Five Questions that Need Answers on Doctor Who
By David Hill
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There are quite a few things that are synonymous with Doctor Who. We have the iconic blue police box. There are the different fashion statements, from the fez to the long scarf to the astrakhan to the celery stalk. There are Daleks and Cybermen, the Master and the different companions. And, obviously, there is the Doctor, perhaps the most iconic role in science fiction.
Yet, for all the positives with Doctor Who, there are a few negatives as well. One of the biggest drawbacks, if one is to consider it as such, are the multitude of questions that remain unanswered. While not every episode or season can have a tidy ending, one would hope that eventually, at some point or another, these questions would end up being answered.
Yet, that is not always the case. While we accept the various plot holes and open questions as a matter of Steven Moffat getting bored and moving on to something else, or Moffat having the attention span of a squirrel, that does not mean these questions are not burning in our mind. Perhaps someday, these questions will even be answered.
With Series Nine forthcoming, this would be a good time to potentially wrap up a couple of those loose ends, and perhaps give us an answer to those questions that remain open. You know, questions like…
Next: The past should not be changed
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Where are the Reapers?
In theory, one is not supposed to change the past or tinker with various timelines. While the excuse that some things in history, whether on Earth or throughout the universe, are considered ‘fixed points’ may be tiresome, it does help to keep the Doctor from wandering about, changing everything according to his whims.
Except, of course, for those times when the Doctor chooses to ignore the fact that he should not meddle with time. As it turns out, this is something that he does quite a bit. Given that Doctor Who would not be nearly as exciting if the Doctor sat back as an innocent bystander and watched the same events unfold, one can hardly blame him.
However, there are supposed to be consequences for meddling with the past. The Reapers, who were seen when Pete Tyler was saved by Rose, are creatures that appear to sterilize any such time paradoxes by devouring everything around them. Since they are unable to be harmed by any conventional means, they are truly fearsome entities.
Given how frequently the Doctor interferes with the past, one would imagine that the Reapers would be an almost continual presence on Doctor Who. However, they have been seen all of twice. Unless, of course, they are causing havoc after the Doctor has left the various places he has traveled to.
One would have to imagine that the Reapers are still out there, waiting for the Doctor to once again cause a time paradox. Until then, we are left to wonder where the Reapers have gone.
Next: Where did she go?
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Where is Jenny?
Obviously, given the prevalence of Jenny’s on Doctor Who, one may be inclined to wonder which one we are talking about. However, let us be fair – the only one that we are truly interested in where they have wandered off to is the Doctor’s “Daughter.”
So far as the Doctor knew, the daughter that was created from a stolen skin sample had been killed after being shot. Instead, she came back to life (one of the perks of being crafted from Time Lord DNA), stole a shuttle craft and ventured out to her own adventures.
Considering that Steven Moffat insisted on making sure that Jenny survives, one would have thought that she would be returning at some point in time. Instead, she has yet to make her return appearance on Doctor Who. Naturally, this could be due to a myriad of reasons, including starting a family with David Tennant. Considering that Georgia Moffett is also the daughter of Peter Davison, perhaps this child will also play the Doctor some day. But I digress….
With the Doctor eventually needing a new companion, especially since Clara won’t be around forever (she won’t be, right?) Jenny would seemingly fill that role. This would also let us know, at least to a degree, what she has been up to since the events of The Doctor’s Daughter.
We know that Jenny is out there somewhere, wandering through the universe on her own. Hopefully, we will learn what she is up to at some point.
Speaking of potential, or current, companions….
Next: The mystery of the Impossible Girl
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Who, exactly, is Clara?
Despite the fact that Clara is set to be the longest tenured continual companion in Doctor Who, we really do not know much about her. She made different appearances in the show prior to this version of Clara Oswald staying around, making her quite the enigma. Yes, that was partially explained when she threw herself into the Doctor’s time stream, generating multiple Claras, but there are still quite a few questions that remain.
Perhaps the biggest of these questions involve Missy. Before we knew who she was, and we had brief glimpses of her character as she went about her day, we did see her watching Clara on her iPad. The phrase “Clara, my Clara” would be innocuous from any other character, but coming from Missy, it takes on a different tone.
Is there a connection between Clara and Missy? Was she truly responsible for Clara hooking up and traveling with the Doctor? Is Clara nothing more than a cog in Missy’s grand schemes?
When Clara eventually leaves, the hope is that some of these questions surrounding her character will eventually be answered. In the meanwhile, it would be great if we could learn more about Clara while she is still a part of Doctor Who, and traveling with the Doctor.
Next: A question of survival
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How did Missy escape Gallifrey?
In theory, Gallifrey is hidden away in some pocket universe (more on this later) with the rest of the Time Lords. Even though Gallifrey is not destroyed as previously thought, it is still in some other dimension, making the Doctor’s dubious claim of being the last of the Time Lords at least somewhat close to reality.
However, the presence of Missy throws quite the wrench into all of this. As a Time Lady herself, she does make that claim as ‘Last of the Time Lords’ incorrect. Unless, of course, the Doctor is being gender specific this time. Regardless, this still does not answer the most important question – how did she escape anyway?
From that brief glimpse of her hand reaching out of the ‘painting’ and grasping the frame, it seems as though she managed to find a way out of that stasis cube. Yet, how is it that Missy was the only Time Lord to escape? What secret path through the pocket dimension did she manage to find?
Maybe, when she gave the Doctor those coordinates that she claimed led to Gallifrey, she was not lying as previously thought. Maybe she was giving the location of where the entrance to that dimension. Either way, Missy’s escape from the fate that befell Gallifrey is certainly curious.
We know that Missy will be returning in Series Nine in the first two episodes. Hopefully, the question of how she managed to escape will be answered then.
Next: Perhaps the biggest question of all
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Where is Gallifrey?
Before we get the obvious answer of “in the status cube hanging in the gallery,” that is not the answer. The Doctor certainly knows it is there – he saw it and had a brief conversation with The Curator to that effect.
The Doctor knows that Gallifrey is out there, somewhere in the corners of the universe. The question that he needs to answer is: where, exactly, is Gallifrey hidden? Missy did give him a set of coordinates that she said leads to Gallifrey’s location, but when the Doctor arrived, it was nothing but empty space.
As theorized previously, perhaps Missy gave him the location of the entrance to that pocket dimension. Of course, Missy could have also just given him a location in the hopes that his desire to find his home planet would let her survive.
Gallifrey is out there somewhere, and the Doctor is determined to find his home planet, bringing back his people. While there may be repercussions, such as a potential continuation of the Time War, the ability to go home once more makes that possibility seemingly worth it.
Will the Doctor ever find Gallifrey? Perhaps this season, even if he does not specifically find his home planet, he can find a few more clues to Gallifrey’s whereabouts.