Doctor Who’s “War Games” Serial Makes a Colorful Return

BBC’s Doctor Who has never been afraid to return to its past when the situation calls for it. Usually, this comes in the form of bringing back old friends or foes, or a plotline from not that long ago, but the newest trip back to memory lane aims to add some color to an important part of the franchise.

Earlier today, BBC revealed it’ll be re-releasing 1969’s “The War Games,” the final 10-part black-and-white serial that made up Doctor Who’s sixth season. That’d be notable on its own, but the network’s going the extra step by presenting it in color for the first time. In the serial, the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) and Companions Jamie and Zoe learn an alien called the War Lord has plucked soldiers from Earth history and brainwashed them into fighting each other so he can use the survivors as an army to conquer the galaxy. In the decades since, it’s been dubbed one of the most important Who episodes, and we were pretty high on the cliffhanger for its penultimate episode back in 2010.

But this new version of “War Games” isn’t just getting a splash of color, it’s also coming with an updated score and visuals. Interestingly, those changes may also affect how the Doctor regenerates into Jon Pertwee’s Third Doctor. Whereas the original version is a trippy, almost nightmarish sequence as he’s forced into his new look and pleads for the transformation to stop, the trailer for the technicolor airing hints at a process more in line with the show’s now default glowing flames around his body.

While this makes sense on a practical level and provides consistency with what Doctor Who has become now, it may also go against the point of the Doctor’s regeneration at the time. Unlike most of the transformations in later seasons, this is a punishment for breaking the Time Lords’ non-interference rule: it has to be horrifying for both him and the audience, especially since this was also our first time seeing other members of his race.

If the idea of BBC changing this regeneration doesn’t sit right with you, current Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies said the black-and-white “War Games” will be accessible in its original form on BBC iPlayer. The colored version will come to the platform and air on TV on the same day: December 23.

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