The Doctor of War (short story)
The Doctor of War was a parodical glimpse into an imaginary Doctor Who spin-off of the same name, written by Steven Moffat in answer to one of the questions in his interview in Doctor Who Magazine 490. He referred to the whole planned project as a "20-part fan fiction series".
In truth, however, The Doctor of War served as a humorous answer to the question of what the War Doctor called himself during the bulk of the Last Great Time War.
Summary
A kindly villager's attempt to thank the War Doctor for saving their village goes awry when the stranger refuses to divulge his name.
Plot
A grumpy-looking stranger has saved a village from the ravages of the Time War. A kindly villager thanks him and ask for him to reveal his name before he leaves "as mysteriously as [he] arrived". He answers that he "cannot say", because "the universe doesn't need a doctor anymore".
Unluckily for the War Doctor, the villager has in fact heard of the Doctor and immediately understands who he is. The villager further asks "Doctor who?". The War Doctor claims that he cannot answer either, as he gave up his original name long ago. This prompts confusion from the villager, who highlights the weirdness of having recently given up a name for mysterious reasons which was itself a replacement for an even more secret name given up longer ago for even more mysterious reasons.
Cross, the War Doctor berates the villager for bothering him about his name despite his having given the villagers his business card. The villager realises that the War Doctor is the same individual as "Mister Moody", the individual who sent his business card to the village. An embarrassed War Doctor acknowledges that he has abandoned that pseudonym as well because it wasn't as imposing on the battlefield as he hoped.
Characters
References
- The War Doctor bemoans that the name "Mister Moody" did not create much shock and awe in a combat zone.
Notes
- The story was written in the form of a script, in which the War Doctor's cues are identified with "NOT THE DOCTOR".
