This article contains spoilers for Doctor Who season 14, episode 2, "The Devil's Chord."
Summary
- Ruby Sunday's origin is a mystery; she is a foundling, like the Doctor himself.
- The parallel between Ruby and the Doctor raises several possibilities.
- Doctor Who also appears to be embracing mythology and fairytales, making it possible Ruby's story is somehow tied to these themes.
The Doctor Who Christmas Special, "The Church on Ruby Road," introduced Millie Gibson as the new companion Ruby Sunday - and set up an intriguing mystery surrounding her mother. Doctor Who has changed a great deal since Russell T. Davies relaunched the BBC's top sci-fi TV show back in 2005, and companions have become rather more complex. Davies' successor Steven Moffat introduced the idea of companions who were mysteries in their own right, enigmas for the Doctor to solve - the most prominent being Doctor Who's Clara Oswald, the Impossible Girl.
Davies has returned in what is being referred to by some as Doctor Who's Disney era, and he seems to have picked up a few tricks from his successors. Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday is introduced as another mystery companion, because the truth of Ruby's origin is an enigma - deliberately paralleled with the Timeless Child retcon, which turned the Doctor's entire backstory into a jigsaw puzzle.
Ruby Sunday was abandoned at the doors of a church on Ruby Road, explaining her name. "The Church on Ruby Road" deliberately avoided dropping any real clues about her true identity - the mother was shrouded in shadow, although she seems to have stayed to watch the Doctor tackle the Goblins. While there is still no solid answer to the question of who Ruby's mother is, there are several theories.
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10 Ruby Is Another Timeless Child
Millie Gibson's character could be the same species as the Doctor
The Timeless Child retcon was one of the most shocking in Doctor Who history, upending decades' worth of continuity to reveal the Doctor was not born on Gallifrey. Instead, the Doctor is in fact the Timeless Child, a being who originates from beyond this universe, and who became the base genetic code for every Time Lord. Ruby's origin parallels the mystery of the Doctor's, raising the intriguing possibility Ruby is in fact a Timeless Child as well. If so, it would be a smart narrative approach.
There's just one problem with this theory, though; "The Church on Ruby Road" seems to go to great lengths to make it rather unlikely. Davina McCall is given a sample of Ruby Sunday's DNA, and attempts to trace her family origins. What's notable, though, is that she doesn't notice any of the telltale genetic anomalies that would indicate this person was not human. If Ruby Sunday is a Timeless Child, there's more to this story than just that - her DNA must have been deliberately cloaked, using something similar to a Time Lord Chameleon Arch.
9 Ruby Sunday Is A Time Lord
Ruby may have origins on Gallifrey
In "The Giggle," Neil Patrick Harris' Toymaker - a being of almost infinite power - claimed the Doctor is the last of the Time Lords. The Chameleon Arch, though, means that isn't necessarily the case; the Time Lords could have concealed themselves by scattering members of their race throughout time and space, using the Chameleon Arch to conceal them.
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They could even have hidden infants, a new generation of Time Lords. If this is the case, the Doctor has stumbled on the future of the Time Lords - a coincidence so vast it would provide tremendous sustenance for the Goblins in Doctor Who. If this is the case, even Ruby herself would likely be unaware of her ability to regenerate, and she could still be in her original form.
8 Ruby Is The Doctor's Own Daughter
Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor could have given birth to Ruby Sunday
One surprising theory circulating in the fandom suggests that Ruby is the Doctor's own daughter - and that the mysterious woman is in fact Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor, or another incarnation of the Doctor (given the Timeless Child confirmed previous female regenerations, including Jo Martin's tremendous Fugitive Doctor). This possibility can't be ruled out, and it would establish a tremendous bond between the Doctor and Ruby Sunday. It would also be another way to tie the Timeless Child retcon into Ruby's story. At the same time, though, it seems rather a stretch given Davina McCall's DNA tests - a Chameleon Arch would still need to be involved.
7 Ruby's Mother Is Missy/The Doctor's New Master
The Master has also had a female regeneration
Davies is clearly tapping into his inner Moffat with Ruby Sunday, meaning he could bring back one of the most popular incarnations of the Doctor's greatest nemesis - Michelle Gomez's Missy. Alternatively, he could follow Moffat's pattern by introducing another female version of the Master, whose return may have been set up at the end of Doctor Who's 60th anniversary special. This would be a fun twist, with the Master potentially planting Ruby as a trap, but again - a Chameleon Arch would need to be involved. All these Timeless Child and Time Lord theories hinge on the same technology.
6 Ruby's Mother Is Tied To Folklore
The origins of Ruby Sunday may sit outside existing Doctor Who canon
"The Church on Ruby Road" sees Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor go up against goblins, confirming that the Disney era is headed in a fantastical direction. Given that's the case, it's surely no coincidence Ruby's origin feels like something from a fairytale - a foundling abandoned on the steps of a church at Christmas. Davies has confirmed the Fifteenth Doctor will battle the Toymaker's Legions, godlike beings - and more. Speaking on Doctor Who: The Video Commentaries, he noted:
"Every so often we get a chance to do an episode that’s kind-of supernatural, not exactly supernatural, but where all the rules are suspended... And we’re going to keep doing it, aren’t we? We love it."
Given this comment, Ruby Sunday could be tied to something quasi-supernatural, Toymaker-like - perhaps providing another explanation where her DNA tracks as human. This theory feels like one of the most probable, fitting in with the current direction of Doctor Who, and setting up almost infinite story possibilities. Doctor Who rarely taps into the fantasy genre, but when it does, there's often a scientific explanation.
5 Ruby's Mother Is No One
There could be an underwhelming reveal in Doctor Who's future
This final option could be referred to as "The Last Jedi Solution," named after a controversial decision made by Rian Johnson's Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. There, Johnson attempted to subvert fan expectations that Daisy Ridley's Rey was part of an important bloodline, instead revealing she was the daughter of two people of no galactic significance. In story terms, it was an attempt to move away from the Great Man of History motif so common in Star Wars, by confirming Rey as a true everyman hero. Davies could be trying to do something similar.
There's just one problem with this theory; Davies would have to be a very brave man indeed to risk it. The Rey revelation was so divisive Lucasfilm hurriedly walked back on it in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, instead revealing Rey was the granddaughter of Palpatine himself. The fandom reacted badly to The Last Jedi's bait and switch, and there's no reason to assume Doctor Who's viewers would be any more positive. This theory feels very unlikely indeed, given the context.