Review
The founding Time Lord Omega reemerged in the Whoniverse for Doctor Who season 15’s two-part finale, but the classic series villain’s highly anticipated return left a lot to be desired with his usage. The Time Lord founder made his debut in the ten-year anniversary special «The Three Doctors» in 1973, where he attempted to escape the Anti-Matter universe he found himself exiled to. Omega would return to face the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) in 1983’s «Arc of Infinity» in hopes of escaping once more with the aid of a traitorous Time Lord accomplice, though he was once more stopped.
As The Rani (Archie Panjabi) enacted her plan to resurrect Gallifrey, she too saw the Time Lord founder’s potential to bring their species back into a new golden age. Hoping to use Omega’s genetic data as a template for new Time Lords, she sought to bring him into the known universe. However, as the Whoniverse had been reshaped into a realm where myths and legends had power, Omega’s infamy had turned him into a hulking monster, leading to him consuming the Rani and being vanquished once more by the Doctor, now in his Fifteenth incarnation (Ncuti Gatwa).
Omega's CGI Design Wasn't As Good As His Original Look
Omega's Return Held Little Of His Original Design
As had been seen with his previous return in 1983, Omega had changed his form once more when he returned to Doctor Who season 15’s «The Reality Wa.r» Rather than being a typical humanoid, every myth and legend about the downfall of Omega had twisted his body, and when the Rani opened his tomb, a colossal, decaying corpse crawled its way out. While the Doctor was well aware of what Omega had become, the Rani was shocked, making her vulnerable as she once more fell victim to her own plans.
On the one hand, Omega’s redesign is an interesting direction for the character. Previous gods in Doctor Who were often tied to human mythology, so showing that the Doctor’s accidental rewriting of the universe in «Wild Blue Yonder» extended to other intergalactic civilizations leaves plenty of room for new developments. Furthermore, the warped Omega’s corpse-like appearance does keep in line with his initial struggle, where his body could no longer sustain itself outside the Antimatter universe and would rapidly decay.
However, the execution itself leaves a lot to be desired. When Omega returned in «Arc of Infinity» with a new design, it still evoked the masked appearance of the villain from 1973, and his temporary adoption of the Doctor’s appearance even fit with his goals in «The Three Doctors.» In comparison, his appearance in «The Reality War» lacks any iconography distinct to Omega, making his CGI appearance feel rather generic, and too similar to Sutekh’s season 14 return.
Omega Was Dealt With Surprisingly Fast In Doctor Who Season 15's Finale
Despite Their History, Omega Is Quickly Discarded By The Doctor
Alongside his redesign, Omega lacks any distinct character traits within the story. In the classic series, Omega was a somewhat more tragic villain. Omega assumed his people abandoned him in the Antimatter Universe despite gifting them with technology that made their species great, and even in his years of exile, the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) is temporarily able to appeal to his senses before he truly descends into villainy. As such, there is a sympathetic angle to the character.
The revival’s use of Omega, on the other hand, renders him a far simpler foe. Having been warped by both his realm and the tales Time Lords made by him, he is turned into a mindless creature who only wishes to consume. This direction isn’t inherently bad, and could be treated as a tragedy in of itself, but instead, «The Reality War» simply chooses to fall back on a far more physical way to handle this foe.
Turning the energy gathered by the Vindicator against Omega, the Doctor pushes the warped Time Lord back into his tomb, breaking the connection between the worlds. After past Doctors held some sympathy for Omega, it feels somewhat out of character for the Fifteenth Doctor to abruptly just fire on him without any comments or connection. The Doctor may have long been tired of his kind’s villainous side, but his handling of Omega feels like a missed opportunity where the episode was more focused on returning to the status quo, a letdown for one of the series’ most long-awaited villain returns.
Doctor Who Retconned Omega's Real Background
Omega's Greatest Feats Are Ignored
Finally, «The Reality War» does present a somewhat confusing handling of what has happened to the Time Lord founder since his last appearance. As stated previously, Omega was imprisoned in an Antimatter universe when he was assumed to have been killed by the very innovations that he gifted his people. Using his sheer willpower and the power of a black hole’s singularity, he learns how to manipulate this new realm, though this comes at the cost of both his physical form and any hope of escaping this new realm that he crafted.
It ultimately feels like little connects Omega to his classic characterization, making his return feel like in-name-only.
However, «The Reality War» makes no reference to the Antimatter universe or Omega’s original predicament, simply stating that he was a Time Lord founder who was exiled to the Underverse, a new realm first established in 2023’s final 60th-anniversary special «The Giggle.» The Underverse could just be another title for the Antimatter universe, but the lack of any previous details playing into his season 15 appearance does make this new backstory feel like a more overt Doctor Who retcon. When paired with past critiques, it ultimately feels like little connects Omega to his classic characterization, making his return feel like in-name-only.
While Omega’s return in «The Reality War» arguably made for an overstuffed finale relying on fan service, his role in the story isn’t entirely mishandled. The classic series showed that Omega could act through Time Lord agents, and the Rani’s plan made sense with Gallifrey’s current state, while her succumbing to her own schemes is a common character trait for the Rani, showing how her hubris is her greatest weakness. However, with Omega himself feeling mischaracterized and represented with little of the iconography that helped him stand out, the villain’s return is another major letdown from Doctor Who season 15.
