If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Doctor Who: The Star Beast ending explained

Need a bit of The Star Beast ending explained? We've got you.

Cropped poster for The Star Beast
Image credit: BBC

Doctor Who is back. But that's not all - David Tennant as the Doctor is back, alongside fan favorite companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate. With the return of Tennant, now playing the Fourteenth Doctor (no, not the Tenth) and the return of Donna Noble, come a whole host of questions. When we left off on 'Journey's End' (Donna's last episode), we were told that if Donna ever remembered the Doctor again, she would die. So seeing the two of them back in an episode raises some questions to say the least.

So what exactly happens in The Star Beast, and how does the episode wrap up? Keep reading to find out (spoilers below).

Spoilers for Doctor Who's The Star Beast below

David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Doctor Who
Image credit: BBC

How does Doctor Who: The Star Beast end?

The Meep in The Star Beast trailer
Image credit: BBC

For a decent chunk of the episode, the Doctor, Donna, and Rose are trying to save the Meep from being killed for its fur. However, in a big twist, we find out that the Meep is actually being hunted down by the Wrarth Warriors for its crimes. The true story of the Meep features the Meep's planet being radiated by a mad sun, leaving them bloodthirsty beasts who live for conquest.

As for Donna, throughout The Star Beast, we get hints of Donna starting to remember the Doctor. Though she doesn't outright remember him, she offhandedly says things that shows that the memories are beginning to peek through, and at one point, she even mentions the Doctor's name, which he has been keeping from her. To stop the Meeps evil plan (and the death of everyone in London) Donna needs to regain her memories and function as the Doctor Donna to help save the day. She does so, knowing that she will die. After she does save the day, Donna collapses in the Doctor's arms. When mind controlled UNIT soldiers come to attack them though, we find that Donna has not actually died.

The reason why Donna was able to survive having the mind of a Time Lord inside of her is that she had a daughter, and the daughter, Rose took on some of that power. Instead of letting it take over them, Donna and Rose hold hands and let that power go.

The Meep is arrested and sent to prison for ten thousand years, though, the Meep also hints that it will be sharing the informaton of the Doctor's existence with "the boss." The Doctor points out that this is quite cryptic.

After their adventure, Donna is convinced to go back on one short trip with the Doctor in the TARDIS to go visit Wilfred in his senior home. When they get into the TARDIS, they find that it has a coffee machine. The Doctor makes Donna a coffee, and Donna unsurprisingly spills her coffee on the TARDIS and it goes haywire, taking them to a time and place that could be anywhere and anywhen.

Who is The Meep in Doctor Who: The Star Beast?

Doctor Who
Image credit: BBC

We first meet The Meep when Donna Noble's daughter Rose comes across this cuddly looking alien, who convinces her that it is fleeing from monsters coming for its fur. For the majority of the episode, Donna, Rose, and the Doctor try to keep the Meep from the hands of aliens coming after them. At a certain point, the Doctor calls court in a parking garage and it is revealed that the Meep was lying the whole time. The Meep wasn't being hunted for it's fur, but because of war crimes. The Meep tries to escape Earth by using a space ship that will use the entirety of London as fuel, but Donna, the Doctor, and Rose work together to stop the Meep.

What happens to Donna Noble at the end of Doctor Who: The Star Beast?

Donna Noble in The Star Beast trailer
Image credit: BBC

Donna Noble does not die at the end of The Star Beast, though it is a close call. Though she chooses to remember everything wtih the Doctor and save London, she is not completely overcome by the Time Lord power within her, because she has passed some of it down to her daughter, and they both choose to let it go.

Who is Rose in Doctor Who: The Star Beast?

Rose in The Star Beast trailer
Image credit: BBC

Rose is Donna Noble's daughter. She is in school and runs a small business on the side making toys, which we later learn are inspired by the aliens met on Donna's adventures (the memory echoes are passed down with the Time Lord energy). Rose plays a big role in the episode, first through her discovery of the Meep but also for saving the day and un-brainwashing the UNIT soldiers, using her Time Lord energy she inherited from Donna.

What does the new TARDIS look like in Doctor Who: The Star Beast?

The TARDIS looks pretty cool in The Star Beast. It has a minimalistic white and gray interior with lots of shiny surfaces, and it feels very clean and sleek compared to other previous iterations. It also, as noted above, has a coffee machine.


Doctor Who 60th Anniversary: When and where to watch .

Tiffany Babb

Tiffany Babb: Tiffany Babb is a professional lurker (aka critic) who once served as Popverse’s deputy editor and resident Sondheim enthusiast.

Comments

Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.

View Comments (0)

Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy