Doctor Who has unveiled a new sonic screwdriver for Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, showcasing the features of this reimagined version of the Time Lord's tool. Gatwa officially made his debut as the Fifteenth Doctor alongside David Tennant's Fourteenth in the final of three Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials, "The Giggle". Now setting off in his own TARDIS, Gatwa's Fifteenth in preparing for his first season as the Doctor, with his first full episode being the upcoming Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road", in which he'll meet new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and face off against fearsome goblins.

Following Gatwa's debut, the BBC revealed his Doctor's new sonic, and it's a wildly different design from what's come before. In the video, Gatwa walks audiences through the device's new setup, showing off a crystal power source, an extendable prong for interacting with pieces of technology, and a plate featuring Gallifreyan script that translates to the Rwandan proverb: "The sharpness of the tongue defeats the sharpness of the warrior." Check it out, below:

Ncuti Gatwa's Sonic Screwdriver Continues Doctor Who's Reinvention Of The Device

Gatwa's new sonic screwdriver is an incredible departure from the design philosophy that has surrounded his prior incarnation's versions of the device. While it may be the same trusty device in a new case, each sonic screwdriver has tended to be cylindrical in overall shape, resembling what viewers may usually expect from a screwdriver, with various sci-fi adornments and lights to give it an alien look. In comparison, the new version of the device that Gatwa will wield across his Doctor Who tenure is a flatter, pad-like device that is more akin to a typical sci-fi communication device or phone.

However, the new hardware does fit with how showrunner Russell T. Davie has set out to reinvent the device following his return. Rather than rely on the Doctor peering at an undisclosed reading somewhere on the cylindrical device, Doctor Who's 60 anniversary sonic screwdriver has boasted several innovations, including holographic projections to give audiences a glimpse at scanned points of interest, the ability to project hard-light shields capable of defecting projectile and energy weapons, and emit soundwaves capable of resonating and displacing concrete. As such, Gatwa's new sonic screwdriver is a further innovation that helps the device stand out from what came before, keeping faithful to the basic concept while also being more advanced and personal to the incoming incarnation of the Time Lord.

As such a large departure from what came before, Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor's all-new sonic screwdriver may come as a surprise to pre-existing viewers. The flatter design does bring the screwdriver into a more typical sci-fi aesthetic and steps further away from its resemblance to the everyday tool it is inspired by. However, with the device maintaining functions like an extendable emitter, and a message both personal to Gatwa's heritage and a perfect summary of the Doctor's character, it is an innovation of the iconic device that feels at home on a TARDIS console, waiting to be used in Doctor Who 2023's seasonal special.

Source: BBC