The Doctor after the Time War

The Ninth Doctor

John Hurt’s character, if the rumours are true, will no doubt give us a far greater understanding of the role which the Doctor played during the Time War. But before the BBC officially confirm or deny the theory that Hurt portrays a “Doctor” slotted between the 8^th and 9^th official incarnations, there is a lot about his involvement in the War that we can make a pretty good guess at from the immediate aftermath: the 2005 series.

Series 1 of revived Doctor Who gave us the fantastic Christopher Eccleston; a far angrier and less whimsical Doctor than we’d seen before. This Doctor clearly had been through some very traumatic times as he almost seemed to be acting like Hartnell did in 1963 (both the first and ninth Doctors were very reclusive and resistant to the idea of having companions). The 9^th Doctor routinely referred to Human beings as “stupid apes” and seemed totally against the idea of Rose Tyler helping him until she saved his life at the end of the first episode and he saw once again the value of having a companion by his side.

From here they both go into episode 2, The End of the World, in which the Doctor takes Rose to see her world destroyed by the expansion of the sun. What might seem like an odd idea for a first date I believe was actually a test set by the bitter Doctor to his companion, almost as if to say “If you are strong enough to see your planet burn like I have then you are worthy to travel with me.”

The series from this point on is filled with references to the Time War but the most interesting of which is in the episode Dalek when the Doctor, after being reunited with his arch nemesis, tells him that the entire Dalek race was wiped out in one second and that not only did he watch it happen, he made it happen. This is the first explicit hint that the Doctor was far more than an innocent observer in the events of the conflict and that he has more blood on his hands than was first apparent.

Later we discover that a lot more than just a single Dalek survived which gives way to the first NuWho regeneration. Safe in the TARDIS with Rose and thinking that the last Daleks have been purged from the universe (little does he know they were merely waiting in the darkness, painting themselves like power rangers), the Ninth is able to become the Tenth who was significantly happier and seemed to dwell a lot less on the past.

Then in The End of Time, he was able to see exactly how mad with power the Time Lords had become and, after being able to reassure himself that he made the right decision, it gives him the closure he needs to become a new Doctor who is able to move on with his life, even getting married to River Song.

But even now the Doctor hasn’t truly recovered from the events of the Time War and perhaps he never will. It’ll certainly be interesting to see how his regeneration this Christmas will affect him and if his encounter with John Hurt will reopen old wounds.

So how do you think Capaldi should approach the role? Should the Doctor get progressively more light and whimsical as he puts the War behind him or would a return to a darker Eccleston Doctor make for a more interesting character?

Article submitted by @Tarminuus.