13th Doctor Announced

[JasonPratt]

The Time Lord Council also gave The Master a new set of regenerations in the classic series.

In the Five Doctors yeah?  He never got to use them though, the Ainley master never regenerated before the Daleks vaporized him and he ended up as a spooky space snake that possessed Eric Roberts.

I'll have to check that. It wouldn't make sense, because Ainley's "Master" wasn't physically a Time Lord anymore: he had projected his consciousness into the body of a man of a different species -- although then again, it shouldn't make sense for Eric Robert's Master either (a somewhat similarly possessed human).

As it happens, we're both right. The TLords did promise the Master a new set of regenerations; but only if he succeeded in his task, and they never got around to giving them (until much later for the Time War, having rescued him from the Eye of Terror.... wait, wrong franchise. ;) The Eye of the World? That thing at the center of the TARDIS, like the Untempered Schism.)

They probably didn't because (a) the Third Doctor stole his Seal of the High Council (proving he was on a legitimate mission, which returns as a sort of long-running continuity joke in Eleven's final story); (b) he betrays everyone after all and tries to get the Immortality of Rassilon and kill off all of Team Good; and (c) he was actually hired expecting to screw over the Doctors as a spanner in the works. (This part of the plot doesn't make much sense to the finale.) So he was never going to get a recharge on his do-overs anyway.

[bbmike]

NERDS!!!!

[mirth]

They're everywhere!

[Sir Slash]

"Who-Nerds" Are in a class all by themselves.

[JasonPratt]

Who us?

... WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL OUR GREAT SMILIES, WE USED TO HAVE A CYBERSMILEY AND EVERYTHANG!

sigh, I'll just have to make do with what we've got. Let's see...

L:-)  Dalek smiley.  O:-)

[mirth]

For anyone who wants a dose of SJW pain

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/opinion/doctor-who-jodie-whittaker-reaction.html

The Doctor, they seem to believe, is yet another white male birthright, like the American presidency, like the planet.

[Sir Slash]

Next thing you know, he won't even be British anymore.  >:(

[SirAndrewD]

Next thing you know, he won't even be British anymore.  >:(

That would cause riots in the UK. 

Heck, I'm still on the fence on whether or not the decision will be good for the show.  The viewership dropped pretty heavily when they cast Capaldi, mostly because of his age.

I'm still not sure I'm going to stick with it honestly.  Not really because it's a woman in the role, but mostly because I am OCD about recasting in my media, and take a lot longer than normal to get comfortable with a recast, even when it's part of the entire concept of character.  I never really accepted Michelle Gomez as the master, not sure I can ever get over my OCD block and see Whitaker as the Doctor.  I'll give it a try though. 

[mirth]

I still haven't recovered from Tom Baker leaving the role.

[bbmike]

I still haven't recovered from Tom Baker leaving the role.

The best Doctor by far IMHO.  O0

[DoctorQuest]

I still haven't recovered from Tom Baker leaving the role.

The best Doctor by far IMHO.  O0

+1. I "grew up" with The Doctor, Sara Jane Smith and K-9.

[mirth]

Sara Jane 

[JasonPratt]

Romana. 

...the, uh, fur bikini woman, whoever she was. 


Anyway. The only argument I would have about the Doctor necessarily being a white man, is that he's supposed to represent the quintessential dotty British intellectual. Having him adapt to real history is a thematic way of saying that British world culture is still relevant and important today by being adaptable into today's society -- but the thematic point is lost if he tropes (so to speak) over to another mode of representation. But of course, modern British progressives are super-embarrassed of colonial world-power Britain and its achievements, so even having a quirky reminder continuing to be culturally relevant offends them.

This could be adjusted for somewhat, depending on how they write Whittaker's character and how she portrays her -- the Doctor is nothing if not legacy incarnate -- but I have to say I'm dubious about the intentions of what they're marketing as their "bold" new direction. Their rationales have not so far been about fresh story opportunities or whatever, but about social pandering (to be blunt).

I suddenly realized I've been seeing a major uptick in official "snippets" from classic Who episodes on BBC's Youtube channels, especially their Doctor Who channel. That's good marketing for the classic eps, and I hope it means they'll be making those more accessible (on Prime for example). But I'm wondering if it's also meant as a sort of reminder that the classic Doctors will still be there so stop whining.  ::)

Oh well. I can't say their attitude fills me with hope (despite marketing her as "hope", which I agree is a good idea), but if they can write good stories for her and the acting remains up to par, I won't care.

[mirth]

Mary Tamm, Romana or Lalla Ward, Romana?

[bbmike]

...the, uh, fur bikini woman, whoever she was. 

Leela. Best companion ever.