Doctor Who

[Esquilax]

In the Doctor's Wife, the Doctor mentions that the Corsair regenerated into a woman once or twice. Dunno how canon you all find the new Who stuff, but it's there.

The most recent writers make it a point to comment that the Doctor A. jokes and B. lies. When he makes off-hand comments like that, I don't think anything of it, mainly because there have been Time Lords of both genders in the series and they always regenerate to the same gender. Tiberius actually pointed out to me today another weird one. The Doctor says weird shit and contradicts himself all the time. To be honest, I just don't think they'll change genders. It would be more difficult to write off all the other stuff than one off-hand comment.

Oh, I know that they won't change the Doctor's gender, I just maintain hope that it's possible.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of this "the Doctor lies," thing. It just seems like a writing escape hatch; I want to be able to trust the main character of the damn show, after all. But as it stands, we've gotta second guess everything he says, just in case someday it becomes convenient for it not to be true.

Like the thirteen regeneration limit. I'll bet anything that if the show is still profitable when the thirteenth actor leaves, they'll write around that in a heartbeat.

[Aractus]

Like the thirteen regeneration limit. I'll bet anything that if the show is still profitable when the thirteenth actor leaves, they'll write around that in a heartbeat.

It's not 13 regenerations, it's 12. 13 lives. The doctor has regenerated 10 times, so he should have 2 more regenerations left. And one of those is supposed to be Valeyard - when the doctor turns to evil!

[Esquilax]

Like the thirteen regeneration limit. I'll bet anything that if the show is still profitable when the thirteenth actor leaves, they'll write around that in a heartbeat.

It's not 13 regenerations, it's 12. 13 lives. The doctor has regenerated 10 times, so he should have 2 more regenerations left. And one of those is supposed to be Valeyard - when the doctor turns to evil!

Occasionally the series refers to each individual life as a regeneration, though. That's what I was doing. Not the specific act of regeneration, but that iteration of the Doctor; for example, when discussing the Valeyard, the Master refers to him as arising somewhere between the Doctor's twelfth and final regenerations. I dunno, it's a language thing.

I'll be a bit disappointed if they don't bring back the Valeyard, though. I always liked that concept.

[Aractus]

It'd actually be nice if Matt Smith - if he does 5 or 6 season - becomes the Valeyard himself for a season, and ends regenerating into the 12th doctor. I thought it was between the 10th and final regeneration, but I could be wrong on that!

In any case I like the idea of starting the series fresh once the 13th doctor is done, that way you can have the first doctor - who loathes humans - kidnapping two people as his first human companions, again!

[Shell B]

Oh, I know that they won't change the Doctor's gender, I just maintain hope that it's possible.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of this "the Doctor lies," thing. It just seems like a writing escape hatch; I want to be able to trust the main character of the damn show, after all. But as it stands, we've gotta second guess everything he says, just in case someday it becomes convenient for it not to be true.

Like the thirteen regeneration limit. I'll bet anything that if the show is still profitable when the thirteenth actor leaves, they'll write around that in a heartbeat.

That is exactly what it is, an escape hatch. I've always felt that way too. I think they sneak it in there cleverly, but it is what it is.

[Mister Agenda]

Why is there no Doctor Who thread here? Maybe there was one, but it got old. Well, here's one anyway.

Questions to get this thread started:
How does Clara compare to other companions?

I like her, but Martha was my favorite.

Will the Doctor have more regenerations than a Time Lord is supposed to have?

I think that would be cheap. He's a family man, there could be a new Doctor Who.

Will the new Doctor ever be a woman? If so, will she be hot?

Given my above hypothesis, he's been established to have a grand daughter (First Doctor Who) and a 'clone-daughter', Jenny, who inherited her 'father's' Time Lord genes and recovered from being killed. Jenny is my bet for the next Doctor Who.

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Side note: the actress who played Jenny (Georgia Moffett) is now David Tennant's wife.

[A_Nony_Mouse]

It's not 13 regenerations, it's 12. 13 lives. The doctor has regenerated 10 times, so he should have 2 more regenerations left. And one of those is supposed to be Valeyard - when the doctor turns to evil!

Occasionally the series refers to each individual life as a regeneration, though. That's what I was doing. Not the specific act of regeneration, but that iteration of the Doctor; for example, when discussing the Valeyard, the Master refers to him as arising somewhere between the Doctor's twelfth and final regenerations. I dunno, it's a language thing.

I'll be a bit disappointed if they don't bring back the Valeyard, though. I always liked that concept.

Will the fans be more forgiving of

1) the violation of continuity with more than 13 doctors?
2) killing of the series?

I am betting on 1).

[Cyberman]

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of this "the Doctor lies," thing. It just seems like a writing escape hatch; I want to be able to trust the main character of the damn show, after all.

The character's always had a streak of that though, whether it be straight out lying or simple exaggeration. In Pyramids of Mars Sutekh described Time Lords as "a perfidious species" and he ought to know, being one of those ancient-aliens-as-god things.

Like the thirteen regeneration limit. I'll bet anything that if the show is still profitable when the thirteenth actor leaves, they'll write around that in a heartbeat.

Back when the High Council of Time Lords wanted to co-opt the Master to look for the Doctor in the Death Zone on Gallifrey, the only way they could persuade him to rescue his arch enemy was by offering him "regeneration - a whole new life cycle". A tempting offer for someone who had exceeded his own bodily regeneration limit and was living a parasitic existence absorbing Tremas of Traken. Since we next saw him when he was being Derek Jacobi (unless Scream of the Shalka is meant to be 'canon'), and he was later able to regenerate into Sam Tyler from Life on Mars, something like that must have happened.

---

In any case I like the idea of starting the series fresh once the 13th doctor is done, that way you can have the first doctor - who loathes humans - kidnapping two people as his first human companions, again!

Don't forget that later in that same original story he had no reservations about bashing an injured caveman's head in with a rock... though there's no explicit information that the story is set on Earth. It's still a shocking thing for a hero to do, by any standards.

[A_Nony_Mouse]

For the record this is the first Who series I have liked. And I did try watching some of first doctor when they first aired in the US, about a year before Star Trek. On my son's advice I gave tooth and curls a serious try maybe 10-12 years ago and no interest.

So for me, who got hooked on SF by reading an issue of Astounding SF from 1958 (WOW! There are places to find the kind of stories I like!) the only thing I can see as a difference from the previous is much less of a British series.

[Mystical]

Don't forget that later in that same original story he had no reservations about bashing an injured caveman's head in with a rock... though there's no explicit information that the story is set on Earth. It's still a shocking thing for a hero to do, by any standards.

Thank you! I think the Doctors motivations are questionable. For example, he cares about every life and will give his own for certain ones: but tricks 3 innocent brothers onto the Tardis and tells them they're gonna die if they don't help him then they DO die?