New Capaldi Sonic

[handofomega]

Looks like Capaldi is getting a new sonic for Christmas.   Here is a link to the article with  pictures.

http://io9.com/the-doctor-who-christmas-special-gets-a-name-and-a-new-1745448124?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Looks like it might be neat!

[Senseidale]

Thats good news indeed, new prop,  I like and dislike the sunglasses look, perhaps he will keep both, that i will like.

[ThisJustinOnline]

Looking awesome!

Close ups!

[handofomega]

I like the concept of the glasses but not as a complete replacement to the sonic.  I would like him to keep both.   

The second image Primrodo posted looks like a sonic that as cobbled together.   Hard to tell exactly what the entire prop will end up looking like.   I am glad Capaldi's Doctor will be getting his own sonic.  For some reason it never felt right to me for him to have the Smith version. 

[Kingpin]

OOooh.  I'm liking what I'm so far seeing.

[galacticprobe]

I am glad Capaldi's Doctor will be getting his own sonic.  For some reason it never felt right to me for him to have the Smith version.

Being a "sonic junkie" I'm always happy to add another model to my collection. But the sonic is a tool, and really doesn't need to be changed out every time the Doctor regenerates (just like there doesn't need to be a new console either). There was never a problem with the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Doctors using the same sonic, or with the 9th and 10th using the same design. But for some reason a lot of people I've met that are fans of the show all have been - complaining is a harsh word, but I can't think of another at the moment - about the 12th Doctor using the same sonic as the 11th. I just can't see anything wrong with it. (It's a tool, just like a rubber mallet for pounding on the console. Is it necessary to change out the mallet with each new Doctor? I don't think so.)

Dino.

[handofomega]

As I stated seeing Capaldi using the Smith sonic never felt right to me.   That is my opinion.   Not that they couldn't have went on having him continue to use it as you are correct it is just a tool.   And except for minor variations on the design the Sonic was mostly the same from the 3rd Doctor through to McGann in the 1996 TV movie.   And yes 9 and 10 used similar sonics to one another.   The Sonic should only be updated every 5 to 6 years or so show continuity-wise.  Which is what I am seeing here.   The last real change to the prop was when Smith took over from Tennent.    So it is just time I am guessing.

[Mark]

I think it's a good move to re introduce the screwdriver as opposed to having the glasses. That's just my opinion though.

As for the sonic screwdriver changing, I would say it depends on the current Doctors taste after regeneration. Tennant's Doc was more of "it ain't broke, don't fix it" leaving the console room and sonic the same as Ecclestons. Tennant's costume also remained fairly consistent. With Matts Doc he changed the console room twice, new sonic and his costume had numerous changes.

[Rassilons Rod]

I like the concept of the glasses but not as a complete replacement to the sonic.  I would like him to keep both.  

Personally, I think the glasses would be fine if they weren't "sonic"... Why does everything have to be sonic?

And in any case, why does the sonic screwdriver need to be an analogue of the Star Trek tricorder? It never was
in the classic series and they thought it was a bit too much of a "get out of jail free card" even then...

The new screwdriver does look nice though

[rob49152]

So far from what little I've seen I have to say I'm not too impressed with this design. It looks like a star trek medical thingy with the lights. A little too 'showy' for a functional device. The previous sonics looked like they followed the 'form follows function' and 'Keep it simple' design guidelines.

I do hope that I can change my opinion. But I am older now.... and stuck in my ways. 

[handofomega]

Rob I would just like to see a pic of the prop by itself so I could get a feel for it.

[galacticprobe]

As I stated seeing Capaldi using the Smith sonic never felt right to me.   That is my opinion.

And I'll never fault you on that, Don. I'll never fault anyone on their opinion. It just seems to me that there are too many things being changed with each Doctor's regeneration in the New Series, when compared to the Classic.

Not that they couldn't have went on having him continue to use it as you are correct it is just a tool.   And except for minor variations on the design the Sonic was mostly the same from the 3rd Doctor through to McGann in the 1996 TV movie.

And this was just what I was trying to convey in my last post: no criticism of anyone's opinion. (Just extra clarification there, for my own piece of mind.)

And yes 9 and 10 used similar sonics to one another.   The Sonic should only be updated every 5 to 6 years or so show continuity-wise.  Which is what I am seeing here.   The last real change to the prop was when Smith took over from Tennent.    So it is just time I am guessing.

It's probably just a marketing ploy. They had the perfect opportunity to change the sonic when the 10th Doctor managed to destroy it in "Smith and Jones", but kept his "new" sonic the same as the one he lost. And of course the opportunity arose again in "The Eleventh Hour", and this time they took advantage of it. But as you said, in the Classic years, the sonic went relatively unchanged, aside from some small cosmetics, from the 3rd Doctor's last year (1974) until JN-T had it destroyed in 1981/82 during the 5th Doctor's run, and even then when it returned for the 1996 TVM is looked almost identical, but having a telescopic feature. (Heck, even the revamped TARDIS console back then lasted from "The Five Doctors" in 1983 until the end of the 7th Doctor's Series run in 1989: 6 years; we barely got that out of the 2005 console.)

Personally, I think the glasses would be fine if they weren't "sonic"... Why does everything have to be sonic?

Really. I mean, who looks at a pair of sunglasses and thinks "Ooh, these could be a little more sonic?" Seriously, though, they worked fine as IR/Thermal Imaging sunglasses in "The Hungry Earth" / "Cold Blood". They would be perfect for that function, and also for use as an audio-visual transmitter like they were in "Under the Lake"

The new screwdriver does look nice though

Like I admitted, I am a "Sonic Junkie", and I agree it looks nice (from what we can see of it). I just don't feel it was necessary to change the design (or have the Doctor lose the old one the way he did, especially since he took young Davros home and had the perfect change to get it back, since he already changed the timeline by not leaving young Davros stranded with the sonic).

As for the sonic screwdriver changing, I would say it depends on the current Doctors taste after regeneration. ... With Matts Doc he changed the console room twice, new sonic and his costume had numerous changes.

The clothing, sure; just look at how many different outfits the 3rd and 4th Doctors rotated through. Even minimalistically, like with the 9th 10th, and 12th Doctors, the 1st Doctor occasionally wore a cape rather than his coat, and like the 6th, changed his neck tie (with the latter also changing his waistcoat). Doctors 2, 5, and 7 basically wore the same outfit all the way through, though 5 did make minor alterations to his in his last year, and 7 only changed his jacket in his last year.

When it comes to the sonic and console room, the 11th Doctor changed the "desktop" only once (prior to "The Snowmen"); the TARDIS changed it herself in "The Eleventh Hour", and she also changed the design of the sonic when she spit it out for the Doctor. (So maybe we can chalk this new sonic up to another TARDIS-designed change; for that we'll have to wait and see.)

Dino.

[fivefingeredstyre]

Am I the only person who cringes everytime they refer to it as the "sonic"?

Its the Sonic Screwdriver... 

[davidnagel]

Am I the only person who cringes everytime they refer to it as the "sonic"?

Its the Sonic Screwdriver... 

Despite making the same mistake in my own scripts, referring to it as the Sonic in stage directions, I agree, I don't like it being referred to like this verbally either.

[Rassilons Rod]

"What are you going to do? Assemble a cabinet at them?"