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In episode The Time of Angels there is a remark about Weeping Angels:

that which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel

Is there any reason why in the later episode The God Complex they met the Angels hologram which are impalable by Doctor?

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    I think the difference is, a photo or vid made directly from an actual Weeping Angel will become an Angel, but in The God Complex the image was made from the doctor's memory of the Angels so it remains just an image.
    – Joe L.
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 9:51
  • I imagine a painter or sculpter working from memory would be safe, but if that artist were working from an actual Angel then that painting or sculpture would become an Angel.
    – Joe L.
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 9:53
  • Then again, if you've seen an Angel, you have that memory image stored in your mind, so...?
    – Joe L.
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 9:55
  • And what about this: Amy looks into Angel eye and only after that they came into her mind. So, maybe only the image of whole Angel with eyes are becoming Angels? And if you don't look into Angels eyes there won't be the needed part to image become an Angel?
    – m0nhawk
    Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 9:58
  • No. Otherwise, mankind wouldn't survive against postcards containing photos of Statue of Liberty.. Commented Sep 15, 2014 at 13:05

1 Answer 1

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"The image of an angel becomes itself an angel" is a... poetic way of putting it, but it fails to properly illustrate the exact mechanics. That makes sense, however, as that phrase was known to have been written by a madman.

The truth is that a Weeping Angel can project themselves through the image of a Weeping Angel. So it isn't as if a new entity is born whenever you photograph an Angel. It is just that Weeping Angels can use images of their species as extensions of themselves, because "their image is their power," as stated in "The Time of Angels".

The true nature of their ability as a way of projecting themselves was described by the Doctor in "The Time of Angels", not only after reading the madman's book, but also after seeing an Angel do it for himself and therefore having a first-hand observation to work with. To quote:

RIVER: So it was here? That was the Angel?

DOCTOR: That was a projection of the Angel. It's reaching out, getting a good look at us. It's no longer dormant.

So the image of the Angel that came out of the video clip and tried to attack Amy was not a new Angel being born, but rather, it was the already-existing Angel that was being held prisoner aboard the ship reaching out through an image of itself in order to scout out the situation.

Therefore, the Weeping Angels that appeared in "The God Complex" would not manifest, as there are presumably no active Weeping Angels around to project themselves through those images.

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