With David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor still hanging around in the Doctor Who universe alongside his successor, it’s unclear what will happen to him when he next regenerates, but a line from Ncuti Gatwa’s version of the Time Lord may have already revealed what’s waiting in Fourteen’s future. Although Gatwa went on to the Doctor Who season 14’s cast after the show’s shocking bi-generation twist, the fact that Tennant’s Doctor didn’t make a traditional exit has raised many questions about his fate. Interestingly, Fifteen has quietly explained.
The ending of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials was one of the biggest moments in the show’s substantial history. For the first time, one version of the Doctor was able to hand the baton to the next in a much more tangible way than in previous instances. As a result, Gatwa is the only one of the actors to play the Doctor to essentially share an era, with Tennant’s Doctor living out an offscreen, domestic existence. Fourteen can presumably still regenerate, which could bring him back into the main fold of Doctors.
Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Teased That Fourteen Will Rejoin With The Fifteenth Doctor
Fifteen has explained why Fourteen needs to take some time off
Although they both appear to be living autonomous lives without one impacting the other, the fates of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors are still connected – according to a line of dialogue from Ncuti Gatwa’s character in “The Giggle.” After the episode’s shocking bi-generation twist that caused the Doctor to split in two, Fifteen explains that he isn’t actually independent from Fourteen, but rather from his future. When the pair are discussing the centuries of traumatic adventures they’ve both experienced, Gatwa’s Doctor offers a very timey-wimey summary of events. The implication is that when Fourteen regenerates, he’ll become Gatwa’s version.
”
I’m fine because you fixed yourself. We’re Time Lords. We’re doing rehab out of order
.”
Because they’re interacting so freely and seemingly without the threat of a paradox, it’s easy to wrongly view the two Doctors as completely separate from one another. However, Fifteen’s explanation strongly suggests that Fourteen’s time off to heal after so long saving the universe directly benefits Fifteen. For this to be true, then Tennant’s version of the Time Lord would not only need to regenerate into Gatwa’s when the time comes, but he’d also need to materialize during the bi-generation scene in “The Giggle” to close the loop. Otherwise, there would be two versions of Gatwa’s Doctor in existence simultaneously.
How Fourteen Could Become The Current Fifteenth Doctor In Doctor Who’s Future
The Doctor’s complex timeline could be about to become even more confusing
Russell T Davies’ writing choice makes this portion of the Doctor’s timeline incredibly difficult to visualize, but it is possible to comprehend. Although the Time Lord ages much slower than humans, there will come a point where he will need to regenerate. It could be after Donna Noble has long since passed, or it could be much sooner than that. Regardless, the process of what the Fourteenth Doctor’s regeneration process could look like is fascinating. Using Fifteen’s “Rehab out of order” comment, Fourteen would need to reintegrate with Fifteen in order for his time off to benefit Gatwa’s iteration.
Possible Regeneration Timeline From The Doctor’s Perspective (Accounting For Reintegration)
- Pre-William Hartnell Doctors (Such as Jo Martin’s Ruth/Fugitive Doctor)
- Memory Wipe
- Hartnell’s First Doctor – Jodie Whitaker’s Thirteenth Doctor
- David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor
- Fourteen Bi-Generates, spawning Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth – who leaves
- Fourteen regenerates years later, appearing to vanish to any onlookers
- Fifteen emerges from his past self during the bi-generation scene in “The Giggle”
- Fifteen leaves Fourteen behind
The most likely explanation for what this would look like to anyone watching Fourteen regenerate is that he would simply disappear in a flurry of orange Time Lord energy. From the Doctor’s perspective, he would be regenerating at the end of Fourteen’s life, and then suddenly emerge as Fifteen during the bi-generation scene in “The Giggle.” It’s certainly a mind-bending scenario, but it aligns with Fifteenth’s explanation of being from Fourteen’s future. The only other explanation is that both versions of the Doctor remain autonomous, which wouldn’t make sense as far as Fifteenth’s rehab comment goes.
Fourteen & Fifteen Recombining Would Result in A Spare TARDIS
The doubled TARDIS would be left without a Doctor to fly it
The lingering powers of Neil Patrick Harris’ Toymaker allowed Fifteen to duplicate the TARDIS so that Fourteen wasn’t left stranded. If Gatwa’s Doctor knew that Tennant’s version of the Time Lord would eventually circle back around and become him, this seems like an unusual move. If the pair were to recombine via a new form of temporal regeneration, then the duplicated TARDIS would become surplus to requirements. Although the blue box doesn’t have any traditional weaponry, it’d still be a dangerous tool if it fell into the wrong hands. Without a Doctor to guard it, this could certainly happen.
Thankfully, the existence of a spare TARDIS opens up many exciting story possibilities, so it may not be all bad if one is left unattended.
Of course, both TARDISes could also recombine. However, chances are slim. With the Toymaker long gone, his powers will have dispersed. Not only that, but twinning the TARDIS was also the result of Fifteen claiming his “prize” for winning the game and defeating the Toymaker. Although the villain’s powers aren’t completely clear, it seems unlikely that a second prize could be claimed – which is probably the scenario required for the TARDISes to reintegrate. Thankfully, the existence of a spare TARDIS opens up many exciting story possibilities, so it may not be all bad if one is left unattended.
Why Bi-Generation Was Still Necessary, Even If The Fourteenth Doctor Becomes Fifteen Anyway
The Doctor couldn’t go on without having time to rest
The bi-generation scene was a thrilling Doctor Who moment, but if Fourteen will eventually just become Fifteen at some point down the line, it could be argued to all be a little superfluous. Viewed a certain way, it seems as though the entire ordeal is just delaying the inevitable by huge amounts. The Doctor transitions between different bodies on a fairly regular basis, so bi-generation, on the surface, doesn’t appear to be adding anything new to Doctor Who lore. On the other hand, it also gave the Doctor a much-needed period of recuperation after so long on the front lines.
His body’s unconscious decision to return to the Tenth Doctor’s form and seek out his best friend is an obvious sign he’s desperate for some respite.
Doctor Who‘s main character clearly has a high threshold for tolerating emotional trauma. Alternatively, it’s just been buried for an impossible amount of time. Either way, the Fourteenth Doctor is the breaking point for how much he is able to shoulder alone. His body’s unconscious decision to return to the Tenth Doctor’s form and seek out his best friend is an obvious sign he’s desperate for some respite.
The Doctor has been selflessly putting himself at risk for thousands of years without the chance to stop and process all those experiences. Sure, some of the occurrences have been good ones, but the vast majority have involved the Doctor watching loved ones leaving him behind – sometimes in far more upsetting ways than others. With Fourteen remaining intact while a healed Fifteen continues being the hero, the former has a vital period of rest, so his future selves can return to regularly saving the day as Doctor Who surges onward.