The Fifth Doctor
20. Do The Doctor's Regenerations Follow A Pattern?
Each regeneration appears to address the weaknesses or inadequacies of their predecessor, almost as if the Doctor is learning and adapting to better suit the circumstances. Consider the history of the Doctor's many faces. The 1st Doctor lived to a ripe old age and regenerates into a younger, more humorous and warmer man. The 2nd Doctor is forced to regenerate becoming more serious, more petulant and better able to handle himself in physical situations he might encounter while in exile. The 3rd regenerates into a more laid back, more alien, more bohemian Doctor better able to enjoy his wanderlust, enjoy travel with or without companions and freed from the bonds of his exile. The 4th regenerates into a younger, more collaborative Doctor. The regeneration from 9 to 10 is particularly interesting as it appears that he regenerated into a Doctor best equipped to attract and reciprocate Rose's affection. From 10 to 11 its almost as if he felt that the being a romantic Doctor was too painful, so he became a Doctor self-described as rubbish around women. If we look at regeneration from a biological standpoint, it can be argued that any species that evolves a means to cheat death and return to life could plausibly have incorporated a further adaptation addressing the weaknesses that led to that death.
19. Could The Doctor Have Saved Adric?
Snatching Adric from the crashing starship (Earthshock) should have been a snap for The Doctor. The damage to the Tardis could have been repaired and a quick leap back to one minute before the explosion could have had everyone's least favorite companion back in the fold without even mussing his hair. Even though the explosion resulting from the crash was most certainly a fixed point in time, Adric did not have to be aboard that ship for history to play out as it should, so why didn't The Doctor even try? Perhaps The Doctor was as glad to be rid of Adric as everyone else was!