The Doctor Who thread

[griffin]

I actually liked that line by the War Council, saying that they were not interested in following the High Council... so yes, the High Council could well be a minority, or not even representing the general population.

If they weren't elected (to represent what the people are wanting), does a "highly evolved" race see a non-elected dictatorship as being the most effective/efficient means of governing, for the best needs of the people... I wonder?

[Autocon]

Makes sense since those elements were in the show from the very beginning of the reboot and there's been nothing in particular (that I can recall) in the episodes themselves (not including minisodes etc) that explained that John Hurt Doctor came after the eight other versions we've seen glimpses of.

Does that mean all other Drs thereafter a now one number back? So Matt Smith is now the 12th Dr?

[Paulbot]

I actually liked that line by the War Council, saying that they were not interested in following the High Council... so yes, the High Council could well be a minority, or not even representing the general population.

If they weren't elected (to represent what the people are wanting), does a "highly evolved" race see a non-elected dictatorship as being the most effective/efficient means of governing, for the best needs of the people... I wonder?

No wonder the Doctor left his home planet behind.

Even though the Time Lords had gone a bit genocidal, it still seemed strange to not mention of the Daleks surviving the Time War (which meant the use of the Moment was going to only destroy the Time Lords - which probably made 9, 10 and 11 hate himself even much for what he had done as the War Doctor).

[snaketales]

WA-HOOOOOOOOOOOO got the Enemy of the World on DVD!

For those who don't know, this serial has been missing for something like 47 years...

[griffin]

Does that mean all other Drs thereafter a now one number back? So Matt Smith is now the 12th Dr?

This is now the conundrum of DrWho fans, wikis and published materials - do you start referring to them with their new number designation (now that Hurt is the 9th incarnation/Doctor), or, do you stick with the old number designations and just call Hurt "the War Doctor", or, refer to them by their actor names (like, the Smith Doctor, the McCoy Doctor or the first Baker Doctor) to prevent any confusion when referring to any of the Doctors AFTER McGann.

Because until the new order of 13 Doctors becomes universally accepted or adopted, after last weekend's story, anyone saying "the 10th Doctor" (for example) could either be talking about Eccelston or Tennant.
The majority of fans (and published materials) needs to agree or accept the new order and numbers, or, stick with the old numbers and just label Hurt as "The War Doctor".
If the former, imagine all those publishers and guidebook/wiki writers who would be a bit upset about having to redo any reference to a number. (at least with the publishers, it could be a marketing ploy to sell "updated" editions)

[griffin]

To Griffin's point, how old was the Doctor supposed to be when the 1963 show started? I was under the impression that the Doctor was 700-800 years old by that point and that not more than a few hundred years had taken place since An Unearthly Child and the 10th's regeneration? In that case the Eleventh Doctor being several centuries older during his run would make sense to give he calculations a little more time to run.

It still bugs me that it was just suddenly thrown in there between a couple episodes, when it could have been a gradual thing, between each of his visits with Pond and Clara... like 10 years here, 20 years there. Before long, over the course of two seasons of not having permanent travelling companions, he could have accumulated the same amount of time, without it just sounding like it was a last-minute plot device, which was only ever used (adequately justified) in the Day of the Doctor where it was needed.
Visually it bugs me too - in 800 years when we first meet the Doctor (The Unearthly Child in 1963) he is an old man. Yes, they age slowly, but he looked old because he was old. But when the Smith Doctor "aged" 400 years, half that amount, he didn't have any aging to show for it.... or any explanation as to why he hadn't yet aged. (maybe it's a sudden thing in the last few years before a natural regeneration... but that could have been something mentioned to explain no aging of Smith's Doctor)

Hmmm... debating the biological mechanics of Dr Who, a fictional universe... really makes me feel like an obsessed fanboy.

[Paulbot]

I took the War Doctor looking old and the 11th didnt was because fighting the Time War aged him (fatigue, stress, injuries and so on from non-stop warfare can't be good for the skin)

Matt Smith was the 11th to play the Doctor so he's still got a good claim on being called the 11th (and so on). It's the next one I'm not sure about.

[UltraMarginal]

I don't see why the "War Doctor" gets slotted in at 9?

shouldn't he be considered the Zeroth Doctor. I figured when he started to regenerate that he would be becoming the first doctor. I obviously missed something.

[Paulbot]

I don't see why the "War Doctor" gets slotted in at 9?

shouldn't he be considered the Zeroth Doctor. I figured when he started to regenerate that he would be becoming the first doctor. I obviously missed something.

You're the third person I know that thought this, but no: Paul McGann's Dcotor (8th, from the telemovie) became the "War Doctor" fought the Time War, who then became the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston, you see a glimpse of his features in the special during the regeneration) and almost immediately met Rose Tyler in the first ep of the current run. The period between the telemovie and the current series is where the gap for the Time War and War Doctor exists.

[griffin]

See, that's why I said that they should have played the "Night of the Doctor" before the "Day of the Doctor" at the theatres or on TV, so that it made sense to those who hadn't seen it yet. Or at the very least, clearly show Eccelston's face after he regenerated at the end of this episode.

I took the War Doctor looking old and the 11th didnt was because fighting the Time War aged him (fatigue, stress, injuries and so on from non-stop warfare can't be good for the skin)

Since the Doctor can look old when newly regenerated (Troughton and Pertwee), I didn't think that the Hurt Doctor would have aged during his existence... But the first Doctor isn't likely to have been "born" old, so it would make sense that if he can age in his first life of 800 years, then 400 years should have made a difference to his appearance.

Matt Smith was the 11th to play the Doctor so he's still got a good claim on being called the 11th (and so on). It's the next one I'm not sure about.

Technically, he wasn't even the 11th... if you take into account Richard Hurndall and the Valeyard's two actors (and that's just in this main universe of DrWho - we've also had other actors play the character in other story universes, like Rowen Atkinson and Peter Cushing). But if Smith is kept officially as the "11th Doctor" because he was the 11th "main" actor, I wonder if that makes Hurt the "12th Doctor"?