In the decades since man has been entertained by pictures within a black box — these days, via tiny screens — various genres have been introduced to aid our enjoyment. Action, thrillers, sci-fi, and even horror have all made their way to screens across the globe for many decades now. Within each of these genres, iconic franchises have emerged, some withering along the way, others enduring. The sci-fi genre can boast of many iconic franchises, with the likes of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Alien making their mark over the decades.
Like any of the aforementioned iconic science-fiction franchises, Doctor Who, — which is the oldest of those listed — has developed certain traits by which we spot them within the pack. While others, like Star Wars and Star Trek, often plunge us into the enormous vastness of space, with massive spacecrafts, warp speed travel, and wars waged across the galaxy. Doctor Who does not discard space or other realities beyond ours, rather it integrates deeply into its core spatial dimensions. As a key trait for the franchise, the Doctor often travels through time and space in the TARDIS, the show’s iconic time machine, encountering alien forces along the way. Every so often, the Doctor undergoes regeneration into a new form, giving a new actor the chance to put their mark on the iconic character.
What we have in the end is an enduring character, and a world and lore so in-depth we simply cannot keep away. So, if your aim is to refresh your memory of the previous Doctors of the past, there is great news for you. Via IGN, it’s been announced that fans can catch up on some Doctor Who and upgrade their physical media collection, as Amazon has opened preorders for three brand-new complete era Blu-ray box sets celebrating the Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth Doctors. Iterations of the Doctor captured in each individual set include the complete runs of Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and Jodie Whittaker, arguably the best doctors ever. Each set will contain all of their respective seasons, Christmas specials, and bonus features in a single physical collection. All three box sets are scheduled to ship on November 3, 2026, with Amazon pricing the Smith and Whittaker collections at $44.99 each and the Capaldi collection at $49.99.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Personality Quiz Which Sci-Fi Hero Are You Most Like? Paul Atreides · Captain Kirk · Princess Leia · Ellen Ripley · Max Rockatansky
Five iconic heroes. Five completely different ways of facing an impossible universe. One of them shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of refusing to back down. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🏜️Paul Atreides
🖖Capt. Kirk
✊Princess Leia
🔦Ellen Ripley
🔥Max Rockatansky
01
How do you lead when the stakes couldn’t be higher? The way you lead under pressure is the most honest thing about you.
02
What is your greatest strength in a crisis? The quality that keeps you alive when everything else fails.
03
What is the thing you’d sacrifice everything else for? Your deepest motivation is your truest compass.
04
How do you relate to the people around you? Who you are to others under pressure is who you really are.
05
You’re facing a threat that no one else believes is real. What do you do? How you respond when you’re the only one who sees it defines everything.
06
What has your heroism cost you personally? Every hero pays. The question is what — and whether they’d pay it again.
07
How do you feel about the rules of the world you’re in? Every hero has a relationship with the system. What’s yours?
08
When everything is on the line, what keeps you going? The answer is the most honest thing about you.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your Sci-Fi Hero Is…
Your answers point to the iconic sci-fi hero who shares your instincts, your values, and your particular way of facing the impossible.
Arrakis · Dune
Paul Atreides
You carry a weight most people would crumble under — the knowledge of what you’re capable of, and the burden of what you might have to become.
You see further ahead than others and you plan accordingly, even when the vision frightens you.
You are driven by loyalty to your people and a sense of destiny you didn’t ask for but can’t escape.
Paul Atreides is not simply a hero — he is someone who understands the cost of power and chooses to bear it anyway.
That gravity, that willingness to carry what others won’t, is exactly you.
USS Enterprise · Star Trek
Captain Kirk
You lead with instinct, warmth, and an absolute refusal to accept a no-win scenario — because you’ve always believed there’s a third option nobody else has thought of yet.
You take the mission seriously without ever taking yourself too seriously.
Your crew would follow you anywhere, not because you demand it, but because you’ve earned it.
Kirk’s genius isn’t tactical — it’s human. He reads people, bends rules with purpose, and wills outcomes into existence through sheer conviction.
That combination of warmth, audacity, and relentless optimism is unmistakably yours.
The Rebellion · Star Wars
Princess Leia
You are the kind of person who holds the line when everyone else is losing faith — not because you’re fearless, but because giving up simply isn’t something you’re capable of.
You lead through conviction. Your voice carries because your belief is unshakeable.
You gave up everything ordinary the moment you chose the cause, and you’ve never looked back.
Leia is not a supporting character in her own story — she is the moral centre of the entire rebellion.
That same fierce, principled, unbreakable core is what defines you.
The Nostromo · Alien
Ellen Ripley
You are not reckless, not grandiose, and not particularly interested in being anyone’s hero — you just refuse to stop when it matters.
You see threats clearly, you document the truth even when no one listens, and when the time comes you handle it yourself.
Ripley’s heroism is earned, not performed. She doesn’t have a speech — she has a flamethrower and a plan.
You share her composure under the worst possible pressure, and her refusal to pretend the monster isn’t there.
When it counts, you don’t flinch. That’s everything.
The Wasteland · Mad Max
Max Rockatansky
You have been through fire that would break most people — and what came out the other side is something the world underestimates at its peril.
You don’t ask for help, don’t need validation, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you the rules no longer apply.
Your loyalty, when it finally arrives, is absolute — but it’s earned in silence and tested in action, not in words.
Max is not a nihilist. He is someone who lost everything and found, against his will, that he still has something worth protecting.
That bruised, stubborn, ultimately human core is exactly yours.
Will ‘Doctor Who’ Return?
So, while fans reminisce on the past with the new Blu-ray collections, there is also a need to look to the future. So the question emerges. What does the future hold for Doctor Who? That’s a question most fans have been asking, as the long-running science-fiction series ended a rough partnership with Disney+ in a bit of controversy and was recently put out to competitive tender. The simple answer for now: No one knows. However, it’s important to note that uncertainty isn’t alien to Doctor Who and its millions of fans. Folks far more familiar with vintage models will surely remember when the show first went off-air several decades ago. The franchise’s status as one of the most iconic sci-fi series in the world and one of the BBC’s flagship shows suggest that the world might never be rid of the Doctor in its entirety. However, its current return remains a mystery, and perhaps it might take BBC Studios owning its rights for us to see the TARDIS in full flow once more.
You can stream the most recent Doctor Who seasons on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for the latest updates.
Release Date
2005 – 2022-00-00
Network
BBC
Directors
Graeme Harper, Euros Lyn, Douglas Mackinnon, Jamie Magnus Stone, Charles Palmer, Rachel Talalay, Joe Ahearne, James Strong, Jamie Childs, Saul Metzstein, Toby Haynes, Wayne Che Yip, Nick Hurran, Richard Clark, James Hawes, Daniel Nettheim, Colin Teague, Keith Boak, Azhur Saleem, Adam Smith, Andrew Gunn, Nida Manzoor, Lawrence Gough, Paul Murphy
