“Never Again”: Why Doctor Who Made Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor Break David Tennant’s Promise

David Tennant’s reign as Doctor Who‘s lead actor came to an end in very dramatic fashion, and his successor immediately broke a promise Ten had recently made. After serving as the Tenth Doctor for three seasons and a handful of specials, Tennant stepped aside in 2009 and Matt Smith replaced him. The Eleventh Doctor had a lot in common with his predecessor, which is perhaps to be expected given the nature of the recasting. However, Smith’s version of the Time Lord had a very different opinion from Ten when it came to rules about traveling in the TARDIS.

Every actor to play the Doctor has refined the role. Despite them all playing the same character, there has been a debate raging since Doctor Who‘s classic era about just how individual the Doctor’s various regenerations are as separate entities. The argument has never been fully settled, but there are good points on either side. Despite the lack of a hard answer, one of Ten’s strongest statements being dissolved so quickly is perhaps a great piece of evidence to support one side of the ongoing decades-long discussion that is still active in Doctor Who‘s modern era.

Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor Invites Amy Pond Aboard The TARDIS Just 4 Episodes After Ten’s Promise In “Planet Of The Dead”

Ten told Lady Christina de Souza that he’d never travel with a companion again

After the loss of Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) at the end of Doctor Who season 4, Ten embarks on a series of adventures with a string of stand-in companions. At the end of 2009’s “Planet of the Dead,” Ten refuses to take Lady Christina de Souza (Michelle Ryan) with him in the TARDIS. He gives a stonewall explanation for why he’ll never take anyone with him ever again. There’s no reason to believe he’s lying, and he’s true to his word. That being said, he regenerates shortly after, and Smith’s Doctor teams up with Karen Gillan’s Amy Pond.

“People have traveled with me and I’ve lost them. Lost them all. Never again.”

– The Tenth Doctor, “Planet of the Dead.”

From a certain point of view, this could make the Doctor seem like he has no resolve, or that he regretted what he said to Christina and decided he didn’t want to be alone anymore after he regenerated. It could also make him seem reckless – almost as though he’s now fine with putting more companions in danger after already losing people. However, the regeneration process rewrites the Doctor so completely each time that the Time Lord is essentially a new person with the same memories after each instance. So, Ten didn’t break his promise – Eleven just had a different philosophy.

David Tennant’s Doctor Technically Never Broke His Promise To Lady Christina De Souza

Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor returns to a pre-existing companion in “The Star Beast”

Although he was slightly different when he came back as the Fourteenth Doctor for the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials, Tennant was still very recognizably playing the same version of the Time Lord in 2023. When he reprised the role, returning showrunner Russell T. Davies had to be careful not to make Fourteen break Ten’s promise as Eleven did. It made sense for Smith’s Doctor to change his mind, but having Tennant’s Doctors contradict each other would have hurt the actor’s original exit. Thankfully, Davies managed to be respectful of his own writing choices from 14 years earlier.

Firstly, Fourteen didn’t take anyone new with him into the TARDIS. Instead, he returned to seek out Donna – a pre-established companion. Additionally, the only journey they went on (to the abandoned ship in “Wild Blue Yonder”) was completely accidental. Finally, he was subconsciously drawn back to Donna, Ten’s best friend, so he could take some time to rest. In other words, he wanted to do pretty much the opposite of whizzing through time and space in his famous blue box. Doctor Who hasn’t fully revealed what Fourteen is up to now, but he’s likely still just kicking back with Donna.