Ninth Doctor

Ninth Doctor
Place of origin:	Gallifrey
Appearances:	Full List of Appearances
Main actor:	[[actor::Christopher Eccleston|Christopher Eccleston]]

The Ninth Doctor was the ninth incarnation of the Doctor. (DW: Season 27/Series 1) He gave an impression of being manic and energetic. He also spoke with a Northern accent, and was critical of his own large ears. (DW: "Rose")

Biography

It is not specifically known how the Doctor regenerated. He looks in a mirror and comments on his new face, which suggests that, prior to the scene, he has not had a chance to look in a mirror since his regeneration. The most commonly accepted explanation for the existence of the Ninth Doctor is that the Eighth Doctor was killed in the Time War.

File:Ninth Doctor.jpg

The Doctor shortly after first meeting Rose Tyler.

After the conclusion of the Time War, of which the Doctor was the sole survivor, his ninth incarnation travelled to Earth, where he rescued the Human girl Rose Tyler from several Autons and encountered the Nestene Consciousness that was controlling them. Although the Doctor tried to persuade the Consciousness to leave Earth, it refused and attempted to take him prisoner. With Rose's help, however, the Ninth Doctor defeated the Nestene Consciousness and thwarted its plans of world domination. Appreciative of Rose's assistance, the Doctor subsequently invited her to travel with him on his journeys through space and time inside his Tardis. Rose accepted the position and consequently became his companion. (DW: "Rose")

He has met three different companions during his lifespan - most notably Rose Tyler, a shop assistant from early 21st-century Earth. He also met Adam Mitchell following his experience with the 'last' Dalek ("Dalek"). The Doctor ditched Adam after the events on Satellite Five, during which time Adam almost changed history ("The Long Game"). The Doctor's third assistant was ex-Time Agent and conman Captain Jack Harkness, whom the Doctor and Rose met on a visit to London during the World War II Blitz ("The Empty Child," "The Doctor Dances"). Captain Jack was 'killed' by the Daleks but brought back to life by the Bad Wolf entity ("The Parting of the Ways").

The Doctor was dying of cellular degeneratio caused by absorbing the energies of the Time Vortex from Rose, who had absorbed them from the TARDIS ("The Parting of the Ways").

Psychological profile

Personality

The Ninth Doctor was a study in contrasts. On the one hand, he shared many characteristics with his predecessors. One moment he was full of manic energy and a sharp, offbeat wit; the next he was removed and reserved, keenly aware of the divide between himself and the humans he encountered. But the Time War of which the Doctor was the sole survivor clearly affected him deeply indeed. This was a sadder and angrier Doctor, the weight of his having seemingly destroyed both the Time Lords and the Daleks preying upon him greatly. But consequently, this was also a Doctor who harboured a new appreciation for the wonders of the universe and who, more keenly than ever, burned with a desire to keep the universe safe from harm.

Habits and Quirks

In stark contrast to the extravagant dress of most of his predecessors, the Doctor wore a plain leather jacket, red or black jumper and dark trousers. He addressed Rose's boyfriend Mickey Smith as "Mickey the idiot" or simply "Ricky". He was also fond of describing situations (particularly dangerous ones) as "Fantastic!".

He called humans "stupid apes" and seemed very alien. He carried an air of mystery around him, and sometimes argued with Rose. However, he "does not do 'domestic'," which can lead to some tension in his interactions with Jackie Tyler.

No reference is made to the Doctor's apparently half-human parentage (DW: Doctor Who TV movie).

Mysteries and Discrepancies

• Clive possessed images of the Doctor in Dallas at the moment of John F. Kennedy's assassination, in Southampton just before the launch of the Titanic, and in Indonesia on the day of Krakatoa's eruption. If the Ninth Doctor visited these points in history before he met Rose, why does he react to his reflection in a mirror in her flat in a way which indicates he has recently regenerated? If these visits were after Rose joined him, where was she when these images were executed? Did the Doctor perhaps make these trips after initially leaving Mickey and Rose in 2005, then return at a point just seconds later to invite Rose aboard? The relationship between these events and those in "Who Killed Kennedy," "The Left-Handed Hummingbird," and "Inferno" are also worth considering.

Key Life Events

• The Doctor regenerates.

We do not know where, when or how his regeneration happened.

• Rose Tyler and the Doctor meet and she accepts his offer to travel with him in the TARDIS. (DW: Rose)

• The Doctor meets the supposed last surviving Dalek and Adam Mitchell joins. (DW: Dalek)

• The Doctor leaves Adam Mitchell back at home, after he proves himself untrustworthy. (DW: The Long Game).

• The Doctor and Rose meet Captain Jack, who joins the TARDIS crew. (DW: The Empty Child / The Doctor Dance)

• The Daleks, the Doctor learns, live on. They kill Jack Harkness. Rose transforms into the Bad Wolf entity and defeats the Daleks and also resurrects Jack, who gets left stranded in the year 200,100. The Doctor regenerates to save Rose's life. (DW: Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways)

Incarnations of the Doctor
Widely accepted
Others / unplaced incarnations
More ambiguous