In the episode “Battlefield” it turns out that the Doctor went to another universe where the King Arther legends were apparently real, and he was known to them as Merlin. Do you think they’ll touch on that in the current series? Do you want them to?
I don’t know if they will, but I think it would be interesting if they did.
There’s also the case of Mr. JJ Chambers…I’m sorry, the Valeyard. With no Time Lord High Council to strike a deal with the Doctor’s…pre 13th incarnation…is the Valeyard a Watcher?..anyway, does that mean that he won’t come into existence? Or since he got away disguised as the keeper of the Matrix, does that mean he exists, but is trapped with the other Time Lords on Galifrey, or he’s roaming the universe and will run into the Doctor in a future episode? Again, do you think they’ll touch on this? Do you want them to?
If the series runs long enough, eventually they’ll bring back the green bubble-wrap monster. But I predict neither of the story lines will be revisited soon.
Returning characters so far have and species so far have been iconic figures from the peak of the series popularity. The stories you mentioned were from the declining years, and are much less likely to be fondly remembered (or remembered at all) by the casual fan.
In the case of Battlefield, the characters aren’t even strongly associated with Doctor Who. Sarah Jane, Davros & Daleks, Cybermen, and Silurians are all indigenous to that universe. Morgan and Mordred are borrowed, and have appeared in countless other works, many of which are better regarded and better remembered than Battlefield.
As to the Valeyard, wasn’t the most interesting thing about him the reveal of what he was? If he did return, it would be without that mystery. He’d be just another evil Time Lord, and frankly we’ve had quite enough of those for a while. Also, in a recent episodeThe Dream Lord created a distorted version of reality, spoke to the Doctor in a prosecutorial manner, and turned out to be a manifestation of his darker side.That sounds a lot like the Valeyard’s game, so I don’t think they’ll be wanting to repeat any of it too soon.
I figured the Dream Lord was the Valeyard. He did say something to the effect that “You know who I am” and what better place for the Valeyard to be hiding than withing the Doctor’s mind?
Besides, from what’s been established in the new series, we know that the Valeyard survived.
He was the Doctor’s last regeneration and the Doctor survived.
I don’t think they’ve shown that episode on BBC America yet. On Saturday all they did was a marathon that went up to “The Vampires of Venice”. I’m hoping the next episode will be this coming Saturday.
Oops. That seems kind of stupid of them. I’m watching them through alternate channels as is, so I’ve kind of lost track of BBCA schedules. Seems like the more of a gap there is between U.K. and U.S. showings, the more likely people are to find other ways of watching.
Er, you are aware that the “original series” ran from 1963-4, aren’t you? By the “Battlefield” episode, in 1989, they were on the 7th damn Doctor, and God knows what number series.
Anyway, with respect to the true “original series,” I watched the Vampires of Venice episode last weekend on BBC America, with the new 11th Doctor (they seem to getting through them much faster than they used to - 3 since the reboot!), and noticed that at one point he flashed some sort of ID card showing the picture of the first (and to me, still the true) Doctor, as played by William Hartnell. It did not make much sense in terms of the plot, but was rather a nice little homage, I thought.
They’ve been mentioned in passing as the (apparently former) inhabitants of Mars, but you’d have to really go way back to find anyone who’d call them iconic.
TWDuke mentioned the Silurians. Now that even the BBC can afford halfway decent special effects, isn’t it high time the Doctor paid a visit to the Mesozoic? We ought to see the Silurians and the Sea Devils in their prime, and have the Doctor face again one of his worst dilemmas: that for the human race to have ever existed, the SIlurians must die.
That makes sense in America, where a “season” of a show typically does last for about a season, i.e., about a quarter of a year. A British “series,” however, typically runs for a much shorter period, although it may return for another series later in the same year, or the next year. They do not (generally) last for a season, so the American terminology is not appropriate.
I watched the first series (well, some of it) of Dr Who, in 1963-4, and series is what I, and the BBC, would have called it.
And fanspeak uses Season X to refer to the old ones, while Series X to refer to the new ones. (Although the diehards refer to the current season/series as Season 31 to emphasize that they are in the same continuity.)
