Nerd Culture-Doctor Who

Nerd Culture-Doctor Who

By Brenna Roberts, Grade 11

                DOOOOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Ah, the Doctor Who theme. So classic. Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi TV show, airing from 1963 to 1989, and then again from 2005 to the present. Currently, we are in the middle of the 7^th season (counting from the 2005 reboot), except Steven Moffat, the head writer, being the HORRIBLE person he is, cut the season in half. So the last episode of the first half aired on Saturday, and then we’ll have a Christmas special to make sure we don’t go absolutely crazy before the rest of the season airing, probably at some point in the spring of 2013.

I fully realize that there is absolutely no way possible to explain Doctor Who and sound like a sane person, but I will do my best. In my defense though, on Doctor Who they can do absolutely anything and have it make sense- there is nothing that cannot be put into this TV series. Anyways, let us begin.

Basically, the protagonist of this show is an alien, more specifically a Timelord, from the planet Gallifrey. No one knows his real name, but he just goes by ‘the Doctor’, as he likes to help people. He looks completely human, but the differences are that he possesses almost all of the knowledge of the universe, has two hearts, and can regenerate. Originally, a Timelord would only have 12 regenerations, for a total of 13 faces, but they’ve apparently subtly changed that so he now has infinite regenerations (I mean come on, it’s not like we would accept Doctor Who ever being over!). When a Timelord regenerates, they change over every single cell in their body, completely altering their physical appearance. In our world, this means they change the actor playing the Doctor. Ingenious, no?

Throw a crazy time machine into the mixture, the ship that the Doctor owns is called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), and you’ve got your typical Doctor Who episode. The TARDIS appears as a blue police box from around 1963, but it’s bigger on the inside, with bedrooms, libraries, wardrobes, and even a pool. This machine can travel through all of space and time, and is the preferred method of time travel for all Timelords.

So now we get into the plotline. Pretty much what happens is that he finds an exceptional human (usually a gorgeous woman), and they become his ‘companion’ when he travels. They go around from planet to time period to time period on a different planet, doing lots of running and saving people, cities, and knowledge from destruction. Since the reboot in 2005, it has been revealed that the Doctor is now the last of his race (other Timelords appeared in the 1963-89 seasons), having sealed them away to prevent their war with the Daleks (we’ll get to them) from escalating across the entire universe. So he’s alone, and consequently rather angsty sometimes.

Villains are always the best bit of anything. The Doctor fights against a lot of monsters, but there are really only two main ones you really have to worry about. Others are recurring, but these are the big two. First off is the Master. He’s a Timelord who managed to escape the Time Vortex that the Doctor placed around Gallifrey by becoming human (yes, that can happen) and hiding himself at the end of the universe (literally). He’s rather insane, and has tried many times to destroy the human race, but The Doctor can’t bring himself to get rid of him, as he doesn’t want to be the last Timelord again. I won’t say anymore about him, to avoid spoilers. The next villain is an entire race, the Daleks. They are the ones that wander around going “EXTERMINATE!” all the time. Google image them. They’re hilarious. Daleks aren’t particularly scary looking, but they can be creepy when it counts. They are the Doctor’s arch-enemy so to speak, and the reason the Doctor was forced to place the Time Vortex around Gallifrey- to stop the Time War between Daleks and Timelords. There is quite possibly nothing the Doctor hates more than a Dalek.

That is all for your Doctor Who education (or at least for today). Now, should you choose to get into this fandom, remember. Fezzes are cool. You are called a Whovian, not a Dweek. Moffat is evil (but we love him anyway) and will kill ALL THE THINGS. Last of all, screwdrivers can always be a little more sonic. Enjoy!

UPDATES!

·         6 days until Pokémon Black/White 2,

·         74 days until The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,

·         403 days until Thor: The Dark World,

·         438 day until the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,

·         550 days until Captain America: The Winter Soldier (The Starks would love this guy...),

·         655 days until The Hobbit: There and Back Again,

·         942 days until the Avengers 2,

·         And at least 12 years until the next season of Sherlock. Because Moffat likes to put us through pain and agony on a daily basis. But we love him anyway.

Quote of the day! “Is there a word for total screaming genius that sounds modest and a tiny bit sexy?”

~Oswin Oswald

Nerd Music! Just to stay on the theme here, try out Chameleon Circuit for some timelord rock.