doctor-who

~Tabitha Smith

But it was, it was a better life. I don’t mean all the travelling and seeing aliens and spaceships and things. That don’t matter. The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life. You know, he showed you too. You don’t just give up. You don’t just let things happen. You make a stand. You say “no.” You have the guts to do what’s right when everyone else just runs away, and I just can’t! – Rose

I had a terrible week and one of the solutions to my terrible week was mainlining season 7 of Doctor Who again. Why? The simple muggle answer is that I’m an obsessive fan girl. I know there’s some folks who read my Facebook and Twitter feed and roll their eyes at the sheer amount of Doctor Who I post, but here’s the thing… there’s a deeper reason then that.

Doctor Who is a story of hope.

The Doctor, the main character, is much more than a hero. He doesn’t come in guns blazing (he hates guns). He’s more than a sic-fi time traveler, he’s the fictional embodiment of hope. When we first meet him he’s a grumpy but lovable old grandfather who insists on knowledge over fighting. Then, over the past fifty years of content, we’ve found him to be almost god-like, but with the frailties, regret, and grief that resonates with us all.

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There’s so many reasons to love this show. The Doctor reinforces the idea that everyone is special. One of my favorite lines is in the picture above. “900 years of time and space and I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important.” Not only is everyone important, but The Doctor also revels in diversity and marvels in the face of different species and people. Slime people? Beautiful. Blue bug-looking aliens? Beautiful. Terrifying robotic mice things with giant teeth? Beautiful. Ever the scientist in wonder and awe with the universe.

Unlike most heroes, the Doctor doesnt carry a gun or any sort of weapon. Instead he carries a screw driver because he’s here to fix problems (or possibly assemble a bookcase at them). That, his TARDIS (the time machine), and his brain are all the weapons he needs.

The Doctor also teaches you that no matter how scared, or alone, or lost you are – someone will be there to help you (even if that someone is yourself sometimes). He inspires people (and viewers) to be better.

There’s no adventure too big or decision to scary for the Doctor. He believes in exploring, in having fun, and looking fairly cool doing it all. He’s a fairytale, a savior, and an enigma. Much like Tantalus, part of the fandom will always be trying to catch who the Doctor really is and coming up with sand instead of water.

I think the most important thing that Doctor Who teaches us is that our future depends on us making choices. One of my favorite episodes is Closing Time. In it, the Doctor, who thinks he’s dying, tells baby Alfie this:

You are so young. Aren’t you? And you know, right now everything’s ahead of you. You could be anything. Yes, I know. You could walk among the stars. They don’t actually look like that you know. They are rather more impressive. You know when I was little like you I dreamt of the stars. I think it’s fair to say, in the language of your age, that I lived my dream. I owned the stage. Gave it a hundred and ten percent. I hope you have as much fun as I did, Alfie.

The future is about fun, about owning the stage and living every moment to it’s fullest. 900 years of time and space may not be in your future, but you can have as much fun as the Doctor – if you only decide to.

 

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This blog was originally post on Tabitha’s blog. Tabitha is a professional geek, blogger, writer, web designer, podcaster, social media expert and strategist. Visit her website and see her professional work, here! Do it!

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