Doctor Who mythology: A surprisingly common mistake about the Time War
By James Aggas
There’s a mistake some Doctor Who fans have made about the Time War. And it’s a surprisingly common misapprehension, too…
One thing I need to make clear right now: for the hardcore Doctor Who fans who’ve watched every episode of the Classic or New Series, or even for many of those who are only fans of the New Series, this article won’t be for you. For many of you reading this, this is a basic piece of mythology for the show.
However, there is something that has been brought to my attention that some casual viewers, or even fans of the New Series, haven’t quite grasped.
I’ve seen it in a few YouTube comments, particularly regarding the War Doctor’s regeneration. Or on a few Facebook pages or groups. But I’ve even heard it from a couple of friends, too. And it’s an assumption that has always surprised me.
Specifically, there’s a surprisingly common assumption among some fans that the Time War takes place before the Classic Series.
Like I said, most fans know this not to be the case. Most fans are aware of when the Time War takes place. So when I say “surprisingly common”, I’m not referring to the fanbase as a whole. Far from it.
But it’s still surprising to know how many fans believe this. For example, many of the comments I’ve seen have been “correcting” those who (accurately) state that Hurt’s War Doctor regenerated into Eccleston’s Ninth Doctor. They genuinely believe that the War Doctor comes before Hartnell’s First Doctor, instead.
The assumption some fans have of the Time War being set before the Classic Series is a surprising one. But is it also an understandable assumption, too?
(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
Why the mistake occurs
However, at the same time, I do understand why this mistake gets made. If you have never seen the Classic Series, it’s probably natural to assume that, just as Krypton was destroyed since the start of Superman, the same was true for Gallifrey at the very beginning of the series.
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There’s also the fact that John Hurt’s War Doctor is, of course, not numbered. If fans believe that the Time War took place before the start of the Classic Series anyway, then it would be natural to assume that Hurt takes place before Hartnell.
There is one other crucial element. Namely, the War Doctor’s regeneration scene. The fact that the scene didn’t fully show Eccleston (apart from a single second of seeing the eyes begin to change) hasn’t helped to clear up the confusion.
We do have McGann’s regeneration into Hurt in The Night of the Doctor, admittedly. But, as that was a short minisode released on YouTube, it can definitely be easily missed. Especially if someone’s binge-watching the series and is completely unaware of the minisode.
It’s a simple error to make, but still surprising to see. Still, if someone you know makes the same mistake, at least now you have an article to send them to clear it all up for them.
Next. Why the series has the most unskippable intro ever. dark
Have you known people to make this assumption about the Time War? Were you surprised by this mistake? Or is this something that you’ve never come across? Let us know in the comments below.