Doctor Who: Has the Doctor ever used guns to kill? (Yes, and quite a few times, too)
By James Aggas
Today, we look at one of the more popular myths in Doctor Who. It’s widely believed that the Doctor never uses guns, at least not to kill. But we look at a few examples why that’s not true.
There’s a common myth I’ve seen among a few Doctor Who fans of how the Doctor never uses guns. Oh, he may fire them to destroy an object, such as the gravity globe in The Time of Angels, or the diamond in The End of Time. But he’s never used them to kill someone. Right?
That’s actually not true. At least, not in the Classic Series. While it wasn’t exactly a regular occurrence, there were still many instances when the Doctor has used guns to kill. Sometimes, surprisingly casually, too.
A few notable times this has happened is in the Tom Baker era, particularly when travelling with Leela. While he would discourage her from carrying a gun, he hasn’t been afraid of using them himself.
Whether it was firing at a giant rat in The Talons of Weng-Chiang, (to be fair, in that particular case, it was made in Birmingham, he couldn’t not use it,) or shooting at a Fendahleen in Image of the Fendahl, this Doctor didn’t have the strong aversion to guns that later incarnations would have.
The best example has to be The Invasion of Time, in which he basically saves the day by using the Biggest. Gun. Ever. Seriously, the Demat Gun, which he used against the Sontarans to save the day, was ridiculously huge. (And a little over-hyped, considering the Time Lords considered it to be one of the most dangerous weapons ever, but I’ll save that for another article.)
It’s easy to believe that the Doctor using a gun in Hell Bent is the only time he’s used one. But that’s far from the case…
(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.
Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)
Other Doctors with guns
It’s not just Four that enjoyed guns, of course. Other incarnations have used them to kill, too. There’s a moment where the Third Doctor vaporizes an Ogron without remorse in Day of the Daleks, and the Sixth Doctor shot the Cybermen in Attack of the Cybermen.
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Some of these examples were only used in the most desperate of circumstances. Other times…not so much. And it’s not exactly surprising, either. While the Doctor is generally passive, even in the New Series, they still have the occasional moment of violence.
Even Ten was ruthless when he wiped out the Racnoss children in The Runaway Bride, or killing the Sycorax leader in The Christmas Invasion. So even that seemingly nicer incarnation was far from passive.
Why the myth exists
So where has the myth that the Doctor never uses guns come from? A key reason is the Russell T. Davies era, especially with the Tenth Doctor. He had a strong aversion to them, and was even super judgmental in the The Sontaran Stratagem and The Poison Sky about anyone carrying a gun. This was partially due to the Time War, but there were moments when it was strongly implied that he had never carried or used a gun, certainly not to kill.
So now, it’s a popular belief among many fans that the Doctor has never used guns at all. However, while this is far from the case, we still want the Doctor to avoid using guns, at least. The character seems to generally work best when they find alternative solutions to problems, and use their brain instead of traditional weapons to save the day. At times, a gun simplifies things too much in the story, and done too often, it can ruin the Doctor’s character. So a strong focus on a less violent approach is generally preferred.
(Having said that, the Third Doctor was particularly badass when it came to violence, at times.)
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What’s your view on the Doctor using guns? Should they never use them at all now? Best avoided completely? Or do you think the Doctor should use them in some way, if the situation fits? Let us know in the comments below.