10 Greatest Speeches In Doctor Who History
3. "Every Great Decision Creates Ripples" (Remembrance Of The Daleks)
The Doctor discussing the cultural impact of taking sugar in his tea as a metaphor for destroying Skaro taps into the core of what makes Doctor Who so great. Is there anything more Doctor Who than contemplating using an ancient Gallifreyan weapon to destroy the planet of the Daleks in a London cafe?
That combination of the everyday and huge galactic consequences has been key to the show's appeal since the start, so it's fitting to feature this scene during the show's 25th anniversary year:
"Every great decision creates ripples, like a huge boulder dropped in a lake. The ripples merge, rebound off the banks in unforeseeable ways. The heavier the decision, the larger the waves, the more uncertain the consequences."
McCoy's Doctor is someone who is aware of his responsibility to the web of time, but who also knows how to manipulate it for his own ends. This speech is a perfect summation of this Doctor's character, and of the character as a whole.
They're someone who would be quite content to sit down and have a cup of tea and a chat, but they can't sit idly by while terrifying threats and injustice face the galaxy.