The 10th Doctor
Away from the conflict surrounding his previous incarnations is the 10th Doctor. In front of him is what could be a younger War Doctor.
Has the 10th Doctor stumbled across this moment, is he coming to the rescue or is he standing here to hold back the enemy forces?
If it is War Doctor before him and this prior to ‘The Day of The Doctor’ his cold gaze could be because he is encountering an incarnation of himself he has tried to forget. All of this could be an unwelcome reminder of the Time War.
The 10th Doctor seems to be surrounded by the ruins of London, including St Paul’s Cathedral and the Shard. Earlier in this sequence there were shots of Big Ben, with Dalek ships overhead.
It could be that this battlefield has caused massive damage to London (which would have lasting consequences) or that this sequence occurs during the Dalek’s occupation of Earth. Either scenario has potential.
To the 10th Doctor’s right is Bessie. Could this be how the 10th Doctor arrived here. Possibly he obtained this from UNIT, suggesting that he might have conferred with them before heading into the fight.
It might also mean that the 10th Doctor has already met with the 3rd Doctor. While the 3rd Doctor dealt with the Master in the TARDIS the 10th Doctor borrowed his old car to get to where he was needed.
The presence of the 9th Doctor leads to the potential of he and the 10th Doctor meeting. How would the 9th Doctor react to those who would follow him? While it is unlikely we’ll ever have this shown on screen this could be good to play through in your own adventure and might explain his acceptance of his regeneration in ‘Parting of The Ways’.
11th Doctor
Even more distanced than the 10th Doctor is the 11th Doctor, standing atop a peculiar stone edifice inscribed with a symbol in high gallifreyan. The stone itself reminds me of the Aztecs.
What is this structure? Is it part of the reshaped London landscape or is it elsewhere, a perch from which the 11th Doctor is watching the crisis?
Behind the 11th Doctor we see the Golden Gate bridge, which is located in San Francisco. Not only is the city where the 8th Doctor was born (and thus might be vulnerable to attack) but where the universe almost ended.
The incident could have weakened reality or left a scar, not unlike the rift in Cardiff was caused by the events of ‘Boom Town’. This might allow the 11th Doctor to see events occurring in different eras.
San Francisco is also where the Master was pulled into the TARDIS eye of harmony. We never learn how exactly the Time Lords were able to resurrect him after this demise. It could be that their efforts to free him caused these events or at least put events in motion.
If the disembodied Master was alive within the TARDIS could he move back through its time stream and contact his earlier self. Might this explain the Master’s presence in the 3rd Doctor’s TARDIS?
Once again segments of the key to time are very prominent in this sequence. It could be that the 11th Doctor has finally managed to gather them all, to deal with the situation, just as in ‘Day of the Doctor’ he spends all his lives solving the problem here he is the culmination of his past incarnations efforts.
Most importantly it is the 11th Doctor that finally moves, as if the whole universe was holding his breath waiting to see how he would act.
“Our future depends on one single moment of one impossible day. The day I’ve been running from all my life.”
The 11th Doctor narrates the trailer and it is easy to see how the dialogue could refer to what occurred during the Time War and how using the Moment to save Gallifrey will affect his future.
In the context of the images in the trailer it could mean something quite different. Firstly when he refers to ‘’our future’ is he talking generally or specifically about the future of the various Doctors?
When we see him act at the end of the trailer is this the moment that he refers to? It seems quite likely that this is the climax of the story, his choice of the sonic screwdriver an act that will save all versions of himself.
If this was a television episode I would have the majority of the trailer at the start of the story and then flashback to reveal how this situation was arrived at before revealing exactly what the 11th Doctor was aiming at, high above him.
The Doctor calls this an impossible day which might suggest a 24 hour framework for the adventure. It could also mean that there is only one day in the whole of time that could allow these circumstances.
The fact he has been running from this moment his whole life could indicate that all the Doctor’s have retained knowledge that this was going to happen. That each incarnation knows there will be a moment where they will be caught up in these terrible events.
It could be that they don’t know how the 11th Doctor saves the day, or whether he is only able to return them to their own time stream. It could be a continual concern that they get ever closer to the incarnation that will have to save them all.
If you do choose to base an adventure around the trailer then this can give the players some respite. Rather than running the adventure in one go you can have each incarnation return to their own life, pondering how things will turn out.
This can allow you to have overlapping scenes, which can reveal more information from the perspective of the other Doctors. By the time you reach the 11th Doctor they should have good idea about what is happening and how to resolve it.
Bigger On The Inside 