Is at that place a reason Medico Who keeps destroying and regenerating the planet Gallifrey? The home of the Time Lords managed to stay relatively intact during the entirety of the classic series, just things have been a little more than complicated sinceDoctor Who returned in 2005. When Russell T. Davies brought the Doctor back, he introduced the concept of the Time War - a devastating disharmonize between the Fourth dimension Lords and the Daleks that took place prior to the 9th Doctor'south debut. In order to end the war, both species (supposedly) had to be destroyed, leaving the Doc as (once again, supposedly) the last of his kind.

The Davies era had already started slackening up the destruction of Gallifrey, first by revealing the Main and so by having Timothy Dalton's Rassilon and his cohorts temporarily pause their mode out of the Time War. When Steven Moffat replaced Davies, he took those threads and ran, with the 50th ceremony episode shocking viewers by confirming Gallifrey had been condom all along within a bubble universe. Capaldi'due south 12th Doctor managed to eventually find his way home, but the ii-part premiere of season 12 (now under the leadership of Chris Chibnall) changed the game once again, revealing Gallifrey had been destroyed by the Master in anger afterwards he found out the hush-hush of the Timeless Child.

In contempo years, Gallifrey has been diddled up and rebuilt more than Grand-nine, but this isn't simply a case of curt-term planning and poor continuity. Instead, it appears thatMd Who showrunners run into Gallifrey as an integral but expendable part of the show'due south mythology - something intrinsic in the Doctor's character that can be contradistinct without consequence.

Gallifrey is an instantly recognizable name to even the most casual Physician Who fan. Both the planet and its Fourth dimension Lord residents are a key role of the Doctor's groundwork and take a rich history dating all the way back to whenPhysician Who was in blackness and white. However, Gallifrey is also one of the few cardinal building blocks ofDoctor Who that tin be removed without the tower falling down. Ii whole iterations of the Doctor passed earlier Gallfrey even came into play, and large chunks of the classic serial went by without any appearances from Time Lords who weren't the Main. Meanwhile, the Fourth dimension War proved that the Doctor didn't demand his home planet for the show to succeed in the contemporary era.

On the other hand, virtually every other recognizable element ofPhysician Who is admittedly necessary. The TARDIS facilitates each adventure, the sonic screwdriver is too useful a plot device, regeneration allows new actors to come in, the Daleks are too popular to be destroyed and companions are needed for exposition. The only major part of the Doctor's character that tin be chopped around without damaging the show is her background - Gallifrey. This is perchance why each showrunner has changed the planet'due south fate; to put their mark on the series without fundamentally changing Dr. Who's nature. To requite the appearance of doing something drastic, without really doing something drastic.

In many ways, this tactic works. The Time State of war, Gallifrey'southward triumphant 50th anniversary return and the Timeless Child incident all got fans excitedly discussing possible outcomes and ramifications, and each occasion felt awe-inspiring when it occurred. Even now, the Timeless Child arc is the most exciting part ofDoctor Who, and Gallifrey's destruction helped build towards that. The Master blew up his own planet considering of this hugger-mugger, information technology has to exist something huge. Thus, Gallifrey has served its purpose, sacrificed to serve a bigger storyline.

Notwithstanding, the constant death and rebirth of Gallifrey also comes with a mensurate of thwarting, as modernWho hasn't yet tapped into the planet'southward potential as a setting in the nowadays. ModernisticDr. Who has hugely expanded Time Lord mythology, but has spent precious little fourth dimension on Gallifrey itself, while some of the classic series' best adventures occurred when the Doctor visited abode. The Timeless Kid will undoubtedly add more than to Gallifrey'southward story, maybe something genuinely groundbreaking, only viewers might have to expect for Chibnall's replacement before the planet is revealed to take survived all along.

More: Medico Who: Why Each Doc Regenerated

Doctor Who season 12 continues with "Nikola Tesla's Dark Of Terror" Jan 19th on BBC and BBC America.

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Craig Elvy (3660 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years subsequently graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig'southward interest soon turned to Television set and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own. Craig has previously been published on sites such equally Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work somewhen turned into a full-time career roofing everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS. Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but at present works predominantly as a features author. Jim Carrey is Craig's top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the Loftier School Musical trilogy.

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