He can be, but right now the only official statement we have is "we call Peter Capaldi the Twelfth Doctor"
Yeah yeah, but here he's talking about an arbitrary decision. It could go either way and he's picked one over the other. There really isn't any room there for lies.
While I think the War Doctor has redeemed himself to be the Doctor, I don't think it's appropriate to renumber. For starters, I like that Tennant is Ten, it's easy to remember. Second, the prophesy is the Fall of the Eleventh on the fields of Tranzalore. I don't think that can change. Hurt's Doctor is Doctor 8 3/4 if he has to have a number, but he's just the one who skips numbers. I'd have no problem with Capaldi being 13 to indicate that he's accepted his incarnation, but I don't think it really matters overall.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/doctor-who-christmas-spoilers-matt-2847509 To make more confusing, Matt Smith is now the 13th Doctor, thanks to the War Doctor and 10 regenerating into himself in 'Journey's End'...
Hey, I'm the one who raised that point in this very thread ("There's an official version, if people are keen to communicate with other people that's the one they're going to use") and no one paid attention to me because I'm not an award-winning author!
Dramatically, I think it makes sense for the episode. It explains why Matt Smith would die at Tranzelore. However, considering they just name-dropped the Valeyard two episodes ago, I'm not sure where he fits in. Unless the Metacrisis Doctor is the Valeyard.
Wasn't the Silents' (or is it the Silence?) purpose to prevent the Doctor from reaching Trenzalore? To prevent a future that was infinitely more terrifying, as Maldorum put it? I can only imagine that the Twelfth Doctor is infinitely more terrifying to the Silence, especially if he's drive to restore Gallifrey. But, rather than keeping the Eleventh Doctor from reaching Trenzalore, what if they're there to help him win a battle and not die?
It's settled, then. Matt Smith's Doctor is actually the 27th Doctor but we've all agreed to call him the 30th. I'm ready for 31!
You're absolutely right. I was really stubborn earlier in the thread, certain this would be a big thing. After watching the episode a second time, reading the plethora of posts in the forum on this subject, and spending the last few days thinking about it, I see the point of clear communication a lot better. More precisely, I realized that the general public will continue to refer each of those Doctors the same way, and honestly, I think they have greater sway than us fanboys. Gaiman's post may have pushed me over the edge of reason, but you, The Mirrorball Man, and a few other sensible-thinking people in this thread and elsewhere, led me to the edge. Sounds good to me!
As I mentioned in another thread, the Time Lords have more organs than Humans and one seems to allow for "regeneration energy" that is needed to fully replace the host body when critically injured or aged too far. It either has enough to regenerate 12 times, or can only recharge so many times before becoming too damaged itself, perhaps the only part that doesn't regenerate with them. There's nothing to stop them operating on it to repair the damage or tank it up again during the 13th life. The Doctor's focus is now on restoring his homeworld, I'm sure they'd be happy enough to do it after kicking out the corrupt leadership.
I suggest the only acceptable way to settle the matter is to call Capaldi the Fnarg Doctor. Or the Fred Doctor.
The character John Hurt plays is the Doctor. Many actors have also played the Doctor They are/were not playing separate characters. Just as Michael J. Fox was not playing two characters when portraying Marty McFly from 1985 and Marty McFly from 2015 Just as Stroppy/Lazy/Stupid Teenage you.. and Sensible/Professional/Reliable Middle Aged You are not seperate.. The change is more dramatic for the Doctor you may say though. If you would like to number these stages, go ahead. The show has outlined the order in which they happened to him. Go with that.
Except both the First Doctor and the Fifth Doctor made reference to which "number" they were in The Five Doctors. Or instantly collectible. They had to call him something. This is getting into soap opera levels of retcon, though. Soaps retcon whole families and people who can't possibly exist according to previous canon, not to mention changing peoples' ages practically overnight... I expect more straightforwardness from Doctor Who. After all, it's not like with the Master, who has had many regenerations we know nothing about. Which one is "Tentoo"? That was in The Five Doctors, and it was Richard Hurndall, not Hartnell (he died years before the 20th Anniversary special). If you accept Peter Cushing, you also have to accept Barbara being the Doctor's granddaughter, instead of a human schoolteacher. At this point it's ridiculous to accept Cushing's Doctor as part of the real continuity of the character. When did the Fourth Doctor say that? This whole debate reminds me of the fuss people made when Mary Tamm's Romana regenerated into Lalla Ward's Romana. Romana II tried on several bodies (including Princess Astra's twice before settling on that body). Fans were wondering why she regenerated in the first place, and if she just burned through several regenerations for the sake of vanity.
^ Tentoo aka The MetaCrisis Doctor. The half human hybrid who was born from Ten's hand, regeneration energy and Donna Noble.
If you look at it by a regeneration perspective, the latter part of your list should look like this. 7 - McCoy 8 - McGann 9 - Hurt 10 - Eccleston 11 - Tennant 12 - Tennant (He selfishly used up a regen so that Rose could have a lookalike human boy toy in the parallel universe) 13 - Smith Beyond normal regen limit - Capaldi. I think the X-Mas special is going to deal with this limit in some way or shape..maybe in the shape of a crack in the wall, eh?