Subject: 'why "The War Doctor"?'
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Posted on: 2015-07-10 16:18:00 UTC

You said you'd seen most of the '05 series, right? So you've heard of the Last Great Time War? I'm pretty sure the Gelth mention it way back in The Unquiet Dead, and I'm nearly certain it comes up in Dalek.

Anyway, short answer: 'the War Doctor' is a term we use for the incarnation of the Doctor who was around during the (latter part of the) Time War. He was more warlike than his pre- and post-decessors, as a deliberate choice (he decided to take part in the Time War, rather than stay on the sidelines). He also specifically rejected the title 'Doctor', though as Some Say, he kind of reclaimed it during the 50th Anniversary (which you should wait to watch in order, for the record).

So should the numbering be changed? Ehhh... no. ^^ It's all external anyway - Nine never said 'I'm the Ninth Doctor' (or indeed 'I'm the Tenth Doctor, but I don't like to count the last guy, so let's go with Ninth'); they're just designations we use so we know which one we're talking about. And 'the War Doctor' is a perfectly acceptable title.

The production team pretty much settled this when they chose to call the current incarnation Twelve, even though he's in the thirteenth distinct form the Doctor has taken.

(Oh, and going back to your original question about the Time War: pretty sure Time Lords can't regenerate from a Dalek extermination beam. It'd be a pretty shoddy weapon to use against them if they could. ^
^ Also they can't regenerate from being atomised or whatnot.)

hS

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