@RobZilla:
I didn't really think he was an ass about it to be honest.
A lot of people go through their lives like that and wonder why everyone is so infuriated by them. I have several family members like that. :P
He wasn't particularly gentle about it, but then again that just seems to be The Twelfth's particular way of doing things.
Yes…the asshole way. ;)
Yep, and she had as much right to pass judgement on the future of Gallifrey as he had a right to pass judgement on the future of the moon. I seem to remember all 3 Doctors being ready to activate The Moment and then Smith's Doctor being swayed by the way Clara was looking at him, rather than him actively consulting her first.
She was there for moral support. that's what matters.
It wasn't the right decision though.
Also, The Doctor left Clara, Courtney and the female astronaut to make the decision, not just Clara. Left them with enough time to decide what to do, which included consulting the rest of the human race. Clara then decided off her own back to risk hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives because she thought it was the right thing to do, and basically gave a big middle finger up to the opinion of the rest of her species.
It was the right decision. Lundvik was about to hit the detonator, and Clara stopped her at the last second. There's a reason why Lundvik thanked Clara…"for giving the moon back".
The possible calamities that could have resulted in letting the moon hatch way outweighed the one certain death cause by bombing the creature inside it. With the information she had at hand, Clara risked a hell of a lot based on a possible perfect scenario that against all odds happened to transpire.
Which is what the Doctor does all the time. Makes impossible choices. It was an act of faith. Similar kinds of scenarios happen in the Classic series a couple of times, only the Doctor is the one that makes the decision against the wishes of the humans in charge. The Doctor likes making little Doctors out of his companions.
If anything it's quite an interesting turnaround, as it's the centuries old and demi-god like timelord who allowed the mere mortals to make their own decision , while a regular earthling decided to play god and put lives at risk based on her own blindly idealistic view.
Like I said, she did what the Doctor would do, he very clearly put that notion in her head that it was the right thing, and Courtney was even more adamant about it. He could have taken Clara and Courtney with him in the TARDIS and left Lundvik to do the same, but obviously he wanted his little proteges to be there to do what he wanted.
Pretty ironic that she then has a rant at The Doctor for seemingly disassociating himself with a major day in the history of humanity, considering she had just decided that her opinion was more valid than all of humanity put together.
You should read that blog I posted earlier again, it makes really good points about why anyone normal human would be emotionally distraught by being in such a situation.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@Robby:
If Tom Baker had just randomly dropped off Sarah Jane one day without telling her he was going to do it and giving her a reason for it, instead of giving her a proper goodbye, she would have been rightly pissed too. She was still in fact a little steamed (rightly so) that he didn't visit her after that for ~500 years and 6 regenerations. (And that he left her on the wrong side of the planet…)
She actually was a little pissed off at him when he came back in School Reunion, because she thought he'd come back.