Wild Doctor Who Theory Perfectly Explains Why NuWho Changed the Design of the Doctor’s Regenerations
The Doctor’s ability to change their face when ill, injured, or dying has kept Doctor Who fresh and exciting for over 60 years, and there may be a reason the process of regeneration became more of a spectacle when the series was revived in 2005. Regeneration was first introduced to Doctor Who back in 1966, when William Hartnell departed from the series due to poor health, and was replaced by Patrick Troughton. Now, 15 actors in total have portrayed various incarnations of the Doctor, and the regenerative process has also changed with each new face.
A new theory posed by @TheDimmeh on X could explain why regenerations became much more explosive when Doctor Who was revived in 2005. The theory suggests that the Time Lords may have altered the regeneration process during the Great Time War so that, when Time Lords regenerated after being killed on the battlefield, the explosive energy might take down some Daleks surrounding them in the process. The Time Lords may have turned their natural regenerations into a weapon, explaining why the typical calm handover from Doctor to Doctor was traded for a more spectacular event.
The regenerations of Doctors one through seven were straight-forward, a simple fade from one face to the next. The Eighth Doctor’s (Paul McGann) regeneration into the War Doctor (John Hurt), however, was a violent affair that was altered by the Sisterhood of Karn’s elixir that allowed the Doctor to choose characteristics for his next, war-faring iteration. Since then, the Doctor’s regenerations have often destroyed everything around them, most notably the TARDIS during the Tenth (David Tennant) and Twelfth Doctor’s (Peter Capaldi) regenerations, and the Dalek fleet during the Eleventh Doctor’s (Matt Smith) turn.
Access to special effects was obviously much easier and cheaper in 2005, when Doctor Who was brought back after a 16-year hiatus. This meant the Doctor’s regenerations could be much more cinematic and visually striking, but the reason for this change has never been explored onscreen. The theory that regenerations were altered to forge them into a weapon during the Time War is a solid one, and perhaps explains why the Doctor has avoided talking about it, as the events of the Time War and his role in it have always been a sore spot for the time-traveler.
The reveal that the Doctor is actually a being from another dimension with a natural regenerative ability that early Gallifreyans took, harnessed, and installed in their own genes may support this theory. This origin for the Time Lords’ regenerations implies that they could go back in and change bits whenever they wanted. The Time War provided a desperate situation, and the Time Lords clearly went to extreme lengths to win and survive – one of these extreme lengths could have easily been changing the very process of regeneration, making it a much more explosive and destructive force.
What do you think of this game-changing regeneration theory in Doctor Who? Let us know in the comments!
