the 3 / 5 Doctors

[JPkempo]

Why is it that the first Doctor seems to be the smartest when the others would know all he knows and what they have learned? He old guy should be the dumbest of the bunch.

[AUSSIE-Rebooted-AMM]

It's all your perception. . .you are equating age with Wisdom. The Doctors seem to have gotten younger in recent times. . .so may seem less wise. . .but have far more knowledge. . .which is something you can't tell from looking.

[jds1911a1]

They always show that after a regenerations his brain is a bit scrambled so it fits that common sense lessons are lost.
A real world analogy: try to break down an algebra equation if the last time you did one was 20 years ago (I know I have to re read my oldest daughter's text books just to help with her homework). The fact he remembers as much as he does at 900 plus years (if he were a real person of course) is "amazing"

[Bo8a_Fett]

The second Doctor used to carry a 500 year diary that he would refer to when trying to remember something about a planet or species....Seeing as it was his first regeneration and it was a forced one rather than a comfortable tranistion, maybe more went wrong than it should have...otehr time lords have no difficulty recognising him but sometimes he does'nt know who they are until he is reminded....maybe that first regeneration caused some brain damage?

[Mikey]

The first Doctor refered to himself very smugly as "The Original".

It take it most of the later Doctors are intimated by him in a father-son way.

If your old man told you something (even if you knew the answer), you'd probably still act like you didn't know and was happy for getting his advice.

That's how I look at it.

[ctc]

>It take it most of the later Doctors are intimated by him in a father-son way.

Except, I belive, the third; who actively disliked him.

Regeneration is odd, since they've indicated that you are a different person after; with the memories of the predecessors. I suspect there may be a loss of memory, and the reconstruction of the body probably interferes with some physical training, "muscle memory" as it's often called. Hence the third being a kung-fu master but the later ones not having that skill. (And the first two regenerations perhaps having the skill, but their bodies were too old to active ly USE it. And the second was kind of a coward...)

I think most of the Doctor's regenerations were messed up as well; which probably doesn't help. 1st to 2nd was forced; which is probably why he didn't regenerate as a younger doctor as most of the rest did. 2nd to 3rd presumably went okay; and although 3 was still kind of old, he was a lot more physical than 2. So maybe the body regenerated without the appearance regenerating so much? 3rd to 4th was poisoned, and presumably the poison in his system messed him up a bit. 4th to 5th was complicated by the Doctor's... "essence" I guess, being separate from his body. 5th to 6th; poison again, and 6 was REALLY messed up. 6th to 7th was pretty straight forward. 7th to 8th straightforward, although the extra medical stuff in his body caused a few problems. I don't know the deal of 8 to 9....

Don C.

[Mikey]

Speaking of regenerations ......

I never seen the first McCoy story

Was it ever explained WHY Colin died ? ... Was it a direct result of the Trial ? ... and if so, why ?

The end of the Trial series seemed to make Colin look good in the eyes of the Timelords

[Bo8a_Fett]

There are varying accounts of the reason for this Doctor regenerating into his next form besides a simple head injury.
The Doctor may have suffered a more serious injury which caused his regeneration
It has been suggested (mostly through journeys through the Doctor's psyche) that his sixth self forced a regeneration in his seventh persona because he was too out of control, and was heading down the road to become the Valeyard. (NA: Timewyrm: Revelation)

Regardless, when the TARDIS was attacked by the Rani, the Doctor hit his head on the console, and regenerated for a sixth time - allowing his seventh persona to come into being. Following his regeneration he had a slightly comic personality, due mostly to post-regenerative trauma. (DW: Time and the Rani)

[johnmiic]

There have been suggestions in fandom that one regeneration was not fully able to counter-act the poison the Doctor was infected with from the Caves of Androzoni. Note that all other regenerations have been of a physical attack on the Doctor's body and not an attack on his mind, (the exception being the change from 2nd Doctor to 3rd Doctor which was forced as punishment). I think the poison would have affected his breain. Wasn't in a neuro-toxin? There still may have been lingering after effects, which would explain the erratic behavior of the 6th Doctor during his run. Possibly the injury suffered in the Tardis in Time and The Rani compounded the problem and sped the Doctor to his next regeneration because his body was still weak. It seems a mere bump on the head souldn't be enough to spur on a new regeneration.