Jodie Whitaker's Orange Spacesuit Is A Beloved Doctor Who Easter Egg

When you sign on as the lead character of the seminal sci-fi series "Doctor Who," there are certain things that must happen. First, you need an instantly recognizable costume. Then, you'll have to pick out the right Sonic Screwdriver. It's recommended that you change the desktop on the TARDIS as well, but it's not always necessary. You should also expect to mix it up with a number of classic monsters from across the long-running British show's extensive history like Daleks, Cybermen, and maybe even The Master. And, seeing as you would be a part of the New Who (or NuWho) era, you would have to find an excuse to wear the beloved orange spacesuit. Luckily, just under the wire before she took her final bow as the iconic Time Lord, Jodie Whitaker's Thirteenth Doctor donned the suit for the first and last time in "The Power of the Doctor" before regenerating.

The tradition of wearing the spacesuit first started with David Tennant's Tenth Doctor in the 2006 episode titled "The Impossible Planet." He needed the suit in order to stay safe as he left Sanctuary Base 6 to descend to the surface of Krop Tor. Once he and Rose Tyler learned all about the Ood and recovered his TARDIS in the following episode, The Doctor was still wearing the protective apparatus, so it too became part of Team TARDIS and went on a number of adventures.

From that point forward, each incarnation of The Doctor (and some of their companions) found a good reason to reuse the suit. And whenever it pops up, fans certainly love to see it. But what's the story behind this beloved "Doctor Who" Easter egg? Let's get into it.

According to the book "Doctor Who: The Inside Story" by Gary Russell (via Looper), costume designer Louise Page was inspired by the spacesuits that real life NASA astronauts use during their missions while designing this suit for The Doctor. However, she initially wanted to use a design similar to the white and puffy ones used during the Apollo missions. Although, because they needed something that stood out more against the dark surroundings of "The Impossible Planet," showrunner Russel T. Davies (who has stepped back into the role for the upcoming season of "Doctor Who" starring Ncuti Gatwa) pulled inspiration from the orange suits that NASA used for missions from 1972 to 2011.

After Tennant ended his (first) run as The Doctor, his predecessors Matt Smith, Peter Capaldi, and now Whitaker have all found uses for the orange suit. Long before The Thirteenth Doctor's train Cyber Master train heist, The Eleventh Doctor pulled out the suit to deal with a mysterious timey whimey haunted house in the episode "Hide." The Twelfth Doctor later breaks out a few additional suits for Clara and Courtney Woods when they go to the moon in "Kill The Moon," which explains why Dan and Yaz have their own suits in the latest episode. And despite calling it "a bit boisterous," Clara even wears the suit again in "The Girl Who Died" while dealing with Velosians and Vikings before it somehow ends up in the hands of 22nd century time traveler Orson Pink.

Now, with Davies back in the driver's seat of the show and Tennant returning as The Fourteenth Doctor in the upcoming 60th anniversary specials, there's a good chance that orange spacesuit's original owner will have another go with it. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until November 2023 to find out.