Spoiler Alerts
With the death of Clara Oswald, The Doctor’s companion since
2012, the question of who will replace is her is definitely on the minds of Doctor
Who fans. Although I do not have a specific actress or actor in mind for the part,
I do have some general guidelines for who I think should be her replacement.
For starters I am a strong supporter in the next companion
remaining female. I am a big fan of the Doctor sharing his adventures with predominately
girls or women. In some science fiction and action movies and television shows,
it seems as if the female companion is treated as a liability, but this does
not seem to be the case with Doctor Who. Since at least 2005, it seems as if
the women who become the Doctor's companions are quite capable of keeping up
with the Time Lord; in some cases even saving him. I want to keep this
tradition alive.
However, I would not be entirely against having a male
companion, if he is part of a duo
with a female companion. Since 2005, there have been plenty of companions that
have been in relationships while traveling with the Doctor; Rose and Mickey,
Amy and Rory, even Clara and Danny. However, I would like to have a different
situation, perhaps a brother and sister who choose to travel with the Doctor
together. As far as I know there has never been companions who have been
relatives who are also traveling with the Doctor at the same time. I think this
would add a bit of spice towards the relationship between the Time Lord and his
traveling companions.
I also thought it might be a change of pace if the
T.A.R.D.I.S has some say in who the next companion is. Of course this time
machine cannot exactly speak to the Doctor about who she wants him to travel
with, but maybe she can give a subtle hint, such as the TARDIS landing over and
over wherever the next companion is. Of course the Doctor would have to make
the ultimate decision based on his relationship with that person, but it might
be nice if the TARDIS could have some influence over who travels with her
Doctor.
Last, but not least, I want a companion who is not as
polished as the previous companions, someone much like Donna Noble. Sure,
companions such as Clara, Amy, and Rose have faced tragedy, and some have even
made big mistakes because of it, such as Clara throwing the keys to the TARDIS
into lava after the death of Danny. However, I feel that there still is not a
level of vulnerability that brings excitement to the situation. Donna was easy
to relate to, at least in my opinion, because she had obvious insecurities.
This, to me at least, made her reactions more genuine, for example her
gratitude to the Doctor for taking her on such wonderful adventures. I also
miss the toughness and fiery personality that some companions, such as Donna,
Ace, and Leela had.
I would also like to see an American finally enter in as a
companion in the modern series. Although Perri served as the first American
companion, I feel that it would be nice to have a more recent representation of
Americans, especially since there is such a population of Doctor Who fans in
the USA. Just as an American has not been represented in such a long time, I
would also like to see a companion who is not human, but who is close enough to
be relatable to. I guess my main hope for the new companion is that she brings
an evolution to The Doctor and his relationship to his companions.
