Doctor Who: The Cartmel Masterplan - What Could Have Been

Another adventure that demonstrated his more manipulative, but caring nature, was Ghost Light. Despite its complicated narrative about evolution, one can't deny that at its core there's a truly deep character journey for Ace. Literally, the Seventh Doctor forces Ace to face her greatest fears, pushing her into a corner in order to overcome her past demons, ultimately allowing her to move on and grow as a person.

Sure, the Seventh Doctor comes across as cruel and calculative, almost seemingly obsessed with breaking his companions spirit through questionable trials, but in his twisted ways he's merely doing it to better Ace, helping her to overcome her weaknesses and find her inner strength. This all worked nicely into developing Andrew Cartmel's plans to progress Doctor Who towards its endgame, but sadly, due to further BBC meddling, this final outcome never came to be.

Had Doctor Who not been cancelled in 1989, and Season 27 went ahead, it would've been revealed that Ace's elaborate tests were all part of her secret initiation towards becoming a Time Lord. The Seventh Doctor had always seen greatness in her and used their adventures together to tap into her full potential, pushing her through emotional battlegrounds to transform her into his perfect protégée. He also felt her rebellious attitude would work in his favour to reshape Time Lord society for the better, moving it away from the corrupt ways of the Dark Times.