5 Time Lords We'd Want Back

So I’ve been working my way through the Third Doctor’s era and, for those unaware, this is the time period in which he started fighting the Master through time and space. Ever since that point… well, the Master never really stopped. He’s been dead-dead at least three times and yet he keeps returning… Even as recently as the 60th Anniversary, the Toymaker hinted at his return. I’ve said it before on the Podcast, but it’s about time we had some other Time Lords return. Even with Gallifrey desolated, there’s gotta be a chance that some of our other Time Lords are still alive out there in time and space. So even though we’re likely to get the Master long before any of these, I wanted to talk about some of the Time Lords we could still encounter. 

The Monk (“The Time Meddler”/”The Daleks' Master Plan”)

Have I talked enough about the Monk between my character spotlight and three different Podcast episodes? This precursor to the Master hasn’t been seen since the First Doctor’s era, but neither had the Toymaker. Give the Monk a new regeneration (like the Nun) and we could have almost the exact same Master stories, but with a different face and different history.

The Hermit (“Planet of the Spiders”)

He was only seen in the final Third Doctor story (though some pseudo-canon equates him to Azmael from the Sixth Doctor era), but he’s one of the known Time Lords who spent significant time off Gallifrey. As a renegade Time Lord, there’s every chance he wasn’t on Gallifrey when the Master laid waste. Unlike the Master or the Monk, the Hermit was an ally/mentor of the Doctor, but it would be interesting to see them team up to face another villain. Maybe a powerful one, like Maestro.

Romana (Fourth Doctor companion)

A companion of the Fourth Doctor, we saw two of her incarnations during her time traveling in the Doctor’s TARDIS. She was last seen on screen in E-Space, but was later seen (possibly in a new incarnation) in pseudo-canon material. Regardless, like the Hermit, we have no reason to believe she had to be on Gallifrey when it was destroyed. She could still be in E-Space or she could be back in our universe. Lalla Ward, who played her second incarnation, is still alive, so she could return theoretically. Or there’s always the option to reintroduce her with a new actress.

The Rani (“The Mark of the Rani”/”Time and the Rani”)

She only appeared twice and has kind of been overshadowed by Missy at this point, but I loved the Rani against the Seventh Doctor. Unlike Missy’s chaotic evil, the Rani was meticulous and intentional with her schemes. But like the Monk, we could have another renegade enemy Time Lord, similar plot to a Master story, but with a fresh face.

Susan Foreman (First Doctor companion)

Finally, I come back to Susan, yet again. The Doctor’s granddaughter has not been seen since “The Five Doctors” and we still don't know if she's technically a Time Lady or not. That being said, she was mentioned as recently as “The Devil’s Chord” in conjunction with the Time Lord massacre. I’ve been saying for a while that Carole Ann Ford could return as Susan (imagine her calling the Fifteenth Doctor “Grandfather”). Or they could regenerate her finally and confirm she’s a Time Lady (or maybe a Timeless Child?). Anything is possible at this point.

I thought about including the likes of Rassilon, Omega, and other major Time Lords for this list, but I felt like they were the ones most likely to be decimated on Gallifrey. And if we’re being realistic, the most likely Time Lord to return is the Master. Despite other options available to RTD and the other writers, this is the most obvious answer. I can still dream.