Could Romana started the path towards a female Doctor?

BBC, Romana II

Many people look at Missy and count her as the first step towards a female Doctor. But what if the first step was taken long before Missy came on screen? Before the new series even began with Romana?

During Tom Baker’s years, a female Time Lord entered the TARDIS to travel with the Doctor. Only 125 when she joined the TARDIS and we finally had someone who could keep up with the Doctor. Possibly better.

I’ve been watching these episodes with Romana, and it’s no surprise with my love for River and other strong female characters that I’ve also loved this character. She’s not afraid to tell the Doctor what she thinks and can do things better than the Doctor, often one-upping him.

Nevertheless, despite a riff in personalities, Romana stayed on for multiple stories, becoming an iconic character in the Classic Series. Eventually, Romana regenerated on a whim, which seemed to surprise the Doctor. This helped the two characters, and they often got along better after she regenerated.

Romana showed that female Time Lord can do the same as a male Time Lord. With the appreciation for her character. After all, not many Time Lords can become President of Gallifrey.

What does this all mean?

What if there was more to her character? Romana was the first female Time Lady we saw that wasn’t Susan, therefore had more freedom because she was older and wasn’t related. There was also an unspoken romance between the fourth Doctor and Romana II after she regenerated.

According to the novelization of City of Death, it’s said that Romana II regenerated to a younger version from Romana I, because “Romana was simply fed up of the Doctor thinking that she was too serious and not any fun, so regenerated as a deliberate act of recklessness to prove him otherwise”.

So what if Romana was the first step towards a female Doctor? According to the Telegraph, the BBC often talked about a female Time Lord replacement, but always backed away. When Tom Baker talked about his replacement, he said, “whoever she or he may be”. Is it possible that this didn’t happen with Chibnall, or even Moffat, but before either one entered the entertainment world at all?