Doctor Who: A Fond Farewell

*photo from internet

Now that the BBC and Chris Chibnall has unveiled the new Doctor to be very female and gorgeous in the person of Jodi Whitaker, comes the question for true blue Whovians as to whether a female Doctor (as in Doctor Who, for those not cognizant with the brevity) is going to sink in at all.

We get the clamor for female-power taking precedence but I have always seen the female-equality crisis as a male problem. By this I mean, there is a rise in feminism because there are not enough men in the world that rightfully respect women for who they are; however this dilemma cannot be solved by replacing men with women in positions where males ought to be and that includes the Doctor in Doctor Who.

I have remained an avid fan since 2007 and have appreciated The Doctor for who he was, an affable, adventurous and capable friend every time I either binge watch or see him every Sunday evening. He was this dependable male role model whom I could count on to take me through the dregs or the apogee of space and time travel battling all sorts of malevolence in various interplanetary species and celebrating the good ones as well. He was fatherly when older, avuncular when middle-aged and a dish to crush on when young and agile. The Doctor respected and hailed women as his equal, as his good friend, granddaughter, daughter, wife, companion, queen, prime minister, love interest, co-warrior and inspiration and at times nemesis, so why replace the man? His persona was not emblematic of misogyny in the pop-culture world at all, in fact it was one that actually made an ideal example on how gratifying a male and female relationship can be. This move by the new team behind Doctor Who saw a problem and elected to solve it where there was none to deal with. The backlash for this decision in turn has created a discord instead of a statement and a disconnect instead of bridge.

Moreover, the TV show in my eyes was a place where distressing religious wars, grimy geopolitical personages or conflicts or PC dictatorships could not permeate through, exactly because of its otherworldly theme. It was truly the last frontier of escapism where the exploits in the episodes did not require logic or responsibility as what imagination should be in this world where realities are more rancorous by the day. With the announcement of a female as the new doctor, we close this book of a dream world unmolested by propaganda. No disrespect to Jodi Whitaker, a fine specimen of an actress indeed but this a misplacement for her. We are not afraid of her gender, The Doctor quite simply is male that's all there is to it. Just like a “Wonder Man” is not necessary in lieu of Wonder Woman herself.

The new show runner Chris Chibnall of the “Broadchurch” fame does not understand the Who universe or the fans clearly. A questionable trail follows him as a creator who has bled “Broadchurch” (which had the prospect of becoming a true cult classic the likes of “Twin Peaks,”) bone dry, replacing value with bankroll as was the case of Broadchurch's US version, the disgraceful “Gracepoint.” This man clearly does not have the heart, just the bottom line, the very thing that robs devotees of that which is unique and endearing about something they love like Doctor Who. For certain it is an end of the Doctor Who world as we know it and that sincerely has nothing to do with female-phobia or male chauvinism or any other sort of “phobia” or “ism” that will be pegged on to those who will find this move disagreeable. I won't even hypothesize about the future, an iconoclastic deed has been done which is irreparable to a steadfast icon. There is no rectifying that.

Suffice it to say, it's end of the line for many of us, the ones that will take over as fans will embrace something that is not even remotely connected to the prototypal, beloved character that has provided a fantastic diversion from our real lives. As for me, perhaps it's time I grow up anyway, holding on to an ideal doesn't pay. Allegorically speaking, the eleventh hour has rung and this is what's left for me to do. I will hijack the TARDIS, set it up to travel to Transelore, the place where we all know our time lord dies and where The Doctor embodied by Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, Baker (Tom), Davison, Baker (Colin), McCoy, McGann, Ecclestone, Tennant, Smith and Capaldi, sits to face his demise, I will hold the hand of this beautiful mad man with a blue box, I will thank him for the fun ride all these years and I will see him to his end and now is that time. RIP Doctor. 

*not my photo

Clark Kent and the Blue Police Box

In Reddit, there is a writing prompt for any one who is willing to take a gander at making up stories. I responded to one where the scenario begins with the Earth being attacked by aliens and Clark Kent who needs to change to Superman finds a blue box in the middle of the street. Most Sci-Fi dabblers know what the blue box is and who it's inhabitant is and certainly, everybody knows who Superman is, the rest however goes like this:

Clark Kent entered the Blue Police Box and met a man dressed as a magician with very particular eyebrows. He noticed a round panel with a column at the center and though it was bigger on the inside, he was not confounded by it as he figured, what ever he entered into was not terrestrial. The old man was friendly and didn’t seem surprised when he saw Clark. His eyes fixed on the “S” at the center of Clark’s chest and said.

“Peace.” The old man said with a notable Scottish accent. “You come in peace! so do I, I’m the Doctor.”

Clark looked at him quizzically and while he wondered how the “Doctor” was able to figure out the meaning of the S in his own planet Krypton, he also sensed that the old man was not hostile.

“Quickly, I need to change.” Clark said.

“Upstairs to the right and 2 lefts.” The Doctor said.

As Clark ascended with acceleration, he noticed he was somewhat slower than his usual speed of light, but given the urgency, he brushed it aside and changed to his super hero outfit with only one thing in mind. When he got out of the box he would battle the aliens fast before it was all too late. He did notice however a slight hesitation within himself and felt as though someone was watching, as he turned around, he saw a stone statue of an angel looking serene. He blinked once and noticed this thing came closer though he wasn’t sure. As he blinked one more time it was indeed right at this face and showed it’s fangs ready to attack but with quick reflexes he obliterates the creature with the lasers in his eyes. As the smoke settled around the rubble of a Weeping Angel ,The Doctor entered the room yelling, “Don’t bli!! Oh," he said, "so much for that heap of stone."

“What is this place, what was that and who are you?” Asked Clark.

“I’m The Doctor and you are in my home/space craft/ hobby room/concert stage/time machine, that was a Weeping Angel, etc. etc. Why are you in a funny outfit?” The Doctor asked.

“I’m Superman. Did you bring the aliens here? Is this why Earth is under attack?”

“Firstly, the TARDIS may be a space ship with infinite dimensions inside and yes, the artifacts chamber or museum may harbor monsters and such but I assure you, they are dead and stuffed, a taxidermist from Newcastle had a hand in that. Secondly, no, I did not bring the aliens here. Thirdly, Earth is always under attack anyway, if not by aliens from other planets, just amongst themselves, and fourthly, how super?”

Superman found himself sitting on the stairs of the TARDIS and felt a slight drain of energy and began to have doubts about The Doctor.

“Then why did the statue try to attack me?” He asked.

“That is a mystery to me too,” the Doctor approached the center and pushed some buttons on the console. “According to my calculations, a disturbance is arising from the 3rd level chamber below with a type of an unidentified radiation. Wait a minute, it’s the Artifact Chamber,” it’s seems..”

Both The Doctor and Superman look to the left and four silver metallic robots walking in military cadence mechanically vocalizing “Delete! Delete!” repeatedly, came charging towards them.

“Cybermen!” shouted The Doctor. As the Cybermen take aim at both of them, Superman lets out a massive breath and forms a dense layer of ice which buffers the laser fire. While the lasers missed them narrowly, fireworks and explosions erupt inside the TARDIS, beams topple over and crashing all around. At the sight of the second wave of lasers from the organic robots, Superman turned to a solar flare of energy and zoomed into the Cybermen like a meteor. A loud sound and boom fills the TARDIS and the Cybermen fall on the floor mangled in a heap of metal mess.

Under the pile of metal, Superman emerges looking weak and discomfited. Though the Cybermen were destroyed, it appears Superman felt depleted.

“Somehow, the creatures from the Artifact Chamber are coming to life in your presence.” The Doctor spoke as he read the calculations on the console. “Where are you from? because clearly, you aren’t human. Are you alright? it’s as if..”

The Doctor catches Superman as he falls from his attempt to stand. Superman was very weak, out of breath and even his garment was torn. He has spent a great amount of energy with the solar flare and though he has healed because of this many times before, it would take a long amount of time and he continued to feel drained

“Yes, but I also feel as though I am losing my powers.” Superman mutters with a feeble voice. “What is in this ship? where are you from?” As he remembered his beloved humans being attacked by formidable alien beings, a pang of sadness comes over because for the first time he felt he might not be able to do anything to help them.

“Well, let me see, I had a distress signal around the southern constellation of Corvus, about 26.7 light years from Earth to a planet that orbits around a red dwarf star, ah..ah.. the LHS 2520, yes, that’s right. It was a band of Daleks which assimilated to the element of the planet, the planet Krypton, I believe it was.” The Doctor’s eyes grew larger and fearful as he looked at Superman. "Of course, you, you are a Kryptonian; that’s why everything that’s lifeless in this ship is reacting to you, somehow the TARDIS and elements on board must have accumulated a minute form of energy from Krypton and with your presence, they are regenerating, in a sense! but you, the energy is being taken away from you because you are a.. so, you are dying...”

Just as the Doctor finished speaking, a sinister presence emerged from the corner south end of the TARDIS and entered the upper dome with a familiar mortiferous electronic voice, “Exterminate!, Exterminate!” it was a Dalek, with the exoskeleton made of Krypton, glowing in bright green! The Dalek fires lasers indiscriminately destroying what’s left of the TARDIS. Superman feels the radiation coming from the Kryptonite Dalek and lays down with increased shallow respiration, his arms reaching across as if to make a stand but to no use, as the lasers continue to fire, more damage is incurred in the ship, a beam descends toward the Doctor and hits him mightily. As he falls down he reaches for the time rotor on the control bridge, and pulls the lever down, hoping that the TARDIS will understand what he is trying to do just as it did a few times before. And then blackness…

Moments later or ago, the sound of the TARDIS appearing is heard. Inside the blue box The Doctor stands straight facing the door unscathed and whole with the TARDIS intact. As it swings open, he sees a bespectacled tall man with the letter “S” on his chest about to enter.

“Stop!” he yells in that thick Scottish accent. "What ever you do, don’t come in here. Go somewhere else to change and deal with the the aliens yourself, you can handle it obviously, with your laser eyes and your solar body, it’s just the Sontarons, knock them at the back of their head or, appeal to them on their “military" side and they’ll love you. But just please, don’t come in here, go and find another box in which to change.”