Why does the sonic screwdriver change

Each model used the same software. Essentially, the sonic screwdriver in use by the War Doctor was the same as that in the Eleventh Doctor 's possession, some years later. TV : The Day of the Doctor. At least one version of the screwdriver used a crystal similar to the Metebelis crystal sought after by the Eight Legs of Metebelis III , COMIC : The Forgotten while the Fifth Doctor attempted to collect a diothynine crystal from the planet Argentia where temporal zone met to focus sonic waveforms for a new sonic screwdriver.

The screwdriver had a multitude of settings and different versions of settings. TV : The Caretaker The Twelfth Doctor himself used setting 61 to knock out a cybernetically augmented dinosaur with a " sonic brainstorm ".

TV : Deep Breath. River Song told the Fourth Doctor that, though his current screwdriver was mostly just a screwdriver, he would later "go a bit crazy with the optional upgrades".

Although it was primarily a tool, the sonic screwdriver could also be used as a defensive weapon, able to combine with other sonic devices to form a shield around a hostile target to either force them back TV : The Day of the Doctor or slow their advance.

TV : Let's Kill Hitler The sonic screwdriver was also capable of holding off sound waves from creatures who relied on sound in order to attack such as the Vigil. TV : The Rings of Akhaten. The sonic screwdriver would, in rare occasions, be used as an offensive weapon, firing energy blasts. The Eleventh Doctor used it in this manner to help River Song defeat a group of Silents , defeating at least two of them.

TV : Day of the Moon The Twelfth Doctor used the same model of screwdriver to blast a Hyperion , buying himself and others time to escape from it. TV : The Snowmen. The Tenth Doctor claimed that the device could not be used to wound, maim or kill living things.

COMIC : Spirits of the Jungle It could destroy non-living objects or mechanisms or place living creatures in circumstances where they might die if the situation required. For a time, the Twelfth Doctor abandoned sonic screwdrivers in favour of wearable technology - namely, his sonic sunglasses.

Furthermore, after the Doctor had lost sight of who he was, Clara left him a reminder to "be a Doctor" after leaving his company. As described by a Gowenn shuttle computer aboard the Sou ou shi ship, the First Doctor once used an "unknown sonic device" to crack the code for the launch sequence of said shuttle. The Second Doctor used sonics of different design, including one like a life jacket safety whistle , TV : Fury from the Deep or like a metal penlight TV : The War Games which could get a trigger attachment.

Time doesn't work the same way for Time Lord tools. The Eighth Doctor also carried a similar rod model near the end of his life: Cylindrical and silver , with a blue emitter diode tip, he used it in a surgical procedure to scan his patient and to seal incisions. This model could glow with an "almost white " light and emit great heat , be used to sharpen surgical instruments and be turned "on" and "off".

TV : The Pilot. The First and Second Doctors' sonic screwdriver functioned as a conventional screwdriver , without physical contact with screws.

On occasion, the Doctor also used it to cut through a section of a wall TV : The Dominators and to override a security lock. The Third Doctor's sonic. TV : Carnival of Monsters. The Third Doctor 's most-used model of the sonic screwdriver was much larger than the one his first and second incarnations used; its elaborately detailed silver collar featured black and yellow stripes and red trim, and could be pulled down to activate the screwdriver.

It had a removable burgundy emitter head which the Doctor would change with others, each performing a different function. TV : The Sea Devils. On one occasion he removed the head entirely and replaced it with a small, round mirror , which spun rapidly when he tapped its edge with his finger and hypnotized anyone who looked at it.

Accompanied by a yellow light on the collar of his sonic screwdriver and the Doctor singing a Venusian lullaby, it hypnotized the aggressive Aggedor into calmness. TV : The Curse of Peladon. The Third Doctor later fitted the head of his sonic screwdriver with a cylindrical black magnet which enabled it to open bolted doors, especially when its polarity was reversed.

This refit left the metal mostly unpainted, with a dark red emitter ring. The head of this model could be extended.

The sonic screwdriver was confiscated when the Doctor was sent to the Lunar Penal Colony , and he never recovered it. TV : Planet of the Daleks. The Fourth Doctor with the sonic. TV : The Sontaran Experiment. Before this model met its demise, its head was repainted twice after the original coat wore off. TV : The Keeper of Traken , Castrovalva It was ultimately destroyed when the Terileptil leader forced the Fifth Doctor to drop the screwdriver inside a holding cell, then incinerated it with a blast from a laser gun — causing the Doctor to remark "I feel as though you've just killed an old friend.

The Doctor went without a sonic screwdriver for some time after this model, with Nyssa lamenting his decision not to replace it. TV : Time Crash. This sonic operated at a frequency of 80 kilohertz. UNIT scientists then tried to use reverse-engineering to understand its workings; this went on into the 21st century.

Despite them trying to keep it quiet from the Doctor, he was well aware of the project by his seventh incarnation. His companion Nardole made use of it in a war zone where the Daleks and Movellans skirmished.

TV : The Ribos Operation , etc. The sonic screwdriver could also be used to disable security devices, including a holographic energy barrier TV : The Visitation and, once, a deflection barrier generator. TV : Death to the Daleks. On occasion, the Doctor used it to either detect, disarm or detonate explosive weapons. He often used it to interact with or disable various forms of circuitry and technology. TV : The Hand of Fear.

The sonic screwdriver also functioned as a conventional screwdriver TV : The Monster of Peladon , The Ark in Space and could be magnetised to remove bolts. TV : Four to Doomsday.

Using the appropriate sonic frequency , the Fourth Doctor used the sonic screwdriver to return himself, Ernestina Stott and later, his scarf , to normal size. The Third Doctor was a snappy dresser, and got a nifty new sonic to match. It was mostly silver, with a black-and-yellow striped bit at the top that pulled down to activate the device.

It was bigger than before, with a removable emitter head that could be swapped to provide different functions. Once, the Doctor even popped a mirror on there to hypnotise an angry beast.

The Fourth Doctor found lots of inventive new uses for his favourite device — everything from detonating land mines and creating holes in force-fields to safe-cracking and setting off fire alarms.

The War Doctor also used a modified version of this sonic during the Time War, but had swapped the emitter head for a more simple light-up one. Never had a lot of cabinets to put up? From time to time, the sonic screwdriver needed to be recharged. TV : A Christmas Carol. Sonic screwdrivers and similar technology could not unlock a deadlock seal. TV : School Reunion , The Night of the Doctor However, Miss Foster's sonic pen could open the deadlock seals that it was programmed to within her own facility when the Doctor's screwdriver could not.

TV : Utopia Some or all versions were ineffective against wood. The Doctor , throughout many of their lives, possessed a sonic screwdriver. TV : Twice Upon a Time The Doctor continued to use the model introduced during his third incarnation until it was destroyed in their fifth by a Terileptil leader. TV : The Visitation It wasn't until they were in their seventh incarnation before they began to use a screwdriver again, taking on various different models throughout the years.

Early versions of their sonic screwdriver were used mainly for the picking of locks and for projecting sound so as to, for example, detonate objects and fry circuitry. TV : The Sea Devils. By the time of the Ninth Doctor , the sonic was able to also be used as a sophisticated scanning device, with medical applications. TV : The Empty Child Subsequent incarnations gave it even wider functionality, such as the ability to hack into computers , TV : Smith and Jones provide geolocation TV : Evolution of the Daleks and actively defend against some types of assault weapons by frying their internal mechanics and causing the weapons to burst into flames and spark from the inside.

TV : Cold Blood The tool could create powerful frequencies and signals, TV : Partners in Crime , Thin Ice as well as use sound to carry out its functions, even to the point where three of its latest incarnations where able to create a sonic force blast powerful enough to repel and destroy a Dalek while working together, TV : The Day of the Doctor as well as shoot green sonic energy waves to briefly incapacitate or stun a target. TV : The Doctor Falls.

All of these incarnations utilised the same core software , though they used different hardware. While it was different individual model, for all intents and purposes the War Doctor 's sonic was the same as the Eleventh Doctor 's some years later.

As such, hers used unique software, and was made from components available from 21st century Earth, as well as part of a Recall Circuit from the Stenza Homeworld. The Fourth Doctor compares his sonic screwdriver with Romana's. TV : The Horns of Nimon. For the first time, the sonic screwdriver is introduced, allowing The Doctor to remove the screws and peek inside the pipe's control box.

Although the original sonic screwdriver was far simpler in design a small, metallic pencil with a light on the end , the familiar whirring sound was still present. Younger Doctor Who fans might think the term "sonic screwdriver" is just The Doctor's quaint sense of humor at work, downplaying the power of the device.

In truth, the sonic screwdriver was, once upon a time, a literal screwdriver that used sonic waves instead of physical strength. Given The Doctor's alien origins he hadn't yet been revealed as a Time Lord , it's natural that his toolkit would contain some futuristic pieces.

The sonic screwdriver was science fiction's answer to a real life, ordinary screwdriver, removing screws that would otherwise be too tough for a manual tool held by an older man. Unlike more recent episodes, it never felt like the Second Doctor was "packing heat" and fans were seldom left asking " why didn't he just use the sonic?

While modern Doctor Who undoubtedly changed the role of the sonic screwdriver, the device's usage was expanded long before Russell T Davies came along.