San Diego Comic Con is getting nearer, and with every day that passes we’re more and more excited about the new Doctor Who cast and crew. It’s been far too long since we last had news about the season, and we’ve been dying to know anything and everything about what series 11 holds in store for us.
So here are five things we absolutely need answered at Comic Con!
1. Will the Doctor get a new TARDIS and sonic screwdriver?
It’s a tradition, at this point, that with every new Doctor we get a new screwdriver and a new interior design for our beloved TARDIS. True, it hasn’t always been the case: Eleven got two different TARDIS while Twelve got a slightly tuned version of Eleven’s second design —Matt Smith’s TARDIS changed when Clara came on board.
But with Twelve’s TARDIS burning up as he crashed, it seems strange that Thirteen wouldn’t have renovated by the time we meet her in the first episode. So what’s that design going to be like? Will the control panels still be in the middle? Will they really switch up the rather circular design that most TARDIS stay true to?
And what about the screwdriver? It’s perhaps the Doctor’s most important personal effect, though we’ve seen him —her— change it up over the years. Twelve relied more on his sonic sunglasses than on his sonic screwdriver. Will Thirteen have a different sonic appliance?
Honestly, if she does, we’re already lining up to buy the merch version of it.
2. Who exactly are the companions?
Perhaps we’re being too hopeful with this —Comic Con and Doctor Who are prone to avoid spoilers as much as possible, and asking them to tell them about the new companions may be a little too much. After all, if their storylines are anything like Clara’s —ever a mystery— they won’t give up much of the details.
But so far, we know close to nothing about the new companions. We know Bradley Walsh is playing the new companion, but we’re still uncertain as to who Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill will also accompany the Doctor in her new adventures regularly. Plus, Sharon D. Clarke’s role is still to be uncovered. Who knows, perhaps she’ll play a newly regenerated version of Missy?
3. Who are the baddies?
And Missy ties in nicely with our next concern: who exactly will play the role of the baddies? We’re sure to expect monster-of-the-week episodes for the majority of the new season’s ten episode run, but if Chris Chibnall follows the example that Russell T Davis and Steven Moffat set, those monster-of-the-week episodes will tie in with a larger season arc that will have the Doctor face off a truly terrifying foe. So, who exactly —or what exactly— will it be?
Granted, we’re also excited about which aliens our trio will end up fighting. Will we see a return of a few of our fan favorites? Will Chibnall rescue aliens we haven’t seen in decades?
Maybe the companions will be the aliens, for a change.
4. What planets and/or time periods will we visit?
The beautiful thing about Who —other than its wonderful characters— has always been its infinite capacity to tell infinite stories anywhere and any time. Over the years, over the decades, the Doctor has visited quite the vast amount of time periods and planets, but the possibilities still remain endless.
Just like the aliens that we might see the Doctor face off against, will there also be familiar planets? Will we revisit time periods we’ve seen before, only in a new light? Will we meet historical figures we’ve never had the pleasure to encounter before? Who knows, but mark us down as excited and interested!
5. The premiere date (and maybe a trailer or two)
We know the new season will air sometime in Autum 2018, but the exact date is still to be announced. San Diego Comic Con has always been the perfect place for exclusives, sneak peeks, and new trailers, so a premiere date may not be too far-fetched.
And we’re really looking forwards to finally marking our calendars and counting down the days until the new Doctor takes us on a new trip through time and space.
The Doctor Who panel will take place Thursday, July 19th at 11:45 AM local time in Hall H.