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Doctor Who Season 12 trailer hints at Matt Smith and David Tennant connections
When Season 11 of Doctor Who began in 2018, showrunner Chris Chibnall warned fans of being too nostalgic about the show's past. He wasn't exaggerating, either. Other than a lone Dalek in the 2019 New Year's Day special, the first run of Jodie Whittaker-led Doctor Who lacked any familiar aliens or monsters from the deep mythology of the Whoniverse.
With the new Doctor and showrunner's identity firmly established, the TARDIS seems to be more willing to visit the past; if the new trailer for Doctor Who Season 12 is any indication, the show will be going back, more or less, to some of its roots. The new 1-minute trailer for Season 12 has several easter eggs to previous incarnations of Doctor Who, including one very surprising blink-and-you'll-miss-it call back to a David Tennant epic, circa 2006.
Here are 5 easter eggs from the Doctor Who Season 12 trailer and how they connect to the Matt Smith and David Tennant versions of our favorite two-hearted heroic Time Lord.
05. Is this a Torchwood monster?
One-shot in the trailer could reveal an Earth-bound monster from the David Tennant era, specifically a creature called a Weevil. For fans of the Who spin-off Torchwood, the Weevil's popped-up a lot, which could suggest a passing reference in season 12 to either Torchwood itself or Captain Jack Harkness. The last time we saw a Weevil (if this is a Weevil) was in the season 5 Matt Smith episode "The Pandorica Opens."
04. The Cybermen are back
Other than the Daleks, the Doctor's biggest nemesis is without a doubt, the Cybermen. In the new trailer, we see one lone Cyberman emerging from the darkness, and it looks like its seen better days.
Presumably, this the mainstream version of the Cybermen from "our" universe, and not the kind from Rose's alternate dimension as seen in season 2 and season 4. (But then again, you never know.) The last time we say the regular Mondas Cybermen, was in the penultimate Peter Capaldi outing in season 10, "The Doctor Falls."
03. The 13th Doctor borrows a motorcycle from the 11th Doctor
In one cool scene in the trailer, the Doctor is tearing through a field on a motorcycle. Visually, this could reference the 11th Doctor Matt Smith episode, "The Bells of Saint John," from the middle of season 7. In that episode, the Doctor's motorcycle had anti-gravity capabilities despite looking like a regular motorcycle. Hopefully, Jodie Whittaker's 13th Doctor is riding the exact same model.
02. The Doctor mentions "something is coming." Is this the Timeless Child?
At one point in the trailer, the Doctor mentions "something is coming," for her. This is pretty ominous, but it could suggest that season 12 will begin to solve the one biggest question left unanswered by season 11. In the episode "The Ghost Monument," creepy creatures called the Remnants warned the Doctor of "the Timeless Child," though we never found out what that was all about. Maybe the Timeless Child is coming for the Doctor this season!
01. The Racnoss is clearly back
The most shocking Easter egg in the new trailer is what appears to be a huge callback to the David Tennant 2006 Christmas special "The Runaway Bride" In that episode, the Doctor faces a spidery alien known as the Racnoss, and in the new trailer, one of the creatures looks like it's of the exact same species. In "The Runaway Bride," the Doctor got pretty hardcore when he was taking down the Racnoss, so if this creature is of the same species, it's possible it could be out for revenge. If so, this slightly goofy, but still scary alien, could make the newest season of Doctor Who feel like your favorite Doctor Who from almost 15 years ago.