Doctor Who Discussion – Revelation from “The Name of the Doctor”

This blurb will be spoiler-free. The comments will not. Last week, we had a bit of a revelation in the Doctor Who episode “The Name of the Doctor” involving a surprise guest star. Theories abound. Share yours below, confident that your fellow Bureau 42 readers are ready and willing to dissect or support any theory in a highly respectful manner. Those following the series on Region 1/A home video are encouraged to book Tuesday off work, pick it up when the stores open and then get caught up in a marathon.

6 replies on “Doctor Who Discussion – Revelation from “The Name of the Doctor””

  1. I think the most common theories are:

    [ul]
    [li]A regeneration between McGann and Eccleston, which IIRC is the only regeneration we didn’t see on-screen, possibly related to the Time War
    [li]A regeneration pre-Hartnell, who did something pretty terrible and so the Doctor’s spent the last few hundred years trying to make up for it
    [li]A regeneration from the future (future from Matt Smith’s perspective, at least)
    [/ul]

    I think the most plausible is the first one, but I’m certainly open to debate.

  2. I theory I expect to pan out is the one between McGann and Eccelston. We know this regeneration isn’t called the Doctor because he did something terrible, so that circumvents the counting and why his face didn’t appear in montages during “The Next Doctor” or “The Eleventh Hour.” We also see Eccelston checking out his face in the mirror in “Rose,” implying that it’s a new face and he’s just regenerated. We have, indeed, seen every other regeneration on screen, so it can’t be between any of those, making that the only “during” possibility.

    I don’t know that it would be after Smith, because Smith remembers him. There is the possibility of the Valeyard, I character I’m not presently familiar with but should be soon since I just picked up “Trial of a Time Lord” because of that theory. I doubt that one because they’ve been consistent with what different regenerations look like, and the Valeyard wouldn’t regenerate with a new face given what he was. He could come before the first Doctor, but given the tone of the relaunch, I think the Time War Doctor is the most interesting possibility, so that’s what I’m betting on.

      • The evidence suggests it’s not a future Doc, but Smith could still remember him if he was, since the Doctor’s incarnations have crossed paths before.

        I like the pre-Hartnell theory, since Hartnell’s Doctor once dropped an oft-ignored, never-explained enigmatic line about leading other lives previously, but I think the post-McGann Time War idea is more likely.

        • I suspect it’s a post-McGann “Doctor”, who wiped out two species during the Time War, and that’s why he’s not fit to be called the Doctor. They brought up the Time War this season, so I suspect it’s a Time War Doctor. Besides, if he wasn’t The Doctor they’d have to call him something, which might be why his name was in that book.

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