Doctor Who: What If the Doctor Had a Failed Regeneration?

When William Hartnell became too ill to continue to work on Doctor Who, an ingenious idea was born. Rather than casting a lookalike actor in the role, the concept of regeneration was created to explain to fans why the character of the Doctor suddenly looked completely different. The Second Doctor referred to it as being “renewed,” while the Sixth described the process as a “violent biological eruption.”

We all know how it works: when the Doctor faces severe illness or injury that will lead to death, he transforms physically into a brand new body. Of course, there are always side effects, such as disorientation, memory loss, and in one case, violent impulses. A newly regenerated Tenth Doctor even spent some time in a coma. This is unusual, however, and the Doctor always becomes stable following his first adventure. But what happens when the regeneration fails?

I thought about this interesting possibility following this recent batch of rumors involving the Doctor having a “degeneration” scene. Why not have a storyline that would feature long-term effects of all of the regenerations that the Doctor has had? Big Finish is addressing a similar circumstance with the villain of the upcoming Doom Coalition starring Paul McGann.

More from Doctor Who

Recent shots from the upcoming Series 9 prequel episode ‘The Doctor’s Meditation’ show the Doctor with a chalice that perfectly matches the one McGann drank from to trigger his change into the War Doctor. Shots from upcoming episodes show Peter Capaldi sporting the old tartan trousers of the Second Doctor. Then, there’s the plethora of rumors regarding the return of both McGann and David Tennant for brief scenes in the finale. Although this isn’t necessarily happening with the Doctor, wouldn’t it be interesting to have a Doctor that maybe struggled with the regeneration in some slight ways for more than an episode? We are in unexplored territory already with the Doctor being granted an extended life from the Time Lords with a whole new set of regenerations. Perhaps there’s a cost for this gift.

This is a concept unheard of in the history of the show. All the more reason to do it. The closest we have seen to possible failed regeneration was the Fifth Doctor‘s struggles to stabilize, but even that got resolved at the end of his first story. The Sixth Doctor tried to strangle Peri, a bold maneuver that was not well received. Even if their relationship was a tad acidic, we didn’t expect the Doctor to ever get violent like that again. You would think that completely changing your appearance and personality would eventually lead to a dangerous outcome.

Personally, I would love to see this happen. Considering the vast physical changes that regeneration causes, it would be interesting to see more than just the usual slight disorientation that only lasts an episode. I think that having the Doctor struggling with a regeneration creates a new sense of danger for him. We all know that the Doctor will conquer whatever foe he faces, so let’s really up the stakes by having him deal with an internal crisis that would put fans on the edge of their seats.

Apparently, we have a whole new cycle of regenerations, so what if one of those lasted for only a single story? His body rejects the change, so we could really have a “George Lazenby Doctor” in the canon. It’s risky storytelling, but I think that it’s something that could pay off. Steven Moffat could benefit from stepping outside the proverbial comfort zone.

Next: Rumor Control: The Thirteenth Doctor & The Valeyard in Series 9?

More from Winter is Coming