Doctor Who returned for its thirteenth season over the weekend — and the scale couldn’t have been bigger. This time around, the run — subtitled Flux — consists of six interconnected episodes, with episode 1’s Halloween special concluding on a killer cliffhanger, as the Doctor and her TARDIS appeared to be caught in a destructive energy wave about to end the universe. Well, spoilers I guess, but obviously, the universe is still kicking as we’ve got five more weeks to go.
Episode 2 is set to send Jodie Whittaker’s Time Lord and her friends, Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (newcomer John Bishop), back to the Crimean War where the Doctor will face off against one of her oldest enemies. And the Doctor Who Twitter account just revealed a fresh look at these enemies today – namely, the Sontarans, the potato-headed warmongers who first debuted in 1973. Check out the pic below:
The Sontarans briefly made their return last week, as part of the interconnected puzzle-box plot that’ll unfold over the next few episodes. This served as our introduction to the villains’ redesign, which closely resembles the Sontarans’ original look, doing away with their squatter masks and blue uniforms from more recent years. Whittaker is the seventh incarnation of the time-traveling hero to encounter them on screen, following Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Colin Baker, David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi.
The Weeping Angels likewise made a cameo in the first episode, which likely means we can expect them to take center stage in another installment to come. But first, there’s “War of the Sontarans”, which will also see the Doctor meet groundbreaking Jamaican doctor Mary Seacole (Sara Powell), another underappreciated historical figure Who is showcasing to a wider audience. Expect more from new main villain Swarm (Sam Spruell), a foe from the Doctor’s distant past, too.
Doctor Who: Flux continues this Sunday, Nov. 7.
