silversonic1
Sir Oswulf
silversonic1
Lord_Titus2012
silversonic1
Now before people go jumping the gun, I feel a history check is in order.
First, Clara read the Doctor's real name in the book about the history of the time war.
Second, Time Lords only refer to other Time Lords by their chosen names, not by their real names.
Third, the Eleventh Doctor did refer to this other "Doctor" as though he was part of his past.
And lastly, the 8th Doctor was never shown regenerating into the 9th Doctor.
The fact that the Doctor's real name was used in that book may indicate that this incarnation chose during the course of the time war to abandon the name he chose and everything it stood for. My guess is that by keeping his real name secret, it spares him the guilt that has come to be linked with it.
However, this other incarnation could still be from the Doctor's future. The Valeyard, a future incarnation and villain, does also fit the description of a version of the Doctor who abandoned his chosen name.
It is hard to say for sure, but I am sure his true nature will be revealed by the next season's end. After all, that sort of is the pattern.
if I remember correctly, the Valeyard was the doctor's 13th.
but the doctor crossed into his own time steam, so something tells me that this is a second wake up call for the doctor. Because he has seen his 12th and 13th regens, so he may " rewrite " time again to prevent all this from happening at all.
Another thing I would like to mention is that the Doctor crossing his own time stream happens a lot. Especially in 1969(He's been there at least 4 times for the moon landing alone). He also has actively tried to alter his own future in the past. Between trying to prevent the Valeyard from ever existing, using a rip in time to send himself a means to save the TARDIS, or even helping his younger self when the TARDIS merged with itself and was about to be destroyed, he has gained quite a bit of experience in what to do when he crosses his own time stream. He has also shown how foreknowledge of key moments in his life can alter the probable course of his own existence for the better, meaning that even his own death isn't set in stone.
(Some important side notes. The 12 regen limit was placed upon the Time Lords by themselves. Without the rest of the Time Lords around, the Doctor may have a new limit. Also, I should point out that even though Clara claims to have seen all of the Doctor's faces, all she was seen doing was interacting with the 11th Doctor's past up to the point that he came to rescue her.)
Per "The Christmas Invasion" itself... he didn't use an *extra* regeneration to heal the hand, he was able to heal the hand because he was still retaining some of the residual energy of the regeneration *into* Tenant.
I wouldn't really count a Children In Need special as canon per se. But yes, he has very much crossed timestreams. The Three Doctors, The Five Doctors and The Two Doctors all leap to mind....
We *see* Clara interacting with the Doctors we're aware of. I'm prepared to write off interaction with future incarnations as happening but not being shown to a TV audience because... well because it isn't possible to do so.
At any rate, the 12 regeneration limit is an arbitrary storytelling device and the BBC can absolutely toss up a storytelling reason to supersede it. Like the Master in the whatever-they're-called gases of Sarn.
But it's not impossible to show future Doctors. All you have to do is show Clara reacting to somebody dressed in an outfit we haven't seen before and claim it's the Doctor. Don't show the face to leave it open ended. After all, the actor may not be picked, but the clothes and setting can be.(Weak argument, I know.)
And you are right about the limit. However, it all depends on what you accept as canon to the series. If you accept the spinoffs, than the Doctor saying he can regenerate 507 times would make it the new limit. But if you accept that the Doctor lies, than you'd likely stick with 12. After all, Russel T. Davies himself said the 12 rule was too deeply entrenched in the fans to be replaced so easily.
Also, in the past, it was said that regeneration was not just a biological function, but it was also the work of the TARDIS. With the Time Lords gone it is possible that as long as the TARDIS survives, the Doctor can regenerate.
Yeh, picking outfits in advance really doesn't work for me. The outfit is all part of the characterization that gets put together. We want to leave options open.
I would tend to agree that 12 is sufficiently ingrained in fan's minds that it can't just be ignored. But it can absolutely be gotten around. smile
