A Weekend With The Doctor

Earlier this month I spent the weekend at the 22nd annual Gallifrey One convention in Los Angeles, California.  It was my first science fiction convention.  Gallifrey One is for fans of the British science fiction show, Doctor Who, which I have become a major fan of.


I went along with several other fellow geeks who are also major fans, including the three shown in the photo to the left.  They are all dressed as characters from the very first episode of the show, which aired on November 22, 1963, a date better known for the assassination of President John Kennedy.  From left to right, they are dressed as the First Doctor, and his companions Ian Chesterson and and Barbara Wright.
  
The person dressed as the first doctor is the one directly responsible for recruiting me as a fan of the Doctor.  Originally from England, has has watched the show from his youth.  His father was an actor with the BBC, and he got to visit the original TARDIS set.  (For those not familiar with the show, the TARDIS is the Doctor's spacecraft...and means Time and Relative Dimensions in Space.)


One afternoon he got me to watch the episode Blink and I was hooked.  I started watching every episode I could, and in short order, I was a major fan.


I mean, what is there not to love about a quirky Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels through time and space in a stolen spacecraft that appears to be a Police Call Box.  It has that appearance because the chameleon circuit, which would normally allow it blend in is broken.  Originally conceived as a way to save money, it has become a trademark for the Doctor and is one of the shows many charms.

When the Doctor meets his demise, he regenerates, taking on a new body, and a new personality.  So, there are now 11 Doctors, all the same person, with all the memories, but each also different.  On the right the faces of all the Doctors from the Show.


The Doctor is joined on his journeys by one or more companions.  As I said, the first Doctor was joined by Ian and Barbara, as well as his granddaughter Susan.  The current Doctor is joined by Amy Pond, and her husband Rory Williams, who she married at the end of the last season.

The Doctor, of course, has a number of adversaries.  Some of them have become as much a part of the show as the Doctor himself.  Perhaps the best known of his enemies are the dreaded Daleks. They are mutated Kaleds integrated into a tank-like mechanical casing. The result is a race of beings obsessed with universal conquest and domination, completely devoid of pity, compassion or remorse. The Daleks appear to have had every emotion removed except hate. Their goal is to purge the Universe of all non-Dalek life. On occasion they have shown  other emotions, usually fear, although this is rare. They are the greatest enemies of the Doctor. Their famous catchphrase is "Exterminate!", with each syllable individually synthesised in a frantic electronic voice.

Another major enemy of of the Doctor is the Cybermen.  Originally they were an organic species of humanoids originating on Earth's twin planet Mondas. They added more and more artificial parts to their bodies for self-preservation. They became a race of coldly logical and calculating robots, all but devoid of every emotion. They are also major rivals of the Daleks.


Unlike the Daleks, which seek to exterminate other races, the Cybermen assimilate people, turning them into robots as well.  In this sense, they are reminiscent of the Borg from the Star Trek universe.  In fact, there are a number of elements of Star Trek that seem to possibly have been borrowed from Doctor Who.

The third major enemy of the Doctor is the Master, a fellow Time Lord, who has chosen a path of evil, perhaps because he was driven to madness when he was exposed to the Untempered Schism during his initiation as a Time Lord.  There, one can see into the entire time vortex (the medium through which the TARDIS travels).


His goal is to dominate the Universe.  He can be thought of as a sort of Moriarty to The Doctor's Sherlock Holmes.


During the convention I was treated to appearances by, among others, the Fifth Doctor, who was played by Peter Davidson, as well as those who played his three companions.  Also appearing were Frazer Hines, who played a companion of the Second Doctor, and Waris Hussein who was the director of the very first episode of Doctor Who.


The convention also featured appearance by a pair of life size Daleks, who were quite an intimidating presence.  Also someone brought a very realistic recreation of K-9, a robotic dog acquired  by the Doctor and given to his companion Sarah Jane Smith.


If you have never checked out Doctor Who, I strongly recommend that you do, though I will warn you, it can be a very addictive show.  And if you are a fan of the Doctor, then you should consider a trip to the next Gallifrey One.  It is a wonderful chance to meet fellow fans, and to see some of the people who have worked so hard to bring this great show to the masses.