The latest trailer for ‘The Power of the Doctor’ has landed, revealing new details about the Thirteenth Doctor’s final adventure.
Jodie Whittaker’s swansong as the Thirteenth Doctor is set to air on Sunday 23rd October. Titled ‘The Power of the Doctor,’ the 90 minute special will act as a precursor to the show’s 60th anniversary celebrations in 2023, as well as marking the BBC’s centenary and Jodie Whittaker’s transformation into – well, we’re not entirely sure who she will regenerate into. Ncuti Gatwa is officially the Fourteenth Doctor, but David Tennant is expected to be the incumbent Time Lord in the upcoming 60th anniversary celebrations.
Anyway, before then, we have ‘The Power of the Doctor’ to look forward to, and the latest trailer gives us a tantalising glimpse into what’s in store for the Thirteenth Doctor. Here’s what we know so far.
1) The Doctor will be erased forever
…according to the Master, at least. In ‘The Power of the Doctor,’ the Master claims that this is the day that the Doctor is erased forever. This ties in with a similar line from the episode’s teaser (repeated in this trailer) where the Master says, “Hello Doctor. Welcome to the end of your existence.”
And whilst the Master has made similarly bold claims in the past, these threats may carry more weight than before. Remember, the universe is still in tatters after it was mostly destroyed in Doctor Who: Flux, and the 60th anniversary specials seem to be led by an alternative version of the Tenth Doctor, reunited with Donna Noble and clad in a new costume. So will time get disrupted in some way? Or will this truly be the end of Doctor Who as we know it, with all future episodes set in a parallel universe where the Tenth Doctor never regenerated? In this scenario, the Thirteenth Doctor could, indeed, be erased forever.
Moreover, there is certainly something amiss with time, as we see two versions of the Master in ‘The Power of the Doctor’ – one with long hair and a beard, and one with short hair and a clean-shaven face.
2) There’s a very fast train
The trailer for ‘The Power of the Doctor’ also features a retro-looking train… in space. This one has some major ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ vibes and certainly raises some intriguing questions, as the official synopsis attests: “Who is attacking a speeding bullet train on the edges of a distant galaxy?” it asks. It’s a great question.
And whilst we’re unlikely to get answers before the 23rd, it’s intriguing to read that the bullet train is on the edges of “a distant galaxy” – not necessarily our own. And this is what makes its notably Earth-like appearance all-the-more mysterious (and also raises questions about just how much of the universe the Flux actually destroyed.)
What we can glean from the trailer is that the Doctor will land on top of it and score herself nine-point-nine.
3) Things are disappearing
UNIT fans will be pleased to see that Kate Stewart is returning in ‘The Power of the Doctor’ and, by the looks of it, she has a lot to contend with. The trailer shows her giving a briefing to the Doctor, explaining that a dozen of the world’s leading seismologists have gone missing, along with 15 of the world’s most valuable paintings.
And this is something that the Doctor’s former companion Ace is looking into as well, as the trailer for ‘The Power of the Doctor’ shows her in a gallery staring at a blank wall, presumably where a painting once hung.
Could there be a connection between the proposed erasure of the Doctor and the disappearance of these seismologists and paintings? Are pieces of time slowly disappearing, as if time is somehow unravelling and things are being erased? It’s certainly possibly, particularly when you remember the effect that the Flux had on space. Perhaps it damaged time as well?
4) A Dalek is trying to make contact with the Doctor
We’ve known for a while that the Daleks are returning for ‘The Power of the Doctor,’ along with the Cybermen and the villainous Ashad from Series Twelve. But the latest trailer tells us a bit more about the Time Lord’s deadliest enemies, with a holographic message beaming into the Doctor’s TARDIS and warning that a Dalek incursion on Earth is imminent.
Why would a Dalek do this? Well, it’s possible that the metal mutant has good intentions and, for some reason, feels compelled to warn the Doctor so that she can ready the planet’s defences. But this would be uncharacteristically Dalek, and it’s more likely that the message is intended as a threat – although one might wonder why a Dalek would bother to threaten the Doctor and not just invade Earth anyway.
Perhaps there’s a possibility that the Daleks and the Doctor will form an alliance of some kind. After all, we know that multiple threats are massing against the Time Lord, and perhaps some of them pose a threat to the Daleks too?
5) There’s a big Starkiller Base-style weapon zapping Earth
No, we’re not expecting The Force Awakens‘ Starkiller base to make a guest appearance in ‘The Power of the Doctor,’ although the trailer does show off something similar – a planet-sized weapon with deadly laser beams which is attacking the Earth.
And this may indeed be a planet; it’s hard to tell. Certainly, it is reminiscent of the Dalek Crucible from 2008’s ‘The Stolen Earth’ / ‘Journey’s End,’ so it may transpire to be one of the Daleks’ deadly creations. Or it could be something else entirely.
It goes without saying that there is (probably) more to this story than has been revealed in ‘The Power of the Doctor’ trailer. For instance, another moment shows multiple planets exchanging laser beams, and there’s a brief snippet of what looks like the ruined Gallifreyan Capitol masked behind a glowing ball of energy. And this would make sense, as the last time we saw the Master was in the ruins of the Time Lords’ home planet in ‘The Timeless Children,’ fashioning an army of regenerating Cybermen. Perhaps he’s plotting to wage war against the universe once more?
One final thing to mention that wasn’t (obviously) shown in ‘The Power of the Doctor’ trailer is this little sentence from the official synopsis: “And just what hold does the mesmeric Rasputin have over Tsar Nicholas in 1916 Russia?” Grigori Rasputin, for those of you who don’t know, was mystic and prophet / religious charlatan (depending on who you ask) who lived in Russia in the late 19th / early 20th century. Interestingly, he looked uncannily like the long-haired version of the Master that we see in the trailer for ‘The Power of the Doctor.’ Coincidence?
We’ll find out soon. In the meantime, tell us what we missed in ‘The Power of the Doctor’ trailer (and yes we spotted Tegan!) What are you most looking forward to about the Thirteenth Doctor’s final adventure? Let us know in the comments below.
Jodie Whittaker scarf – order now from the Lovarzi shop!
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