Prior to Russell T Davies' return to Doctor Who in 2023, Jodie Whittaker's departure from her position as the 13th Doctor has been known from the beginning of 2022. Along with Whittaker, the departing cast members include Mandip Gill, John Bishop, Segun Akinola, and of course, showrunner Chris Chibnall.
Ncuti Gatwa, who is associated with Sex Education, is slated to succeed Whittaker as the 14th Doctor in 2024, while the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) and fan favourite companion Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) are expected to return for the Doctor Who 60th Anniversary Special in 2023. However, the 13th Doctor still has one more journey to take, one that will undoubtedly have an impact on the direction of the Doctor Who franchise, before she hands over control of the TARDIS. A new teaser for Doctor Who: The Power of the Doctor has been published, giving viewers a better idea of what to expect from the Doctor's final confrontation on October 23 now that the BBC's centennial celebration is just a few weeks away.
The Master Resurfaces to Extinguish the Doctor
The Master, the 13th Doctor's enemy, is at the centre of the story of The Power of the Doctor (Sacha Dhawan). The Master mercilessly murdered the Time Lords and set Gallifrey on fire after learning the Doctor's real lineage as the Timeless Child in Doctor Who Season 12. He also transformed the Time Lords' corpses into the more dangerous Cybermasters race of Cybermen. Although the Master was vanquished at the conclusion of Season 12, a new trailer suggests the 13th Doctor hasn't seen the last of him. Instead, he's about to make a comeback with an even more lethal scheme to eliminate her from existence throughout time and space.
The Doctor is Targeted by The Lone Cyberman
Reviving Ashad, the Lone Cyberman, and the Cybermasters is an important part of the Master's strategy to destroy the Doctor. When Ashad was attempting to create a new race of Cybermen after they were nearly exterminated in a significant future conflict, the 13th Doctor first saw him in Season 12. Ashad's schemes were thwarted by the Master and the Doctor, but not before the Master tried to form an alliance with him. The Master appears to have enlisted Ashad and the Cybermasters to assist him destroy the Timeless Child in the new trailer by appealing to Ashad's desire for vengeance against the Doctor.
Given the events in Doctor Who: Flux, it appears that the Daleks are yet another significant ally for the Master in The Power of the Doctor. The Daleks continue to hold the Doctor responsible for their near-genocide despite though it was the Sontarans who lured the Cybermen and Daleks to the Flux event in order to eliminate them as competitors for planetary conquest. It's likely that the Master informed the Daleks of this information because the Flux was set loose by the Doctor's adoptive mother Tecteun to eliminate her along with the entire universe. Therefore, Doctor Who: Eve of the Daleks might only have been the start of the Daleks' participation in the Master's scheme.
Important things disappear, and alien planets start fighting.
In Doctor Who Magazine #582, Sacha Dhawan shared important plot information about his Master, including the fact that he will play a variety of characters in his quest to eradicate the Doctor from the cosmos. This is proven in the newest teaser, where he can be seen donning several different personas and changing the course of time and space. The Doctor is largely made aware of this by Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), who tells him that some of the most priceless paintings and seismologists have vanished. Additionally, it appears that the Master's efforts lead to a conflict between two extraterrestrial planets.
The Doctor Visits Alien Planets Throughout Time and Space with His Companions
The Doctor is shown examining these occurrences throughout the video in search of a pattern while alien planets are at war with one another and another planet is attacking Earth. One of the video shows the Doctor and her travelling companions, Dan Lewis (John Bishop) and Yasmin "Yaz" Khan (Mandip Gill), donning orange space suits and boarding a train travelling at the speed of light. Yaz wonders if the Master is trying to trick the Doctor by leading them to other planets that have been affected by his actions. Along the way, they appear to run into Inston-Vee Vinder (Jacob Anderson), and the Doctor gets to know his old friends Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan Jovanka again (Janet Fielding).
Tegan and Ace Jovanka Join UNIT in the fight against cybermen.
Although the roles of Ace and Tegan in The Power of the Doctor have not been made public, the new trailer and official photographs suggest that they will be collaborating with Kate Stewart and whatever remains of UNIT. Ace and Tegan seem to be looking into the Master's actions on Earth, while the Doctor and her current companions are looking into those on alien planets. In one of the trailer's clips, Ace is seen looking into the lost artwork at a museum, and in another, she is seen being dropped off a plane at an unknown place. She teams up with Tegan, and the two of them are shown defending Earth from an invasion of Cybermen. Because her friend Adric's death in 1982 was brought on by the Cybermen, Tegan in particular has a score to settle with them.
The Doctor and Yaz's Romantic Story Has a Heartbreaking End
It has been suggested that Yaz has been holding love sentiments for the Doctor during Jodie Whittaker's tenure, going back to the Season 11 episode "Arachnids in the UK." In Eve of the Daleks, Yaz's romantic emotions for the Doctor were made clear, and the Doctor later confirmed in Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils that she feels the same way. The Power of the Doctor's new trailer does not show any romantic scenes between Yaz and the Doctor, but it does hint at a painful conclusion for the two when Yaz says, "I don't want it to end."
Thirteen's Regeneration Is Visible in the Centenary Special
The 13th Doctor's imminent regeneration, which is likewise shown to be unorthodox, is the last thing that is featured in the new video. The 13th Doctor is seen to be regenerating outside the TARDIS, in contrast to the previous four incarnations where the regeneration process always took place within the TARDIS. She is also seen releasing more regeneration energy than usual, which is more orange than yellow in hue. This also suggests that the Doctor might regain her limitless capacity for regeneration, ultimately ending the Timeless Child tale.
