It has long been established Doctor Who lore that Time Lords have a regeneration limit of twelve instances, but it has come to light that in an upcoming episode of the Doctor Who spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures, that this fact will be changed. The Doctor will say in passing that Time Lords are in fact immortal.
The Guardian reports:
While the Doctor and Clyde Langer, played by Daniel Anthony, are in the process of outwitting spooky vulture undertakers the Shansheeth, Clyde asks how many times he can regenerate. The Doctor indicates that there is no limit. The action continues.
This particular episode entitled “Death of the Doctor” of The Sarah Jane Adventures, starring Elisabeth Sladen as the former Companion and Matt Smith as the Doctor, will air in the UK on October 25 and 26th. This series is not currently being aired stateside on BBC America. The episode was penned by none other than former showrunner, Russell T. Davies. This is the first episode that Davies has written for the eleventh Doctor.
This change seems like it should be a big deal, but it is quietly being done through the Sarah Jane spin-off series. From a money-making perspective, it would be beneficial to keep the franchise alive by dropping the regeneration limit for the Doctor. To introduce this fact on the spin-off series aimed at children seems to groom the young audience for more Doctor Who when they grow older. When the rule was established in 1976 with Tom Baker’s fourth Doctor, twelve regenerations must have seemed very distant. Since Matt Smith is the eleventh Doctor, the old rule only allowed for two more regenerations and a definite end to the franchise. With the success of the franchise in recent years, the show has no signs of stopping.
How do you feel about this change and how it is addressed? Which side are you on? Is changing this critical fact about Time Lords blasphemy? Let yourself be heard in the comments section!
Check out the official episode description of “Death of the Doctor” here:
When The Doctor is declared dead, old companions Sarah Jane and Jo Grant meet for the very first time and join forces to discover the truth. As an interstellar conspiracy gathers around Unit HQ, Clyde finds that he holds the fate of the Time Lord in his hand—quite literally!
Old friends fight together to make one last stand against the sinister Shansheeth. But with Clyde and Rani trapped and in terrible danger, Sarah Jane and Jo Grant realise their worst fears—their friendship with the Doctor might be the very thing that dooms them.
The Doctor is played by Matt Smith, Sarah Jane by Elisabeth Sladen, Jo Grant by Katy Manning, Clyde by Daniel Anthony, Rani by Anjli Mohindra and Colonel Karim by Laila Rouass.
