Battlefield, Merlin, Capaldi?

[starsuperion]

Going back to the events of Battlefield, and enjoying seeing the Brigadier again, it suddenly dawned on me, there is supposed to be a future incarnation of the Doctor who is portrayed as Merlin.. now given how much was spoiled on the 11th doctor's run, I wonder, wouldn't it be awesome to see a long haired Capaldi, with beard as the great Magician Merlin! setting up events hearkening back to Battlefield, and setting up some new story arc? Perhaps even having Capaldi play Merlin before his regeneration?? I mean at some point the Doctor gets a spaceship too.. in Battlefield at least.. As far as I know, that thing is still beneath a lake on Earth.

 

[Doctorwhovian]

It's kind of inferred in Battlefield that the Merlin Doctor is an alternate incarnation from another universe, or something like that. I think the New Adventures novels do dwelve a bit on that. Plus it's also been established in both the old (Inferno) and new (Rise of the Cybermen) series that alternate universes with similar characteristics but sometimes major differences are 'canon' to the series.

Of course some might be speculating that it's the Pete World metacrisis Doctor clone or something like that, although how Pete's world ended up as something with weird techno knights would be weird. Since that incarnation has the memories of 'our' Doctor, maybe he's the one who left clues for the seventh when the ship ended up in "our" world.

 

[Mr Awe]

The Doctor as Merlin as described in Battlefield is explicitly supposed to be a future incarnation of the Doctor. However, the other universe is an alternate universe where magic works, but the future Doctor is not represented as an alternate Doctor. If you see what I'm saying.

At any rate, I saw Battlefield for the first in a long time in the past year. I really enjoyed it! Fun story! Great to see the Brig back! Bambera and her new friend (forgetting his name from the magic universe) were fun. Good all around. Maybe the end was a bit weak, but the ride along the way was a hoot!

I would not mind seeing a Capaldi story setting up the events in Battlefield. It'll never happen of course. The only way it could happen is if they write it so you wouldn't have to see Battlefield to understand it, which shouldn't be hard at all given that Battlefield happens afterwards.

Mr Awe

 

[Lonemagpie]

According to the novelisation, the Merlin Doctor is ginger...

 

[Allyn Gibson]

According to the novelisation, the Merlin Doctor is ginger...

I've always interpreted Matt Smith's "Still not ginger!" as disappointment from his realization that he's not going to be Merlin this time around.

Peter Anghelides wrote a few Short Trips stories about the ginger-haired Doctor.

Peter David, however, made the eighth Doctor the Merlin Doctor in his Short Trips story.

 

[Lonemagpie]

TBH I've always liked to think of the Merlin/ginger doctor as Andrew Keir in Quatermass (And The Pit) mode....

 

[Doctorwhovian]

I suppose the future Merlin Doctor would have to have a TARDIS which, in addition to doing the whole of time and space thing, could also get to other dimensions without most of the problems it's caused the TARDIS or at least it's console (in Inferno's case) when it's done it before (E-space, Inferno, Rise).

Would be kind of handy to find Gallifrey. In fact mcCoy's line from Day of the Doctor was taken from Battlefield.

 

[starsuperion]

wait okay, so the Merlin is Ginger.. and the normal universe Doctor, who gets caught up in an alternative universe where Camelot is real, and technoknights are real, but ends up crashing a ship into a lake in our universe's UK? So does any of those Doctor who comics with the 5th doctor and Merlin (clearly older with white hair) come into play there?? I believe that story was called the tides of time.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

I've always hoped that the new series would do a season of half-season with the Doctor stranded on an alternate Earth and forced to take on the role of Merlin. Kinda like Pertwee's exile but medieval.

 

[The Mighty Monkey of Mim]

They should do a multi-Doctor story with Capaldi and McCoy on this subject. In Battlefield, Ancelyn said he didn't recognize the Doctor's face. Yet the ship was keyed to his voiceprint, and on board he found a note he'd left for himself in his handwriting, both of which are aspects that seem to change across incarnations...

 

[TJ Sinclair]

They should do a multi-Doctor story with Capaldi and McCoy on this subject. In Battlefield, Ancelyn said he didn't recognize the Doctor's face. Yet the ship was keyed to his voiceprint, and on board he found a note he'd left for himself in his handwriting, both of which are aspects that seem to change across incarnations...

It's hardly a stretch to believe that the Doctor could mimic a previous incarnation's handwriting; and of course the TARDIS would keep voiceprints of each regeneration on file. Merlin set it all up because he knew 7 was coming.