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And suddenly 19 September seems so, so far away. We have 10 (yes, TEN!) weeks to wait until Doctor Who returns triumphantly to our screens, and if you’re a regular at Vada you’ll have seen our recent spoiler/rumour-filled look at series 9. If not, catch it here.
Series 9 certainly looks like a diverse group of adventures and really, not much is known at all about what to expect. But there’s one thing that we are certain of – series 9 looks fantastic.
We’ve broken down the new trailer for a speculative look at whats to come…
Vikings … on a spaceship
This first shot clearly shows the long-known fact that Vikings will be appearing in series 9, highlighted by the hulking demeanour, the spiky crown, and the long-flowing locks.
But what of those glowing eyes? An alien Viking, perhaps?
Recent comments by Peter Capaldi suggest that we’ll see Vikings on a spaceship, so maybe these are Vikings from the future.
They’re certainly appearing here in a location where they shouldn’t.
Daleks (yawn)
It hasn’t been officially confirmed until now, but it’s a given that the Daleks will return each and every series. I say it all the time, but I’m tired of these showing up now. They really need a rest in my opinion – however if their appearance is based upon the rumour that has been circulating the internet (more on that soon) then I will be extremely happy indeed.
There are two points of note here. The first shot shows a Dalek exploding, which we’ve seen happen countless times before, yes. But where is the head and eyestalk? They don’t appear to be present here, so either they’ve already been blown away, or an incomplete Dalek is being destroyed.
This second shot has the rumour mills going into overdrive, as the Dalek in the background appears to be a 60s era Dalek, once more adding fuel to the rumour pertaining to their return.
Time will tell, but if the 60s Daleks are back once more, I sincerely hope that they have more to do than in series 7’s ‘Asylum of the Daleks’.
New monsters
The new trailer glimpses, amongst the Daleks and the return of Missy (more on that soon), robots, ghosts, and monsters. Well, it wouldn’t be Doctor Who without aliens, would it?
This first shot shows a mashup of an Ood, a Vigil and the Hoix, though presumably it’s a new creature entirely. Whatever the case, it clearly isn’t happy to see the Doctor.
Note that the beast appears to have no eyes, but rather sunken eye sockets, so how exactly does it sense its prey?
This second shot is more intriguing, I feel. Whilst only two faces are visible, I’m going to hazard a guess that a third face sits to the left of these two, based purely upon the fact that the number three recurs a lot in this image.
Three decks of cards. Three shots of tequila something. Three-sized triangles on the wall.
New robots
We’ve seen official shots of these monsters before, but seeing them on screen doesn’t make them appear any better. I don’t have high hopes on these threats. I do, however, think that there is a monster lurking beneath the husky exterior.
They appear alongside the Vikings, I believe, so many this is some futuristic battle suit to protect the Vikings from the future? Pure speculation on my behalf.
New ghosts?
A creepy ghost story has been hinted at for quite some time now, and these two shots seemingly show pale, gaseous creatures lacking eyes (maybe the monster from earlier, who also lacks eyes, is a ghost too?).
It’s rumoured that these ghosts appear in Toby Whithouse’s third and fourth episodes, alongside the Fisher King, in an underwater base under siege story. Either way, there’s plenty of shots of running water and characters running around a base, so perhaps this rumour is true.
The dead rise again
Series 8’s sublime finale posed the concept of the dead rising from their graves, albeit with metal handles attached to their heads. So would another premise be explored so soon afterwards?
Well, it certainly appears so, as a creepy shot of a muddy ground exposes lunging hands clawing their way out of the ground. But who is dead? And how are they coming back to life?
Missy returns
It’s long been known that Missy will be appearing in series 9, and we at Vada are so excited. Here she is applying her lipstick once more, and as ‘Death in Heaven’ showed, she applies lipstick before killing. So who is she presumably killing here?
Also worthy of note is the red dot reflected in her compact mirror. Is someone aiming a shot at her? Who would want to kill our delicious Missy?
Well, maybe just about everyone. Surely the Doctor will step in to protect her.
The Sisterhood of Karn?
Next we have a shot of a mishmash man in robes, with a heavily scarred and patched face. He looks sinister enough, but have we seen those rocks before?
The next shot seemingly confirms that yes, we’re returning to Karn, where we recently saw the Eighth Doctor regenerate into the War Doctor.
Clare Higgins, who played Ohila, High Priestess of the Sisterhood of Karn in the aforementioned short, will also be returning, though her character hasn’t been confirmed just yet. But her appearance, the quarry landscape, the flaming pyres, and the red robes all suggest that the Time Lords of Karn will be appearing once more.
So, do they have a mission for our Doctor? And does it involve … Skaro?
Rock God
In one of the only lighter shots of this trailer, we see the Doctor don sunglasses and rock out on an electric guitar. Presumably this will have some relevance to a story, and not simply be the Doctor joining McBusted.
Running from … what?
This shot is clearly from the previously mentioned Toby Whithouse two-parter, but what exactly are the Doctor and Clara running from? A lit-up chest piece has fans naturally guessing that the Cybermen will be chasing the Doctor and his companion, but somehow we don’t think so.
With the return of Missy, the Daleks and the Zygons this year, I don’t think the Cybermen will also be popping up.
Skaro?
Adding fuel to the growing rumour about the Daleks is this shot of what is presumably Skaro. It certainly looks like a rejuvenated version of the city which the 11th Doctor briefly visited in ‘Asylum of the Daleks’, which suggests that this is indeed Skaro.
But the city no longer looks in ruin, which suggests that this is set in the past, and if it is, then presumably a younger version of an infamous character could pop up? Just saying…
What isn’t clear is whether this second shot is also from Skaro. It’s either that, or the previously mentioned underwater base, but because it’s so dark in the shot it is quite hard to tell.
The spacesuit returns
The infamous spacesuit returns once more – presumably the Doctor has an entire room racked up with hundreds of these? Either way, it suggests that Clara is going for a trip into space … and she doesn’t look too happy about the prospect.
Zygons
We’ve known for a while now that the Zygons will be returning in a two-parter for themselves, and this shot shows them looking as dastardly as ever. Here they’re kidnapping children – why, we have no idea. We can only guess that it’s part of some huge foil to take over Earth once more. But the Zygon here doesn’t look happy.
If the previous rumour about the Fisher King taking up residence in Loch Ness is true, I hope this two-parter ties in with that story as, after all, the Zygons’ pet Skarasen resided there too.
Maisie Williams
This short exchange suggests that the Doctor has met Maisie Williams’ character before, and rumours are already proposing that she’s Susan, Jenny, River, and a whole host of other characters.
But we’re going to suggest something simpler. I reckon this shot will happen in episode 6, ‘The Woman Who Lived’, which is set in a different time period than its predecessor ‘The Girl Who Died’. I think Maisie Williams plays the girl, who somehow shows up in two different time periods, and that is why the Doctor recognises her.
The Battle of Skaro
We’ve left the most tantalising shots until last.
If you live under a rock and somehow missed this rumour, I think it’s safe to assume that the series 9 trailer all but confirms the return to Skaro in the opening episodes, and that a battle is ensuring. Those are Dalek blasts, right?
The rumour suggests that the Doctor will encounter a younger version of Davros, creator of the Daleks, and will have to decide whether to kill him or not. The decision to murder a child will induce numerous complaints, presumably, but I don’t think the Doctor will do it. After all, we’ve seen new shots of the Daleks in this trailer, and if Davros is killed he won’t be able to develop the Daleks, will he?
BUT … here is my theory. We’ve always seen Davros supported by a Dalek base, but we’ve never seen him out of it. Maybe the Doctor is his reason for being disabled? Maybe he attempts to kill him, and fails?
Also interesting to note is that Missy seems to appear on the battlefield alongside Clara … at least that is what the editing of the trailer suggests. And if that is the case, will we see confirmation that Dr. Skarosa, who founded the 3W institute in series 8, is from Skaro? Or is that just wishful thinking?
