I think you’ve all been misinformed as to the actual IP situation of dr who in the 90s. Fans did not “own” dr who in the wilderness years and it’s a massive stretch to even say we controlled the direction of it. Like it’s an actively romanticized and ahistorical view of that time period to say it was a uniquely free time that we can never return to. Because it wasn’t. The major difference is not in how much control fans have as fan-authors (big finish has been actively hiring new fan-authors to write new original dr who stories this whole time) but in the specific content standards of Media In General these days. Like it’s true that we’re not getting Doctor Who: Sex And Violence like we did in 1991 but I wouldn’t even say that element of the VNAs is a major defining characteristic of what wilderness era who looked like.
Which is all to say that it’s going to be more similar to the old wilderness years than you think, but that’s because the old wilderness years were a lot worse than you remember
also: it is an objectively true fact that there are more avenues for fans to contribute to licensed dr who media now than there ever have been in the show’s history, regardless of whether the current moment becomes a “second wilderness years” or not. Do not let nostalgia for a time I Know many of you were not around for fool you—the pool of authors for the VNAs and EDAs were tiny compared to the amount of new writers big finish alone is bringing in. It wasn’t populist, it wasn’t The Fans taking Control, it was a few specific fans (overwhelmingly white and male fans with a very narrow view of what doctor who is or should be) taking direction from editors who ultimately reported to the BBC. It may not seem like it but we have been in a great time for fan labor being recognized and compensated by the bbc for a while.