time travel and grant them a link to their TARDIS time machines.

I'm pretty sure that's been mentioned directly in the TV series before.

Originally Posted by MI7

I really don't see how RTD "messed up" regeneration? If anything, the TV movie came closest to overwriting the process as we know it, as the Doctor regenerates after several hours rather than immediately. RTD simply goes by stated continuity...the Ninth Doctor regenerates when mortally wounded as does the Master. The Master forces back his regeneration in the same way as the Fifth delays it in Caves of Androzani and the reverse of Azmael forcing regeneration to occur in The Twin Dilemma. All RTD has done is go by established fact.
Again, I also can't think of how it "lacked creativity"? Can you honestly think of a better explaination for the Doctors' death?

To say the Doctor would be killed in such an easy, brush off worthy manner, goes against everything we know about him I'd say. The fact he could just be surprised and drowned really makes the whole thing just sub-par and sounds like an excuse to me.

No, I can't come up with a better explanation for his death off the top of my head. But I wouldn't have needed to think of one because I'd never write such a crap story.