Kate Stewart and UNIT have been confirmed to return in the next season of Doctor Who, fixing one major mistake made during Chris Chibnall's era of the long-running BBC series. UNIT has been a staple of Doctor Who since its debut during the Second Doctor's adventures, with the organization being introduced in the modern era of the series in 2005's two-parter, "Aliens of London" and "World War Three." UNIT has become more prominent in recent years, now led by Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), the daughter of the Doctor's long-term ally, Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.Chris Chibnall took over from Steven Moffat as Doctor Who showrunner in 2017 and produced one of the most divisive eras of the series with Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. Now that Russell T. Davies has rejoined the series after his prior run between 2005 and 2010, many are expecting the mistakes of Chibnall's era to be either ignored and retconned or directly fixed in-universe. Though Doctor Who won't see another complete season until 2024, when Ncuti Gatwa will take the reins as the Fifteenth Doctor, announcements are already being released about the series' future, including the return of UNIT to the "Whoniverse."
UNIT's Return Avoids Chibnall's Weird Mistake
In a tweet posted by the official Doctor Who account on January 9, 2023, it was confirmed that Redgrave would return as Kate Stewart, along with UNIT, in the upcoming season of Doctor Who. This is exciting news for the series since UNIT is one of the longest-running organizations in the show, and viewers were surprised at Chibnall closing down Doctor Who's UNIT during his tenure on Doctor Who. It was revealed in the 2019 New Year's Day special, "Resolution," that UNIT operations had been suspended because of discussions over funding. In 2020's New Year's Day special, "Spyfall," UNIT was confirmed to be no longer in existence.
Chibnall did reverse this during the BBC centenary special, "The Power of the Doctor," which inexplicably saw UNIT back in operation. The new confirmation that UNIT and Kate Stewart will return in Gatwa's first season as the Doctor means Chibnall's mistake is being retconned and will perhaps never get the explanation it warrants. UNIT is too valuable a resource for Doctor Who to be swept under the rug, so Russell T. Davies bringing back the organization is the best move for the series going forward.
What UNIT's Return Means For The Fifteenth Doctor
With his new run, Davies is making Doctor Who changes that seem to bring the series back to its roots, introducing a young Doctor in Gatwa with a charismatic human companion in Millie Gibson. It evokes what worked with Doctor Who after its relaunch in 2005. With so much change, however, it will be great for viewers to have a familiar face in the mix, which makes UNIT's return to Doctor Who even better. This could also help to bring a clearer format back to some of the Doctor's adventures, which might make the new season even more accessible to mass audiences.
UNIT stories often ground the Doctor and the TARDIS team on Earth, dealing with close-to-home threats, such as the Sontaran invasion of Earth in season 4 and the appearance of millions of small black cubes in season 7. This allows for human interactions between Doctor Who and UNIT, and in recent years, Kate Stewart has been the familiar and friendly face of the organization. Hopefully, after its return to Doctor Who under Davies, UNIT will be around to stay.