One of the mysteries from the end of the original series of Doctor Who involves the fate of Ace McShane, the Seventh Doctor’s final companion. What happened to her after the credits rolled on her final scene?
Ace McShane was quite the character, even before her time travelling with the Doctor. She blew up the art room at her school, devised her own explosives, and just enjoyed mayhem and battle. She joined the Seventh Doctor after Mel left. The Time Lord took her under his wing and attempted to educate her in his own way; while their relationship was complicated at best, he always had the end goal of making her confront her past and emerge as a better person.
And that happened during her travels. The Doctor’s plan, as it turns out, was to train her mind to make a Time Lord out of her. As they walked off together in ‘Survival‘ at the end of Season 26, it seemed as though that would be the next step. Instead, Doctor Who went on hiatus, leaving Ace’s fate up in the air.
Yes, there have been attempts to answer the question of what happened after Doctor Who went off the air. The audio adventures stated that she went through the testing, but ended up refusing the opportunity to join, and continued her adventures with the Doctor. Considering everything she went through to be able to even be tested, it seems to be a curious decision.
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Nonetheless, that decision would be in keeping with her rebellious streak. By defying the Doctor’s plans, she would be showing her independence. However, in continuing to travel with the Seventh Doctor, and to turn down the chance to have her own adventures, something seems wrong. Her independent nature could lead her to take her own path through space and time, provided she put in the effort to get through the classes.
Ace had proven time and again to have the aptitude to learn anything she put her mind to. Her chemistry skills were mainly self taught, and she did learn The Tale of Beowulf due to the battle scenes. She was certainly a capable being, and a worthy companion for the Doctor.
Unfortunately, we may never truly know what Ace would have chosen. The hiatus, and then having the Seventh Doctor regenerate for the television movie, ended the possibility of continuing that storyline. Perhaps, at some point, a future incarnation of the Doctor can run across Ace in his travels, and provide an answer to the question of what happened next.
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