Howling:Alternate universes
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I was just thinking about alternate universe in the whoniverse. Now RTD closed off alternate universe for good in his era. I alway's thought this was a bit of a bad thing to do to be honest as it ruled out the idea of alternate universe again.Many of the best stories are alternate universe stories both in old and new who and other franchises the best star trek episode ever made is the Lazarus episode watch it if you haven't seen it it's the only time Star Trek ever came close to doing scary dark stories like doctor who it was a multiverse episode. Lost in Space had the anti matter man that was the best episode of lost in space and the buffy episode the wish which had the fucked up reality where the vampires ruled was the best too. I think Moff has probably realized this and as a result he has found a way to do them again. I think in this new whoniverse it will be easier to travel into different realities I.E. now we don't have to keep going back into "all universes are in danger" every time we want to slip into an alternate reality, I am not saying we should have alternate universes every time but I do want the option for it to happen in Doctor who and I dont want it to always be the Rose arc either we should see other world that aren't pete's world a really interesting alternate world or story. Yes I believe that after the doc reset the multiverse the barriers between world will become weak again ergo more freedom storytelling wise. Let me know what you think. Winehousefan. 10:55, July 9 2010 [UTC]
- Here's what I don't understand concerning using alternate universes as a plot device or story element: You already have a timelord who has access to any time and any place in the entire universe, yet the writers cannot find anything interesting for the Doctor to do??? I mean WTF. Can it really only be either London or an alternate universe or the end of all existence over and over and over? I would really appreciate just some normal, clever stories. The Girl in the Fireplace, Blink and Silence in the Library were all good examples, if you weren't sure what I mean. (Anything involving the Daleks usually isn't (apart from Dalek), because they're farcical pantomime enemies that don't make any sense and hence don't cause tension.) Hack59 20:02, July 16, 2010 (UTC)
Actually Dalek I feel is the worst story ever its a single scene from Rememberance of the daleks spread out and done far worse over fourty minutes LOL in my opinion. Anyway I agree that there should be plenty of stuff to do in this universe considering he can go anywhere but still alternate universes are a good plot device only if they are done once every couple of years I mean they do let you see what would have been allow you to do wierd stuff like Inferno possibly one of the greatest SC FI stories ever made. My point is that Moff should use this latest story to make alternate universes possible for future writers as I mean suppose someone does come up with a good what if story thats great he can't do it because the universes are sealed and all reality will have to be threatned just for the doc to do what so many other hereos do easily.The Doctor should visit more than London but alternate universes should not be sealed off forever. Winehousefan, 21:23, July 16 2010 [UTC]
Alternate universes are just redundant when you can change timeline to create alternative ones...the only good thing it did in the new series was to seal off Rose...More freedom in storytelling is probably not a good thing...taking out restrictions and giving endless possible ridiculous solutions do not make good stories--203.168.176.42 20:28, July 16, 2010 (UTC)
- Hehe, OK, I didn't necessarily mean that "Dalek" was a good episode (though I did quite like it, especially how it built the Doctor's character in the end), but that out of all Dalek-based episodes, it was a bearable one. I mean FFS, whose idea (RTD's) was it to give major parts of dialogue to an excruciatingly painful and slow Dalek-to-Dalek conversation at the end of Series 4? Anyway, I digress.
- Someone said once (I forgot who and where, but maybe you can convince yourself that it's reasonable) that if the universe is infinite, then everything that can possibly happen will in fact happen or have happened. Never mind whether that's scientifically valid, but you'd think that that should give you enough literary freedom to write exciting stuff with just one universe. And if that's not enough, you can do things like the dreamworld in Series 5, which worked pretty well. And face it, alternate histories are just so much simpler to write than truly original and interesting stories... Hack59 20:38, July 16, 2010 (UTC)
- I never thought about it changed timelines. Your right that does allow you to do pretty much all of what an alternate universe can do like Turn Left or the Wish from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Still though there are a few things that an alternate universe can offer that a changed timeline can't. Like Inferno what made that scary was the people there died, he didn't save the world it was like thats it they all burned it was very disturbing. If that had been a changed timeline the doc would have had to reset it and it wouldn't have been as dramatic or if it was a permanant change it would have to be like Star Trek the new film where bad stuff does happen but its not like inferno I. E. where everybody dies. If the doc had set things right at the end of Inferno it would not have been quite so disturbing as everyone would have been saved at the end. Also not every alternate universe story has to be this is what could have happened. For instance the three doctors its about alternate universes as Omega is trapped in an anti matter one but its not like inferno or the new series ones at all. As for the dreamlord story that was a great story again though because it was set in this universe at the end the doc had to set everything right. Winehousefan, 22:00, July 16, 2010[UTC]
- I didn't really mean "changed timelines", as you put it, although "Turn Left" was a good thrill and would definitely be OK. The Dreamlord story was good, but let's just make this precise: In factuality, nothing did happen, there wasn't even any actual danger. It was all in the people's mind. Nonetheless, that made for a great story with great insights into the characters. Star Trek had several such episodes, too, and they were great (like when Riker is performing in the stage play and gets trapped in two different mental realities, or when Data starts dreaming and has a phone in his belly) -- the point is, you can do great narratives with a very unorthodox style without requiring the actual reality to be insanely crazy. (At least, a good writer should be able to do that!) And actually that would make for much more gripping stories, as I can relate much better to something that happens in "my universe", as opposed to a danger that only exists in some crazy TV scifi made-up world with cracks and parallel universe plot conveniences -- you see, silly men in robot suits from a parallel universe really have nothing to do with my day-to-day experience, but I do go to libraries with shadows. Hack59 21:42, July 16, 2010 (UTC)
