The most controversial regeneration sequence in the history of Doctor Who posed huge questions for the series that have never been explained, even to this day. Regeneration is an important aspect of a Time Lord’s existence, as it allows the Gallifreyan to change every cell in their body when ailing, aging, or dying. This has contributed heavily to Doctor Who’s longevity, as new actors have taken up the role of the time-traveling Doctor when their predecessor departs, and this is a skill that has also displayed by other Time Lords in Doctor Who’s history.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Throughout Doctor Who’s 62-year history, a number of other Time Lords have been seen alongside the Doctor, including the villainous Master, the manipulative Rani, and the Time Lords’ president, Rassilon. The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) even, for a time, traveled in the TARDIS with another Time Lord, Romanadvoratrelunder, regularly shortened to Romana. Originally played by Mary Tamm in the show’s 16th season in 1978, Tamm elected not to return for season 17, so Romana regenerated for unknown reasons in the opening moments of 1979’s “Destiny of the Daleks,” but her regeneration was vastly different to the Doctor’s.
Romana’s regeneration saw her try on several different bodies and faces before ultimately deciding on the form portrayed by Lalla Ward – who had previously appeared in Doctor Who as Princess Astra. This changed the way audiences though about regenerations, as previous incarnations of the Doctor had never been shown to have a choice in what form comes next. Romana tried on bodies like a customer trying on clothes in a fitting room, with the Doctor showing appreciation or distaste for her choices, which included a short, metallic form, a tall Greek goddess form, and something of a showgirl iteration.
Following recently-established regeneration rules in Doctor Who, Romana would have burned through four of her 12 regeneration cycles just to choose the form of Princess Astra. This was never mentioned, however, and it has still gone unexplained in the 46 years since “Destiny of the Daleks.” Romana herself hasn’t been seen and has seldom been mentioned since she chose to remain in the alternate reality of E-Space in 1981’s “The Warriors’ Gate,” and the concept of regeneration has undergone some huge renovation and refining since then.
In 2011’s “Let’s Kill Hitler,” River Song (Nina Toussaint-White and Alex Kingston) suggested that she’d be able to choose which characteristics she’d have following her regeneration. The Doctor has also been proven to have aspects of this gift, picking Peter Capaldi’s face to remind them of “The Fires of Pompeii’s” Caecilius, and even bi-generating in “The Giggle” to allow two incarnations to live side-by-side. However, while the Doctor could have specific talents given their origin as the Timeless Child, there’s been no explanation regarding how Romana went through several different faces before landing on that of Lalla Ward.
Do you want to see Romana return to Doctor Who 44 years after she was last seen? Let us know in the comments!
Most Viewed
-
Image Courtesy of Prime Video. -
Image courtesy of Ufotable -
Image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
20th Television Animation
