# Dr. Who question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359 "2006-04-19T20:52:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/1 "2006-04-19T20:52:20Z")
When the Doctor reincarnates, is he an adult, functional Time Lord? Does he know who is? Does he remember previous incarnations? ---
**Author:** ![Cleophus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@Cleophus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cleophus)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/2 "2006-04-19T20:54:17Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > When the Doctor reincarnates, is he an adult, functional Time Lord? Does he know who is? Does he remember previous incarnations? Yes. His personality and appearance change, but he still remembers his past. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/3 "2006-04-19T20:57:06Z")
> [@Cleophus](#): > > His personality and appearance change, but he still remembers his past. Though sometimes it will take a while, depending on what caused him to regenerate. A traumatic event, such as being flooded with radiation, will cause him to temporarily lose his memory. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/4 "2006-04-19T20:58:25Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/5 "2006-04-20T01:35:31Z")
The change from the 3rd to the 4th and the 5th to the 6th came with what seemed like some memory problems and quite a few odd quirks. Coincidentally, the 4th and 6th Doctors were both played by actors surnamed Baker. Fine chaps. All of them. [http://www.gallifreyone.com/](http://www.gallifreyone.com/) [http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/](http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/) ---
**Author:** ![Monkey\_Chews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/65b543/32.png) [@Monkey\_Chews](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monkey_Chews)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/6 "2006-04-20T02:30:33Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > The change from the 3rd to the 4th and the 5th to the 6th came with what seemed like some memory problems As did the change from the 6th to the 7th, and the 7th to the 8th. Tricky business, regeneration. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/7 "2006-04-20T02:35:37Z")
And he was badly disoriented, not to mention nearly killed, going from the 4th to the 5th. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/8 "2006-04-20T02:48:28Z")
Okay, you giys are so damn smart, what is the significance of the scarf, hmmm? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/9 "2006-04-20T02:50:04Z")
It’s just part of his costume. It was the celery stalk of the fifth doctor that was significant. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/10 "2006-04-20T02:56:16Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Okay, you giys are so damn smart, what is the significance of the scarf, hmmm? > 🙂 He was trying on different costumes to go chase a killer robot. That one was the least objectionable to the UNIT commander, Stewart. Jelly baby? ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/11 "2006-04-20T03:30:10Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > He was trying on different costumes to go chase a killer robot. That one was the least objectionable to the UNIT commander, Stewart. Jelly baby? That’s Brigadier Alastair Lethbridge-Stewart to you, mush. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/12 "2006-04-20T06:22:10Z")
Of course, it’s long been suggested (by Nathan-Turner, amongst others) that there is no reason the Doctor’s “gender” is fixed. So he could be a she some day. Also, when James Bond regenerates, does he do so as an adult, functional Time Secret Agent? Does he know who is? Does he remember previous incarnations? mm ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/13 "2006-04-20T12:37:22Z")
> [@mamboman](#): > > Also, when James Bond regenerates, does he do so as an adult, functional Time Secret Agent? Does he know who is? Does he remember previous incarnations? > > mm Not in the novel _You Only Live Twice._🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/14 "2006-04-20T13:15:39Z")
> [@mamboman](#): > > Of course, it’s long been suggested (by Nathan-Turner, amongst others) that there is no reason the Doctor’s “gender” is fixed. So he could be a she some day. It all derives from a Tom Baker joke. When he announced his retirements, he wished his successor luck, “whoever he or she might be.” The press picked up on it, though there were no plans for a female Doctor (other than Grace 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/15 "2006-04-20T13:53:44Z")
While the celery, as far as I remember, was purely ornamental (or did he chomp on it once?), the scarf was used several times, always quite cleverly. My favorite was when he used it to measure something very precisely (based on the number of rows of knitting, I presume.) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/16 "2006-04-20T14:00:14Z")
I’m curious, has anyone else heard that Baker picked out the scarf himself because he wanted the character to be reminiscent of Gandalf? I heard this said, but I have never seen any verification of it. Jim ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/17 "2006-04-20T14:13:50Z")
So how come in the various multiple Doctor episodes the more recent Doctors don’t remember meeting their present selves? ---
**Author:** ![hazel-rah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hazel-rah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hazel-rah)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/18 "2006-04-20T17:34:08Z")
> [@](#): > > While the celery, as far as I remember, was purely ornamental No, in The Caves of Androzani we learn that the celery turns purple when exposed to a type of gas that the Doctor is allergic to. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/19 "2006-04-20T17:52:00Z")
At the risk of sounding like a Monty Python character, I don’t remember “the celery”. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359/20 "2006-04-20T17:57:39Z")
[Note his left lapel.](http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/gallery/fifthdoctor/02.shtml) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-who-question/353359.md?page=2)