1 - Steven
2 - Jamie
3 - Jo
4 - Sarah
5 - Tegan
6 - Peri
7 - Ace
8 - Grace
9 - Rose
10 - Donna
11 - Amy
2 - Jamie
3 - Jo
4 - Sarah
5 - Tegan
6 - Peri
7 - Ace
8 - Grace
9 - Rose
10 - Donna
11 - Amy
Definitive Companion for each Doctor?
- Thread starter Candlelight
- Start date
Pretty much. SarahJane definitely deserves a place on the list, but, Romana defines Tom Baker as well as Sarah Jane does (and of course, there's Leela, who's also iconic and just barely behind the other two in stories/episodes, and Romana very handily takes it by episode count when you combine both Romanas' episodes)
Liz, like SarahJane only served 1 year with the 3rd Doctor, while Jo was with him the other 3 seasons, so, yea, she takes it, Despite SarahJane and Liz Shaw being so awesome
Liz, like SarahJane only served 1 year with the 3rd Doctor, while Jo was with him the other 3 seasons, so, yea, she takes it, Despite SarahJane and Liz Shaw being so awesome
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I read Steven, but Registered Ian, yea, definitely Ian as defining Hartnell 
For real.
I think there's definitely an argument for Tom having more than one definitive companion given the length of his tenure and the high quality of his companions over all, and some like Eccelston/Rose are a bit of a no brainer (Lynda?).
Though I hate to say it, there's an argument for Rose being 10's definitive companion, if only because she overshadowed his entire era, even when she wasn't there.
The first Doctor's has to be a Ian and Barbara, and in many respects you could argue that Davison's definitive companion has to be a group! Though if you insist on bringing it down to one then I'd agree, it has to be Tegan.
Though I hate to say it, there's an argument for Rose being 10's definitive companion, if only because she overshadowed his entire era, even when she wasn't there.
The first Doctor's has to be a Ian and Barbara, and in many respects you could argue that Davison's definitive companion has to be a group! Though if you insist on bringing it down to one then I'd agree, it has to be Tegan.
I'd say she is. I think he loved her more than the others and his relationship with the others affected his relationship with his subsequent companions. And there's a reason why she was the last companion he visited before he regenerated.
Ian & Babs
Jamie
Jo (going by companions being ones who travel with him, otherwise the Brig would be in here)
Sarah
Tegan
Frobisher (bite me)
Ace
Lucie Miller
Rose (like there's actually any choice!)
Donna
Amy
Jamie
Jo (going by companions being ones who travel with him, otherwise the Brig would be in here)
Sarah
Tegan
Frobisher (bite me)
Ace
Lucie Miller
Rose (like there's actually any choice!)
Donna
Amy
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First: Susan
Second: Jamie
Third: The Brigadier
Fourth: Sarah Jane
Fifth: Tegan
Sixth: Peri
Seventh: Ace
Eighth: Grace
Ninth: Rose
Tenth: Rose
Eleventh: Amy (for now)
Second: Jamie
Third: The Brigadier
Fourth: Sarah Jane
Fifth: Tegan
Sixth: Peri
Seventh: Ace
Eighth: Grace
Ninth: Rose
Tenth: Rose
Eleventh: Amy (for now)
First: Susan
Second: Jamie
Third: Jo
Fourth: Sarah Jane
Fifth: Tegan
Sixth: Evelyn (as Mr. McIntee said, bite me)
Seventh: Benny
Eighth: Lucie
Ninth: Rose
Tenth: Donna
Eleventh: The Ponds (both, cos I can't imagine one without the other)
And of course, the Brigadier...for ALL OF THEM.
Second: Jamie
Third: Jo
Fourth: Sarah Jane
Fifth: Tegan
Sixth: Evelyn (as Mr. McIntee said, bite me)
Seventh: Benny
Eighth: Lucie
Ninth: Rose
Tenth: Donna
Eleventh: The Ponds (both, cos I can't imagine one without the other)
And of course, the Brigadier...for ALL OF THEM.
Well, what does the word "definitive" mean, exactly? It doesn't just mean the best or favorite or most important one, but the one that most defines that Doctor or that era, that is the authoritative statement about who and what that Doctor was.
So for the First Doctor, I'd say the Ian/Barbara pair, because what defined the First Doctor was that he was more of a mentor figure for the young male and female characters who were the actual leads as the show was originally conceived.
For the Second, I can see Jamie being considered definitive because the Second Doctor was almost never without him, though I'm not sure what kind of statement Jamie actually makes about that Doctor or his era, aside from the fact that he still needed a young, tough male lead to do the running and punching. I think that in a way, Victoria could be considered definitive in that she embodies the Troughton era's focus on scary monsters and the sense of vulnerability the Doctor and his companions had. (If we were talking favorites, though, it would be Zoe, Zoe, Zoe!)
For the Third, io9's obituary of Caroline John made a good argument that Liz Shaw played a key role in redefining Doctor Who for the '70s as a more serious and more down-to-Earth show, despite her short tenure. Other than that, as much as I adore and cherish Jo Grant, I'd say the definitive "companion" of the Pertwee Era was UNIT.
For the Fourth, it's probably Sarah Jane, since she was the archetype for the stronger, more equal female companions who emerged in that era. Though for the Graham Williams-produced seasons where the show got goofier, I'd say the definitive companion, the one that most embodies the era, was K-9.
For the Fifth, no one companion can be definitive, since it was the larger group, the family dynamic, that defined that era. If I had to single one out, it would be Adric, because he embodied the role of the companion in that era as someone who had a knack for getting into trouble and thereby made the Doctor more vulnerable. And his death is surely one of the definitive moments of that era.
For the Sixth, I suppose Peri is the choice by default, though one could make a case for Mel as the symbol of the era, in that she was lightweight and never had her potential fully realized, but at least was lively and colorful. (I'm not familiar enough with the books and audios to nominate anyone else.)
For the Seventh, it's naturally Ace, representing the darker turn the series took, the more nuanced characterizations, and the new role of the companion as a pawn of the Doctor.
For the Eighth, you'd have to go to the audios or books, so again I'm not really qualified to say.
For Nine, it's Rose by default, and it's probably her for Ten as well; arguably she was the definitive companion of the Russell T. Davies era.
And for Eleven it's Amy by default, so far. Rory and River are important too, but they're both defined largely in relationship to Amy Pond, who's pretty much the central axis of the entire Moffat era so far. At times, it has seemed more like the Doctor was Amy's companion.
So for the First Doctor, I'd say the Ian/Barbara pair, because what defined the First Doctor was that he was more of a mentor figure for the young male and female characters who were the actual leads as the show was originally conceived.
For the Second, I can see Jamie being considered definitive because the Second Doctor was almost never without him, though I'm not sure what kind of statement Jamie actually makes about that Doctor or his era, aside from the fact that he still needed a young, tough male lead to do the running and punching. I think that in a way, Victoria could be considered definitive in that she embodies the Troughton era's focus on scary monsters and the sense of vulnerability the Doctor and his companions had. (If we were talking favorites, though, it would be Zoe, Zoe, Zoe!)
For the Third, io9's obituary of Caroline John made a good argument that Liz Shaw played a key role in redefining Doctor Who for the '70s as a more serious and more down-to-Earth show, despite her short tenure. Other than that, as much as I adore and cherish Jo Grant, I'd say the definitive "companion" of the Pertwee Era was UNIT.
For the Fourth, it's probably Sarah Jane, since she was the archetype for the stronger, more equal female companions who emerged in that era. Though for the Graham Williams-produced seasons where the show got goofier, I'd say the definitive companion, the one that most embodies the era, was K-9.
For the Fifth, no one companion can be definitive, since it was the larger group, the family dynamic, that defined that era. If I had to single one out, it would be Adric, because he embodied the role of the companion in that era as someone who had a knack for getting into trouble and thereby made the Doctor more vulnerable. And his death is surely one of the definitive moments of that era.
For the Sixth, I suppose Peri is the choice by default, though one could make a case for Mel as the symbol of the era, in that she was lightweight and never had her potential fully realized, but at least was lively and colorful. (I'm not familiar enough with the books and audios to nominate anyone else.)
For the Seventh, it's naturally Ace, representing the darker turn the series took, the more nuanced characterizations, and the new role of the companion as a pawn of the Doctor.
For the Eighth, you'd have to go to the audios or books, so again I'm not really qualified to say.
For Nine, it's Rose by default, and it's probably her for Ten as well; arguably she was the definitive companion of the Russell T. Davies era.
And for Eleven it's Amy by default, so far. Rory and River are important too, but they're both defined largely in relationship to Amy Pond, who's pretty much the central axis of the entire Moffat era so far. At times, it has seemed more like the Doctor was Amy's companion.
If we're counting the audio plays:
1st: Ian/Barbara (can't have one without the other)
2nd: Jamie
3rd: Jo (even though I can't stand her)
4th: Sarah Jane (although Leela and both Romanas stand out strongly themselves)
5th: Tegan
6th: Evelyn
7th: Ace
8th: Charley
9th: Rose (there's no other choice, unfortunately)
10th: Donna
11th: Amy
The Doctor: Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
1st: Ian/Barbara (can't have one without the other)
2nd: Jamie
3rd: Jo (even though I can't stand her)
4th: Sarah Jane (although Leela and both Romanas stand out strongly themselves)
5th: Tegan
6th: Evelyn
7th: Ace
8th: Charley
9th: Rose (there's no other choice, unfortunately)
10th: Donna
11th: Amy
The Doctor: Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart
Agreed. Of course Rose was 10's defining companion - she was the Series 2 companion, was the "elephant in the room" for Series 3, appeared in a large part of Series 4, and was the last person 10 saw.
As Christopher sort-of says, for some Doctors the idea of a definitive companion really doesn't work.
It sort of does for Pertwee, where it's got to be Jo, but even though Troughton had Jamie for almost all of his time, what's more interesting is the way Troughton changes depending on whether he's with Ben and Polly, Victoria or Zoe: he's very different depending on who he's around.
Similarly, Tom-with-Sarah and Tom-with-Romana (and even which Romana) are massively different. Ian and Barbara are sort of definitive for Hartnell, in the sense that it's during their time that he changes from nasty old man to the gruff grandad of his last year.
Outside of Pertwee, it's only really the incarnations that have a single companion for most of their stint (5th, 6th, 7th) where the notion really fits.
It sort of does for Pertwee, where it's got to be Jo, but even though Troughton had Jamie for almost all of his time, what's more interesting is the way Troughton changes depending on whether he's with Ben and Polly, Victoria or Zoe: he's very different depending on who he's around.
Similarly, Tom-with-Sarah and Tom-with-Romana (and even which Romana) are massively different. Ian and Barbara are sort of definitive for Hartnell, in the sense that it's during their time that he changes from nasty old man to the gruff grandad of his last year.
Outside of Pertwee, it's only really the incarnations that have a single companion for most of their stint (5th, 6th, 7th) where the notion really fits.
Which is partly a function of how different those companions were. Polly and Victoria were both generally painted as screaming, frightened damsels in need of protection, but Polly had Ben to be her hero, and even she wasn't as timid and helpless as Victoria. So Victoria needed the Doctor to be more of a kindly father figure. But Zoe was smart, strong-willed, and resourceful, in many ways almost an equal for the Doctor (and sometimes even seeming smarter, or at least less absent-minded), and so I think their relationship was more like scientific colleagues, including the intellectual rivalry that sometimes comes with that.
Actually my position is kind of the opposite, given how I'm, err, defining "definitive." The question of which companion most embodies the nature of a Doctor or his era is reduced to a trivial one when there's only one companion who dominates or monopolizes the era. Sure, Jamie was with the Second Doctor for all but one of his adventures, but what does Jamie himself, as a character, tell us about who the Second Doctor was and what the show was like in those years? What does Peri tell us about who the Sixth Doctor was and what his era was like, beyond the fact that she was there for most of it? Maybe I'm interpreting the word too narrowly or literally, but I'm not sure I can see something as "definitive" if it doesn't do some kind of defining.
See your point, Christopher. And yep, you can't really speak of a companion defining a Doctor if we haven't really seen them with anyone else. Hence my feeling that really Pertwee/Jo (or Pertwee/UNIT, though then Liz does begin to stake a claim... but as someone who saw late Pertwee but really grew up on the novelisations, Liz really was just a footnote till I saw and loved grotty pirate VHSes of season 7) is the only time you can really say any companion defines their Doctor.
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