50 years ago, a tiny little sci-fi show premiered on the BBC. The show was supposed to fail, considering the premiere was overshadowed by the tragic JFK assassination. However, the producer at the time forced the pilot to air again and from there, the rest is history. With its original run of 26 years and then a hiatus of just doing audio dramas and another continuing series, “Doctor Who” is truly an amazing show.
50 years ago nobody thought it would last more than a month and it is now one of the pinnacles of science fiction. For those who don’t know anything about “Doctor Who,” here is a brief synopsis of the old and new series.
In the old series, a grouchy but eager old man called The Doctor (played by William Hartnell) and his granddaughter Susan decide to leave their planet and explore. They do this by going around in a TARDIS that is stuck in the form of a police box. Along the way, they pick up companions and Susan eventually leaves at his request. When the Doctor is injured by Cybermen, he regenerates his entire body. He’s still the Doctor but his personality and physical appearance change as he’s now a more comical character played by Patrick Troughton.
During this incarnation we learn that he’s from a race called the Time Lords. Time Lords are the pinnacle of science and have been able to harness stars for continual energy. Seeing that the Doctor has been messing around, they force him to regenerate and stay on earth. The Doctor is now a suave scientist played by Peter Pertwee and works for U.N.I.T., an organization that fight aliens and other creatures. When The Doctor suffers radiation poisoning, he regenerates into the wide-eyed scarf wearing Doctor famously played by Tom Baker.
The Doctor is able to fix his TARDIS and travel into space once again. During this time he gets contacted by the Time Lords to travel back to when the Daleks (squid like creatures in mobile tanks that hate everything) were created. He has an attempt to destroy them for good but turns it down due to morality (remember this point for later.). This is the longest incarnation of the Doctor but he eventually dies at the hands of the Master (imagine to Doctor if he was a bad guy).
He regenerates again into the prim and proper, cricket playing Doctor played by Peter Davidson. This young and spry Doctor actually had more of the darker stories that included the first companion to die with the Doctor. After many adventures, the Doctor is exposed to a toxin that actually affects his regeneration. He then turns into a very quick to anger and fabulously dressed Doctor played by Colin Baker
After smashing his head on the console of his TARDIS, he regenerates again. This time he’s an analytical man who enjoys long plans set up ahead of time, played by Sylvester McCoy. He again would travel around with companions and put a very big dent in the Dalek’s plan by destroying their creator, Davros. However, this was also during the time that the show was taken off the air. In 1998 “Doctor Who” was reprived as a TV movie on Fox which showed the Doctor going to San Francisco. The pilot failed however and “Who” actor Paul McGann has been working on audio stories ever since, that is until “The Night of the Doctor” an internet prequel to the 50th anniversary. During which he’s brought back momentarily to help fight for the Time Lords in the Time War.
After a time of war, The Doctor regenerates fully into a grief stricken and angry Doctor played by Christopher Eccelston. During this time he bonds with a woman named Rose Tyler, trying to seek redemption for what he did. During this period he finds out that not all the Daleks died as there is one left in the hands of a collector in the future. The Daleks soon clone one another but, using the heart of the TARDIS, Rose destroys them all. However, the Doctor absorbs the power out of her and regenerates again. This time he turns into a regretful but enthusiastic Doctor played by David Tennant.
He soon has adventures of his own by discovering the cult of Skaro (a group of time traveling Daleks). They are trying to boost their numbers again but are destroyed by the Doctor. The Cybermen are also reintroduced and many old time foes and new ones such as the Weeping Angels. Beings that look like statues but kill you if you aren’t looking at them. He even came face to face with the Master again by accidentally restoring his memories. However he defeats him and is contaminated with lethal radiation.
He regenerates into a fast talking, brutal, and funny Doctor played by Matt Smith. The Daleks have come back due to samples being saved from the war. An enemy called the Silence come who are forgotten if you look away from them. Also he tries to find out the identity of one woman and this all leads to where we all are now. Got all that? There’s a lot I left out.
I won’t spoil any major details beyond surface reactions to the 50th anniversary. This was definitely a fun special to watch and many fans will be pleased. What starts out as a fun reintroduction of old enemies and three doctors being together (11th, 10th, and War) turns into a deconstruction. A major focus of the new series has been the Time War and this is what the special is primarily about.
Matt Smith as the Doctor is entertining as always, and David Tennant fits back into the role like an old glove. The way these two aren’t surprised by each other’s presence is a funny nod to the fact that this isn’t the first crossover. John Hurt, who made people worry since he’s a late introduction, is actually very good. The ending is where this special hits its stride. Again, I won’t spoil anything but just imagine how happy old and new Doctor Who fans must be.
If you are a “Whovian” this is a must watch. It feels as if all the years have really mounted up for something great and it’s not stopping anytime soon. Now if only “Star Trek” would come back on TV so that it could have a 50th anniversary or a crossover with “Doctor Who”.