Doctor Who Series 12: Ten Huge Questions After Can You Hear Me?

9. Does The Doctor Possess Jedi-Like Powers?

Doctor Who Can You Hear Me?
BBC

When the Doctor is trapped on-board the monitor platform she uses her sonic screwdriver to set herself and the others free. Nothing unusual there, but it was a surprise to see the gadget magically rise out of her pocket, defying the laws of gravity that otherwise appear to be in operation on the ship. The Doctor once met Harry Houdini and knows a thing or two about escapology so her method of escape is most unusual.

It was all very reminiscent of the Star Wars saga and the Jedi’s handy ability to use telekinesis to gather a dropped lightsaber to snatch victory from defeat. But the fact that it was carried out with little fuss – there is no reaction from the Doctor, no slow motion effect and no musical cue – made it feel awkward. It is possible, this was an editing error, not for the first time this series. But it is there now, and it must be canon.

In Peter Capaldi’s debut story Deep Breath, in one scene he and Clara are tied to chairs with the sonic screwdriver on the floor. Clara has to use her feet to flick the sonic up to the Doctor. She suggests it ought to have a voice activated feature, to which the Doctor pulls a face as if to say it does, only he forgot about it. Presumably, he also forgot he could have also used telekinesis.

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Paul Driscoll is a freelance writer and author across a range of subjects from Cult TV to religion and social policy. He is a passionate Doctor Who fan and January 2017 will see the publication of his first extended study of the series (based on Toby Whithouse's series six episode, The God Complex) in the critically acclaimed Black Archive range by Obverse Books. He is a regular writer for the fan site Doctor Who Worldwide and has contributed several essays to Watching Books' You and Who range. Recently he has branched out into fiction writing, with two short stories in the charity Doctor Who anthology Seasons of War (Chinbeard Books). Paul's work will also feature in the forthcoming Iris Wildthyme collection (A Clockwork Iris, Obverse Books) and Chinbeard Books' collection of drabbles, A Time Lord for Change.