Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver: Difference between revisions

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|appearances = [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver - list of appearances|'''''see list''''']]
|appearances = [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver - list of appearances|'''''see list''''']]
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After the loss of the [[Ninth Doctor's sonic screwdriver|previous]] '''[[sonic screwdriver]]''', the TARDIS gifted the [[Eleventh Doctor]] with a new model. Differing radically from [the last design, with its extendible "claws" and green crystalline emitter resembling the inner structure of the TARDIS's new time rotor, it also had copper plating similar to the new control room. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'') A psychic interface allowed its user to point it at a target and think of the function they wanted. ([[TV]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'', ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'') Having been mentioned to be more than sonic, ([[TV]]: ''[[Night Terrors (TV story)|Night Terrors]]'') this screwdriver also shot beams of green energy in the shape of sonic waves. ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Moon (TV story)|Day of the Moon]]'', ''[[Closing Time (TV story)|Closing Time]]'') By at least the time of the Doctor's thirteenth regeneration, it had a voice-activation feature, which the Doctor forgot about when he needed it. ([[TV]]: ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'') It had a charge that could last centuries; it once lasted 300 years before the Doctor could charge it in the TARDIS. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'')
After the loss of his [[Ninth Doctor's sonic screwdriver|previous model]], [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] gifted the [[Eleventh Doctor]] with a redesigned '''[[sonic screwdriver]]'''. Differing radically from the last [[Sonic screwdriver|screwdriver]], with its extendible "claws" and green crystalline emitter resembling the inner structure of the TARDIS's new time rotor, it also had copper plating similar to the new [[TARDIS control room|control room]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Eleventh Hour (TV story)|The Eleventh Hour]]'') A psychic interface allowed its user to point it at a target and think of the function they wanted. ([[TV]]: ''[[Let's Kill Hitler (TV story)|Let's Kill Hitler]]'', ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'') Having been mentioned to be more than sonic, ([[TV]]: ''[[Night Terrors (TV story)|Night Terrors]]'') this screwdriver also shot beams of green energy in the shape of sonic waves. ([[TV]]: ''[[Day of the Moon (TV story)|Day of the Moon]]'', ''[[Closing Time (TV story)|Closing Time]]'') By at least the time of the Doctor's thirteenth regeneration, it had a voice-activation feature, which the Doctor forgot about when he needed it. ([[TV]]: ''[[Deep Breath (TV story)|Deep Breath]]'') It had a charge that could last centuries; it once lasted 300 years before the Doctor could charge it in the TARDIS. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'')


Retaining ineffectiveness against [[wood]], it also didn't work against [[Peg Doll]]s ([[TV]]: ''[[Night Terrors (TV story)|Night Terrors]]'') or the [[Wooden King]] and [[Wooden Queen|Queen]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)|The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]]'') The Doctor considered it embarrassing and said that "I need to invent a setting for wood." ([[TV]]: ''[[Night Terrors (TV story)|Night Terrors]]'') In similar situations, he yelled at it in panic; "Aliens made of wood, you know this was always going to happen!", "Yes, I know it's wood. Get over it!" ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)|The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]]'') Though aware of this flaw, he was still able to successfully bluff a [[Wooden Cyberman]] into destroying itself. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'') He also once defended this weakness, saying "Oi! Don't diss the sonic!" ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hungry Earth (TV story)|The Hungry Earth]]'')  At some point it had an anti-freeze setting. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') This screwdriver was also shown to have a "red setting", ([[TV]]: ''[[Cold War (TV story)|Cold War]]'') similar to [[River Song's sonic screwdriver|River's sonic screwdriver]].
Retaining ineffectiveness against [[wood]], it also didn't work against [[Peg Doll]]s ([[TV]]: ''[[Night Terrors (TV story)|Night Terrors]]'') or the [[Wooden King]] and [[Wooden Queen|Queen]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)|The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]]'') The Doctor considered it embarrassing and said that "I need to invent a setting for wood." ([[TV]]: ''[[Night Terrors (TV story)|Night Terrors]]'') In similar situations, he yelled at it in panic; "Aliens made of wood, you know this was always going to happen!", "Yes, I know it's wood. Get over it!" ([[TV]]: ''[[The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe (TV story)|The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe]]'') Though aware of this flaw, he was still able to successfully bluff a [[Wooden Cyberman]] into destroying itself. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'') He also once defended this weakness, saying "Oi! Don't diss the sonic!" ([[TV]]: ''[[The Hungry Earth (TV story)|The Hungry Earth]]'')  At some point it had an anti-freeze setting. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Snowmen (TV story)|The Snowmen]]'') This screwdriver was also shown to have a "red setting", ([[TV]]: ''[[Cold War (TV story)|Cold War]]'') similar to [[River Song's sonic screwdriver|River's sonic screwdriver]].

Revision as of 04:06, 3 November 2023

After the loss of his previous model, the TARDIS gifted the Eleventh Doctor with a redesigned sonic screwdriver. Differing radically from the last screwdriver, with its extendible "claws" and green crystalline emitter resembling the inner structure of the TARDIS's new time rotor, it also had copper plating similar to the new control room. (TV: The Eleventh Hour) A psychic interface allowed its user to point it at a target and think of the function they wanted. (TV: Let's Kill Hitler, Death in Heaven) Having been mentioned to be more than sonic, (TV: Night Terrors) this screwdriver also shot beams of green energy in the shape of sonic waves. (TV: Day of the Moon, Closing Time) By at least the time of the Doctor's thirteenth regeneration, it had a voice-activation feature, which the Doctor forgot about when he needed it. (TV: Deep Breath) It had a charge that could last centuries; it once lasted 300 years before the Doctor could charge it in the TARDIS. (TV: The Time of the Doctor)

Retaining ineffectiveness against wood, it also didn't work against Peg Dolls (TV: Night Terrors) or the Wooden King and Queen. (TV: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe) The Doctor considered it embarrassing and said that "I need to invent a setting for wood." (TV: Night Terrors) In similar situations, he yelled at it in panic; "Aliens made of wood, you know this was always going to happen!", "Yes, I know it's wood. Get over it!" (TV: The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe) Though aware of this flaw, he was still able to successfully bluff a Wooden Cyberman into destroying itself. (TV: The Time of the Doctor) He also once defended this weakness, saying "Oi! Don't diss the sonic!" (TV: The Hungry Earth) At some point it had an anti-freeze setting. (TV: The Snowmen) This screwdriver was also shown to have a "red setting", (TV: Cold War) similar to River's sonic screwdriver.

The sonic screwdriver and psychic paper on the TARDIS console. (TV: Flatline)

This model was lost and replaced by the Doctor repeatedly, having been bitten in half by a sky shark and left behind, (TV: A Christmas Carol) left with the Ganger Doctor, (TV: The Rebel Flesh) destroyed by Danny Fisher (COMIC: The Blood of Azrael) and, in one instance, simply burnt out due to overuse. In the latter instance, a replacement was given to him by Santa Claus. (COMIC: Silent Knight) One of the Twelfth Doctor's sonic screwdrivers was incinerated by the Governor when he was admitted into the Prison. Clara Oswald attempted to give him a new one disguised as a large candle in a birthday cake, but the Governor refused to give the cake to the Doctor. To circumvent this, the Doctor created a sonic spoon in the interim for the time being. (PROSE: The Blood Cell)

Ultimately, he left one of his screwdrivers with Davros after abandoning him as a child. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice) Davros examined the screwdriver during his teenage years, upgrading its defensive laser into a true weapon. (PROSE: The Last of the Dals) Davros had it in his possession for many years after, until Colony Sarff returned it to the Doctor. By this point, it was no longer of any real use to him, as it had become heavily damaged and inoperable, visibly weather-beaten from exposure to war and conflict, and with one of the clawed prongs broken off. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice, The Witch's Familiar)

The Doctor eventually declared that he was "over" sonic screwdrivers, saying that they "spoil the line of your jacket". He replaced the screwdriver with a pair of sonic sunglasses. (TV: The Witch's Familiar)

However, he did not keep this promise, as he used this sonic screwdriver several times afterwards. (COMIC: Clara Oswald and the School of Death, The Fourth Wall)

The Twelfth Doctor's blue version. (COMIC: Tulpa)

When the Eleventh Doctor met the Tenth Doctor in England, 1562, upon the latter realising that the former was a future incarnation of himself, they both got out their sonic screwdrivers. The Eleventh Doctor immediately showed off how much bigger his was, to which the Tenth Doctor claimed that his future incarnation was compensating, remarking that "regeneration, it's a lottery." (TV: The Day of the Doctor)

A version of this screwdriver was kept in the Twelfth Doctor's office at St Luke's University. (TV: The Pilot)

At one point during his travels with Bill Potts, the Twelfth Doctor had a version of this sonic design in the colour scheme of his second sonic screwdriver. (COMIC: Tulpa)

Uses

Security

Medical

Diagnostic

Technology

Amplification

Other

Behind the scenes

Sonic screwdriver toy

  • A toy of the Eleventh Doctor's version was seen in "Light Echoes", an edition of "The Sky at Night" broadcast on BBC4 on Wednesday 5th October 2010. The screwdriver was (jokingly) used to scan a part of the LOFAR radio telescope, then under construction in Chilbolton, Hampshire, UK.
  • The Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver toy has a total of four sound effects, two of which alternate with every other button press. The third is activated by pressing twice and holding on the third button push. The fourth is activated with three presses and a hold on the fourth push. However, in some models of the toy, over-use of the hidden sound effects causes the sound functions to eventually break, leaving only the LED functional.
  • The customiseable toy sonic screwdriver set featuring three screwdrivers with interchangeable parts can produce up to eight sound effects: the first two are the basic screwdriver sound, with slightly different pitches, and alternate each time the button is pressed. The other six effects are achieved in a similar manner to those of the Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver toy, and are accompanied by a flashing lights instead of a constant light.

Other matters

  • In the original script for The Eleventh Hour, the Doctor referred to his screwdriver as "Level 4000" technology.
  • Doctor Who: Legacy mobile game contains a premium pack called "Sonic Adventure", which is centred around finding various sonic devices used by different incarnations of the Doctor and by several other characters. The playable characters form this premium pack represented almost every model of sonic screwdriver encountered in the DWU.

External links