Hi-Sci-Fi

by Irma Arkus

This day in history marks the beginning of one of my favorite television shows of all time, possibly the show that sucked me into the world of science fiction forever: Doctor Who premiered on BBC TV for the first time, back in 1963.

Today, Doctor Who is known as the longest running show on television, and is going through quite the upheaval too.

For those unfamiliar with the Doctor, do tackle the best: all of the fourth Doctor, starring Tom Baker, as well as the new Doctor series by Russell T. Davies are my absolute favorites.

However, David Tennant, the latest of the Doctor incarnations, together with Russel T. Davies, is leaving the show, and is about to be replaced by a much younger version of himself (to think of it, he is progressively getting younger), as portrayed by the newcomer Matt Smith.

The latest Doctor Who special was “The Waters of Mars.”

It not only brought back David Tennant, but it depicted a conflicted Doctor, undergoing some interesting psychological processes. “The Waters of Mars” presented the Doctor with a dilemma.

Upon landing on Mars, the Doctor realizes that he is caught at a particular spot in time and space, marked in history books as a source of great tragedy and inspiration.

If he assists the crew of a science station on Mars, battling the alien creatures trapped in Mars water, he will potentially change the history and halt the progress of human aspiration to reach the stars. Then again, if he does nothing, where does that leave him? What kind of a timelord does that make him?

Undoubtedly, the Doctor is going through some rough patches at the moment.

Now, we await the next Christmas special, “The End of Time” featuring not only the Doctor, but also his nemesis, the only other, albeit mad, timelord in existance, known as the Master.

See preview for The End of Time below: