10 Things Doctor Who Wants You To Forget

7. The Doctor's Time-Stopping Powers

Doctor Who Forest of the Dead David Tennant Tenth Doctor
BBC Studios

The Doctor might be an all-knowing, ancient alien with the ability to travel in time and cheat death, but they're not magic.

Or are they?

In the second episode of NuWho, the Ninth Doctor and his new pet human travel to the year five billion to watch the Sun explode and wipe out the Earth.

A weird first date, but at least it's not mini golf.

Naturally, things go wrong, and the Doctor has to restore the shields of the viewing platform to avoid everyone being burnt to a crisp. There's just one problem: his path is blocked by a giant fan.

Oh, but wait! All of a sudden, the Doctor can manipulate time!

In a moment that has never been repeated, the Ninth Doctor is seemingly able to slow down time in order to walk through the fan unscathed. This ability comes out of nowhere, is never explained, and is never mentioned again.

Was it a one-time deal? Was it just the way the scene was shot? Or did everyone agree that it looked a bit silly, and decided never to do it again?

It's probably that last one.

 
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Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.