A Doctor For Every (Re)Generation

Whether we admit it or not, we are all in need of a little rescuing. As children we hid under the covers hiding from things that go bump in the night. As adults, we hope to be saved from the banality of our grown-up lives. A part of you wished, and hopefully still wishes, that you hear the humming of the TARDIS landing (brakes still on, no less) in your darkest hour. You hope a mad man pops out of his blue box and invites you to see all that ever was or will be. Your answer is formed before the invitation has been made. The last Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey stands before you with a mischievous smile and says, "Hello, I'm the Doctor."

 

Tragedy dominated the media with the Kennedy Assassination but the following night, the BBC debuted a show that would offer generations as much entertainment as it would hope. Doctor Who was originally intended to be an educational family show to last only six episodes. But leave it to the Doctor to stretch that into fifty years of adventures becoming the longest running sci-fi television show. Not only does he save worlds armed with nothing more than his wits and a sonic screwdriver, but the Doctor shows us that all we need is an outside perspective to better appreciate the human condition.

Like many Americans, I was first introduced to Doctor Who when public broadcasting re-aired the classic series that ran until 1989. My first Doctor was Tom Baker in “The Pyramids of Mars” in which the Doctor had to stop a megalomaniac alien named Sutekh from destroying Earth. It was the first show I watched that mixed sci-fi with horror, humor, and just the right amount of drama to keep me invested.

While any fan of Doctor Who could provide a laundry list of reasons as to why its longevity has defied convention, the largest contributor is the Time Lord’s ability to regenerate. When the Doctor’s body is worn down or fatally wounded, every cell is reborn into an almost completely different person. The Doctor still retains the core of who he is but his tastes and personality are different. Not only does it keep the show fresh while staying true to the character, but it gives actors the opportunity to redefine the role. And as a result, there’s a Doctor for every situation and every generation.

William Hartnell portrayed the First Doctor as a frail traveler accompanied by his granddaughter, Susan Foreman, whose history and science teacher reluctantly joined in their adventures. Hartnell’s Doctor was sinister and at times ruthless, patronizing his human companions but eventually warming up to them and finally calling them friends. A final battle with the Cybermen wore his body out. He collapsed onto the TARDIS floor and regenerated into the Second Doctor, Patrick Troughton, who brought a touch of whimsy to the character that would become an integral part of the Time Lord’s personality. With a 60’s-style mop top and recorder, the Second Doctor had charm, humor, and the wardrobe of a silent movie comedian who saved the universe weekly.

Time Lord law and budget restraints decreed that the Third Doctor be exiled unto the planet Earth, but at least it was in color this time around. Jon Pertwee’s portrayal of the Third Doctor, the Dandy Doctor, was a master in Venusian Karate and worked with UNIT (United Nations Intelligence Taskforce) to protect Earth from alien invasions. The introduction of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart solidified Pertwee’s portrayal of the Doctor as an action hero. He would later meet a woman who set the bar for all companions to follow, the feisty Sarah Jane Smith who would go on more adventures both with the Fourth Doctor and her own spinoff show.

Played by the talented Tom Baker, the Fourth Doctor, with his ridiculously long scarf, is the eccentric and arguably most recognizable Doctor. Portraying the character for seven years, the longest for any actor to date, Tom Baker had swagger and wore the Doctor’s strangeness on his sleeve, diffusing tension with a bag of jelly babies. The show scaled back for the Fifth Doctor’s initial foray to ground the world in realistic science. Peter Davisson was the youngest Doctor at the time; his first few moments portrayed a confused Doctor wandering the TARDIS, a result of a failed regeneration. Davisson’s portrayal was more human in contrast to Baker’s more alien one. He was less authoritative but just as heroic wielding a cricket bat and sporting celery on his lapel.

Colin Baker returned to play the Sixth Doctor after appearing on the show once before. While the whimsy is toned down a bit this time, the Doctor’s quirkiness is reflected in his coat, loud and brash as his character. He was condescending to his human companions and intimidating but no more so than his Time Lord foes: The Master, Rani, the High Council, and the menacing Valeyard. Production issues unexpectedly cut the eloquent Doctor’s time short leaving no time for his more likeable qualities to bloom much to the disdain of Colin Baker.

Bringing back the scarf (normal length) was Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor who appeared bumbling at times. However, this Doctor became darker and more manipulative with each episode showing just how clever he can be making you grateful that he was one of the good guys. With his Panama hat and trusty umbrella at his side, the Seventh Doctor almost always managed to be five steps ahead of the enemy. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled before the Seventh Doctor had an official farewell but McCoy would have his chance seven years later.

In an attempt to appeal to a broader audience, the BBC hoped to welcome American viewers into the Doctor’s universe with a 1996 television movie. After an emergency landing, the Seventh Doctor found himself stuck in the crossfire of a gangland shootout in San Francisco. Regenerating inside the morgue, the Eighth Doctor emerged with to regain his memory and save earth from the Master once more. Paul McGann played a more optimistic Doctor who reflected the sentiments of those awaiting the new millennium. Unfortunately, the Eighth Doctor’s adventures ended with that one television movie.

Nine years later, Russell T. Davies would bring back Doctor Who for a new generation. Christopher Eccleston ushered in this new Doctor Who as the Ninth Doctor whose wardrobe is the most toned down save for a banana he keeps for emergencies. Only survivor of the last great Time War, this Doctor saved the universe with the lovely Rose Tyler. A final confrontation with the dreaded Daleks put their friendship to the test and revealed the mysteries of Bad Wolf. While Eccleston’s run on the show only lasted one season, it sparked the imagination of new fans.

Christmas Day 2005, the Tenth Doctor completed his regeneration and David Tennant stepped into a pair of sneakers, fulfilling a childhood dream. The Tenth Doctor continued on adventures with (and fell for) Rose until her untimely departure left him lonelier than ever. He would take along all kinds of companions: a time agent, a medical student, an ill-tempered bride, the mysterious River Song, and even Sarah Jane returned. While he outsmarts Daleks, Cybermen, and the Weeping Angels, the showdown between him, the Master, and President Rasillon of Gallifrey would push the Tenth Doctor to his limit. And he would delay his regeneration to say his final goodbyes.

Caught in the middle of an exploding TARDIS, the eleventh Doctor makes his first appearance as his youngest regeneration yet as actor Matt Smith. Literally crashing into the lives of Amy Pond and Rory Williams, this raggedy Doctor has the wisdom of an old man and the wonderment of a young child. With his new companions he discovers the identity of River Song, reboots existence, and escapes death. Now, the Eleventh Doctor is on to new adventures with his new enigmatic companion, Clara, whose very existence baffles the Doctor.

The Fourth Doctor said, “There’s no point in being grown up if you can’t be childish sometimes.” And nothing seems more childish than a television show with a flair for the impossible. The romantic notion of the show is not just escapism and adventures but the idea that humanity has great potential. This rogue Time Lord with all his eccentricities offbeat style offers that outside perspective of the human condition the only way great sci-fi should. He may be over a thousand years old, have two hearts, and is called “the oncoming storm” but the Doctor is just as human as the rest of us. Despite all he has seen, he is still capable of fear. Both his hearts break for family and friends lost and he has as much potential for destruction as he does for saving the day. Doctor Who is a show that reminds us that, despite all our faults, sometimes having faith in the goodness of other people is all the heroism that we need.