The Valeyard

Matt Smith's final outing as the Doctor that will (supposedly) wrap up the story arc that has been running through his entire tenure - "Silence Will Fall."

We'll also get the first appearance of Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor. Well... technically, his second appearance.

"The Time of the Doctor" will be the 800th individual episode of Doctor Who.


The BBC put up a new trailer today:

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Josh-da-man

That's a lot to pack into an hour. Are we finally going to get to see why the TARDIS exploded?

Or maybe Capaldi is the 13th Doctor, or the 14th Doctor, depending on how we want to count.

I can't think that Capaldi will be the 14th incarnation (if we count the Hurt Doctor and the Metacrisis Doctor) because that's going to be a lot ground to cover in one hour. I don't think there's any way they can tie up all of Moffat's loose ends AND a regeneration AND an explanation as to why he's going past twelve.

RocShemp

That's almost as confusing as the paratroopers in the Godzilla trailer.

Groucho

My guess: metacrisis is not a "true" regeneration, but 8.5 is. Which means that Capaldi is the Doctor's "final" regeneration under the old rules.

Of course, we already know that the Doctor gets at least one more regeneration after Capaldi (the Curator).

The Valeyard

That's the rumor that's going around. Don't know how true they are however. It could all blip over in a quick line of dialogue.

Moffat stated in an interview that the Christmas episode would tie together the remaining story strands from the 11th Doctor's era, some of which were introduced as far back as "The Eleventh Hour".


Rumors suggest that Moffat does indeed factor in the War Doctor and the MetaCrisis Doctor's regenerations making Matt Smith the "13th" and final Doctor. And that's a key in the X-Mas story. Capaldi would be the 12th one to call himself the "Doctor" but the 14th incarnation in his life (and possibly the start of an entire new regeneration cycle).

It's all kind of messy and would have been so much easier to just say the regeneration limit was taken off the table during the Time War.

Groucho

If that was a factor, you'd think Smith would have been making references to being the "final doctor" this whole time, and would have been more than a little surprised to hear Capaldi on the intercom or to encounter The Curator.

The Valeyard

I dunno. 11 looked pretty surprised when he met the Curator. Maybe he'll forget the entire encounter like the 10th & War Doctor suggests they'll end up doing?

Here's one - If he already knew this is his last life, why didn't the Cyber Planner mention it when the Doctor threatened to regenerate to get rid of him ("Nightmare in Silver")?


Someone on the GallifreyBase Forum (who was very right about several things in "Day of the Doctor") mentioned this:

!!!POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!!

Josh-da-man

I would hope that's how it plays out. I'm fine with sticking the War Doctor/Hurt Doctor in there during the series down time, but I really don't like the idea of the Doctor wasting a regeneration on the Metacrisis Doctor. I think there should thirteen incarnations of the Doctor in this regeneration cycle, and it also adds a little more impact to the "all thirteen" bit in "Day of the Doctor."

I also think that we should know that THIS IS THE THIRTEENTH AND FINAL INCARNATION OF THE DOCTOR when the actor begins. Shit, when Smith started, we all assumed that he was number eleven, and, in Smith's final episodes of his final season, we learn that he's actually the last one because they shoe-horned a new Doctor in there and decided to count the spoiled regeneration from "Stolen Earth."

Yeppers. It have no doubt whatsoever that they'll keep Doctor Who going for as long as they can.

Groucho

By the way, if this is the "final" regeneration, will we see The Valeyard?!

RocShemp

Of course. He's right here.

The Valeyard

MUAHAHAHAHA!!!

Josh-da-man

I believe it's been stated that Valeyard is from between the Doctor's twelfth and final regenerations, whose mission was to steal more regenerations for himself from the Sixth Doctor.

If they're rejiggering the amount of regenerations, then the metacrisis Doctor could end up being the Valeyard; he would actually be the twelfth regeneration, though not a full one. It might be interesting to bring David Tennant back as a villain. Since it was stated that the metacrisis Doctor couldn't regenerate, it tracks with the Valeyard's motivations.

Though I still sort of like the idea that the Peter Cushing Doctor from the movies is an older metacrisis Doctor.

The Valeyard

^ The idea of the MetaCrisis Doctor being the Valeyard was brought up in the IDW mini-series "The Forgotten." Other fans point to the Dream Lord as a possible Valeyard.

I've never heard that Peter Cushing theory before. Is that idea floating around? That's fuckin' brilliant!!

We all know the Doctor's "final" incarnation is a long ways off. The original production team kept where the Valeyard fit purposely vague (tho writer Eric Saward wanted to flat out say the Valeyard was Doctor 13 and desperately trying to extend his life).

Moffat even stuck to that in "The Name of the Doctor" with the Great Intelligence saying that the Valeyard is one of the names the Doctor will be known before the end of his life. Not pointing exactly to when that was. Just toward the "end of his life."

Superman07

What a Metacrisis Doctor for somebody who's only seen a handful of 300s outside NewWho?

Questions I'd like answered:
1) Why so chummy with River? Daughter/companion relationship notwithstanding.

2) Why we're the Silents (?) Trying to build Tardi?

3) Meaning behind "Silence will fall."

The Valeyard

Have you watched "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End"? Both are 10th Doctor stories (Series 4). If you haven't, I don't want to spoil it for you but your answers to the MetaCrisis Doctor can be found there.


She was a new breed of Time Lord, created in the TARDIS while it flew through the Time Vortex. Maybe the Doctor hoped to repopulate the species? Even tho he knew how she would eventually die.


Don't know the full answer to that one yet. Hopefully all will be known on X-Mas day.


Prisoner Zero mentions that "Silence will fall" in the 11th Doctor's first story "The Eleventh Hour." A mysterious entity also mentions it in "The Pandorica Opens" right before the TARDIS explodes. It's part of a prophecy that will (hopefully) be answered on X-Mas day - Silence will fall when the question is asked.


The ending of "The Wedding of River Song" suggests that the question has to deal with who the Doctor is.

Timber

The Silence are my favorite among his current rogues gallery so I do hope they play a big part in this one.

The Valeyard

Some notes from Moffat in this month's Doctor Who Monthly:

• Moffat ponders, “Why are they called the Silence?”
• The question wasn’t asked in "The Name of the Doctor." Moffat was surprised many fans thought that it was.
• Moffat says “Matt gives the greatest single performance by anyone who has played the Doctor”.
• Matt is in virtually every scene of the episode.
• There’s a “fair bit” of nudity.
• The Doctor helps Clara cook Christmas dinner.
• Tasha Lem is an old friend and someone from the Doctor’s distant past. Someone who knows him very well, but we have never met. She’s the Mother Superious of the Papal Mainframe.

TheNightFlier

The BBC should give this guy a job:

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Superman07

I've seen all those episodes. I did not realize that plot point was revered to as such.

Josh-da-man

No, we've just grown accustomed to Moffat not paying off the things he has set up.

Jay G.

I'm pretty sure The Great Intelligence asked "Doctor who?" as in what is The Doctor's name, and we know that the question is the words "Doctor Who?" However, like the sentence "The Doctor has a secret he will take to this grave, and it is discovered," maybe the meaning of the question is different than what we assume.

We assume it's a question about The Doctor, but maybe it's a question directed at The Doctor, asking him to make a choice between two or more people or groups of people, an impossible choice. Someone is asking him "Doctor, who?"

Jay G.

BBC America is airing a special before Time of the Doctor called Doctor Who: Farewell to Matt Smith.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-RwVwucKQg

http://www.bbcamerica.com/schedule/

starseed1981

Is this gonna be Jenna's final episode as well?

Jay G.

No. She's already signed on for Season 8.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2859105.html

The Valeyard

Extended BBC America Trailer:

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Wow. Room 11 from "The God Complex." They really are pulling all the strings together.