mae@aplvax.UUCP (01/24/84)
Indented quotes are from Binayak Banerjee (...sjuvax!bbanerje) My question is basically -- Who is Dr. Who? In the episode I watched tonight (Terror of the Zygons) he specifically states "I am not Human". If so, what are his origins? The Tardis seems to be some sort of Space Time machine. If so, why does it look like an antique telephone booth? The Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. He left because the Time Lord's didn't believe in using their time travel technology for anything other than observation and he wanted to help others. He had to steal a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) to get away and the old type 40 he ended up with was in for repairs at the time. The TARDIS has a chameleon circuit to blend in with its surroundings and at the first stop (in 1960's London) it did, but the circuit has been stuck ever since in the shape of a blue police box. The TARDIS is also dimensionally transcendental - bigger on the inside than the outside. All in all, I think that this is slightly superior to my other perennial favourite - Star Trek. The characters are more believable, displaying all human foibles including stupidity. The special effects could use some work, but perhaps I'm missing something by watching in B & W. Characters are definitely the show's strong point. Scripts and plots vary from the excellent to the very silly (fortunately not too many of the latter). The special effects budget at the BBC is very low compared to U.S. programs but the quality of the show otherwise makes up for this. What you are missing in B&W is some of the excellent costume and makeup work. Mary Anne Espenshade ...!seismo!umcp-cs!aplvax!mae