That also reminds me... Martha had the best departure for the new series companions.
First - there wasn't a "no going back" departure (she wasn't trapped in a parallel universe, didn't have some meta-crisis, and wasn't zapped back in time by angels) - Martha's later cameos were okay because the way she departed (on fairly good terms, still in one piece) was clean.
Second - The Doctor didn't mope about after Martha. Her departure was mentioned twice in the "transition" episode, but Donna's episodes belonged to Donna and she didn't have to spend any time "measuring up" to Martha.
Third - Of all the (modern) companions, her post-companion role was the most believable and least annoying.
Fourth - Because of the way she departed, return appearances didn't "compete" with the new companion.
I completely agree. Martha was a really great companion. I really loved Tennant, moping disregarded. Never liked Rose or Donna but The Tenth Doctor completely made up for my dislike of those two. Wish we had seen more of Captain Jack, he was great too.
I like Eleven, he was my first. But I wish Ten had a much longer lifespan. In terms of our years he lasted about 3.5 seasons (3 normal seasons and then a peppering of episodes during 2009) and in comparison to the twelve hundred years that he now has under his belt, 6 (7?) years was not a long run. In a human lifespan that's still very short.
Some people think he became a wimp towards the end of his time. I think that's total bull. He both loved and hated himself in that incarnation. When the chance that he was going to die in battle came up he was usually fearless, because it was sudden and urgent. But hearing a prophecy of his death made him fall apart at the seams like any mortal would. He did what most people would regard as the right thing in the end and then said his goodbyes by saving Martha and Mickey from a sontaran, saving Luke from being run over which means he saved Sarah Jane from the lose of her son, hooks Jack up with Alanso, checks on Joans well being, makes Donna win the lottery to free her from the financial difficulties she was having, and he wished Rose a happy new year. Wide range of helpfulness in these, but they couldn't all be saved or need saving. All The Doctor retains when he dies are his memory and knowledge. His personality and everything that makes him him die. He has a very long lifespan if you think of them all as being the same people but the way I feel about it is that they are completely different people who are each born and die with however long they survived.
Thinking about it I think he would have saved more people by staying in his tenth incarnation than by sacrificing himself. He did the right thing I suppose but Wilf was old, he wouldn't last much longer anyway and The Doctor could have put his self sacrifice to a better use.
Or, here's what I would ideally have liked to happen. The Master is not sucked back into the time lock. The Doctor did what he did last time he was regenerating and only heal himself with the regenerative energy, pouring the rest into The Master so his life force stabilizes, The Master escapes and vwala, life goes on. The Doctor lives and The Master continues to wreck havoc on everyone and everything he comes across, leaving The Doctor very busy.
Come to think about it I suppose this is meant to be about the new series. Woops.
