The end of the Eleventh Doctor is very definitely nigh. In fact, it’s only one week away now, and BBC America has released this extended trailer for Matt Smith’s swan song, “The Time of the Doctor,” which shows us more of the Daleks, Cybermen, Silence, and Weeping Angels we knew about, but also a lot more of who seems to be behind the whole thing, i.e. the woman with the greasepaint over her eyes. Clearly she’s met the Doctor before, but who is she? It looks to be a very sad and heroic ending for Number Eleven, and one that will very likely lead to the biggest discussion in the coming months, that being how the Doctor could have more than 12 regenerations. I hope the answer we’re given is: “Who cares?”
Before the Christmas Farewell-Sad-Times will be an hour-long Farewell to Matt Smith special, in which the actor himself and others who worked with him will reflect on the four years of the Eleventh Doctor. Like it or not, Tennant fans, Smith is the Doctor who ushered in the biggest spike in popularity in this country ever, and to many he is THE Doctor. He’s certainly my one.
All the festivities kick off on BBC America Wednesday, December 25th, at 8/7c. Get your Kleenexes handy.
Did anyone else notice the super quick shot of Matt Smith in old age makeup when he flicks the sonic?
I just got all kinds of sad…. the FEELS. THE FEELS!!!!
Alot of regeneration canon was established with Tom Baker. You can regenerate more than 12 times your body degenerates (Assassin storyline), The Master was granted more regenerations by the High Council for rescuing The Doctor (5 Doctors) and Time Lords can inhabit other bodies thus by passing the body degeneration thing (Legopolis – The Master inhabits Nyssas Dads body). Plus River gave him all her regenerations as a Child of the TARDIS.
PLENTY of loopholes
I think the interview with Moffat regarding not breaking the rule probably don’t convey his trademark dry delivery / implied snark.
I imagine that while he will definitely give lip service to it, but will find a way to then remove it.
It is possible it is a time lord imposed limit, just like fixed points in time. Bad things can happen breaking it, but the Doctor could break it if he put his mind to it.
Matt Smith is the 12th Doctor as revealed in the Day of the Doctor. He also meets a later version of himself, played by Tom Baker (The Curator) who indicates that there have been other regenerations into past faces. So they’ve already blown the 12 regenerations out of the water.
Another thing everyone keeps forgetting, is that the regenerations were decided and controlled by the time Lord councils. And since they no longer exist, the doctor does not have to obey the rules. But heck, when has he ever obeyed the rules?
So here’s the thing about regenerations, that isn’t all that difficult to find if you do a little googling:
It’s been suggested that the 13 lives (12 regenerations) are a part-evolutionary/part-social development to keep Gallifrey from becoming overpopulated. However, with the Time Lord social order all but gone, it’s quite easy to imagine that the Doctor’s own DNA has evolved past that regeneration limit. Narratively, pair this with Capaldi’s upcoming search for the hidden-away post-war planet of Gallifrey, and I think you’ve got the building blocks for a great new overall arc. Perhaps the Doctor expects to die in the special, and his regeneration surprises even him. Then, finding answers about that will be a part of his ongoing search for Gallifrey.
That said, not all plotholes are forgivable; how the hell did the Doctor and Clara escape the timestream at the end of the Day of the Doctor?
Thank you Dale Cooper!! People seem to keep forgetting that!
The problem with the 12 regenerations is that we’re forgetting that near the end of the fourth season, the Doctor gets shot by a Dalek and begins regenerating as he is taken into the TARDIS where he links up with the severed hand (which was cut off during The Christmas Invasion) in the container and pretty much regenerates from David to still David. And as mentioned in the comments already there’s the whole thing with River giving him her regeneration energy.
@Dale – Per Moffat and his writing staff, the regeneration that David Tennant did with his hand and created the second David Tennant Doctor counted as one of his regenerations.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-christmas-spoilers-matt-2847509?utm_content=buffer5e8e6&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer
That being said, Moffat does not want to break the rules established in the current cannon. But, there are many options avalible to them to extend his regeneration count or find a loophole. There is 50 years of material to pull from so I just hope its a good explanation.
Thank you, Matt Smith, for the magic, romance, brilliance, heartbreak and adventure you brought to the role. These were the best years the show has ever had – best writing, best story lines, best companions – but they couldn’t have made any of it work without the Best Doctor. Ever.
Kyle, you keep suggesting that the question about what happens after 12 regenerations is upon us, but it’s not!
With the inclusion of John Hurt, Peter Capaldi will be the 13th Doctor, or the 12th regeneration. We aren’t facing the question until Capaldi’s Doctor dies.
This makes me excited and sad, but mostly sad. I’ve had months to grieve for 11 and somehow I don’t think I’ll ever stop. Matt Smith, was indeed, born to be The Doctor
Crying already!
he got some spare regenerations from river song, “all of her’s” but dose this mean that the Doctor’s daughter (his female clone) only has 3 left?
“Who cares” about the regenerations indeed! River gave him ALL of her remaining regenerations. Plus, the Master has been killed permanently and resurrected so often; the 8th Doctor TV movie he was ashes in a box and in The End of Time he was bodiless and resurrected again. The Doctor will be FINE.