The first Doctor Who 2023 special, The Star Beast, proved to be a truly enjoyable journey for all the fans out there. Russell T. Davies managed to make an adaptation of the classic comic book story of a cuddly alien turned murderous dictator both nostalgic and relevant.
While the episode is a standalone story, it sets up the next two 60th anniversary specials, Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle, which will air on BBC and Disney+ on December 2 and 9, respectively.
The Star Beast cemented the new David Tennant's version as the Fourteenth Doctor and featured his reunion with Donna Noble (Catherine Tate). It also introduced a new major character, Donna's daughter Rose (Yasmin Finney), who is reportedly set to become Doctor Who's first transgender companion.
But most importantly, it ended on a cliffhanger that kicked off the next special and raised a number of questions that will fuel the adventures to come. Here are the most important of those questions, which we expect to be answered by the end of the specials' run.
Why did the TARDIS go haywire?
The biggest reason for anticipation for the next episode is the final moments of The Star Beast. In her hilarious style, Donna spilled coffee on the newly redesigned TARDIS control panel, which apparently caused the ship to go haywire and transport the Doctor and Donna to the next episode, which, judging by the teaser, is set in a dangerous place.
But was it really Donna's clumsiness that triggered the TARDIS' misbehavior, or was the ship manipulated in some way? That's what we hope to find out in Wild Blue Yonder.
Who is 'the Boss'?
The Doctor interrupted Beep the Meep's evil plans and handed the alien over to the Wrarth Warriors. But while saying goodbye, Beep the Meep promised to get revenge, and to tell some mysterious 'Boss' interested in two-hearted species about the Doctor.
This sets up the big bad of the Fourteenth story, and we can't wait to meet the new villain, who many theorize could be the Celestial Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris).
Who is Shirley Anne Bingham?
Another character introduced in the episode is Shirley Anne Bingham, the perky and resourceful UNIT Scientific Advisor number 56, played by Ruth Madeley. The character is set to become the 'semi-regular' of the series and raises some intriguing questions.
Why does she know so much about the Doctor, and why did he dump his entire life story onto her at their first meeting? Why was she in command of the officers and not the head of UNIT, Kate Stuart? Something tells us there's more to this character than we've seen.
Has Donna gone back to being an average human?
It is revealed at the end of the episode that Donna can survive the Time Lord energy because she has passed some of it on to her daughter and now they share it. Not only that, but both women are able to release the energy and get rid of it, which they do.
But the question remains whether Donna and Rose have retained some of the Time Lord traits and powers. That would be useful in the future, wouldn't it?
Why does the Doctor have his old face back?
This is the biggest question of all, asked by everyone and the Doctor himself. Of course, we are happy to see David Tennant back on our screens. But Russell T. Davies better come up with a good explanation (which we're sure he will), because so far it's all very uncanonical.