SUMMARY
- The Doctor Who spinoff faces the issue of the Fourteenth Doctor’s absence, creating conflict with the established timeline & character roles.
- The upcoming spinoff featuring Sea Devils has two potential resolutions for the Doctor’s absence, involving alternate universes or a pre-regeneration timeline.
- RTD must find a creative solution to maintain continuity in the Doctor Who universe and address the issue of David Tennant’s Doctor’s presence
Despite initial excitement around the new Doctor Who spinoff, the show is already facing the same impossible David Tennant problem that the original show dealt with. Doctor Who season 14 may have only wrapped up in June, but new information is already available about what to expect next in the Doctor Who Universe. ScreenRant attended the Doctor Who panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2024, where Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, and Russell T. Davies spoke about the upcoming season of Doctor Who.
Additionally, RTD confirmed the rumors that have been going around online about a Doctor Who spinoff featuring the Sea Devils, the Classic Who villain. The show titled The War Between The Land And The Sea will be written by RTD and former Doctor Who writer Pete McTighe, and Doctor Who season 14 director Dylan Holes-Baker will also direct it. This is one of the most exciting reveals at SDCC 2024, but the show also comes with one major issue – the existence of David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor.
The Sea Devils Wage War In Doctor Who’s New Spinoff – So Where’s The Fourteenth Doctor?
The Fourteenth Doctor’s Absence Has Already Caused Issues For Doctor Who Season 14
During the Doctor Who panel at SDCC 2024, the new spinoff was promoted as what happens “when the Doctor’s not in town.” In the five-episode series, UNIT has to go up against the Sea Devils, who wake up and are angry about the state of the ocean. The creatures reveal themselves to humanity – causing an international crisis – and wage war on land and sea. Returning characters include Jemma Redgrave’s Kate Steward and Alexander Devrient’s Colonel Ibrahim. However, the entire premise rests on one detail – the Doctor being gone.
This spinoff issue is just the latest evidence of the showrunner’s struggle with the bi-generation.
Unfortunately, the bi-generation in the Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, “The Giggle,” complicates this issue. If the story takes place chronologically after “The Giggle,” the Fourteenth Doctor should still be on Earth. It’s entirely out of the Doctor’s personality to remain complacent when the world could be destroyed. The idea of them sitting at home watching the terror on the TV like everyone else just doesn’t make sense.
The notion of Fourteen taking a break with loved ones has its limits. The War Between The Land And Sea could potentially undermine Fourteen’s character if the writers choose to overlook their role in the Doctor Who universe. Also, because RTD referred to David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor as “parked,” it’s unlikely that they would be off the planet. This spinoff issue is just the latest evidence of the showrunner’s struggle with the bi-generation.
The Fourteenth Doctor Staying On Earth Negates Past Excuses For The Doctor’s Absence
The Show Cannot Explain The Doctor’s Absence By Saying They’re Off The Planet
The Doctor Who spinoffs have always taken heat for the Doctor not showing up, but there was always a built-in excuse. In The Sarah Jane Adventures, their absence is explained by the Fourth Doctor getting called away to Gallifrey, where humans couldn’t go. Throughout Torchwood, the running explanation for the Doctor’s absence is the fact that the Doctor can’t be everywhere at once. There’s a universe full of planets and species to save besides Earth.
Unfortunately, The War Between The Land And Sea can’t use this excuse because a version of the Doctor is still on the planet in the 2020s, and they have a working TARDIS. The character also has a direct connection to the characters in UNIT, making their absence even more inexplicable. There’s no reason the Doctor wouldn’t step in when the Sea Devils declare war on the entire world. However, the entire show’s premise falls apart if they do step in, putting the RTD and Pete McTighe in a bad position.
How Doctor Who Can Easily Resolve Its David Tennant Problem (For Now)
The Doctor Who Writers Could Go Two Directions To Fix The Fourteenth Doctor Problem
There are two intriguing ways that Doctor Who could address the David Tennant problem in The War Between The Land And Sea. The first idea involves placing the series in an alternate universe where the regeneration never occurred. Alternatively, the show could position the UNIT spinoff slightly before the Thirteenth Doctor regenerates into Fourteen. This explanation would make a little more sense in the Doctor Who TV universe. However, this solution would need to be carefully executed. The timeline can’t be shifted too much as it would need to align with the presence of Kate Stewart and Colonel Ibrahim at UNIT.
Both of these resolutions allow the new Doctor Who spinoff to use the classic “they’re off the planet” excuse for the Doctor’s absence rather than ignoring the problem. Either way, RTD will eventually need to find a way to fix the David Tennant Fourteenth Doctor problem, preferably sooner rather than later. If not, the plothole will continue to pop up every time there’s a crisis on Earth in Doctor Who.
