By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriros and Zombie Blues
I loved the classic era and as a teenager watched the fifth Doctor crew and saw the seventh Doctor and Ace deliver stories in the final two seasons that are all time classics.
We only saw what happened to Tegan after she left the Doctor via Big Finish audio plays and novels as with Ace. But when they returned in Jodie Whittaker’s final story, Power of the Doctor, everyone punched the air with joy. But what we were not expecting was the return of the fifth and seventh Doctors at the same time.
When the former companions are recruited by Kate Stewart to work for UNIT, Ace is happy to see the Dotor is now a woman but Tegan is fuming that he never got in contact again. The 13th Doctor’s evasiveness irritates her and she tells Yaz that they are her from decades ago.
But when the Cybermen launch their attack, Tegan fights alone until she is contacted by the 13th Doctor via a neural hologram that responds to her thoughts. Tegan’s Doctor appears and she chides him for forgetting her. He tells her he never forgot any of them. She asks what she is thinking seeing all these Cybermen and one word brings them back together; Adric. He died saving the Earth from a Cyberman bomb which wiped out the dinosaurs instead.
Similarly with Ace, we learn she left the Doctor under bad circumstances leaving a rift behind between them. Now facing a Dalek army beneath a volcano, Ace faces her Doctor’s hologram once again where they resolve their past.
There is something chilling about these two scenes that do somewhat overshadow the final 13th Doctor’s story but they are so welcome for so many reasons. It is nostalgia, a yearning for loose ends to be tied up and resolution. It is old friends returning and fighting once again and affirmation of the bonds they share that last across space and time. It is about being able to finally say goodbye to those we have lost and if the message is strong enough then the universe will find a way to make it happen. Tegan and Ace can finally move forward secure in the knowledge that their Doctor is watching over them and proud of the people they have become. Absolute and complete magic.
When the Doctor needs a rest, those he loves will stand in his place and be the defender he helped them become. There are friendships in life that will bind you to that person in ways you never see but are part of the person you will always be.
The Time Warriors and Beyond 
For a good way to make Jodie’s farewell enjoyable as it neared the 60th Anniversary, it was nice to see previous Doctors and companions return for that, allowing the 60th anniversary stories in the year of 2023 to branch off into significantly different territory. As a fan of Ace and somebody who particularly wanted to see Tegan return, I found it very rewarding. Now with Mel back, it may be more encouraging for more past companion stars to return for Dr. Who’s near future. Thank you for this article.
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