Who can believe that it has nearly been 15 years since the BBC decided to reboot Doctor Who? With the help of Russell T Davis, Chris Chibnall and Steven Moffat, the Doctor has become one of the most lovable and intriguing heroes on TV.
However, with 13 reincarnations, there were bound to be many moments where the Time Lord made some huge mistakes. Some broke their own moral codes when it best suited them. Some abandoned their companions in a time of need and they could often be a little mean to the loved ones. But despite all this, The Doctor should never be ashamed for trying to make the universe a safer place. Here are the 10 most shameless things the Doctor ever did.
Nine allows Rose to comfort her Dad
The Doctor and Rose had their first serious argument come Father’s Day when Rose creates a paradox after saving her dad. Since Pete was now alive, Rose had changed the course of history and allowed a supernatural creature called a Reaper to appear.
To repair the timeline and get rid of the alien creatures, Rose had to let her father die. The Doctor had worked this out but refused to tell her because he didn’t want Rose to experience the pain again. When Pete runs out and gets hit by the car, Nine then tells Rose to comfort her father as he dies. It was one of the first times we saw a warmer side to Nine.
Abandoning Sarah-Jane
Although it may have been cruel to not come back for Sarah-Jane, fans can understand why the Doctor didn’t come back for her. Ten provides the answer in the episode “School Reunion” when Rose confronts him over why he has never mentioned her while they travel.
In the most memorable moment, Ten tells Rose: “I don’t age. I regenerate. But humans decay, you wither and you die. You can spend the rest of your life with me but I can’t spend the rest of mine with you. I have to live on, alone”. Sarah-Jane may have felt abandoned but the Doctor had done her a favor by letting her live her life.
Nine saves Rose
When we were first introduced to Nine, he was seen to be very cold and distant. However, by the end of his reincarnation, the Doctor became one of the most compassionate and selfless individuals. Out of all his episodes, his kindest moment came in “Bad Wolf” when he sent Rose away in order to protect her.
By this time, Rose and Nine had formed a strong bond and refused to be separated. Yet, since Doctor had sworn an oath to Jackie to make sure Rose would always be safe with him, he was forced to send her away. He also sacrificed his life for the 19-year-old, absorbing the TARDIS’ vortex energy that caused his next reincarnation.
Eleven dies to save the world
Another entry involving the concept of “fixed points” takes another spot on the list when the Doctor reveals he is going to die. In the episode “The Wedding of River Song”, River defied her prophecy to kill the Doctor, which meant she created another paradox.
This paradox was more severe than the others as her actions caused time and space to collapse. With the world on the verge of collapsing, the Doctor had to force River, Amy and Rory to accept that he had to die so Time could reset. Although Eleven manipulated the universe into believing his death, a flashback did show that he was prepared to die for everyone.
The Waters Of Mars rescue
Many condemn the Doctor for the arrogance and hypocrisy he shows in “The Waters of Mars” as he changes the course of history. However, is it so bad when he had the best intentions? In this episode, the Doctor changes the timeline when he saves three crew members because he couldn’t stand to listen to them crying for help.
However, saving Adelaide changed her granddaughter’s destiny about whether she would be a pioneer of space travel. As a result, Adelaide commits suicide to make sure it goes that way. The alternative timeline revealed that Sophie would still go to space after being inspired by the heroic tales Mia and Yuri told. Regardless of him breaking the rules, Ten should not be ashamed for giving Mia and Yuri a second chance.
Eleven saves Clara and Trenzalore
Fans had to get the box of tissues out when “The Time of The Doctor” aired back in 2013 as this was Eleven’s final episode. The Christmas special revolved around Clara and Eleven arriving in a town called Christmas, where the Doctor becomes the protector after learning that the Time Lords are trying to break through the cracks.
Knowing that he is about to face a great battle, Eleven tricks Clara (twice) into returning home in order to protect her. He then dedicates 600 years of his life defending Trenzalore from the likes of the Cybermen, the Weeping Angels and the Daleks. Name another person who could be this selfless.
Sent Gallifrey away to save the planet
Fans saw how desperate the Doctor was to be able to find Gallifrey again after the planet was destroyed in the Last Great Time War. However, Ten soon prioritized the human race when he was forced to send his fellow Time Lords back to War after they try to avoid extinction.
Considering that both Nine and Ten have expressed regret and great shame for destroying their race, this was one event that the Doctor should be proud of. He could have agreed to the plan but the duty of care he had to protect the universe proved to be much more important.
Van Gogh exhibition
There have only been several occasions where the Doctor has broken the rules, especially for his companions. However, he made another exception in “Vincent and The Doctor” when Eleven brings Van Gogh to the future to see how his art is appreciated and valued.
When they arrive at the museum, Eleven tracks down the curator of the art exhibition and asks him why Vincent’s work stood out. Van Gogh is then touched to hear Dr. Black calling him the greatest man of all time for turning his pain into beauty. He then returns to 1890, satisfied by knowing his work would be appreciated by many in the future.
Twelve and his duty of care
The Doctor is known for taking he’s duties of care seriously, always doing his best to protect his companions from all sorts of danger. However, fans have to give credit to Twelve when he went through hell because he refused to give up on Clara (“Hell Bent”).
The Time Lords forced Twelve into the confessional dial in an attempt to get him to confess his knowledge over “The Hybrid”. Twelve refuses to, which means he spends 4.5 billion years trapped in a cycle of torture and death. When he does escape, Twelve breaks his own rules by extracting Clara from a fixed point in time to save her. His dedication to Clara is one he has never been ashamed of.
Ten saves Wilfred
One of the most heartbreaking moments of the series came in the Tenth Doctor’s final moments when he realized he was going to die. Throughout “The End of Time”, Ten and Wilf battle The Master after The Doctor believed he would be responsible for his death. In a surprising twist, it turned out that Wilf would be the cause of his demise.
Ten relief turned to horror when he realized that he had not survived the prophecy when he heard Wilf’s knocks. In a rage, Ten muses how unfair it was that he had to die when he was capable of so much more. He also lashes out at Wilf for going into the chamber when he told him not to. However, it doesn’t stop Ten from sacrificing himself, saying it would be an honor to do so.
