Welcome to this week’s installment of Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week, wherein we spotlight strong women and nonbinary folks who inspire us. This includes fictional characters and creators in geeky media. They are a prime example of empowerment and how crucial it is for youth to have said example to follow.
DISCLAIMER: The following contains spoilers for Doctor Who Season 2, particularly Belinda Chandra’s arc.
Belinda Chandra
Fast Facts
Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) is a nurse who lives with flatmates in the UK. (If anything, this indicates that the cost of living is too damn high everywhere.) We don’t know much about her upbringing, only that her parents are still alive and she’s quite close to them. She also briefly dated Alan Budd (Jonny Green) as a teenager/young adult, who gifted her a certificate for her own star and proposed to her. Belinda rejected his proposal.
Later, as an adult, robots from outer space kidnap Belinda following her shift at the hospital. Her neighbor, Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson), bears witness to this. The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) tails the robots’ ship in his TARDIS after being told by a mysterious someone that Belinda is important.
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Belinda learns that her star is actually a planet, and it’s called Missbelindachandra One. They all essentially worship her, and she’s their unwitting queen. However, the Robot Overlords are suppressing and killing Missbelindachandrakind, and the Great AI Generator rules with a metal fist.
Then, Belinda discovers her court has arranged for her to marry — and weld — with the AI Generator. This will supposedly halt the Robot/Missbelindachandrakind war in its tracks. The Doctor whisks her away to the Rebels’ hideout as a skirmish breaks out in the throne room.
Save the Day
Eventually, Belinda turns herself over to the AI Generator to save the planet’s people from more robot oppression. We learn that the AI Generator is Alan Budd, who the Robot Overlords kidnapped a decade ago. Treating the planet like a video game, Alan callously toys with Missbelindachandrakind, killing them and subjugating them to satisfy his whims.
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Belinda and the Doctor discover that Alan has the original star certificate, which Belinda also has on her person. They have two original documents, not copies. Belinda’s certificate makes contact with Alan’s, and, in true timey-wimey fashion, this causes a massive boom. The schwup sends the Doctor speeding through Belinda’s timeline and morphs Alan into, well, semen. Fun times.
After this, with Missbelindachandra One entering a time of peace since Alan is out of the equation, Belinda asks the Doctor to take her home. Unfortunately, the TARDIS bounces off May 24, 2025, the day Belinda was kidnapped. The Doctor continues struggling to land as we see Earth monuments flying through space, indicating that it might no longer exist.
The Real Deal
We might not know much about Belinda yet, but, admittedly, the Doctor Who season premiere gives us a clear picture of her essence. She’s a gifted nurse with a no-nonsense attitude. Unlike many of the Doctor’s companions, she’s uninterested in traversing time and space with him. Belinda’s also unafraid of calling out our titular Time Lord for his inappropriate behavior. She effectively puts him in his place a few times in “The Robot Revolution,” and let’s face it, sometimes he needs a reality check.
RELATED: Read our Doctor Who recaps
Additionally, Belinda politely but firmly stands up for herself when necessary and doesn’t need anyone fighting her battles for her. She bravely puts her life on the line to save millions of people, willing to weld with Alan so she could persuade him to stop the war he started. She even goes into nurse mode and helps patch up injured Rebels.
Belinda sets healthy, firm boundaries and doesn’t allow the Doctor to sway her. There’s something so refreshing about a companion that’s not “pretending” to be strong and assertive — she just is. Belinda possesses a sharp intellect, a kind heart and a dry sense of humor, to boot.
Why She Matters
Belinda is a multifaceted woman who holds her own in a situation that would send anyone spiraling into a bona fide panic attack. Sure, she questions everything as it happens — Who wouldn’t? — but Belinda maintains a level head and finds solutions to her out-of-this-world dilemma. And that’s as a human with zero knowledge of space.
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So, be like Belinda Chandra. Do the right thing, even when you’re terrified. Keep calm and carry on. Question everything. Put your talents to good use. Oh, and never be afraid to knock a Gallifreyan down a few pegs, even if he’s the last of his kind.
Doctor Who Season 2 drops new episodes every Saturday on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer.
Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: RUBY SUNDAY
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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