Doctor Who has often described the Doctor as the last of the Time Lords
since its 2005 relaunch. Originally, this was due to Gallifrey’s presumed destruction in the Time War, and then its entrapment in a pocket universe during The Day of the Doctor. The Master subsequently destroyed Gallifrey following The Timeless Children. Consequently, from the 9th through 15th Doctors, other Time Lords—including the Doctor’s family—have been rare.
In The Legend of Ruby Sunday, the latest season revisits the idea that the Doctor’s original companion, his granddaughter Susan Foreman, might still be alive. This episode serves to reshape Susan’s basic origin in typical Doctor Who fashion, suggesting that the 1963 status quo of Doctor Who could somehow exist in the Doctor’s future.
Susan Foreman’s Heritage
Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) was introduced in the 1963 episode An Unearthly Child as a teenager who self-identified as the Doctor’s granddaughter, making her a de facto Time Lord. Books, audio adventures, and comics largely agree she was literally and genetically related to the Doctor. In her early travels with Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright, teachers at Coal Hill School, Susan occasionally showed wisdom beyond her years.
Susan’s last established appearance was in 1964’s The Dalek Invasion of Earth, where she falls in love with freedom fighter David Campbell. The departure scene where the Doctor gives his famous speech is one of William Hartnell’s most memorable moments:
One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.
The Doctor’s Reunion With Susan
There are several accounts of Susan’s further adventures post-departure—many contradictory. For example, Mark Gatiss’ short story,Fellow Traveller
, sees Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor visiting an older Susan in the 22nd century. Additionally, Paul McGann’s 8th Doctor reunites with her in An Earthly Child. Despite these appearances, most on-screen narratives presuppose she is lost in either the Time War or Gallifrey’s destruction by the Master.
Mystery Unraveled by Susan Triad?
Early in The Legend of Ruby Sunday, Susan Triad (portrayed by Susan Twist), a mysterious tech mogul, bears resemblance to a potential future regenerated form of Susan. However, this notion is debunked later as false. During this storyline segment, Kate Stewart learns for the first time about the Doctor having a granddaughter:
My father told me stories about you… but he never mentioned a granddaughter.
This interesting revelation prompts Kate to ask about the Doctor’s progeny:
You’ve got kids?… How could you have a granddaughter before having a daughter?
Timeline Paradoxes and Manipulation
A significant detail arises from David Tennant’s final special as the 14th Doctor—The Giggle, where The Toymaker cryptically says:
I made a jigsaw out of your history—did you like it?
This detail indicates possible larger implications where subtle hints suggest tampering with the Doctor’s timeline since then. The recent episode Rogue revealed a new face implying alterations or corrections about prior knowledge concerning past versions of the Doctor.
The twist described above hints at further paradoxical relationships involving Susan’s heritage potentially establishing future plotlines pending unraveling by viewers.
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