Doctor Who is a show with a long legacy and an even longer, more complicated canon. The show has given many explanations as to why the Doctor is able to regenerate and how many times they can do so before “running out of” lives.
However, Season 12 threw the curveball that the Doctor is actually a mysterious being with infinite regeneration power. Does this mean they are immortal? Can they not die at all?
As per the Timeless Child arc reveal, the Doctor is not a Timelord or a Gallifreyan but a mysterious child from a different universe who can allegedly regenerate an infinite number of times. It is yet unknown if the Doctor is immortal. However, they can still die mid-regeneration if something goes wrong.
Let’s untangle this wibbly wobbly timey-wimey ball of information:
Is The Doctor immortal? The Timeless Child Arc Explained
During his run as showrunner, Chris Chibnall introduced the Timeless Child storyline, in which an early Gallifreyan, Tecteun, discovered a mysterious child beneath a wormhole that led to a whole other universe. It is theorized that the child was from this other universe as well.
When the child fell, they should’ve died from the fatal fall. Instead, Tecteun witnesses that the child simply regenerated into another humanoid form.
From here, he took to studying and replicating the child’s DNA to create Time Lords who could regenerate a total of 12 times. This rule has been applicable to the Doctor as well, until Clara pleaded to the Time Lords to give the 12th Doctor a whole new set of regenerations.
The existence of the Timeless Child was kept a secret from the future Time Lords as well!
The big reveal from Season 12’s finale is that the Doctor is, in fact, the mysterious Timeless Child, whose DNA was used to create the Time Lords. This means that they are over a billion years old and can actually regenerate an endless number of times.
This should automatically mean that the Doctor is immortal and cannot die. However, Time Lords can die if something goes wrong while they are still regenerating. That would mean the same can happen to the Doctor too, even if they are the Timeless Child.
The second reason we can’t assume the Doctor is immortal is that this concept is largely unexplored. Let’s not forget that most of this information was delivered through the Master, who vehemently hates the Doctor. So, it’s possible that he lied or withheld information.
So, until the show gives us more explanation about whether or not the Timeless Children arc is true and to what extent, the Doctor’s “immortality” remains in limbo.
Will Russell T. Davis follow the Timeless Child Arc?
The Timeless Child was one of Doctor Who’s most divisive arcs. Fans did not like it because it was put into place for the logistical purpose of giving the Doctor an extended life but did not make any sense creatively.
This move retconned a lot of existing Doctor Who canon and even created a bunch of unsolvable loopholes.
It is also worth noting that even in Jodie Whittaker’s very last episode, “The Power of the Doctor,” not many references were made to the Timeless Child arc. Some believe this is because Doctor Who’s next (and returning) showrunner, Russell T. Davies, may completely ignore this arc or even overwrite it!
In such a case, the Doctor may not be “immortal” after all, and perhaps this could be explained as The Master’s elaborate scheme to sabotage the Doctor.
The next Doctor Who episodes will be the 2023 specials which will air only next November. We can hope that David Tennant’s 14th Doctor will provide more answers!
About Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British sci-fi TV program produced by the BBC since 1963. The series aired from 1963-89 and was then again revived in 2005.
The program depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called “The Doctor,” an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the universe in a time-traveling spaceship called the TARDIS. With various companions, the Doctor combats foes, saves civilizations, and helps people in need.
Over the years, many actors like Jodie Whittaker, William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, and Peter Davidson have played the Doctor. Hartnell was the first actor to be cast as Doctor Who.
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