The Doctor’s sonic screwdriver is getting a brand new look, and a concept artist for Doctor Who is showing off an early design that’s got us all excited for the new season.
As much as it is a rite of passage to get a new Doctor on Doctor Who, it’s just as much a rite of passage that the new Doctor to get a new sonic screwdriver.
For a few years now, the sonic screwdriver has been like the iPhone. We get a different version with each release, but it’s still pretty much the same design. This time around, the screwdriver diverts from that uniform design from the past four Doctors, and it looks a lot more… organic.
Concept artist Darren Fereday worked on art for this upcoming season of Doctor Who, and showed off some early designs for the new iteration of the sonic screwdriver on Twitter.
You can see how the shape is a lot more natural and contouring, making it easier to hold. And the orange glowing light is a nice upgrade from the buzzing blue and green that the other Doctors have had. Given the odd design, RadioTimes has speculated that the design might be straight from the Doctor herself (rather than the TARDIS).
Culturess’ own avid Whovian Lacy Baugher got an up-close look at Thirteen’s sonic screwdriver at San Diego Comic-Con. Here you can see it better in action. The colors on the Comic-Con model looked a lot more gray/silver compared to the concept art. But the two still look pretty similar nonetheless.
Live action footage of the Thirteenth Doctor’s new sonic screwdriver courtesy of the folks at the BBC booth. #DoctorWho #SDCC pic.twitter.com/fKwhX7YlQj
— Lacy Baugher Milas (@LacyMB) July 19, 2018
The Thirteen Doctor, Jodie Whittaker was even with the new sonic screwdriver at Comic-Con, probably because 1) a Doctor should never abandon their sonic screwdriver and 2) it’s just too awesome to let go of anyway.
Jodie Whittaker holding up her new sonic screwdriver like a badass is the definitive image I will take away from this panel. #DoctorWho #SDCC pic.twitter.com/mDyXsfKloz
— Lacy Baugher Milas (@LacyMB) July 19, 2018
What do you think of the new sonic screwdriver? Having tried it out myself at Comic-Con, I was initially thrown off by how different the new design was. But after seeing how natural it was to hold, it’s no surprise I was sold on the new design.