How 'Star Wars' Inspired Russell T. Davies To Write Ruby's Story in 'Doctor Who' (2024)

In a controversial twist that has left fans both astonished and delighted, the Season 1 finale of Doctor Who revealed the true identity of Ruby Sunday's (Millie Gibson) birth mother. The season-long mystery, which perplexed even the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and the god Sutekh (Gabriel Woolf), culminated in a revelation that her mother, Louise Miller (Faye McKeever), is simply an ordinary human with no ties to Time Lords or gods. If this plot sounds slightly familiar, it should, as the surprising conclusion draws a parallel to an unexpected influence from the Star Wars franchise, as revealed by showrunner Russell T. Davies.

In the final moments of the Doctor Who's finale "Empire of Death," fans learned that Ruby’s mother, Louise, is not a being of immense power or cosmic significance. Instead, she’s an ordinary woman who faces extraordinary circ*mstances and, as Davies has revealed, his choice to craft Louise’s character in this manner was heavily inspired by the Star Wars sequel trilogy, specifically the arc of Rey (Daisy Ridley).

Russell T. Davies Was Inspired By Rey's Original Journey in 'The Last Jedi'

In the Doctor Who: Video Commentaries for the final episode, Davies elaborated on how the Star Wars films influenced his creative decision. Reflecting on Rey’s journey in the sequel trilogy, Davies expressed his preference for the initial storyline where Rey was portrayed as an ordinary person with extraordinary abilities. He said:

“This is kind of my reaction to – bear with me now – the Star Wars films. I can’t remember their titles, but in the last trilogy. In the last trilogy, the second film said that Daisy Ridley was nothing special, there was nothing special about her parentage. That she just got the Force. She was just ordinary. An ordinary person with the Force - and then in the next one, they changed it all so that she was the child of the Emperor, and they made her… She was, like, cosmic and had godlike powers – And I really loved the version where she wasn’t special. When she’s ordinary."

Davies’s admiration for the version of Rey’s story where she was not of significant lineage but still possessed the Force led him to shape Ruby’s mother, Louise, similarly. He found a more compelling narrative in an ordinary person who rose to meet extraordinary challenges. Thankfully, Davies didn't rename the character Ruby Skywalker.

“So this is my reaction to that. She’s not the daughter of Sutekh. She’s not the daughter of the Time Lords or Rassilon or something like that. Her mum is Louise Miller, who was 15 years old and pregnant, from a dangerous home, abusive home, and left her child on the doorstep. And that’s my… That’s my reaction to it. Because I think it’s a better story,” Davies concluded.

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Doctor Who

TV-PG

910

The show follows the adventures of a Time Lord, “The Doctor,” who is able to regenerate, and the Doctor’s human friends. The Doctor and his companions journey through time and space in the TARDIS – a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box – saving the universe with a combination of wit, bravery, and kindness.

Release Date

March 17, 2006

Cast

Jodie Whittaker , Peter Capaldi , Matt Smith , David Tennant , Ncuti Gatwa , Christopher Eccleston

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

14

Studio

BBC America

Watch on Disney+