Will we ever have a 'real' companion death in the new series?

[Whofan]

So far, the 'deaths' have been kind of cop-outs. People got taken to another universe (Rose, Jackie, Mickey) brought back to life (Jack, Rory,) or their memories erased/sealed off(Donna). The only companions who have died for real have been the specials companions such as Astrid and Adeliade.

In the classic series, the deaths of Sara Kingdom, Katarina, and Adric have been permenant, and it's presumed by some that classic companions such as Romana and Leela were killed in the time war (So in a sense the new series did kill off some companions). But we've yet to have a 'real' death of a major character.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Thats what Torchwood is for.

 

[Starkers]

In fairness, and someone might correct me, but in story terms Sara Kingdom and Katarina were only actually in one story each weren't they? So technically are they any different from Astrid/Adelaide?

Adric's really the big one because he'd been around a while, hell he's travelled with two Doctors!

Eventually it'll happen again, but unfortunately I fear it won't have the impact of an Adric because people will just assume he/she will be brought back to life again.

 

[Chris3123]

In fairness, and someone might correct me, but in story terms Sara Kingdom and Katarina were only actually in one story each weren't they?

Katarina was in two, actually.

 

[Starkers]

Rats!

 

[od0_ital]

Thats what Torchwood is for.

QFT.

 

[Stevil2001]

It's never gonna happen.

 

[JoeZhang]

Eventually it'll happen again, but unfortunately I fear it won't have the impact of an Adric because people will just assume he/she will be brought back to life again.

Oh I don't know - I would have clapped and cheered if rose had died - just like I did when Adric did.

 

[23skidoo]

The BBC considers Astrid and Adelaide to be companions so I count them (though Astrid was done in such a way she could come back). And we don't see what actually happens to Abigail (who by the way along with Kazran Sardick ARE companions of the Eleventh Doctor as they fit every criteria except for being in more than one story, and the BBC has made that one irrelevant).

You need to look at the history of Doctor Who (Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel) website is marvellous) to find out why characters were killed off: Katarina was killed off because the writers instantly regretted adding her to the show so used an escape clause. Adric's death was planned almost as soon as Full Circle (his debut) aired. Again, because the character wasn't working out as they wanted, but they couldn't get rid of him so close to the regeneration (and as it was they were planning to bring Sarah Jane Smith back for a few stories at one point).

I have no doubt that if it serves the story, Moffat will pull the trigger, but the fact he came up with a creative alternative like what happened to Rory is perfectly fine. I've no desire to see Amy killed off. I'm glad Rose and Martha walked away. And what happened is far more tragic anyway than what might have happened had a Dalek shot her.

Killing off regulars is something from the playbook of modern-day ironic dark SF. Doctor Who shouldn't go there. As they say, that's why we have Torchwood. Though I'd go so far as to say The Sarah Jane Adventures, too. They haven't pulled the trigger, but that show's a lot darker than its "Doctor Who for younger viewers" facade lets on.

Alex

 

[od0_ital]

^

Rose didn't really walk away...she was sucked out of the Doctor's reality, forcibly.

 

[Admiral_Young]

^ Literally too. I don't think we'll get real companion death..."Doctor Who" is too family oriented right now and targeted for kids. Moffat has talked all the time about kids liking series five, he talks about it on the DVD during his interviews. I agree that Torchwood is where the serious death of characters takes place.

 

[diankra]

You need to look at the history of Doctor Who (Shannon Sullivan's A Brief History of Time (Travel) website is marvellous) to find out why characters were killed off: Katarina was killed off because the writers instantly regretted adding her to the show so used an escape clause. Adric's death was planned almost as soon as Full Circle (his debut) aired. Again, because the character wasn't working out as they wanted, but they couldn't get rid of him so close to the regeneration.

Really? I'd never heard that about Adric before, and while Donald Tosh does say that he decided against keeping on Anne Chaplette because a 17th Century companion would need too much explained to her (like that made Jamie such a disaster...), Katarina never seems to have been anything more than a stop-gap after John Wiles decided not to renew Maureen O'Brien/Vicki's contract.
In Terry Nation's first drafts of Masterplan 4 it was Vicki, not Katarina, who died; the death scene was the first thing Adrienne Hill ever shot as Katarina; and Katarina was expanded from an extra in the last episode of Myth Makers at the last minute so as to introduce her.

However... on the question of whether Katarina and Sara were 'real' companions: from the point of view of the kids watching in 1965, they were. They had gone off in the TARDIS (and in the black and white years nobody got aboard the TARDIS apart from the crew*), so the viewers had no reason to expect them not to be around for ages - until they were suddenly dead.

*Run through it: prior to The Three Doctors, the only people who ever get into the TARDIS were the regular crew(/companions), plus Bret Vyon, Salamander and the Master. Absolutely no-one else in the entirety of seasons one to nine!

 

[Shazam!]

Thats what Torchwood is for.

Torchwood is definitely the place where characters go to die.

 

[Starkers]

...then come back to life...then die...then come back to life...then die...then come back to life then die...

 

[Professor Zoom]

...then come back to life...then die...then come back to life...then die...then come back to life then die...

Not Ianto. *sigh*

 

[od0_ital]

...then come back to life...then die...then come back to life...then die...then come back to life then die...

Not Ianto. *sigh*

Or Tosh.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

River Song died permanently. They just did it backwards.

Eventually it'll happen again, but unfortunately I fear it won't have the impact of an Adric because people will just assume he/she will be brought back to life again.

Not necessarily.

Spoiler: Season 5

I was quite surprised when Rory came back. IIRC, most of the fan theories immediately following "Cold Blood" were that, by the end of the season, Rory would be un-erased from history so Amy would remember him again but he would still be dead. It made sense. This way, Amy would be free of the romantic constrictions of a fiance but could still angst about him. Thankfully, the lovable oaf got brought back body & soul! But still his return in "The Pandorica Opens" was quite a surprise. (Or at least it would have been if someone had been more consciencious about spoiler warnings on their links.)

...then come back to life...then die...then come back to life...then die...then come back to life then die...

Two things are almost guaranteed to happen to you on Torchwood-- you die & you have a homosexual experience (sometimes in that order). Martha Jones should consider herself at least half-lucky!

I wonder if Torchwood has set some sort of record for main cast deaths, particularly considering how short the show's run has been and how small the cast is. In addition to Jack (all the time), Owen (twice), Tosh, & Ianto, you've also got Rhys in "End of Days." Not to mention... "They Keep Killing Suzie"!!!!!