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Best/Favorite Regeneration Story 3 (2017 Update) - Rank & Rate

Which one of these regeneration stories is your favorite?

  • The Tenth Planet (BBC) (1->2)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • The Brink of Death (BF) (6->7)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Enemy Within (The TV Movie) (BBC/Fox) (7->8)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Turn Left/The Stolen Earth/Journey's End (BBC) (10->Meta Crisis 10)

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    29

Emperor-Tiberius

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Well, Twelve's time has just ended, and since the last two threads (special shout-out to Green Lantern for the second thread), the mysterious circumstances under which the Sixth Doctor regenerated into the Seventh have finally been unveiled thanks to Big Finish, so you could say we have at last, a more complete set of regeneration stories for the 50 years since the concept was introduced.

So now, after 2017, and on the eve of the eleventh series of NuWho, what's your favourite regeneration story? I predict that Caves of Androzani will once again dominate the polls, but at least its a rolicking good story. In any case, rank & rate!

*I also wasn't sure if I should include Day of the Doctor because... well, I don't really consider the Warrior a real Doctor. Not that he's not, but the incarnation didn't headline the show, and he was scorned by the Doctor's future selves with a reason. He's an incarnation of him, but until Eleven's near end, we didn't even know he existed. Heck, he was actually introduced in the third to last of Matt Smith's episodes. Plus, its not remembered for being a regeneration story, either. So, I'm leaving this one out, but you could always include it in your lists. :)
 
Caves of Androzani Hands down. Honourable mentions to Logopolis, Bad Wolf/Parting of Ways, and The End of Time. Also World Enough and Time, although not quite so much The Doctor Falls, despite that being a fairly decent episode too, and Twice Upon a Time being the weaker of the three. That said I love World Enough and Time as a Cyberman episode, due to the three chapters of the three parter being fairly different I can't really include it as one of my favourite regeneration episodes, especially seeing ironically it's the only episode of the three where there is no regeneration at all.

No idea why on Earth Turn Left/Stolen Earth/Journey's End is on this list, it's never been thought of as one before, it didn't see a series lead depart, Day of the Doctor has far greater a right to be on the list than this, although I support the decision not to be included. Since the last list I've seen Tenth Planet too, which I hadn't done at that time, I'd say that sits fairly in the middle of my list, not fantastic, not awful (despite my love for the original Cybermen). You can read my rambling on about my thoughts on Twice Upon a Time in the new thread.
 
Caves of Androzani Hands down. Honourable mentions to Logopolis, Bad Wolf/Parting of Ways, and The End of Time. Also World Enough and Time, although not quite so much The Doctor Falls, despite that being a fairly decent episode too, and Twice Upon a Time being the weaker of the three. That said I love World Enough and Time as a Cyberman episode, due to the three chapters of the three parter being fairly different I can't really include it as one of my favourite regeneration episodes, especially seeing ironically it's the only episode of the three where there is no regeneration at all.
Yeah, I do count World Enough and Time as the best of the three, but I generally consider this a good three-parter, and a solid run of episodes, especially for Moffat, which is good considering its his exit (on their own, though, it'd be hard to exceed other Moff stories of the past).

No idea why on Earth Turn Left/Stolen Earth/Journey's End is on this list, it's never been thought of as one before, it didn't see a series lead depart, Day of the Doctor has far greater a right to be on the list than this, although I support the decision not to be included. Since the last list I've seen Tenth Planet too, which I hadn't done at that time, I'd say that sits fairly in the middle of my list, not fantastic, not awful (despite my love for the original Cybermen). You can read my rambling on about my thoughts on Twice Upon a Time in the new thread.
Well, I counted the Stolen Earth three-parter because it did have the Tenth Doctor regenerate. And he would've regenerated, if his hand wasn't cut off in his very first story. And the Meta-Crisis Doctor wouldn't have existed without Donna and the Doctor's regeneration energy. And of course, Time of the Doctor mentions it directly, so it has to count, even if 10 doesn't actually regenerate at the end of it.
 
Yeah, I do count World Enough and Time as the best of the three, but I generally consider this a good three-parter, and a solid run of episodes, especially for Moffat, which is good considering its his exit (on their own, though, it'd be hard to exceed other Moff stories of the past).
True. If counted as an entire story, it would fall somewhere on the higher half of regeneration stories but a fair bit away from the top, whereas if all of them were of the quality of World Enough and Time it would be at least level with Caves of Androzani, being conservative. Probably would have been one of if not my favourite Who story of all time.
Well, I counted the Stolen Earth three-parter because it did have the Tenth Doctor regenerate. And he would've regenerated, if his hand wasn't cut off in his very first story. And the Meta-Crisis Doctor wouldn't have existed without Donna and the Doctor's regeneration energy. And of course, Time of the Doctor mentions it directly, so it has to count, even if 10 doesn't actually regenerate at the end of it.
Eh, I definitely don't count it. If you count it, and for those reasons, then by rights you should have most certainly included Day of the Doctor as well.
 
True. If counted as an entire story, it would fall somewhere on the higher half of regeneration stories but a fair bit away from the top, whereas if all of them were of the quality of World Enough and Time it would be at least level with Caves of Androzani, being conservative. Probably would have been one of if not my favourite Who story of all time.
Its like with Heaven Sent, which was also a brilliant episode on its own, but the trio of stories together (Face the Raven and Hell Bent) were not as successful - though this three-parter is still loads better than that series 9 story. In any case, I'm glad we got what we got. It could've been another Wedding of River Song.

Eh, I definitely don't count it. If you count it, and for those reasons, then by rights you should have most certainly included Day of the Doctor as well.
Except the Doctor could not regenerate at the end of Eleven's life. I'm following the show's narrative there. Other writers, including RTD, would probably ignore it, but Moffat's retroactive tinkering made it into a regeneration story.

With Day, the regeneration wasn't even the focus. It was just a fact check, just like showing One's regeneration again in Twice Upon a Time was. So there' that to consider, too.
 
Its like with Heaven Sent, which was also a brilliant episode on its own, but the trio of stories together (Face the Raven and Hell Bent) were not as successful - though this three-parter is still loads better than that series 9 story. In any case, I'm glad we got what we got. It could've been another Wedding of River Song.
I mean, personally I'm not actually keen on Heaven Sent at all, in fact it's probably my least favourite of the three, but I accept I'm in a massive minority there. But yes, it is the same situation in that one episode of a three parter is considered top tier quality amongst a three parter that is far less consistent.
Except the Doctor could not regenerate at the end of Eleven's life. I'm following the show's narrative there. Other writers, including RTD, would probably ignore it, but Moffat's retroactive tinkering made it into a regeneration story.

With Day, the regeneration wasn't even the focus. It was just a fact check, just like showing One's regeneration again in Twice Upon a Time was. So there' that to consider, too.
The regeneration wasn't the focus on Stolen Earth/Journey's End either. Day of the Doctor is far more qualified to be counted as a regeneration story than Stolen Earth/Journey's End, it doesn't have one Doctor regenerating into another, wheras Day of the Doctor sees one Doctor regenerate into another, and it's not a cop-out regeneration, but the full thing.
 
I was thinking about this and my favorite is still Eccleston to Tennent. It's the only one that actually felt part of the story rather than an add on.
 
Which one of these regeneration stories is your favorite?

The Third Doctor (Pertwee) in The Planet of the Spiders. Number three was the one to really catapult Doctor Who into a bigger sci-fi series where the stakes seemed to be high for UNIT, as well as the Doctor, with Pertwee's version acting as if he's seen too much in the universe, and took it seriously. When things that were once stable (Jo Grant) departed, the Doctor seemed as if he was racing against some doom around the corner, in interactions with aliens, as well as The Master. Its almost as if he always knew his time was coming to an end in this form, which is why he was so mature and philosophical when talking to Sara Jane in his dying moments. It was a sad, but major event all in one.
 
Androzani by a mile. I do really love Night of the Doctor though. Third choice the end of time. It's not brilliant but I like to twist that it was Wilf knocking four times, and I did like the interaction between Ten and Rose, given I'd pretty much hated their partnership in S2 it was wonderfully sweet and subtly handled by RTD/Tennant and Piper. Best of all though "Geronimo!"
 
The War Games is my favorite regeneration story, but The Fifth Doctor's regeneration in The Caves of Androzani is the best regeneration sequence. Also high marks for Logopolis, Planet of the Spiders, and The Tenth Planet in that order based on story and regeneration.
 
OK, here's my best-to-worst. I liked mostly all of them, with some specific exceptions.

Fifth: The Caves of Androzani (just perfect, and for every reason imagineable - only wish the cave monster was convincingly done, or that it was retouched for the DVD release)
Eighth: The Night of the Doctor (basically, CoA on steroids! perfect exit for the Eighth, with a suitably sweet acknowledgement of his extended lifetime via Big Finish's audio dramas)
Second: The War Games (a couple of episodes too long in the middle, but still very good, and Troughton really did get to shine through in this complex storyline that broke new ground while still ending the iconic B&W era)
Ninth: Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways (a great two-parter, and the great regeneration story of NuWho, let down by the game show bits - but not by much, I watched the Greek version of The Weakest Link when it was on, so I enjoy them nostalgically still)
Twelfth: World Enough and Time / The Doctor Falls / Twice Upon a Time (what a fantastic exit for the Twelfth Doctor, going against two incarnations of the Master, an offshoot of the Mondasian Cybermen, and before his end meeting with his earliest self! wonderfully emotional, tonally consistent, and easily Moffat's most rewarding, collective experience in years)
Tenth (Meta-Crisis): Turn Left / Stolen Earth / Journey's End (a fantastic finale for series 4, a real mega epic with crossovers with Torchwood and the Sarah Jane show, with the Meta Crisis aspect of it being the only real odd turn-off - but it works still, even without the superb Turn Left)
Sixth: The Brink of Death (for an audio story, and not even a traditional four-parter at that, remarkably effective, as Old Sixie rushes over to save himself, and indeed the Time Lords from the Valeyard, willingly killing himself to prevent his total victory, a real stupendous story that Nicholas Briggs should be proud of, and a solemn but fitting, not to mention proper, goodbye to Colin Baker's much maligned Sixth Doctor)
Eleventh: The Time of the Doctor (a little rushed, some annoying revisions and an over-simplification of facts, but it still moves me with its frenetic pace and genuine emotion - Matt Smith also totally sells it, extremely well)
Tenth (actual regeneration): The End of Time (a bloated mes, yet it still is moving and even heartwarming whenever Tennant and Cribbins are on-screen, and of course the amazing last 30 minutes basically salvage most of it, if barely)
Three: The Planet of the Spiders (its a lot like TEoT, in that its largely self-indulgent parade of tropes reminiscent of the Pertwee era, but at the same time, there's a heart in this and a genuinely nice twist of the Doctor basically instigating the entire story, and essentially his engineering his own death, because of his own ignore due to thirst for knowledge - and such, it could've been better as a shorter feature, but it does still work, Pertwee having maybe the most understated regeneration scene of all time)
Fourth: Logopolis (good plotting, weak characterization, its basically three OK episodes, let down by a rushed fourth episode - still worth it though, for Tom Baker's last proper appearence as the definite article)
Seventh: Enemy Within (it looks great, and its heart is in the right place, but the story is a real mess - thank goodness for McCoy and, especially, McGann, for making the least bit watchable)
First: The Tenth Planet (shockingly, I pretty much don't care for this one, mostly because Hartnell himself gets to do almost nothing for the entire story, which is sad cause he deserved to have a little more involvement in his last-ever story in a show that he starred at and brought millions of people, including most children, with consistent ratings and popularity - still, the Cybermen have rarely been creepier since, and the Doctor's final stand is memorable for all the right reasons)

And an honorable mention for the Warrior and his The Day of the Doctor (a really, really great story - but the Ninth is sorely missed, and McGann should've been in the War Doctor's place). I'd probably rank it below Bad Wolf, really.
 
When it comes to overall story, my favorite is The End of Time. But, my favorite regeneration scene is the 11th's in time of the Doctor. Ranking the Regeneration stories I've seen: (Note: I don't count Journey's End/The End of Time as a regeneration story, so I'm not ranking it but I like the story a lot)

The End of Time
World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls/Twice Upon a Time
The Night of the Doctor
The Time of the Doctor
Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways/Born Again
The Caves of Androzani
Day of the Doctor
Logopolis
Doctor Who: The Movie
The 10th Planet
Time and The Rani (The Brink of Death is, in my opinion, not canon and is NOT the 6th Doctor's actual regeneration story, TatR is even if Colin Baker isn't actually in it)

I've never seen The War Games or Planet of Spiders, so I can't rank them. Also, every story except Time and the Rani is at least good, with that one being the only bad story.
 
How do people remember that far back? I can't recall how Smith regenerated into Capaldi. I can barely remember Smith at this point. So... the new one, I guess.
 
I excluded Day because, well... its not about a regeneration, but beyond that... the War Doctor wasn't really the Doctor. I mean, he was, but he didn't think so, not until the very last moments of his existence. He very much lookrf himself as a Warrior, and it was a choice to do so. Beyond that, he never headlined and carried the show the way every other Doctor did, and his story wasn't built with any kind of regeneration fanfare. Even the Meta Crisis episode got a lot of traction at the time, because everyone was shocked that the Tenth Doctor was really regenerating and there was no announcement of any kind about that.
 
I found this on YouTube all of the Doctor's regenerations, updated to include Jodie Whitacre and supplements the 2/3 regeneration with comic strip and fan-film material. The 6/7 regeneration is supplemented with Big Finish material.

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I found this on YouTube all of the Doctor's regenerations, updated to include Jodie Whitacre and supplements the 2/3 regeneration with comic strip and fan-film material. The 6/7 regeneration is supplemented with Big Finish material.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

I wonder if there is a version with only canon regenerations. All that fan stuff just ruins the video. Poor 3 and 6 getting crap shoved at them.
 
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