Was the Doctor right in saving Davros?

[YellowSubmarine]

Why do the ‘Should you kill Davros / Hitler?’ question always miss the fact that you have other options – letting someone live doesn't mean letting them have the same life they once had. If changing that was impossible because of some timey-wimey explanation, that's a separate question, but I don't believe the Doctor had the choice not to save Davros.

Speaking of which, damn. I just noticed my memory has been rewritten. Specifically, the one of the exchange in “Let's Kill Hitler” that went “You've just saved my life!” / “Oh believe me, it was an accident!”

I now remember it with Capaldi saying the line, not Smith. So much time has passed. Can't wait 'till we're several years into Whittaker's tenure.

 

[Mr Awe]

Was he was right to save Davros? I think so. This is who the Doctor is.
His name is the Doctor and that’s the only name he needs; it tells us all we need to know about him. Or, to put it in Star Trek terms,

Except that the Doctor, the 4th Doctor nonetheless, went back in the very same story to blow up the Daleks. Although he later admitted that it wouldn't stop them--just delay them.

Some times he has to do the hard thing in the short run to get longer term benefits. Yet, he can't totally follow the philosophy of the ends justify the means.

On the other side, he was willing to sellout the future in order to save his friends lives!

It's complicated being the Doctor!

 

[Mr Soak]

It's probably like whack-a-mole - prevent one genocidal species' creation, another will take their place. It'd be never-ending, and at least with the first, you know what you're getting.

 

[Gov Kodos]

It's probably like whack-a-mole - prevent one genocidal species' creation, another will take their place. It'd be never-ending, and at least with the first, you know what you're getting.

Yes, the Daleks weren't all powerful back in the old series. To the 4th Doctor, at any rate, they were just one of many powerful and dangerous species so if you are going to kill off one, why not the Cyberman, or the Sontarans, or one of the other many lunatic warmongering races, as well? Better yet, all of them, since taking out the Daleks would have just been the camel's nose into the tent.