After a long time of the Doctors companions always being on far lower level than himself, the status quo was changed in 1978s The Ribos Operation with the introduction of Romana; a Time Lady assigned to help the Doctor find the six parts of the legendary Key To Time by the near-omnipotent White Guardian. Romanas strength as a character largely comes from her being both a Time Lady and academically smarter than the Doctor. Because of this she is capable of running rings around him not only because she can outsmart him at times, but also because she is privy to embarrassing information on him that she can she can use to stop him in his tracks during his more egotistical moments. When dealing with Romana, the Doctor cant simply shut his companion down by virtue of being an advanced lifeform and isnt capable of entirely dominating the relationship. Despite his increased age and life experience putting him ahead of Romana in many ways, at the same time she is his better in some fields which more or less puts their relationship on an even footing. And although the Lalla Ward incarnation was less belligerent and challenging to the Doctor than the Mary Tamm one, the characters intelligence and strength remained right until her departure in Warriors Gate. As the Doctor himself said, she was the noblest Romana of them all."
JG Moore is a writer and filmmaker from the south of England. He also works as an editor and VFX artist, and has a BA in Media Production from the University Of Winchester.
