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Gizmodo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
The History of Omega, the Beginning and the End of the Time Lords
If we thought all Doctor Who was going to build its upcoming finale around was the return of one classic villain from its history in the Rani, 'Wish World' told us to think again in its final moments, as it invoked the name of an all-time terror in the history of the Time Lords: the dread Omega, not seen in the show properly in over 40 years. But Omega's history is, fitting for a key player in the origins of the Time Lords themselves, paradoxically much old and yet also much more recent than that. The First History of Omega A solar engineer and a prominent figure in early Gallifreyan society—and, as later audio stories would reveal, a close confidant and schoolfriend of Rassilon, another key player in the foundation of the Time Lords—Omega first appeared in Doctor Who's first anniversary special, 'The Three Doctors,' in late 1972. There it was revealed that it was Omega's research that unlocked the key to time travel that would radically overhaul Gallifreyan society and create the Time Lords as we'd come to know them. Deploying a powerful relic known as the Hand of Omega, Omega made a star go supernova before harnessing its energies to fuel the first acts of controlled temporal manipulation. But while the Hand of Omega, and the research it bore, would be recovered by Gallifrey, Omega himself was seemingly lost in the destruction. Revered as a hero and made legend by his people as they used the Hand to become lords of Time, Omega had actually survived his experiment, flung into a black hole and deposited into a universe of pure antimatter. Not knowing that his people thought he was dead, Omega grew bitter as his acceptance at not being rescued turned to fury that he had been abandoned in his moment of triumph by the Gallifreyans. In time, Omega sought his own way out of the antimatter universe, experimenting on his power to manipulate it and even create his own life—at a cost that he failed to realize, as his own physical body broke down into nothingness. By the time the Time Lords tasked the First, Second, and Third Doctors with attempting to stop Omega from destroying the universe in his attempts to acquire more energy to fuel his escape, all that sustained Omega's form was the original suit that he wore during his experiments with the Hand. After battling with the Third Doctor in an attempt to trade places in exile with him, Omega was left in the antimatter universe as it was seemingly destroyed. But his 'death' had not stopped diehard followers of his own arising on Gallifrey, creating a legion of cultists that swore to bring one of Time Lord society's foundational forces back to reality. In the 1983 serial 'Arc of Infinity,' a member of Gallifrey's High Council, Hedin, secretly plotted to steal the Doctor's biological data to create a new physical form for Omega's will to inhabit. Although the plan was foiled, Omega managed to briefly escape his antimatter universe and emerge on Earth, only to find his form destabilizing until he was imprisoned in the antimatter universe for good… again. Omega and the Timeless Child It would take Omega almost 40 years to return to Doctor Who on-screen… technically speaking. Because while Omega's history as the creator of Gallifreyan time travel hasn't changed, his broader part in the creation of Time Lord society on a biological level did in Chris Chibnall's re-working of the Doctor's origins in the 2020 episode 'The Timeless Child', in which Omega makes a brief, uncredited appearance in flashbacks alongside Rassilon and Tecteun. Although the character is never explicitly named onscreen, the officially released production script for the episode names two Time Lord figures seen alongside Tecteun as to be assumed as Omega and Rassilon, making them aware of the true origins of Time Lord society as we come to know it in that story. As established in 'The Timeless Child', Tecteun was the scientist who found, and then successfully exploited, the genetic material of the titular child—the mysterious being who would eventually become the Doctor—to give themselves the ability to regenerate their physical form upon mortal injury. In 'The Timeless Child''s brief explanation of Gallifrey's history, Omega's discovery of time travel occurs during a golden age of advancement for the Shobogans, the native peoples of Gallifrey, during the construction of the Citadel and even before Tecteun decides to offer up the genetic inheritance of regeneration to the Citadel's denizens, formally renaming their society as that of the Time Lords. But Omega is still considered a foundational member of this triumvirate that makes the Time Lords, even if, presumably, his loss in experimenting with the Hand of Omega now comes at a point separated from his discovery of time travel. What Omega's Return Means for Doctor Who Interestingly, what little we got to see—or rather hear about, Omega is namechecked but left pointedly offscreen—of Omega in 'Wish World' keeps vague about where exactly he has been kept since we last saw him. The Rani describes Omega has having been kept in an 'underverse,' access to which required a fracture in reality itself, rather than the black holes and matter/antimatter that were previously established in Omega's prior appearances. Whether or not the underverse is intended to be the same reality that Omega was trapped in in those original stories, or somewhere else he was potentially sent to after those events, remains to be seen. But that detail aside, Omega's potential return to reality is largely irrelevant next to what the Rani intends to use him for: the resurrection of the Time Lords from their latest extinction. Again, just how remains to be seen, but if Doctor Who does once again bring the Time Lords back for a third time—after their apparent destruction during the Last Great Time War, undone during the events of 'The Day of the Doctor,' and then the Master's eradication of his own people a few years later. As far as we know, while Gallifrey the planet still exists in some form, unlike its prior fate in the Time War, the Time Lords themselves, save for the Rani, the Doctor, and the Master were seemingly all exterminated. Just how Omega's power could restore the Time Lords, again, remains to be seen. But with the revelation of the Timeless Child, and the Doctor's understanding of their connection to Gallifrey, Omega is now even more important to the foundations of the Time Lords than he already was with the invention of time travel—'Wish World' even describes him as the first Time Lord, and creator of their society. If he really is the key to their return–or a continuation of their absence from Doctor Who's current mythology—we'll find out once and for all as the current season of Who comes to its end in 'The Reality War' this weekend, on May 31.
Metro
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who fans convinced they've worked out what shock villain is plotting
The penultimate episode of the season ended on a cliffhanger (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf) Doctor Who fans think they might have figured out what the Rani are up to, after the BBC aired the penultimate episode of the sci-fi show's 15th season. Spoilers follow. The seventh episode, Wish World, saw the bigenerated Rani (played by Anita Dobson and Archi Punjabi) reveal themselves to a disorientated Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa). Except it wasn't the Doctor, it was one John Smith (we're at the end of the season, so the idea-well is drying up), who was happily married to Belinda (Varada Sethu) with a sprog to boot. Into this picture of domestic bliss burst the villain-filled reality Whovians are accustomed to – and they had a monologue up their sleeves. Get personalised updates on Doctor Who Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. Reya's (Punjabi) speechifying might have been self-aware – with a playful 'exposition' joke in the mix – but it still fell into the sticky cliché of having a villain tell you who they are and what they're about to do to save the writers the job of ceding that information organically. It was here that the Rani finally revealed what exactly they're up to. Sort of. But Whovians think they've gone the extra mile and figured out the rest. The Doctor and Belinda had a child called Poppy (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Dan Fearon) Our new Rani made her debut (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/James Pardon) The dastardly Rani plans to dig beneath the surface of this reality to find Omega, an all-powerful entity from olde worldy Time Lord history. In trying to jog the Doctor's memory after his humdrum suburban fugue state, Reya explained: 'We are the last Time Lord and the last Time Lady from the planet Gallifrey.' She also enigmatically added: 'The tragedy is we were never enemies. Every villain you ever fought wanted death. I only wanted life. Remember?' This wrinkle has left many fans wondering if the Rani might be out to resurrect Gallifrey and the Time Lords, instead of the classic laying waste MO we get from most villains. Ardent Whovians immediately sprung on Reddit to theorise what it might all mean. @Grafikpapst wrote: 'She wants to bring the Time Lords back. He is the scientist that created the Timelords. He is also the greatest mind Gallifrey ever had, so The Rani is probably a very big fan, seeing as she too is a scientist at heart.' The Doctor and Belinda were in an alternate reality (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf/Dan Fearon) Villains assemble! (Picture: BBC Studios/Bad Wolf) @yeblod agreed, writing: 'I get the vibe she wants to recreate/repopulate Gallifrey, especially with all the focus on The Doctor and the Rani being the last two of their species.' A third @Marcuse0 echoed: 'She does specifically tell the Doctor his other enemies wanted death and she wants life. Bringing Gallifrey back again seems like a safe bet for her intentions.' However, this wasn't the only theory floated. One @acetrainerandrew suggested the reveal could tie back into last season's Wild Blue Yonder, writing: 'My guess is that she's trying to figure out how magic works so she can undo what the Doctor did in Wild Blue Yonder and put the universe back how it was before magic was a thing. 'Omega is one of the Time Lords who helped establish the Laws of Time as they exist now, so maybe he's a necessary part of that plan?' We'll have to tune in next Saturday to know for sure. The Doctor Who finale, The Reality War, airs on Saturday, May 31, on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. Arrow MORE: Race Across the World fans share their biggest problem with new season Arrow MORE: 7 TV shows to watch after Clarkson's Farm season 4 Arrow MORE: Doctor Who has fixed a big mistake – but it might be too late
Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
All you need to know about Doctor Who's Omega as classic villain returns
Doctor Who viewers will see a major villain return to the franchise after the latest episode set the scene for a reality to be torn apart to make way for evil Doctor Who fans can rejoice as as the show is set to see a major villain make their return as part of the Unholy Trinity. Last week viewers learned that Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) is in The Rani, with the bi-generation also resulting in a new incarnation of the villain (played by Archie Panjabi). But Doctor Who showrunner Russell T Davies later confirmed that the two Ranis count as one part of the trinity, with grifter Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King) taking the second spot. While the question remained of who the third member would be the latest episode, Wish World, gave fans the answer they had been waiting for with 1973 villain Omega taking their place in the trinity. Wish World centers on an Earth where life is dictated by Conrad Clark. The infant God of Wishes has been abducted by the Rani who uses its powers alongside Conrad's warped mind and "a web of titanic power" created by the Doctor's vindicator to mould their "idyllic" world. The Rani(s) created Wish World so that they could ultimately destroy it as the break in reality it causes will open the Underverse, a realm where "the one who is lost" - Omega - dwells. Conrad describes him as: "Omega - the first Time Lord. The creator of the Time Lords. The greatest and most terrifying Time Lord of all." Omega's origins are rooted deep within the foundations of Time Lord's. He helped to harness the power of a star which enabled time travel, which in turn laid the foundations of Time Lord civilisation. But, the amazing feat saw Omega lost and totally consumed by madness. He then became a bitter villain who wants revenge against the Time Lords. The character first appeared in 1972 in The Three Doctors which starred Jon Pertwee, Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell. He appeared again in 1983 before he was banished back to his universe via the antimatter. It is yet to be revealed if the "Underverse" the Rani mentioned is the same antimatter realm where we last left Omega or if he now resides in a new realm since the events of Arc of Infinity. Omega has previously been brought to life by actors including the late Stephen Thorne in The Three Doctors, and the late Ian Collier in the Arc Of Infinity. With both of those stars having passed away in the years since we last saw the villain. Peter Davison also played Omega when he assumed the Doctor's physical form. However, in Wish World as the Underverse cracks open, a voice is heard bellowing: "Long live Omega! Omega shall be free!" Fans now expect to see a new actor take on the role for the season finale The Reality War next week. Doctor Who will return on Saturday May 31. New episodes are available from 8am on Saturdays on BBC iPlayer, landing later in the day on BBC One in the UK. Viewers outside of the UK can stream the series on Disney+.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
DOCTOR WHO's Rani Plans to Bring Back Another Classic Villain
One of the hallmarks of the 1970s and '80s in Doctor Who was the appearance of dozens and dozens of other Time Lords and Ladies. The planet Gallifrey and its denizens were frequent focal points of the Tom Baker years and beyond and with it we got several characters of varying states of exciting. Like, the Rani, for example, the villain of two eponymous stories from the mid-80s, 'The Mark of the Rani' and 'Time and the Rani.' The Rani, as we now know, is the current villain of the second Fifteenth Doctor season and in 'Wish World,' she dropped the name of another, even more notorious Time Lord she wants to revive: Omega. In terms of on-screen appearances, Omega has a pretty small footprint. In the lore of the series, Omega is the first Time Lord. That, as we know from 'The Timeless Children' is not exactly true. (The Doctor is, apparently, the source of regeneration energy.) But Omega was the Gallifreyan who harnessed and perfected time travel technology, the other pillar of Time Lord near-omnipotence. Various pieces of spinoff media have described Omega as a contemporary of Rassilon, another hugely important figure in Time Lord history. Whilst harnessing a supernova to secure Time Lord time travel capabilities, Omega became lost and the Time Lords believed him dead. The truth, as we learn in the 10th anniversary serial 'The Three Doctors,' his first appearance, is that he hadn't died. Not really, anyway. The supernova had sent Omega into a pocket dimension, an anti-matter universe, which he was able to control and construct through sheer force of will. He blamed the Time Lords for abandoning him and remained alive specifically to return and seek revenge. As stated, Omega's first appearance in Doctor Who was in 'The Three Doctors.' Largely, the Second and Third Doctors, plus members of the Third Doctor's UNIT family, squared off against Omega within the antimatter universe. During the course of that story, Omega finally got close to breaching his kingdom prison and returning to the pro-matter universe. (That is not what it's called; calm down, astrophysicists.) However, the Doctors rightly sus out that Omega isn't technically alive. Like the pocket universe itself, Omega only exists because his will power forces him to. A full 10 years later, in the serial 'Arc of Infinity,' which began Doctor Who's 20th season, Omega returned. Looking much stupider, the angry Time Lord made of antimatter attempts to gain reentry into the proper universe by fusing with the Doctor. Fearing that the collision of matter and antimatter would destroy reality, the Time Lords call the Doctor back to Gallifrey to execute him. Surviving that (obviously), it's up to the Doctor to stop Omega once again. Not on TV, though technically we see both him and Rassilon during the interminable flashbacks in 'The Timeless Children.' Omega has appeared in several Big Finish audio dramas, novels, and comics, however, and will very possibly make his grand return in 'The Reality War,' due to air on Disney+ May 31. The Two Ranis plus Omega? Our dear Doctor is really in for it this time! Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. He hosts the weekly pop culture deep-dive podcast Laser Focus. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.
Metro
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Doctor Who boss has teased a secret villain - meet the 11 sinister suspects
Ncuti Gatwa's second season as the Doctor is almost at an end as he faces down his 'biggest threat yet' – the Unholy Trinity. After Mrs Flood's (Anita Dobson) dramatic bigeneration into The Rani (Archie Panjabi) at the end of the last episode we know they have already recruited Lucky Day conspiracy theorist Conrad into their nefarious plan. However, as showrunner Russell T Davies has confirmed – given that Mrs Flood and The Rani are essentially the same person – that leaves one more villain to stir from the depths of the show's 62-year history to come and haunt the Doctor and Belinda (Varada Sethu). Exactly how The Rani, her subservient counterpart Mrs Flood, Conrad and the mysterious final entity will destroy the earth – and with it the Doctor – remains to be seen. All we know right now is that it somehow involves Captain Poppy of Space Babies fame, the return of the Doctor's granddaughter Susan Foreman, oh, and an exploding Tardis. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. So, business as usual? Of course, Doctor Who wouldn't be Doctor Who without Whovians posing their wildest theories that sometimes turn out to be right on the money (emphasis on the sometimes). And what's the point in this beloved sci-fi show without us all overthinking every hint dropped until we're proven woefully, woefully wrong. So, without further ado, here is who we believe is completing this evil triad – from the likely candidates to the outlandish and everything in between. We might as well get the most obvious guess over and done with. You can't have a huicy evil Time Lord showdown without the defining (kind of) evil Time Lord of Modern Who – Missy aka The Master. Conrad aside, there definitely seems to be a powerful female aesthetic to our Unholy Trio so far which lends well to Michelle Gomez's iteration of The Master making a comeback (rather than the inimitable Sacha Dhawan). This is further backed up by Gomez's presence at the Doctor Who premiere – also attended by Jo Martin's Fugitive Doctor who ended up making a sneaky cameo this season (with more to come…?). Nothing is off limits when you have over six decades of lore to delve into – as proven by Rani's return after 30 years. And so, naturally, we have to dig some Classic Who villains out from the debris and dust them off. For those not in the know, Omega is one of the founders of Time Lord society and ally to Rassilion (who we'll get to later). But his stature is even more relevant now we know about the Timeless Child and all the implications around how the Time Lords came into existence. The last we had heard, the intergalactic engineer who gave Gallifreyans the ability to time travel was dead, but hey, when has that ever stopped anyone in Doctor Who? Now, Russell T Davies is known for whipping out a wildcard villain and nothing says totally unexpected callback that will completely delight four Whovians like Mr Kandyman. Honestly, there's no real rhyme or reason for why this liquorice antagonist from 1988 would be the chosen one aside from The Rani aiming to confuse the Doctor so thoroughly that she successfully executes her plan. It's as good a reason as any! When it comes to the Doctor Who finale's Big Bad, you can never truly rule out the Doctor's ultimate nemesis – the Daleks. Or, in this case, their creator Davros. Especially if the theory that The Rani is attempting to create Time Lords is true, who better to team up with than a fellow maniacal visionary? And with Davros's knack for survival despite having large buildings crumble on top of him – we've no doubt he could make a reappearance. What's more, the Doctor himself, Ncuti Gatwa, has spoken about his dream to battle the Daleks. Could it finally be coming true? Sticking with the theme of Time Lord history, you can't get more iconic than Rassilon himself – the Lord President who the Doctor has had to defeat more than once. Both Russell T Davies and Steven Moffatt have brought Rassilon back into the reboot, most recently appearing in Hell Bent full of fury after being deposed as the top dog Essentially, he's got all the reasons in the universe to want to take the Doctor down a notch. Look, The Trickster has proven himself a formidable foe of Sarah Jane (and even the Doctor himself during David Tennant's 2009 special). Frankly, it would be epic to see him bring his full power to the main show. Especially as one of his brigade, The Time Beetle, caused such excellent havoc in season four episode Turn Left, just think the heights we could reach. It may be a long shot that some laugh off but The Trickster has real potential as the final ingredient in the Unholy Trinity. The Interstellar Song Contest introduced one of the most complex villain's of the show, Kid, who is tortured by the Doctor. In fact, during the episode he proclaims that he'll be back which is hardly an empty threat in Doctor Who. And if Mrs Flood can recruit Conrad, another familiar face from this season hell bent on revenge against the Doctor, then who is to say she couldn't easily bring Kid around? It would be especially interesting to see Doctor face more consequences for his behaviour and give a better resolution to this controversial loose thread. We already know Doctor Who legend Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford) is returning in some shape or form after appearing in visions to the Doctor in The Interstellar Song Contest. But, could this simply be a trap for the Doctor to lure him right where The Rani needs him to be? Some eager-eyed people have pointed out that Russell T Davies has teased there is a 'third lying in wait, exactly 160 years away' which suspiciously lines up with when the First Doctor left Susan behind in the 22nd Century, promising to one day come back for her. Could it be a coincidence? Or is Susan not the loving and loyal granddaughter we remember her to be? Beep the Meep meets lots of the criteria to join the Unholy Trinity – a niche Classic Who villain with a grudge against the Doctor. And just like The Rani has made Mrs Flood her minion, perhaps Beep the Meep was ripe for the picking when it came to finding yet another subservient creature to stay by her side. Sure, it's a stretch, however, it's not out of the realm of possibility. Okay, maybe it is a little bit but don't say we didn't tell you so when Beep appears out of nowhere. Villengard may not be a person but who says it needs to be an individual foe? The weapons manufacturer that has followed the Doctor around throughout the reboot, most recently in Steven Moffat's Joy to the World, could very well be the final piece in The Rani's puzzle. Especially as Moffat himself said in an interview that he received the finale of season two to read over for 'reasons that will become apparent'. It also ties in with Belinda since it is one of her descendants who appears in Boom, yet another Moffat episode with a Villengard feature. Last, but certainly not least, we have the fan-favourite Trinity Wells who, as one X user Jax put it, is the literal 'harbinger of doom' that Davies has been warning us about. More Trending The news anchor has been with the human race through thick and thin – and it would certainly be a fun twist if such a familiar face was given an even bigger role than ever as part of the Unholy Trinity. We're not saying Trinity is a shoo-in as the mysterious villain but… we wouldn't bat an eye if she swaps the newsdesk out for universe-wide domination after everything she's been through. Doctor Who returns to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Saturday. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More »
