doctor who trailer regeneration

It’s that time again, ladies and gentlemen. With just under two weeks to go before the long-awaited tenth season of ‘Doctor Who‘, the BBC has released a shiny new trailer for the upcoming season. And this is a big one.

This latest trailer packs a lot into its forty-four-seconds runtime, and while much of it will be at least somewhat familiar to those who have seen the previous trailer, as can tell from our banner image, there’s more than enough new footage to whet fans’ appetites. That’s right, in addition to new glimpses of Missy and the Cybermen, the trailer closes with what looks like the beginning of a regeneration.

So is the Twelfth Doctor regenerating sooner than we thought? Well, anything is possible, to be sure, but it seems unlikely. Everything we’ve seen and heard to date has suggested that Capaldi would follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, Matt Smith, and depart in the Christmas special. That special, after all, is (strictly speaking) the final episode of the tenth season. Not to mention that part of the rationale behind Capaldi’s departure (in addition to his own personal reasons for leaving) is give incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall a clean slate to work with when he takes over from Steven Moffat following the 2017 Christmas special. Indeed, this mirrors the approach taken when Moffat himself took the reins and, and would only be undermined if Moffat’s last episode were dedicated to introducing Chibnall’s new Doctor.

But there is another possibility. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that another Doctor left the show in a special before a new showrunner was set to take over. Yes, I’m referring to David Tennant, who had a “fake out” regeneration several episodes prior to his departure, resulting in what is arguably the greatest cliffhanger in the show’s history. Though it’s impossible to be sure, we may well be looking at something similar with Capaldi.

Be sure to check back with ScienceFiction.com for more ‘Doctor Who’ news as the season premiere approaches!

The tenth season of ‘Doctor Who’ is due to premiere on April 15, 2017.  In addition to returning star Peter Capaldi, the new season will feature Matt Lucas, Pearl Mackie, and Michelle Gomez. The season will culminate in this year’s Christmas special, as both Capaldi and Moffat big their farewells to the program.