Crossposted at Politicook.net
Dr. Who is the iconic British science fiction television series that has transcended even Star Trek for longevity. For those of who are not hip, it is a series of stories about a Time Lord from the planet Gallefrey who has a Type 40-B TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions is Space), a time capsule that can travel to any time or place in the galaxy (sometimes the storyline indicates universe). By the way, the Type 40-B has been obsolete for centuries according to the storyline, and is more of a museum piece that a proper means of transport.
The Doctor (his name has never been revealed, but his fraternity monicker of Sigma Theta was revealed in the classic series The Keys of Time) is very old, wise, and good. Good to a fault in the storyline.
Anyway, The Doctor is the ultimate hero insofar as being driven only to explore and help innocents. In his several incarnations, he has been old men (the first three were, from 1963 to around 1971 or so), and them became a younger person, better to identify with the audience. So Tom Baker was tapped for the role, and played it longer and more successfully than any other actor. But I digress. I want to get to the heart of why Dr. Who attracts viewers.
First, it is pure escapist fantasy with a very superficial layer of science fiction. In the old days, before cheap computer graphics were available, the special effects were atrocious, which added to its charm. In the episode "Planet of Gold", the planet, Volga, was literally an orange suspended by a thread and spun about for rotation. Cheap, but charming. It takes a very large measure of suspension of disbelief to watch Dr. Who, and I suspect that is why it has only a cult following. Perhaps I have a larger capacity to suspend disbelief that most, but I love it.
Second, the characters have redeeming features, even though all of them (except perhaps for Sarah Jane and Leela) had serious character faults, including The Doctor. Because they were able to do the right thing even in the face of those faults endears them. You can find a pretty much comprehensive history of the series at Drwho.com, and I recommend it if you are interested.
Third, there is not the invincibility that Batman, or especially Superman, carries. The Doctor, while a bit more robust than humans, still can be killed. So far he has regenerated, taking a new humanoid form, but this last episode has me wondering. Of course he will survive, but the season finale next week will tell.
The replay of the first installment of the season finale is on SciFi at 11:00 EDT. For those of you wondering about it, check it out. The woman named Sarah Jane Smith was the companion of two Doctors back in the day, and still is with us. The others are more recent. Elisabeth Sladen plays Sarah, and holds a very special place in the series.
This diary has no political significance except that people do love the good guys in the end. I ask for recollections on your favorite and least favorite actors playing The Doctor, and the companions, along with other observations about the show. Newbies, watch the show tonight. The Daleks were his first enemy, and the storyline has been pretty consistent, except they can levitate now. Warmest regards, Doc.