Question: What Do You Think The Doctor’s Real Name Is?
The Doctor is a very enigmatic figure, and over the years we’ve managed to piece together a few things about his past before he left Gallifrey the first time. One thing we may never be sure about, though, and that is who is the Doctor, really? (And why did he leave Gallifrey in the first place all of those years ago?) So I ask you: What do you think the Doctor’s real name is? I have compiled a list of suggestions for you, but feel free to offer alternate suggestions.
1. The Doctor
2. John Smith
3. Theta Sigma
4. Something really long and Gallifreyan (ex. Romanadvoratrelundar (be afraid…I spelled that from memory) Romana’s full name)
5. He has no name
6. Even he doesn’t know what his name is
7. Rassilon
8. The Other
Personally, I think The Doctor’s real name is something terribly long and Gallifreyan. According to the 7th Doctor, Theta Sigma was his nickname at one point, so I can’t vote for that as his real name. On the other hand (tee hee) I think it would be terribly cool if we were to discover at some point that The Doctor is really The Other. What do you think?
April 17th, 2007 at 12:43 am
I like John Smith it would be sort of unexpected but very unlikely, I dobut his real name is the doctor as well.
So I vote for other, maybe its something that has no meaning in human languages, just comes out like some weird clacking sound.
April 17th, 2007 at 12:45 am
Good choice, Dorothy. Alternately, it would be really funny to discover that his name was the equivalent of “Hey You” in Gallifreyan.
April 17th, 2007 at 4:48 am
There was one of the 7th Doctor books (the name escapes me at the moment) that tied the Other with the Doctor, kinda like his ancestor. Of course, then that means that you take the books as canon, which I’m sure someone will argue against.
Long and Gallifreyan is most likely the answer, but I’d love for it to be the Other.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:28 am
I would love to say, John Smith, because as others here have pointed out, it would be unexpected for him to have his name in plain sight.
Ian and Barbara called him Doctor Foreman, but they got that from the false paperwork filed with Susan’s school. He has adopted The Doctor ever since.
From the 7th Doctor stories concerning the hand of Omega and the Nemisis metal, it is impled that he was somehow around during the very early period of Timelord history. So Rassilon would be a very good guess.
However, he met Rassilon and there was no indication that The Doctor was just another regeneration of Rassilon …
Given the new series where no one is alive who would care who he is, I have to think there is some big reason he has hidden his true identity.
Normally I love to solve puzzles and mysteries, but I think in the long run no explaination will be better than what the fans have imagined over the past 40 years so part of me is hoping we will never realy find out.
April 17th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
Rassilon. That’s what I believe.
April 17th, 2007 at 4:46 pm
Wasn’t it in The Armaggedeon Factor where he runs across another Time Lord who kept calling him Pete something? I know it was the 4th Doctor and it was the one where he got shrunk very small. It might have been a nickname, too (and may even be the Theta Sigma you mentioned which I would know if I could remember the whole name he was called) but it would be very odd if his name was Pete.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Thank you, Erik! I’m not nuts! Although I thought it was something like “Freet”. You remembered a lot more than I did, which was that he’d encountered a classmate who nearly called him by entire name, but the Doctor shushed him before he could say the whole thing. I also remember them crawling about in a tunnel or some such.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Ah! “Drax recognizes the Doctor at once, calling him Theet, Feet, or Theta Sigma or Feta Sigma, or all four at various times. The Doctor takes some time to recall Drax.” from http://www.drwhoguide.com/who_5f.htm
If this author is correct, that explains what we remember. Still thought there was another name coming.
My vote - long and Gallifreyan and maybe something that has some kind of power in it, so’s you shouldn’t speak it, a la Carrionite science.
April 26th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Yes. It was “Thete” (or however you spell that). I spent some interesting time with a friend once trying to decide if “Theta Sigma” could possibly be The Doctor’s name. Then the 7th Doctor episode came along where he told Ace that he once had the nickname Theta Sigma. Ah! I said. That makes more sense.
Mind you, if the Doctor’s name were Pete that would put a whole new spin on “Pete’s World.”
April 26th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Oh! Spring, I like your idea that The Doctor’s name has some kind of power in it.