Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (SP)

[Timofnine]

I'm sure that this has been asked many a times before since the 50th aired, but exactly why did the 9th Doctor regenerate at the end of the episode? He seemed perfectly fine, and went plodding off in his Tardis... then all of a sudden started to regenerate. He seemed healthy enough to me? No trauma etc... he looked like he had quite a few years left in him yet?

 

[RoJoHen]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

It was kind of weird. There were no health reasons for why he'd need to regenerate. I kind of assumed it was something that maybe the TARDIS decided to do. He chose to be the Warrior because he needed to be someone capable of doing horrible things. With the war over, he no longer needed to exist in that fashion, and so the TARDIS helped him return back into the man he was.

Or something.

 

[Timofnine]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

It was kind of weird. There were no health reasons for why he'd need to regenerate. I kind of assumed it was something that maybe the TARDIS decided to do. He chose to be the Warrior because he needed to be someone capable of doing horrible things. With the war over, he no longer needed to exist in that fashion, and so the TARDIS helped him return back into the man he was.

Or something.

Actually, this makes perfect sense. Or at least it would have done if this version of the Doctor had not already redeemed himself. In fact, I didn't see anything bad or wrong about him in the first place? He seemed a perfectly reasonable kind of guy. And in the end he didn't even destroy Gallifrey so had no burden or cross to bear.

He could have at least been taken out by a falling grand piano.... :/

 

[Saul]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

I had always assumed with others that the destruction of Gallifrey had been in some way responsible for his regeneration as it seems like he hadn't expected to survive when he discussed it in the new series. I guess by this stage he has been alive hundreds of years and the effects of the time war itself might have aged his body beyond it's limits.

 

[Marc]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

I'm sure that this has been asked many a times before since the 50th aired, but exactly why did the 9th Doctor regenerate at the end of the episode? He seemed perfectly fine, and went plodding off in his Tardis... then all of a sudden started to regenerate. He seemed healthy enough to me? No trauma etc... he looked like he had quite a few years left in him yet?

We don't know how long the War Doctor had been around for or what he'd been through as part of the Time War.

It's quite possible he'd seen many battles and lives lost in a short period of time and can be physically and emotionally exhausting. End result he could very well have been warn out.

And like the 1st doctor at the end of the 10th Planet. Once he knew things were over he could regenerate.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

It was kind of weird. There were no health reasons for why he'd need to regenerate. I kind of assumed it was something that maybe the TARDIS decided to do. He chose to be the Warrior because he needed to be someone capable of doing horrible things. With the war over, he no longer needed to exist in that fashion, and so the TARDIS helped him return back into the man he was.

Or something.

Actually, this makes perfect sense. Or at least it would have done if this version of the Doctor had not already redeemed himself. In fact, I didn't see anything bad or wrong about him in the first place? He seemed a perfectly reasonable kind of guy. And in the end he didn't even destroy Gallifrey so had no burden or cross to bear.

He could have at least been taken out by a falling grand piano.... :/

He wasn't a Morris Marina.

 

[sttngfan1701d]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

It was weird and probably a bit harsh on the old bird. He still had life left in him. But I choose to look at it as his purpose had been served, he had been redeemed, so the TARDIS made him regenerate.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

It was weird and probably a bit harsh on the old bird. He still had life left in him. But I choose to look at it as his purpose had been served, he had been redeemed, so the TARDIS made him regenerate.

Perhaps that was Idris being kind to him. She knew it would be unfair, unkind, even cruel to that Doctor to have the memory of saving Gallifrey stripped from him, so she forced the regeneration into Eccleston so that the next Doctor could start with the belief that his predecessor had actually done it and used the Moment.

 

[intrinsical]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

In a way, the war doctor was created by the Sisterhood of Karn to end the Time War when McGann's Doctor drank their elixir. My personal interpretation is that since he had effectively ended the Time War, his purpose was complete and effects of the elixir ended, forcing him to regenerate.

 

[tomalak301]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

Didn't the Sisterhood say that Paul McGann's Doctor was already dead and they basically extended his life to complete his mission, and became the War Doctor for just that purpose? It was like Sharidan in Babylon 5, he was dead but given an extra 20 years to live.

 

[TemporalFlux]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

This isn't too uncommon in human nature. Some people live beyond their natural time to die because they are fighting to live. If they stop fighting to live, then they die soon after.

The War Doctor had just reached a sense of relief. The Time War was finished. Gallifrey was saved. He had seen his future and knew it was in good hands. He had nothing left to fight for; so he succumbed to the natural causes that should have already taken him some time ago except for the fight.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

Nth is an abbreviation of "Nothing" or "Nice to Have".

I know what you meant, but that just makes what you said a little funnier.

 

[JoeZhang]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

He was worn out - just like the first Doctor - which is why he uses the same line.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

This isn't too uncommon in human nature. Some people live beyond their natural time to die because they are fighting to live. If they stop fighting to live, then they die soon after.

The War Doctor had just reached a sense of relief. The Time War was finished. Gallifrey was saved. He had seen his future and knew it was in good hands. He had nothing left to fight for; so he succumbed to the natural causes that should have already taken him some time ago except for the fight.

This is how I see it as well. Simple and straight forward.

 

[starburst]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

He didnt seem to mind regenerating, isnt it possible on some level it was actually his choice to?

 

[Chrono85]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

Maybe he was just weak from old age and many years of battle-wariness, and so his body just finally regenerated. Perhaps he really was in bad shape, but it was just his will to finish the task that kept that body alive, and when that was complete, he just gave out. Hartnell's doctor died in a similar fashion, so there is a precedent.

 

[Robert D. Robot]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

This isn't too uncommon in human nature. Some people live beyond their natural time to die because they are fighting to live. If they stop fighting to live, then they die soon after.

The War Doctor had just reached a sense of relief. The Time War was finished. Gallifrey was saved. He had seen his future and knew it was in good hands. He had nothing left to fight for; so he succumbed to the natural causes that should have already taken him some time ago except for the fight.

This is how I see it as well. Simple and straight forward.

^I, too, agree with this. When I was in college, I would study like crazy and push the limits studying for December finals. I would then take the exams, go home for Christmas break and would then 'collapse'. Usually -within a day or so- I would get get sick and stay in bed for a couple of days. I always figured it was because the rush of finals kept me going, but afterwards my body let go of the stress and things would then catch up with me. I felt like the War Doctor felt the same after all his struggles. While TARDIS did not give him hot soup (like my Mom did), she helped in her own, special way.

 

[Timewalker]

Re: Why did the Nth Doctor regenerate? Was he wearing a little thin? (

In a way, the war doctor was created by the Sisterhood of Karn to end the Time War when McGann's Doctor drank their elixir. My personal interpretation is that since he had effectively ended the Time War, his purpose was complete and effects of the elixir ended, forcing him to regenerate.

Didn't the Sisterhood say that Paul McGann's Doctor was already dead and they basically extended his life to complete his mission, and became the War Doctor for just that purpose? It was like Sharidan in Babylon 5, he was dead but given an extra 20 years to live.

Finally, an explanation that makes sense and doesn't actually require the Doctors to be renumbered.