Summary SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT The concept of regeneration has never made complete sense in Doctor Who, but there’s one moment from the show’s original run that seemingly made the process even more complicated. Doctor Who follows an adventurous Time Lord named The Doctor, who has the ability to cheat death by changing his physical appearance and adopting a new personality whenever he comes close.
Romana marked one of the few times that Doctor Who recast a companion between seasons, and since the character had already been established as a Time Lord, it made sense for her to regenerate. However, the real controversy lies in how comedically and nonchalantly the process was played on-screen, entirely unlike The Doctor’s regenerations.
During the shocking finale to The Stolen Earth, The Doctor’s regeneration is triggered when he’s almost killed by a Dalek - but he manages to control the process and direct the energy into a severed hand that he lost during The Christmas Invasion. This stuck with the idea that Time Lords have some control over their regeneration, explaining Romana’s controversial one, while maintaining that dramatic tone.