Summary
- Tales of the TARDIS creates the possibility for unlimited adventures for past Doctors and companions.
- The new series explains how these stories are possible by introducing the concept of different timestreams, allowing for the return of previous Doctors after their regeneration.
- The creation of a multiverse inDoctor Who means that any past Doctor can be brought back without impacting the main storyline, opening the door for new spinoffs centered around the Doctor.
TheDoctor Whouniverse is expanding, and the new spinoffTales of the TARDIS sets up unlimited adventures for every past Doctor. The series is celebrating its 60th anniversary with plenty of new stories and adventures, including the return of David Tennant and Catherine Tate as the Doctor and Donna in a three-part special. Tennant and Tate are not the only ones returning, as theDoctor Who spinoffTales of the TARDISsees the return of three Doctors and nine companions across six episodes.Tales of the TARDISedits together classicDoctor Who serials with new scenes from the original cast to create the new series.
Tales of the TARDISmainly revisits past adventures, but the new material at the start and end of each episode provides new information aboutDoctor Who's companions and what happened to them, as well as the fates of past incarnations of the Doctor. The episodes “Earthshock," “Vengeance on Varos," “The Curse of Fenric” are the onlyTales of the TARDISinstallments to feature the Doctor while “The Mind Robber," “The Three Doctors," and “The Time Meddler” use the companions reminiscing to revisit the Doctor’s adventures. This new addition to the Whoniverse is especially exciting becauseTales of the TARDISmakes sure to explain exactly how these stories are possible.
All 26 Easter Eggs In Doctor Who's Tales Of The TARDIS By Episode
As the new Doctor Who spinoff Tales of the TARDIS makes its debut, eagle-eyed viewers will be able to spot various references to the Doctor's past.
How Doctor Who's New Spinoff Explains The Return Of Past Doctors
Previous Doctors returning toDoctor Whohas always been momentous, with actors or old images of the character also being used in theDoctor Who50th anniversary special. However, that was done by revisiting the Doctors in their own individual timelines.Tales of the TARDISand theDoctor Who60th anniversary specials are unique because they bring back previous Doctors after their regeneration,Tales of the TARDISeven suggests the Doctor does not need to regenerate and can grow old instead. Fortunately, in “The Curse of Fenric," the Seventh Doctor explains exactly how timestreams are the reason for the Doctor remaining unchanged.
The Seventh Doctor implies there are many different timestreams, or timelines, so the one he is living in with Ace, without regenerating, is completely different from the one in which the events ofDoctor Whoare taking place.
In “The Curse of Fenric”, the Seventh Doctor (Sylvester McCoy) reunites with his companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) to remember their battle against an ancient evil where a Viking curse brings the dead back to life in World War II. Explaining how he got old, Seven tells Ace, "Timestreams are funny things. In some, I regenerate. In others, I don’t. It’s all a matter of perspective." The Seventh Doctor implies there are many different timestreams, or timelines, so the one he is living in with Ace, without regenerating, is completely different from the one in which the events ofDoctor Whoare taking place.
Doctor Who Can Now Bring Back Any (& Every) Past Doctor
Tales of the TARDIShas essentially created a multiverse, which means any andevery past Doctor fromDoctor Who can be brought back. Multiple timestreams existing for each Doctor means one-off adventures or long-running adventures can be created without impacting the canon of the mainDoctor Whostoryline.Doctor Whohas shown how much it wants to bring some classic characters back into the Whoniverse since the Companion Support Group was shown in the episode “The Power of the Doctor." Now, with everyDoctor Who episode from the classic and new series on BBC iPlayer, audiences have a chance to reconnect with past Doctors before more spinoffs are created.
Showrunner Russel T Davies has indicated the Whoniverse will be expanding much more upon his return, which is already happening with new adventures such asTales of the TARDISand the multi-platformDoctor Who projectDoom’s Day. Until now,Doctor Whospinoffs have mainly focused on characters in theDoctor Whoworld but not the Doctor directly, as in the case of the seriesTorchwood. However, the timestream creates the opportunity to have more Doctor-focused spinoffs whereany of the previous Doctors can return and be the main character of their story.
All episodes ofTales of the TARDISare exclusively available on BBC iPlayer.
Doctor Who Officially Rejects De-Aging Classic Characters For New Adventures
The timestream explanation also meansDoctor Whohas officially rejected de-aging classic characters for new adventures. David Tennant’s return raised questions about de-aging inDoctor Whoas his last appearance as the Doctor was 10 years ago, and he looks visibly different from when he played Ten. Reasons have arisen that suggest he looks different because Tennant is playing the 14th Doctor, not the 10th, in the 60th anniversary special. Others believe that aging will just be ignored becausede-aging in movies and TV can often look terrible, so it is not worth using it inDoctor Who.
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Tales of the TARDIShas now confirmed thatde-aging will not be used at all inDoctor Who, which will instead celebrate the classic characters' aging.Doctor Who’s rules around regeneration have often been tricky, as a Time Lord is only supposed to be able to have 12 regenerations and there are now more, but timestreams allow regeneration to not happen at all, or only some. This means the Doctor can regenerate back into a past version or have new adventures with an aged face without creating any plot holes. The timestreams explanation is a fantastic way to explore multipleDoctor Whospinoffs using already beloved characters.
