Originally Posted By: Friendly Neighborhood Ray-man
question:
Tom Baker is saying he's 760. But I'm certain that the current Doctor said he was 900.

So is there a "relative present" on the show that matches our own time (where his companions come from) and then we're to assume that between episodes and series he has had many travels and adventures that have built up 150 years or so of unseen stories?
I like that idea a bit more than assuming he had centuries of dicking around and then had to regenerate 8 times in 40 years. It also leaves open the option of untold stories. Like maybe the Fourth Doctor wasn't around for 7 years, he was around for 50 we just only saw 7 of those years.


Yes, there is a lot of each incarnations life that we never see. The 5th Doctor, Davison, had a lot of the episodes (like Hartnell) bookend into each other. But, there are a few gaps in there. And, given the nature of time travel, all it takes is a single gap.

For example, the 9th Doctor asks Rose to come with him. She says no, and he dematerializes. He reappears again only a minute later, however, he could have been gone a hundred years, and had a hundred adventurers, before coming back to that moment after he left. It's the same with every Doctor, and the main reasoning how Big Finish Audios creates new adventures with past Doctors and companions.

So, it's undoubted that many, many years pass for each incarnation.

 Originally Posted By: Friendly Neighborhood Ray-man
I wonder what you longterm fans feel about regeneration. I came in with Tenth as the current and am able to read about the past ones with the kind of perspective that lets me see it one way, but you guys got attached to actors and then saw the regenerations as they aired. Do you guys feel that it is the same character just from different perspectives, or do you look at each one as being distinctive?


A little of both, really. Doctor Who is brilliant when it comes to the idea of regeneration. It's the only show where the main lead can get killed off at any time. The show can still go on, but, you have to at least say goodbye to that actor.

They always say the first Doctor you watch on the show becomes "your Doctor". It's the one you start out with, and basically defines how you see the character. So, yes, watching in real time with the series, it's always pretty tough to let the one you know go in place of a new guy.

And, he is without a doubt the same character, from different perspectives. Every incarnation just shines the spotlight on a different aspect of the Doctor. And, that's part of the brilliance of the character right there. To legitimately allow ten different actors to flesh him out over forty-plus years, while at the same time retaining that air of mystery. It's a extraordinary balancing act that show pulls off.

 Quote:
One thing I notice in looking at the past Doctors is that each regeneration seems to be like an update. Wherein the events in the Doctor's life shape the regeneration. For example he was an old man who became younger and more active to match his active life of exploration. The Sixth Doctor being an asshole might be because he in some way blamed his companion for the death of the Fifth. The Seventh Doctor may have been an attempt to be more likeable and friendly. the Eighth Doctor is stronger and younger than the prior ones perhaps because he was caught offguard and shot and died a slow painful death while weak and at the mercy of others. The Ninth seems harder and more basic perhaps in mourning for the loss of the Time Lords, while the Tenth has an accent closer to Rose's and seems to have adopted her joy for their adventures, whereas Ninth was a bit more reserved towards things and had a "seen it" attitude.
That's just my take on it.


That's an awesome take, really. I can see where you are coming from in a lot of that. Whatever the current incarnation seems to lack, the next one makes up for or counters it.

I also find it neat that the character seems to run on a cycle of five, when it comes to matching/similar personalities, and the like. You can see what I'm talking about with the pic below. They're not exact, of course. But, the similarity is there...