Doctor Who: Analysis of the Series 9 Prologue

The Eighth Doctor once said, “The universe hangs by such a delicate thread of coincidences, it’s useless to meddle with it. Unless like me, you’re a Time Lord.”

However, there are some moments in time the Doctor should never attempt to change, particularly when they will have a huge impact on his own personal history. The internet has been blazing with rumors that the upcoming premiere ‘The Magician’s Apprentice‘ will herald the return of one of the Doctor’s greatest enemies: Davros. The Doctor will supposedly be presented with a temptation nearly impossible to resist. Could this temptation be the rumored killing of Davros as a child? We definitely see a child in the trailer, with a misty background reminiscent of Skaro, as seen in the Tom Baker serial ‘Genesis of the Daleks.’ The idea of erasing adult Davros from history carries huge ramifications to the entire Doctor Who universe.

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In the Series 9 prologue released yesterday, Ohila tells the Doctor that someone is asking to see him and that “his servants seek you everywhere.” When the Doctor says he isn’t going, Ohila chides him for always lying. After the Doctor says he will go soon, Ohila asks him if something has happened and if it was recent. I’m curious if the “something” the Doctor is referring to could be the opportunity he had to eliminate the Daleks from ever existing back in his Fourth incarnation. The Doctor could have been lying again when he said yes to it being a recent event. Another possibility is that the Doctor already interacted with Davros as a child. Ohila warns the Doctor that his course will lead to his destruction, to which he replies that the same can be said about being born. Is he referencing himself or possibly the birth of Davros, the being that would lead to countless deaths. More questions surround the mysterious device that the Doctor leaves behind and the person to receive it. Who is the Doctor referring to? What is this device?

One of the recurring moral dilemmas that has occurred on Doctor Who concerns the concept of “a fixed point” in time. Basically, there are some moments in history that cannot be altered under any circumstances. In ‘The Fires of Pompeii‘ the Doctor argued with Donna that historical events have to unfold as they should. However, he compromised with her by saving Caecilius and his family. Later, the Tenth Doctor attempted to become the Time Lord Victorious by altering another fixed point in ‘The Waters of Mars.’ We’ve seen the consequences first-hand of changing a fixed point in ‘The Wedding of River Song,’ with all of time collapsing into one moment forever. Now, it looks like the Doctor will be tempted to change a major fixed point. The question now becomes what happens if the timeline of Davros is corrupted?

Last month, I postulated my theory on why the Twelfth Doctor chose the face of Caecilius for this incarnation, connecting the idea with the possible return of Davros. I’m still confident that the Doctor selected this face subconsciously as a reminder to the dangers of drastically altering significant cosmic events. I don’t think we will see a repeat of the universe collapsing into one specific second in time as we did before, but some major repercussions are definitely coming. There could actually be several potential outcomes for this scenario. I think that despite the care the Doctor has put into the universe, he is still capable of making mistakes. This is particularly true when it comes to his home planet and wanting to eliminate the destruction caused by the Time War.

I plan on re-watching ‘Genesis of the Daleks‘ this week in preparation for the season premiere. It’s been years since I’ve watched it, and I want to have it fresh in my mind for this season’s opener. Although I’ve grown tired of the Daleks over the past few series, I think Davros is a great villain that has been underused in the past. However, maybe this is all misdirection. Maybe Davros will not be the big bad for this series, or even in this two-part opener.

Sound off in the comments below! Is Davros returning? Could the Doctor and Ohila be discussing someone else? What has happened to the Doctor that he is not discussing? We would love to read your thoughts.

Next: 'The Magician's Apprentice'/'The Witch's Familiar' Advance Screening Reviews (Spoilers)

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