Doctor Who is readying for a major change in its future. Just as New Who is returning for its ninth season, fans are also grappling with the fact that Jenna Coleman will be exiting soon as Clara Oswald.

Don't Have Them Be a Mystery

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Do Bring In a Character With a Strong Personality

Don't Be Afraid to Go Very Different

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Do Send Them on Their Own Adventures

Don't Commit Too Soon

First introduced as The Impossible Girl with Matt Smith's 11th Doctor before heralding Peter Capaldi's 12th Doctor into the series, Clara -- love her or hate her -- has made her stamp on Doctor Who. But her leaving the show gives showrunner Steven Moffat (with Moffat stepping down as showrunner , Broadchurch's Chris Chiball is taking his place) an opportunity to spice things up, and as the mixed reaction to Clara proves, this is the right time for it.While mysteries certainly help drive seasons of Doctor Who, introducing Clara as the mystery of Season 7 wasn't the best way to convince viewers that she is a character worthy of their emotional attachment. A companion should be more than just a plot point; they should be someone who acts as a conduit for the audience but isn't hampered by that. Clara has become a much stronger character in the past season because she's regained her agency beyond just being a means for Who to tell its story.The Doctor always needs a companion so they can call him on his BS, so it's important to have someone who's up to the challenge. Typically this shines through best when companions don't have a romantic attachment to the Doctor; as great as Rose and Martha Jones were, their kick-butt instincts were sometimes overshadowed by their softer feelings for their traveling companion. Donna Noble and Amy Pond were on the opposite end of the spectrum, while Clara fell somewhere in the middle. It would be nice to have a spitfire like Donna or Amy back who can straighten the Doctor out and also serve some sass up to Missy Every Doctor Who companion since the relaunch in 2006 has been a woman, and while that adds a nice amount of diversity to the series, it shouldn't be afraid to try something different. Keep the diversity alive, even if its within the context of the show; have an alien like Strax, or someone as nerdy and Doctor-obsessed as Osgood traveling alongside him. Even without of that context, Moffat shouldn't be conservative about mixing things up. Have someone very young or very old, or of a different race, or of a different sexuality. Just like the Doctor doesn't always have to be a white man , the companion doesn't always have to be a pretty young woman.Nothing makes the stakes higher for a companion more than sending them out on their own adventures. While companions have always traditionally acted as the Doctor's assistant, some of their strongest storylines have been the ones that stand on their own. Think Rory waiting 2000 years for Amy to come out of the Pandorica to Martha Jones walking the Earth for a year to help defeat the Master, sometimes getting the companions away from the Doctor is the best way to give them their strongest stories.Hopefully Clara's exit from Doctor Who isn't as heartbreaking (for both the Doctor and the audience) as Amy and Rory's was -- though considering the track record of companion exits, that might be too much to ask. If the Doctor could find a replacement assistant without bringing too much emotional baggage with him, the series should have some fun with the process of finding the right new companion. Martha Jones wasn't the immediate replacement for Rose, and Donna popped up well before she actually was a longterm sidekick. Not every companion needs a three-season commitment, so Doctor Who should try flirting with a couple options before committing on a new longterm sidekick.

Terri Schwartz is Entertainment Editor at IGN. Follow her on Twitter at @Terri_Schwartz