Doctor Who Completes Missing Regeneration Scenes with Patrick Troughton’s Newly Added Ending

The beloved series Doctor Who boasts an extensive and intricate history dating back to 1963. This rich legacy can often pose a challenge for new viewers attempting to navigate through its myriad episodes, many of which include various narrative gaps that can lead to confusion.

One significant absence from the show’s lore is the Second Doctor’s peculiar regeneration scene. During the original production, the creators had not cast a successor for Patrick Troughton, rendering it impossible to film a regeneration sequence like the one executed for William Hartnell. Consequently, Jon Pertwee seamlessly stepped in as the Third Doctor in the first episode of the seventh season without a definitive transition. At that time, the lack of concern for this replacement meant that Troughton’s transformation was overlooked. However, as subsequent regenerations became a dramatic staple of the series, Troughton’s missing scene stood out as a glaring omission.

Remastering “The War Games”: The Second Doctor’s Regeneration Revealed

Remastered Episode Addresses the Missing Scene

The colorized and original black-and-white versions of the Second Doctor's regeneration in The War Games — Image by Fariba Rezwan

Fortunately, a newly remastered edition of the Second Doctor’s last episode, “The War Games,” has creatively addressed this issue by fabricating a version of his regeneration. Released in 2024, this colorized reinterpretation aims to introduce classic Doctor Who tales to modern audiences, similar to the remastering of “The Daleks” the previous year. A notable enhancement in this version is the usage of footage from Jon Pertwee’s episodes to simulate Troughton’s regeneration.

Unlike the original conclusion of the episode, which simply marked the Second Doctor’s exit, the remastered edition incorporates a brief clip from Pertwee’s tenure alongside upgraded visual effects to create an illusion of regeneration. While this has stirred some debate among longtime fans, it effectively fills a significant void in Doctor Who‘s narrative, enriching the viewing experience for newcomers and allowing them to appreciate the character’s background more fully.

Addressing Other Missing Regenerations in Doctor Who

The War Doctor’s Introduction

Matt Smith, John Hurt, and David Tennant representing different Doctors in The Day of the Doctor

Troughton’s regeneration was not the first gap to be addressed. In fact, the remarkable season 7 finale, “The Name of the Doctor,” unveiled the existence of yet another incarnation of the Time Lord that audiences had never witnessed. The series promptly addressed this gap with a six-minute short that featured Paul McGann, illustrating how the Eighth Doctor transitioned into the newly named War Doctor. The following special, “The Day of the Doctor,” briefly showcased this transformation into Christopher Ecclestone’s Ninth Doctor, further enriching the lore of the series.

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