| The answer is indeed 12.
However, this being science fiction and, as I have said before, Dr. Who has never been a series to let consistancy stand in the way of telling a story.
The Master has cheated the limit by seizing the bodies of others. When the original actor that played The Master ended his run, The Master stole the body of Consul Tremas of Traken, which led to Nyssa, his daughter, joining The Doctor as a companion. In the FOX movie, The Master usurped the body of the EMT, played by Eric Roberts.
When Romana changed from actress Mary Tamm to Lalla Ward, script editor Douglas Adams of "Hitchhiker's Guide..." fame, caused a stir among fans by showing Romana changing into various forms before deciding on becoming the blonde beauty Ward.
Fans were upset that this could be interpreted as violating the 12 regenerations rule and that it seems to say that Time Lords & Ladies can choose their next appearance and personality.
Perhaps it could be said that in "The Brain of Morbius" The Doctor was remembering faces that he had tried out without making them "permanent". |