Doctor Who Theory Reveals Why David Tennant Bi-Generated (& Why It Can’t Happen Again)

The Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials included a huge addition to the show’s lore by having the Doctor split into two autonomous beings, but it’s possible that the famous Time Lord may never be capable of repeating the feat. David Tennant’s return to Doctor Who placed the actor twice in the Doctor’s timeline. While Tennant originally played the Tenth Doctor, who regenerated into Matt Smith’s Eleventh, Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor is still present despite handing the baton to Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth. Doctor Who‘s shocking bi-generation twist was something no one saw coming, but it also may have been a one-off event.

The Fourteenth Doctor is David Tennant’s third version of the show’s main character. As well as the Tenth Doctor, Tennant also played the meta-crisis Doctor from season 4, episode 13, “Journey’s End.” Just like the meta-crisis Doctor, Fourteen wasn’t ousted from the Doctor Who universe by the process of regeneration, meaning there are currently two versions of the Doctor that can continue to exist side-by-side in the show’s main universe. Although Doctor Who season 14 will follow Ncuti Gatwa’s adventures as the Fifteenth Doctor, how Fourteen remained intact is a mystery.

Theory: The Fourteenth Doctor Only Bi-Generated Because He Was Fighting The Toymaker

There is seemingly no end to what the Toymaker is capable of

The Toymaker’s powers in Doctor Who have made the character a formidable villain in both the classic and modern eras. While the Doctor has always found a way to come out on top, it’s never an easy victory. What’s referred to as the Toymaker’s “domain” seemingly emanates from the character himself, and it enables the classic antagonist to bend reality to his will. As such, when the Fourteenth Doctor is shot by the Toymaker’s laser, what would usually be a recognizable process of regeneration becomes something that’s never before happened in Doctor Who.

The Fourteenth Doctor begins to regenerate as his previous iterations have done, but instead of taking on a brand-new appearance and personality, his proximity to the Toymaker could have changed how the process usually unfolds. While Neil Patrick Harris’ character looks just as confused as everyone else at the revelation, this could just simply prove that the Toymaker may not always be conscious of the changes for which his presence is responsible.

The coming together of the Toymaker’s domain and a competitive Time Lord in the throes of a regeneration cycle could easily have tweaked the building blocks of reality that resulted in Fourteen bi-generating.

The Toymaker’s love for games could also have intensified his power due to the Doctor’s outburst when warning his adversary off: “Your fight is with me! And you owe me. One more gam-“The Doctor is shot before he has the chance to finish his demand for another game, the rules of which had yet to be established. The coming together of the Toymaker’s domain and a competitive Time Lord in the throes of a regeneration cycle could easily have tweaked the building blocks of reality that resulted in Fourteen bi-generating.

Near the end of the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials, in “The Giggle,” the Fifteenth Doctor capitalizes on the Toymaker’s lingering domain to duplicate the TARDIS so Fourteen is not left without one. By this point, the Doctor has banished the defeated Toymaker from existence, and yet his abilities still allow for a second TARDIS to be created. This supports the theory that the Toymaker’s domain is not entirely predictable, even by the man who once wielded it.

Evidence Against The Toymaker Being Responsible For Doctor Who’s Bi-Generation

The Fifteenth Doctor refers to the enigmatic process as “A Myth”

Doctor Who has yet to truly confirm whether the Toymaker caused the Doctor to bi-generate, but it does supply one key clue that suggests Harris’ character was not the one to blame. When explaining what had just happened to the others, Gatwa’s Doctor declares, “I have bi-generated. There’s no such thing. Bi-generation is supposed to be a myth, but look at me.“ The fact that Fifteen has an explanation ready to give implies that he is at least aware of the process of bi-generation, even if he’s never encountered the phenomenon firsthand.

If bi-generation is indeed a pre-existing concept, the knowledge of which pre-dates the Doctor’s fight with the Toymaker, then it becomes less likely that the process is a unique instance set in motion by the Toymaker’s wayward domain. If the Doctor had no idea what had happened to create two versions of the same Time Lord, then blaming the Toymaker would make much more sense. As it stands, the Doctor has knowledge of bi-generation outside his interactions with the episode’s villain.

Bi-generation could be exactly what the Doctor describes it as – a myth. The process could have been part of the stories that those on Gallifrey told their children.

It’s possible that both explanations could be true. Bi-generation could be exactly what the Doctor describes it as – a myth. The process could have been part of the stories that those on Gallifrey told their children. The Doctor being aware of this story and regenerating with the Toymaker so close by could have taken what was once a figment of the Doctor’s imagination and brought it into the real world. However, as with almost everything with bi-generation at present, this is simply conjecture.

The Toymaker Causing David Tennant’s Bi-Generation Would Solve A Big Doctor Who Problem

The Doctor’s story will be damaged if bi-generation becomes a regular occurance

One of the biggest problems with bi-generation is that it means the previous version of the Doctor remains in place while a new one is also spawned. This lowers the show’s stakes, as the “death” of a Doctor is often one of the most poignant and emotional parts of an actor’s run in the lead role. If the Doctor can now just bi-generate every time they would usually regenerate, Doctor Who would lose one of its most iconic hallmarks of saying goodbye to the previous version of the Doctor.

The show’s main character is already afforded plot armor overall, so regeneration is the closest thing Doctor Who has to the Doctor being killed off. The fact that David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor still exists within the world of Doctor Who is a perfect encapsulation of how the show can lose its emotional heart if every Doctor now survives the end of an actor’s run. Tennant can now technically return at any time, which detracts from the focus on Gatwa.

For bi-generation to not negatively affect Doctor Who going forward, the Toymaker needs to have been responsible for how Fifteen entered the show. Now that the Toymaker is gone, his domain will quickly fade, meaning if he was to blame for the bi-generation scene, it couldn’t happen again. This would suddenly mean that neither Fourteen nor Fifteen could split into another two versions each of the Time Lord, so the risk to their lives and the sadness of their eventual departure from Doctor Who is returned to pre-bi-generation levels.

Doctor Who season 14 begins on Disney+ with a two-episode premiere on May 11, 2024.

Read More