2014 seems like the year of time travel. Between Once Upon A Time and X-Men: Days Of Future Past traveling to the past and the plethora of blast from the past summer blockbusters (Godzilla, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc), there’s definitely a theme of bringing the past to the present. Though what about the future to the present, or past to the future, or vice versa? It’s not a time party without our favorite Time Lord! So what can we expect from the new season – and Doctor – when it returns this coming August? Let’s find out; or in other words, Allons-Y!

New Mission – Finding Gallifrey:

As we’ve learned in both The Day Of The Doctor and The Time Of The Doctor, Gallifrey is still out there. Finding his long – thought to be – lost race will certainly become a major underlying story arc, but what about the impending problems this will create?

For starters, most races fear the Time Lords and don’t want them to return – and with good reason. The biggest problem finding the Time Lords will cause has been mentioned many times by both the Ninth and Tenth Doctors. Towards the end of the Great Time War, the Time Lords became a horrible and ruthless race that was no different from the Daleks. This was confirmed when we saw them in action during The End Of Time. Finding his lost race might bring the Doctor some new allies and a sense of family, but it’ll also lead to some new villains.

Rumor has it The Master will even return. Last seen returning to the Great Time War with Rassilon, it’s possible that he – and maybe even Rassilon – will return with the other Time Lords. Chances are this will be a new regeneration and some even claim he’ll be ‘Jack The Ripper’ – who is a confirmed villain this season when the Doctor and Clara go to Victorian London. Whatever the case may be, there’s no use in plotting ‘how it happened’ now – since Moffat’s Doctor Who has become anything but rational even within the realm of Doctor Who. The bigger question right now is if The Doctor will even remember any of this.

New NEW Doctor:

As always, when one doctor fades, a new doctor takes his place; but this regeneration might be decidedly different. With the War Doctor revealed and the Tenth Doctor using a regeneration to come back as himself, all of the Doctor’s Time Lord regeneration a have been used up. This Twelfth Doctor is the result of the Time Lord’s granting the Doctor an entirely new life cycle; but what does that mean.

At the very least, this new life cycle blesses The Doctor with a new set of regenerations; but at most it’s an entirely new NEW Doctor. As we saw when he the Eleventh Doctor regenerated, he didn’t remember anything about his past lives – ironically right after saying he always would. He’s not only forgotten Clara, but also how to pilot the Tardis. Is this just a momentary regeneration-induced case of amnesia; or is this more of a reincarnation than a regeneration? This could be a whole new beginning for The Doctor, but you can’t erase all of his stories – those are what make the doctor who he is. Even if this is a brand new new Doctor – with no recollection of prior lives -, I’m sure Clara will find a way to give him back his memories.

As for the man playing The Doctor, Peter Capaldi has already had a role on the show. Back in the “Fires of Pompeii” episode, Capaldi played the ancient Vesuvian named Lucuid Carcilius. I’m not sure if this ‘familiar face’ will be addressed, but as I said, ‘don’t try to put rational behind anything Moffat does’.

Needless to say, fans can’t wait to see the new season of Doctor Who to begin in August. Hopefully they’ll release a new trailer soon – a trailer that ACTUALLY shows us something besides a 2 second silhouette of the new Doctor.