The Doctor: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:9docs.jpg|thumb|left|The Nine Doctors]] '''The Doctor''' is the title character in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' series.  He is a [[Time Lord]] from the planet [[Gallifrey]], who wanders through [[time]] and [[space]] in his ship, the [[TARDIS]]. For the most part, and usually because the vessel's navigation system is old and unreliable, he explores [[the universe]] at random and uses his extensive knowledge of science and advanced technology to heroically avert the crises that he encounters. The Doctor has, at various times, been accompanied by [[companions]] who have chosen to travel with him for a variety of reasons.
[[Image:9docs.jpg|thumb|left|The Nine Doctors]] '''The Doctor''' is a [[Time Lord]] from the planet [[Gallifrey]], who wanders through [[time]] and [[space]] in his ship, the [[TARDIS]]. For the most part, and usually because the vessel's navigation system is old and unreliable, he explores [[the universe]] at random and uses his extensive knowledge of science and advanced technology to heroically avert the crises that he encounters. The Doctor has, at various times, been accompanied by [[companions]] who have chosen to travel with him for a variety of reasons.


The Doctor is considered a [[Renegade Time Lords | renegade]] by his fellow Time Lords, for his penchant of getting "involved" with the affairs of other worlds, in direct violation of official Time Lord policy. However, most of the time his actions are tolerated, especially when he has saved not just Gallifrey, but the universe, several times over. His standing in Time Lord society has waxed and waned over the years, from being a hunted man to even being appointed [[Lord President]] of the [[High Council]] (an office he did not assume for very long and eventually was removed from in his absence). In the end, though, he has always seemed quite content to remain a renegade and an exile.
The Doctor is considered a [[Renegade Time Lords | renegade]] by his fellow Time Lords, for his penchant of getting "involved" with the affairs of other worlds, in direct violation of official Time Lord policy. However, most of the time his actions are tolerated, especially when he has saved not just Gallifrey, but the universe, several times over. His standing in Time Lord society has waxed and waned over the years, from being a hunted man to even being appointed [[Lord President]] of the [[High Council]] (an office he did not assume for very long and eventually was removed from in his absence). In the end, though, he has always seemed quite content to remain a renegade and an exile.


The character was first portrayed by [[William Hartnell]] in [[1963]]. When Hartnell left the series in [[1966]] , the role was taken over by [[Patrick Troughton]]. To date, eight actors have played the Doctor on television, with perhaps the most enduring incarnation being the fourth, played by [[Tom Baker]]. [[Christopher Eccleston]] will play the Ninth Doctor in a new series to debut in March of [[2005]].


==Changing faces==
==Changing faces==
Eight actors (with a ninth to follow) have officially played the Doctor on television. The changing of actors playing the part of the Doctor is explained within the series by the [[Time Lords]]' ability to [[regeneration | regenerate]] after suffering mortal injury, illness, or old age. The process repairs and rejuvenates all damage, but as a side-effect it changes the [[Time Lord]]'s physical appearance and personality semi-randomly. This ability was not introduced until producers had to find a way to replace the elderly [[William Hartnell]] with [[Patrick Troughton]] and was not explicitly called "regeneration" until [[Jon Pertwee]]'s transformation to [[Tom Baker]] at the conclusion of ''[[Planet of the Spiders]]''. On screen, the transformation from Hartnell to Troughton was called a "renewal" and from Troughton to Pertwee a "change of appearance."


Despite the fact that the Doctor is supposed to be the same person throughout his regenerations, each actor to play the Doctor has purposely imbued their incarnation with distinct quirks and characteristics. At his core, however, the Doctor continues to be a heroic figure, fighting the evils of the universe wherever he finds them, even if his values and motives are sometimes alien.  
To date, the Doctor has gone through eight of his allotted twelve [[regeneration]]s, and so is currently in his [[Ninth Doctor | ninth incarnation]]. Most of his regenerations have been the result of some mortal injury, although his second was forced upon him prior to his exile to [[20th century]] [[Earth]] by the [[Time Lord]]s.  His first was due to old age, although radiation from an Earth weapon known as the [[Z-Bomb]] may have also played a factor.
 
Despite the fact that the Doctor is supposed to be the same person throughout his regenerations, each one has been imbued with his own distinct quirks and characteristics. At his core, however, the Doctor continues to be a heroic figure, fighting the evils of the universe wherever he finds them, even if his values and motives are sometimes alien.


====The Nine Doctors====
====The Nine Doctors====


*'''[[ First Doctor]] ''' - [[William Hartnell]]: ([[1963]] - [[1966]])
*The [[ First Doctor]] was an irascible, grandfatherly type, a brilliant but often short-tempered scientist.  
Hartnell played the Doctor as an irascible, grandfatherly type, a brilliant but often short-tempered scientist.


*'''[[Second Doctor]]''' - [[Patrick Troughton]]: ([[1966]] - [[1969]])
*The [[Second Doctor]] was a sort of "cosmic hobo," often frightened of the alien menaces he faced, whose solutions were sometimes of a hit-or-miss nature.
In contrast to Hartnell, Troughton's Doctor was a sort of "cosmic hobo," often frightened of the alien menaces he faced, whose solutions were sometimes of a hit-or-miss nature.


*'''[[Third Doctor]]''' - [[Jon Pertwee]]: ([[1970]] - [[1974]])
*The [[Third Doctor]] cut more of a dashing figure than his predecessors, a dandy with a penchant for gadgets and martial arts, particularly [[Venusian akido]].
Pertwee's Doctor cut more of a dashing figure than his predecessors, a dandy with a penchant for gadgets and martial arts, particularly "[[Venusian akido]]."


*'''[[Fourth Doctor]]''' - [[Tom Baker]]: ([[1974]] - [[1981]])
*The [[Fourth Doctor]] was something of a cross between Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter,  rarely without his signature scarf of incredible length. He was perhaps the most eccentric incarnation.
Perhaps the most eccentric incarnation, the Fourth Doctor was something of a cross between Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter,  rarely without his signature scarf of incredible length.


*'''[[Fifth Doctor]]''' - [[Peter Davison]]: ([[1981]] - [[1984]])
*The [[Fifth Doctor]] had a fondness for [[cricket]].  He was somewhat more nervous and less sure of himself than the two previous Doctors, though no less heroic.
The youngest of the Doctors, Davison's incarnation had a fondness for [[cricket]].  He was somewhat more nervous and less sure of himself than the two previous Doctors, though no less heroic.


*'''[['Sixth Doctor]]''' - [[Colin Baker]]: ([[1984]] - [[1986]])
*The [['Sixth Doctor]], sporting a multi-hued wardrobe that looked as if designed by Christian Lacroix, had a manic personality and an ascerbic wit.
Sporting a multi-hued wardrobe that looked as if designed by Christian Lacroix, the Sixth Doctor had a manic personality and an ascerbic wit.


*'''[[Seventh Doctor]]''' - [[Sylvester McCoy]]: ([[1987]] - [[1989]])
*The [[Seventh Doctor]], his voice touched by a Scottish burr, combined the vagabound nature of the Second and Fourth Doctors with the scientific brilliance of the First and Third incarnations.  
His voice touched by a Scottish burr, the Seventh Doctor combined the vagabound nature of the Second and Fourth Doctors with the scientific brilliance of the First and Third incarnations.  


*'''[[Eighth Doctor]]''' - [[Paul McGann]]: ([[1996]]) - in the [[Doctor Who: The TV Movie | ''Doctor Who'' television movie]]
*The [[Eighth Doctor]] showed a romantic and sensitive side not evident in the previous Doctors. ''This Doctor suffered bouts of amnesia, first after his initial regeneration and again after the destruction of [[Gallifrey]]'' ("[[The Eight Doctors]]," "[[Ancestor Cell]]").
McGann's Doctor showed a romantic and sensitive side not evident in the previous Doctors, a point of some controversy among fans.
 
*The [[Ninth Doctor]] displays much of the playfulness of the Fourth and Seventh Doctors, but also displays a pragmatism which can at times appear callous. This Doctor also seems more consciously aware of the effects his actions have on those around him.  His attire is also considerably more conservative and less conspicuous than those of his predecessors.  


*'''[[Ninth Doctor]]''' - [[Christopher Eccleston]]: - the Ninth Doctor as announced by BBC on 19 March, [[2004]] for the series revival set to premiere on 26 March, [[2005]].
It remains to be seen what personality traits the Ninth Doctor will exhibit


==== Other Doctors ====
==== Other Doctors ====
Due to the fluid nature of the time-stream and the existence of parallel realities, many variations of the Doctor have come to light. Following are descriptions of some of those currently known to exist.


=====Past Doctors=====
=====Past Doctors=====
*In "[[The Brain of Morbius]]", it is implied through visual images displayed during a mental battle between the Doctor and [[Morbius]] that the Doctor had at least eight incarnations prior to the [[First Doctor]]. However, multiple dialogue references throughout the series (particularly in ''[[The Three Doctors]]'' and ''[[The Five Doctors]]'') contradict this, as well as the fact that the Doctor has regenerated three times since [[Peter Davison]]'s tenure. Explanations by fans have included theories that the images were of Morbius's previous incarnations or that they were false images induced by the Doctor.  Yet another possibility, suggested by the [[Virgin New Adventure]] novel, "[[Lungbarrow]]," is that these were the Doctor's incarnations during his previous existence on [[Gallifrey]] as "[[the Other]]."
*[[Richard Hurndall]] portrayed the First Doctor in the twentieth anniversary special story, "[[The Five Doctors]]." The original First Doctor, the late [[William Hartnell]], was featured in a clip from "[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]" at the story's opening. An early idea which was dropped from the final script was for Hurndall's Doctor to be revealed as an impostor. 


*The Other was a mysterious third collaborator with [[Rassilon]] and [[Omega]] in the experiments which led to the founding of Time Lord civilization on Gallifrey.  Hinted at during the last two seasons of the original series, the  identity of the Other was firmly established as being the Doctor in a previous existence in the novel "Lungbarrow."
*During a mental battle between the Doctor and the [[Time Lord]] war criminal [[Morbius]] a visual display indicated that the Doctor had at least eight incarnations prior to the [[First Doctor]]. However, this would contradict the limitation of Time Lords to twelve [[regeneration]]s, particularly as there have been five more Doctors since this event occurred, and upon their initial meeting in the [[Death Zone]], the [[Fifth Doctor]] clearly identified himself to the [[First Doctor]] as being the result of a fourth regeneration. For some time, biographers of the Doctor advanced many theories to explain this curious phenomenon, including ones that the images were of Morbius's previous incarnations or that they were false images induced by the Doctor.  ''Events on Gallifrey which occurred shortly before the end of the Seventh Doctor's life  suggest that these were actually the Doctor's incarnations during his previous existence on [[Gallifrey]] as "[[the Other]]," the legendary and mysterious third collaborator with [[Rassilon]] and [[Omega]] in the experiments which led to the founding of Time Lord civilization''("[[The Brain of Morbius]]", "[[Lungbarrow]])."  




=====Future Doctors=====
=====Future Doctors=====


*In ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'', a mysterious white-garbed figure known as [[the Watcher]] assists in the transition between the Fourth and Fifth Doctors. [[Nyssa]] comments that the Watcher "was the Doctor all the time," but there is no real evidence to back up this assertion and the actual nature of the character has never been made clear.  
*During his last battle with [[the Master]], [[the Fourth Doctor]] was assisted by a mysterious white-garbed figure known as [[the Watcher]] who also assisted in the transition between the Fourth and Fifth Doctors. [[Nyssa]] commented that the Watcher "was the Doctor all the time." This apparent paradox of the intermittent stage between incarnations showing up before the events which triggered the Doctor's regeneration was perhaps created by the Master's sabotage of the operations of [[Logopolis]], which [[the Monitor]] warned was interfering with the law of cause and effect. In other words, the effect of the Doctor's regeneration, represented by the Watcher, was showing up before its cause, the Fourth Doctor's fall from the [[Pharos Project]] dish tower ([[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]).  


*The [[BBC Missing Adventures]] novel "[[The Inifinity Doctors]]" features what appears to be a future Doctor who has given up his renegade status and returned to Gallifrey for good. The [[Telos novellas]] "[[The Cabinet of Light]]" and "[[The Dalek Factor]]" also feature possible future Doctors.


=====Alternative Doctors=====
=====Alternative Doctors=====


*During his trial at the conclusion of "[[The War Games]]," the [[Second Doctor]] is shown a series of portraits from which he may choose the form of his next regeneration before the Time Lords exile him to Earth. None is to his liking, nor does one of them look like [[Jon Pertwee]], who had not yet been cast in the role of the Doctor. Stories featuring the adventures of these "could-have-been" Doctors may appear at some point, if they have not already.
*During his trial the [[Second Doctor]] was shown a series of portraits from which he might choose the form of his next regeneration before the [[Time Lord]]s exiled him to Earth. None was to his liking, nor did any of them look like the[[Third Doctor]]. The existence of these "could-have-been" Doctors in alternate realities are possible, although no proof of this has yet come to light ("[[The War Games]])."  
 
*In the [[Third Doctor]] adventure, "[[Inferno]]," the Doctor sees a poster of the leader of the "[[Inferno Earth]]"'s version of [[Britain]], a fascist military dictator. Though this figure is never named in the actual television story, the [[Virgin Missing Adventure]] and [[BBC Past Doctor]] novels reveal this to actually be that reality's version of the Doctor. This alternate universe also features a more benevolent version of [[the Master]].
 
*In the [[Sixth Doctor]] serial ''[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]'', a Time Lord with the title of [[the Valeyard]] (played by [[Michael Jayston]]) was revealed to be a potential future Doctor, existing somewhere between his twelfth and final incarnations and embodying all the evil and malevolence of the Doctor's dark side. The Valeyard was defeated in his attempt to actualize himself by stealing the Sixth Doctor's remaining regenerations, however, and so may never actually come to exist. 
 
*The Virgin New Adventure novel, "[[Head Games]]" features an evil duplicate of the Doctor, "[[Dr. Who]]," from the [[Land of Fiction]], as well as a Land of Fiction version of the Sixth Doctor, who blames the [[Seventh Doctor]] for the premature end of his life in "[[Time and the Rani]]."
 
*The ''[[Doctor Who Unbound]]'' series of audio stories from [[Big Finish Productions]] feature the adventures of Doctors from various alternate realities:
 
:*In "[[Auld Mortality]]," [[Geoffrey Bayldon]] portrays a Doctor who never left Gallifrey. In "[[A Storm of Angels]]," he plays a Doctor who changed Earth history, with disastrous results.
 
:*In "[[Sympathy for the Devil]]," [[David Warner]] portrays a Doctor who never joined [[UNIT]] as its [[scientific advisor]], but instead met and befriended [[the Brigadier]] long after his UNIT heyday.
 
:*[[David Collings]] plays an alternate reality Doctor in  "[[Full Fathom Five]]", who, while not really evil, is nonetheless far from heroic.  This Doctor believes that the ends justify the means.
 
:*Michael Jayston reprises his role as the Valeyard in "[[He Jests at Scars...]]," playing an alternate reality Valeyard who won his battle with the Sixth Doctor.
 
:* "[[Deadline]]" features Sir [[Derek Jacobi]] as a Doctor who turns out to be the fantasy world alter ego of a mentally ill writer recollecting his script for a proposed television series about a character tentatively called "Doctor Who".
 
:*"[[Exile]]" stars [[Arabella Weir]] as a boozy female Doctor who has escaped her trial at the conclusion of "The War Games" and featured [[Nicholas Briggs]] as one of her past incarnations.
 
=====Pastiches, Parodies, and Adaptations=====
 
*The two ''Doctor Who'' films produced in the 1960s starred [[Peter Cushing]] as a human Doctor from twentieth-century Earth whose surname actually was "Who." The TARDIS  was his own invention.  Although not considered canon, the films have inspired a few stories and treatments concerning the further adventures of this Doctor.
 
*The 1970s stage play, "[[Doctor Who and the Seven Keys to Doomsday]]" featured [[Terrence Martin]] as the Doctor, with [[Wendy Padbury]] as his companion.
 
*A [[1986]] installment of ''The [[Lenny Henry]] Show'' included a sketch with Henry as the Doctor, battling the [[Cybermen]] and their leader [[Thatchos]], a cyberized version of [[Margaret Thatcher]], complete with bouvant hair and purse.
 
*"[[The Curse of Fatal Death]]," a multi-part sketch broadcast as part of the Comic Relief charity telethon in [[1999]], starred [[Rowan Atkinson]] as the Ninth Doctor,  [[Richard E. Grant]] as the Tenth Doctor, [[Jim Broadbent]] as the Eleventh Doctor, [[Hugh Grant]] as the Twelfth Doctor, and [[Joanna Lumley]] as the final, Thirteenth, and female Doctor. Because this adventure was a spoof of the ''Doctor Who'' series, it is generally not considered canon by fans.


*In addition to his appearance in "The Curse of Fatal Death," Richard E. Grant also provided the voice of the Doctor in the animated adventure "[[Scream of the Shalka]]," featured on the [http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/doctorwho/webcasts/shalka/  BBC's Doctor Who website], beginning in November - December, [[2003]].
*During his adventure in the "[[Inferno Earth]]" universe, the Doctor saw a poster of the leader of that reality's version of [[Britain]], a fascist military dictator. Though not known at the time, this was later revealed to actually be that reality's version of the Doctor. This alternate universe also features a more benevolent version of [[the Master]] ("[[Inferno]]", "[[Face of the Enemy]]") .


*[[The Wanderer]], portrayed by Nicholas Briggs in the [[BBV audio adventures| BBV audio adventure]] "[[Cyber-Hunt]]," is a character loosely based on the Doctor.  [[The Stranger]], a character portrayed by [[Colin Baker]] first in a series of video adventures and later in several BBV audio adventures, is also loosely based on the Doctor.
*During the Doctor's second trial, a Time Lord with the title of [[the Valeyard]]) was revealed to be a potential future Doctor, existing somewhere between his twelfth and final incarnations and embodying all the evil and malevolence of the Doctor's dark side. The Valeyard was defeated in his attempt to actualize himself by stealing the [[Sixth Doctor]]'s remaining regenerations, however, and so may never actually come to exist ("[[The Trial of a Time Lord]]").


=="Doctor who?"==
*During a visit to [[Britain]] in [[2001]], the [[Seventh Doctor]] faced off with an evil duplicate of himself, "[[Dr. Who]]," from the [[Land of Fiction]], as well as a Land of Fiction version of the Sixth Doctor, who blames his sucessor for the premature end of his life ("[[Head Games]]").


When the series begins, nothing is known of the Doctor at all, not even his name. In the very first serial, ''[[An Unearthly Child]]'', two teachers from the [[Coal Hill School]] in [[London]], [[Barbara Wright]] and [[Ian Chesterton]], become intrigued by one of their students, [[Susan Foreman]], who exhibits high intelligence and unusually advanced knowledge. Trailing her to a junkyard at [[76 Totter's Lane]], they encounter a strange old man and hear Susan's voice coming from inside what appears to be a [[police box]]. Pushing their way inside, the two find that the exterior is actually camouflage for the [[dimensionally transcendental]] interior of the TARDIS.
*Other Doctors from various alternate realities include:


Susan calls the old man "Grandfather", but he simply calls himself the Doctor. When he fears Ian and Barbara  may alert the local authorities to what they've seen, he subsequently whisks them all away to another location in time and space.
:*A Doctor who never left [[Gallifrey]] "([[Auld Mortality]])."


In the first episode, Barbara addresses the Doctor as "Doctor Foreman," as the junkyard in which they find him bears the sign "I.M. Foreman". When addressed by Ian with this name in the next episode, the Time Lord responds, "Eh? Doctor who? What's he talking about?" Later, when Ian realizes that "Foreman" is not his name, he asks Barbara, "Who is he? Doctor who?" Although listed in the on-screen credits for nearly twenty years as "Doctor Who", the Doctor is never really called by that name in the series, except in that same tongue-in-cheek manner. For example, in ''[[The Five Doctors]]'' when one character refers to him as "the Doctor", another character asks, "Who?" The only real exception has been the computer [[WOTAN]], in the serial, ''[[The War Machines]]'', which commanded that "Doctor Who is required."  
:*A Doctor who changed [[Earth]] history, with disastrous results "([[A Storm of Angels]])."


In ''[[The Gunfighters]]'', the First Doctor uses the alias [[Wikipedia:The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari|Dr. Caligari]]. In ''[[The Highlanders]]'' the Second Doctor assumes the name of "Doctor von Wer" (a German approximation of "Doctor Who"), and signs himself as "Dr. W" in ''[[The Underwater Menace]]''. In ''[[The Wheel in Space]]'', his companion [[Jamie McCrimmon|Jamie]], reading the name off some medical equipment, tells the crew of the Wheel that the Doctor's name is "John Smith". The Doctor subsequently adopts this alias several times over the course of the series, often prefixing the title "doctor" to it.
:*A Doctor who never joined [[UNIT]] as its [[scientific advisor]], but instead met and befriended [[Brigadier Alastair Gordon-Lethbridge-Stewart |the Brigadier]] long after his UNIT heyday "([[Sympathy for the Devil]])."


In ''[[The Armageddon Factor]]'', the Time Lord [[Drax]] addresses the Fourth Doctor as "Thete", short for "Theta Sigma", apparently a University nickname. In the [[1988]] serial ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', the Seventh Doctor is asked to sign a document, which he does by using a question mark, and produces a calling card with a series of Greek letters (or [[Old High Gallifreyan]] script) and a question mark inscribed on it. The Eighth Doctor briefly used the alias "Dr. Bowman" in the [[1996]] [[Doctor Who: The TV Movie | television movie]]. He has also been mocked by his fellow Time Lords for adhering to such a "lowly" title as "Doctor".
:*A Doctor who, while not really evil, is nonetheless far from heroic. This Doctor believes that the ends justify the means "([[Full Fathom Five]])."


In many [[Doctor Who spin-offs|spin-off]] comic strips, books, films and other media, the character is often called "Doctor Who" (or just "Dr. Who") as a matter of course, though this has declined in more recent years.  From the first story through to ''[[Logopolis (TV story)|Logopolis]]'' (the last story of [[Season 18]] and also of the Tom Baker era), the lead character was listed as "Doctor Who". Starting from [[Peter Davison]]'s first story, ''[[Castrovalva (TV story)|Castrovalva]]'' (also the first story of [[Season 19]]), the lead character is credited simply as "The Doctor".
:*An alternate reality version of [[the Valeyard]] who won his battle with the [[Sixth Doctor]] "([[He Jests at Scars...]])."


''Doctor Who'' writer [[Terrance Dicks]] often expressed the theory that Time Lord names were "jawbreakers," long and extremely difficult to pronounce, and this was why the Doctor never revealed his true name. Some fans have speculated, taking off from the fact that the full name of the Time Lady [[Romana]] is Romanadvoratrelundar, that the first syllable of the Doctor's true name is "Who". It should be noted that, although it is often asserted that "Doctor Who" is ''not'' the character's name, there is nothing in the series itself that actually confirms this. On at least one occasion the Doctor is about to give a name after the title "Doctor..." but is interrupted.  Interestingly, the BBC novel, "[[The Infinity Doctors]]" mentions an ancient Gallifreyan god named "[[Ohm]]". When this name is turned upside down, the result is "Who."  (This idea originated in early drafts of "[[The Three Doctors]]" by [[Bob Baker]] and [[Dave Martin]]. The character of "Ohm" eventually became [[Omega]].)
:*A Doctor who turns out to be the fantasy world alter ego of a mentally ill writer recollecting his script for a proposed television series about a character tentatively called "Doctor Who" "([[Deadline]])."


:*A boozy female Doctor who has escaped her trial at the conclusion of "The War Games" and featured [[Nicholas Briggs]] as one of her past incarnations "([[Exile]])."


:*A [[Dr. Who (films) |human Doctor]] from twentieth-century Earth whose surname actually was "Who."  The [[TARDIS]]  was his own invention.


==References==
*[[The Wanderer]] and [[the Stranger]], are personages somewhat similar to the Doctor.
*Howe, David J; Stammers, Mark & Walker, Stephen James ([[1996]]). ''Doctor Who: The Eighties'' (1st ed.). [[London]]: [[Virgin Publishing]]. ISBN 1-85227-680-0.
*Howe, David J & Walker, Stephen James (1998). ''Doctor Who: The Television Companion'' (1st ed.). London: [[BBC Books]]. ISBN 0-563-40588-0.
*Parkin, Lance (1996). ''Doctor Who: A History of the Universe - From Before The Dawn of Time and Beyond The End of Eternity''. London: Virgin Publishing. ISBN 0-426-20471-9.
*Pearson, Lars ([[1999]]). "I, Who: The Unauthorized Guide to Doctor Who Novels" (1rst ed.). New York: Sidewinder Press. ISBN 0-9673746-0-X .




Revision as of 08:06, 28 April 2005

File:9docs.jpg
The Nine Doctors

The Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, who wanders through time and space in his ship, the TARDIS. For the most part, and usually because the vessel's navigation system is old and unreliable, he explores the universe at random and uses his extensive knowledge of science and advanced technology to heroically avert the crises that he encounters. The Doctor has, at various times, been accompanied by companions who have chosen to travel with him for a variety of reasons.

The Doctor is considered a renegade by his fellow Time Lords, for his penchant of getting "involved" with the affairs of other worlds, in direct violation of official Time Lord policy. However, most of the time his actions are tolerated, especially when he has saved not just Gallifrey, but the universe, several times over. His standing in Time Lord society has waxed and waned over the years, from being a hunted man to even being appointed Lord President of the High Council (an office he did not assume for very long and eventually was removed from in his absence). In the end, though, he has always seemed quite content to remain a renegade and an exile.


Changing faces

To date, the Doctor has gone through eight of his allotted twelve regenerations, and so is currently in his ninth incarnation. Most of his regenerations have been the result of some mortal injury, although his second was forced upon him prior to his exile to 20th century Earth by the Time Lords. His first was due to old age, although radiation from an Earth weapon known as the Z-Bomb may have also played a factor.

Despite the fact that the Doctor is supposed to be the same person throughout his regenerations, each one has been imbued with his own distinct quirks and characteristics. At his core, however, the Doctor continues to be a heroic figure, fighting the evils of the universe wherever he finds them, even if his values and motives are sometimes alien.


The Nine Doctors

  • The First Doctor was an irascible, grandfatherly type, a brilliant but often short-tempered scientist.
  • The Second Doctor was a sort of "cosmic hobo," often frightened of the alien menaces he faced, whose solutions were sometimes of a hit-or-miss nature.
  • The Third Doctor cut more of a dashing figure than his predecessors, a dandy with a penchant for gadgets and martial arts, particularly Venusian akido.
  • The Fourth Doctor was something of a cross between Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter, rarely without his signature scarf of incredible length. He was perhaps the most eccentric incarnation.
  • The Fifth Doctor had a fondness for cricket. He was somewhat more nervous and less sure of himself than the two previous Doctors, though no less heroic.
  • The 'Sixth Doctor, sporting a multi-hued wardrobe that looked as if designed by Christian Lacroix, had a manic personality and an ascerbic wit.
  • The Seventh Doctor, his voice touched by a Scottish burr, combined the vagabound nature of the Second and Fourth Doctors with the scientific brilliance of the First and Third incarnations.
  • The Ninth Doctor displays much of the playfulness of the Fourth and Seventh Doctors, but also displays a pragmatism which can at times appear callous. This Doctor also seems more consciously aware of the effects his actions have on those around him. His attire is also considerably more conservative and less conspicuous than those of his predecessors.


Other Doctors

Due to the fluid nature of the time-stream and the existence of parallel realities, many variations of the Doctor have come to light. Following are descriptions of some of those currently known to exist.


Past Doctors
  • During a mental battle between the Doctor and the Time Lord war criminal Morbius a visual display indicated that the Doctor had at least eight incarnations prior to the First Doctor. However, this would contradict the limitation of Time Lords to twelve regenerations, particularly as there have been five more Doctors since this event occurred, and upon their initial meeting in the Death Zone, the Fifth Doctor clearly identified himself to the First Doctor as being the result of a fourth regeneration. For some time, biographers of the Doctor advanced many theories to explain this curious phenomenon, including ones that the images were of Morbius's previous incarnations or that they were false images induced by the Doctor. Events on Gallifrey which occurred shortly before the end of the Seventh Doctor's life suggest that these were actually the Doctor's incarnations during his previous existence on Gallifrey as "the Other," the legendary and mysterious third collaborator with Rassilon and Omega in the experiments which led to the founding of Time Lord civilization("The Brain of Morbius", "Lungbarrow)."


Future Doctors
  • During his last battle with the Master, the Fourth Doctor was assisted by a mysterious white-garbed figure known as the Watcher who also assisted in the transition between the Fourth and Fifth Doctors. Nyssa commented that the Watcher "was the Doctor all the time." This apparent paradox of the intermittent stage between incarnations showing up before the events which triggered the Doctor's regeneration was perhaps created by the Master's sabotage of the operations of Logopolis, which the Monitor warned was interfering with the law of cause and effect. In other words, the effect of the Doctor's regeneration, represented by the Watcher, was showing up before its cause, the Fourth Doctor's fall from the Pharos Project dish tower (Logopolis).


Alternative Doctors
  • During his trial the Second Doctor was shown a series of portraits from which he might choose the form of his next regeneration before the Time Lords exiled him to Earth. None was to his liking, nor did any of them look like theThird Doctor. The existence of these "could-have-been" Doctors in alternate realities are possible, although no proof of this has yet come to light ("The War Games)."
  • During his adventure in the "Inferno Earth" universe, the Doctor saw a poster of the leader of that reality's version of Britain, a fascist military dictator. Though not known at the time, this was later revealed to actually be that reality's version of the Doctor. This alternate universe also features a more benevolent version of the Master ("Inferno", "Face of the Enemy") .
  • During the Doctor's second trial, a Time Lord with the title of the Valeyard) was revealed to be a potential future Doctor, existing somewhere between his twelfth and final incarnations and embodying all the evil and malevolence of the Doctor's dark side. The Valeyard was defeated in his attempt to actualize himself by stealing the Sixth Doctor's remaining regenerations, however, and so may never actually come to exist ("The Trial of a Time Lord").
  • Other Doctors from various alternate realities include:
  • A Doctor who, while not really evil, is nonetheless far from heroic. This Doctor believes that the ends justify the means "(Full Fathom Five)."
  • A Doctor who turns out to be the fantasy world alter ego of a mentally ill writer recollecting his script for a proposed television series about a character tentatively called "Doctor Who" "(Deadline)."
  • A boozy female Doctor who has escaped her trial at the conclusion of "The War Games" and featured Nicholas Briggs as one of her past incarnations "(Exile)."
  • A human Doctor from twentieth-century Earth whose surname actually was "Who." The TARDIS was his own invention.


External Links

Original Wikipedia article

The Doctor Who Reference Guide

See also

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