7 Mind-Blowing Ways Doctor Who Season 14 Can Overcome Chibnall's Timeless Child

Summary

The return of Russell T. Davies as showrunner in Doctor Who season 14 may resolve the loose ends left by Chibnall's introduction of The Timeless Child.

Disregarding the Timeless Child storyline would be an inadequate resolution due to its notable impact and divisive reception among loyal viewers.

Although the Toymaker theory proposes the involvement of a former antagonist from classic Doctor Who in the Timeless Child plot, its plausibility diminishes considering the coinciding departures of Chibnall and the return of RTD.

Doctor Who season 14 is poised to make a grand entrance with the return of Russell T. Davies as showrunner. However, there are unresolved plot points following Chibnall's introduction of The Timeless Child, which RTD must address. For years, the Doctor has been portrayed as a member of the Time Lords, an advanced humanoid alien race capable of harnessing time and space manipulation. They possessed remarkable technologies and the ability to regenerate, granting them a new life when faced with death. Originally, it was believed that regeneration was a consequence of prolonged exposure to the untempered schism or the result of Rassilon, one of the Time Lords' founders, conducting experiments in a quest for eternal life and power.

Despite several regenerations over the past decade and a half, one of the most significant changes occurred during Chibnall's penultimate season. It was revealed that the Doctor's origins were far more intricate than previously known. Chibnall presented an alternative storyline in which the Time Lords obtained the power to regenerate, with the Doctor ultimately revealed as The Timeless Child. This revelation provoked controversy and left long-time fans yearning for a reversal. Nevertheless, there are a few methods by which Russell T. Davies can rectify Chibnall's misstep concerning the Timeless Child in Doctor Who season 14.

5 Doctor Who Season 14 Can Pretend The Timeless Child Never Happened

Ignoring the subject completely is the simplest and least satisfying resolution to The Timeless Child mystery, but unfortunately, it has precedence in Doctor Who. During Davies' first run on the show, the character Jenny was introduced as the Doctor's biological daughter, created through a machine that produced offspring from a single parent's DNA. Although this was a significant development, it was never revisited in the series. It is possible that RTD may choose to follow the same path with The Timeless Child plot.

However, while it may be the easiest approach, it would not be the wisest. The Timeless Child storyline has had a significant impact and sparked controversy, making it impossible to simply ignore. How Russell T. Davies handles this story arc will be a crucial aspect of his tenure as the returning Doctor Who showrunner. Many are hoping for a retcon of the events that occurred during Chibnall's run, but completely avoiding the topic would be nearly as detrimental as allowing the Timeless Child story to continue.

4 The Timeless Child Was A Trick By The Master All Along

3 The Timeless Child Was Just The Toymaker Changing Reality

: Doctor Who season 13 failed to advance the plot or provide any explanation regarding the revelation of the Doctor's origin by the Master during the Chibnall era. The silence surrounding this matter suggests that the Master may have been manipulating the Doctor, possibly in an attempt to turn them against their own race or to simply confuse and destabilize them. It is not uncommon for the Master to deceive the Doctor and twist the truth for their own advantage. However, usually, the consequences of these lies become apparent within a few episodes or at least within the same season. Unfortunately, in Chibnall's final seasons, this unresolved plotline remained lingering. Perhaps Russell T. Davies can take advantage of this narrative gap and utilize it as a convenient means to disregard the Timeless Child storyline.

One speculation that lacks solid grounding is that The Toymaker, an antagonist from the classic Doctor Who series, who is set to make a comeback for the 60th-anniversary specials, is responsible for everything. Although The Toymaker is renowned for their ability to manipulate and reshape reality in an attempt to outsmart the Doctor, the intricate planning and coordination required for this theory to hold true make it highly improbable. "The Timeless Children," episode 10 of Doctor Who season 12, originally aired on March 1, 2020. However, it wasn't until more than a year later that Chibnall announced his intention to depart from the show, and it was over 18 months after the episode premiered when RTD revealed his return.

Things are often meticulously planned well in advance for these projects, thanks to the seamless collaboration between the creative teams and the monumental amount of work and time required to complete each episode. However, the primary groundwork for "The Timeless Children" would have been laid long before RTD made his return to work on the show. This isn't to say that RTD couldn't employ Doctor Who's Toymaker to ingeniously retcon the Timeless Child narrative, but it is far more probable that he would utilize The Toymaker to elevate and enrich his own tales rather than nullifying the significance of past ones.

2 Jo Martin's Doctor Is Actually The Unbound Doctor

The existence of The Timeless Child narrative in the expansive world of Doctor Who audio and published adventures can be understood within the context of The Unbound Doctor. Unbound adventures deviate from strict canon and offer a rich collection of stories that exist separately from the established lore. These adventures feature alternative incarnations of the Doctor, new companions, and narratives that have their own distinct identity. The Doctor portrayed by Jo Martin could potentially originate from another reality within the vast Doctor Who universe, providing a possible explanation for her existence and the events surrounding the Timeless Child.

1 RTD Could Just Use The Timeless Child Narrative

Despite complicating the Doctor and Time Lords' history, the origin of their regeneration powers is not without intrigue. It offers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the Doctor's past and adds an additional layer of storytelling for both past and future incarnations. Initially introduced in 1963, the concept of regeneration was not fully developed until the need arose to replace the First Doctor, played by William Hartnell, and provide an in-story explanation. Subsequently, the limited number of regenerations allotted to Time Lords has imposed a sense of urgency on the show's longevity. However, with the introduction of The Timeless Child origin, the Doctor may have a means to continue regenerating well into the future.