The Third Doctor
29. Why Does The 3rd Doctor Have A Tattoo?
Soon after regenerating the 3rd Doctor hops into a shower. While gifting the audience with a flash of his chest and a rendition of "La donna รจ mobile," a brief glimpse of a snake tattoo is spotted on his arm. In reality this was a relic of Jon Pertwee's time in the navy, but what is the significance of this regeneration having a tattoo? Considering that the 3rd Doctors face and body were selected by the Time Lords, fans have argued that this was a mark placed on him by his jailers to identify the Doctor as a criminal. Interestingly, the only other Time Lord seen to have a tattoo is The Doctor's friend the Corsair who also had a tattoo of a snake on his arm (The Doctor's Wife). Is the serpent a Gallifreyan mark to identify criminals? Did the 2nd Doctor somehow manage to manifest a tribute to his fellow Time Lord (and drinking buddy) the Corsair on the body of his 3rd incarnation?