E is for Engin

The above still frame comes the phenomenal story during the 4th Doctor's reign, The Deadly Assassin.

Apart from a few scenes in The War Games and The Three Doctors, Assassin is our first real glimpse at Time Lord society on Gallifrey. 

Above with Tom Baker, on the left is Castellan Spandrell (played brilliantly by George Pravda). A Castellan being much like a Chief of Police on Gallifrey.

On the right is Coordinator Engin (portrayed by Erik Chitty).

A rather overlooked underestimated Time Lord, this diminuitive and nervous man was actually the catalyst for one of the most important positions in the Time Lord hierarchy.

The Coordinator position was one that oversaw and guarded the entry points to the Time Lord Matrix, a vast surreal repository for the living minds of dead Time Lords.

Engin assisted the 4th Doctor in his ongoing feud with the Master, the battlefield now their home planet itself.  Allowing the Doctor entry into the Matrix to drive the evil Time Lord from his lair, it was decided that more security was needed surrounding the Matrix.  After all, how had the Master got inside it? (Granted he does get into it again in Trial of a Time Lord, but he is rather an uber-genius being part of the infamous Deca, just like the Doctor)

So, the Coordinator position was changed to Keeper of the Matrix. The holder of all the keys and watcher of all the entry points to the Matrix. Becoming the foremost authority on the subspace world of the resting place of all Time Lords, second only to the Lord/Lady President themselves.
 

D is for Dalek

This is another post that could well get out of hand. To be honest I have not even been sure what to write here, which is why it has taken me a few days to do so.  After all, who doesn't know what a Dalek is?

Anyone who is a Who fan, knows what Daleks are.

Incidentally whatever I DO ramble on about here will be accompanied purely by fanpics of the Daleks, no series stills.  Just because I said so....

The Daleks were never a favorite of mine, and as my friends will attest to, I have yet to even like a Dalek episode of the new series. Oh sure, I will not deny that I was excited as hell to see the bound gold casing in the underground Utah museum, but they've never been something that grabbed me for the series.  I enjoy the Cybermen better, and actually quite a few of the other recurring (and some non-recurring races) much better.

Nevertheless, I have to admit to them being the reason that the show is still around.  

Yes, I know that three letters back I expounded upon the brilliance of the 1st half hour of An Unearthly Child, and i DO stand by its magic.  

But the following story brought about a phenomenon that, not even the producers of the show were prepared for.....I mean...who would ever think there would be a word: Dalekmania?

So, what is a Dalek?

If we go by the Doctor's own words, a Dalek is purely: HATE.

One could speculate that...if the entity known as Fenric is the living embodiment of evil, then the Daleks are the constructed embodiment for hatred.

They are often (and rather precisely) invoked as the Doctor Who Universe's version of the Nazis. The Doctor Who Universe HAS stories about the real Nazis, but the Daleks take that horror and place it upon a galactic playing field.

The Daleks bare hatred for anything unlike a Dalek. They are the ultimate in racial cleansing.  Their mission is to annihilate anything that is not one of their own.

The genesis of the Daleks is rather a sad story to be honest, and what else bred this menace but war. The Daleks began as humanoid beings called Kaleds; sharing the planet with another race called Thals (who ironically are the ones who look more Aryan in appearance).

The two races eventually came against each other in explosive conflict....massive enough to sterilize the entire planet. The planet became a radioactive wasteland, and one which crippled the Kaled race.

Upon the survivors came a brilliant scientist (another major "D" post for the future)  This man was fueled by utter contempt for the Thals.  He took the feeble mutated ruins of his people and genetically altered them...removing from them any thoughts of conscience, compassion or morality. He then plugged this newly born monster into a metal shell and provided it with an energy ray that spat death.

Thus resurrected these remnants became the Daleks.  A race so insanely resolved to be pure, that one of their first actions is to turn violently against their creator.

The original Daleks glided around on a single base, utilizing static electricity from metal flooring, such limited creatures. But, these beings are not so driven by hate that they lack in astounding ingenuity. The Daleks are geniuses.  They swiftly solved their mobility problem and nowadays you can find hovering Daleks, spider-legged Daleks, even submarine Daleks.

They are the first race to actually copy TARDIS technology and by that I mean time travel machines that actually have the higher dimensions contained within, in essence bigger on the inside like the Time Lord's machines.

Do they ever put them to catastrophic use....  The Daleks take their time machines and shunt a Dalek constructing factory within them.  This way any place one of these machines land can possibly have thousands of Dalek soldiers on board, PLUS the ability to make more.

 
Despite my adherence to the fact that the Daleks were never my favorite baddies (despite them being quite possibly the most popular baddies, and the whole reason for the overnight success of the series) these ruthless machine creatures have spawned some of my favorite stories.

For the Doctor Who beginner, or even simply the Dalek beginner, I strongly recommend finding in book form (or ebook) Power of the Daleks and Evil of the Daleks.

Sadly these two 2nd Doctor stories are not available in their televised format, but reading the goings on at Maxtible's House and on the planet Vulcan is something no one should miss.

Also, you should try to get your hands on a copy of the 4th Doctor story Genesis of the Daleks. Quite possibly the most important Dalek story ever told.

Hmm, I think the post turned out ok....  Join me next time when I chat about a Time Lord who is rather overshadowed, and yet is the first Gallifreyan in a very important position on the Time Lord homeworld.

::exterminates the post::

 

C is for Cybermen

OK, this is one of those posts that could get out of hand.  So please press play above and enjoy the musical accompaniment  ::smiles::

The Cybermen are Doctor Who icons, being the second most popular alien race ever to grace the Who Universe, and even that may be debatable these days. Though the Daleks will always be known as the jump start to the series. The Cybermen give them a run for their money.

So what are the Cybermen?

Well, originally they were like us. Flesh and blood. Human, or humanoid at any rate.  They were a race from the planet Mondas, a planet of very harsh living conditions.  Instead of evolving, this race began deteriorating. Their best minds thought of a solution, and that was to replace dying parts with plastic and metal, to replace withering organs with machines. (Scarily enough, much like we do) 

These mechanized beings rebuilt themselves again and again to the point where the "human" was lost and all that was left was an emotionless pitiless being. One that decided that now that it had cured all the ills and pains of the flesh, everyone deserved and would embrace this upgrade. Thus was born one of the cruelest monsters of the Who Universe. Robots born of flesh with a non-stop mission to convert the masses.

We are used to the new Cybermen, metallic, unstoppable robots. Even for much of the classic series they were very robotic in look and nature.  But, the original Cybermen were very different altogether. In my opinion they resemble futuristic zombies.  In the original Cybermen from the last 1st Doctor story, The Tenth Planet, their hands are bare, yellow necrotic flesh not gauntlet-like gloves. Also the eye holes were not screened over, you actually saw the dead human but inhuman eyes burning out of those holes....

 Amazingly, the first glimpse we get of this race, they actually pilot their home planet to Earth to drain it dry of energy and resources.  Making them a chilling and memorable entry into the long list of Doctor Who baddies.  From here, they only evolve.  Unlike most DW alien races, the Cybermen seem to change every time we see them.  Upgrading themselves to become more efficient killers.

In the Big Finish line of Doctor Who audios, a man who continually blows away Whovians (mostly with his fantastic work on the planet and history of Galiifrey), Marc Platt wrote the story Spare Parts. This story brings the 5th Doctor to the planet Mondas at the onset of Cyber creation.  The story gives a remarkable and in-depth review of the events that led to the birth of these monstrous creatures.  As noted in the illustration below, take note at the left of how much the originals looked like zombies:

Some people believe that Mondas was originally Marinus (from the 1st Doctor story The Keys of Marinus) and that the humanoids there under the machine law of their Conscience machine eventually were caught up in the downward spiral of total mechanization. Their planet was a hodge podge of disastrous climes: brutal winters, nasty jungles, acid seas. Those that had resisted the machine law and wished to control it only were bereft of its influence temporarily. The militant and resistant Voord even bares some uncanny similarities in appearance to a Cyberman:

Another theory are that they evolved from Silurians (the lizard race that ruled Earth before man) who had perfected space travel and colonized Mondas/Marinus (or whatever). A few versions of the Cybermen had a round hole aperture at their forehead, some of which were weaponized. A similarity to the third eye of the Silurian, which also had destructive capabilities.

Whatever you believe, the Cybermen have become such icons, that the idea of them have been copied and improvised to create other races in other series. The most notable and most similar being the Borg from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Though their appearance and attack modes are different, their litany is just the same. The parallels are obvious.

Also, talented fans often create their renditions of what Cybermen could look like, a worthwhile pursuit in a race that changes so often from story to story.

 

The Cybermen are one of few races who have traversed across all forms of Doctor Who fiction, including the comic books.

 

Their impact at the death of the first Doctor rang out, and sealed their longevity through the years of the shows success. They have brought about such destructive events as draining off the Earth's energy, altering the course of Halley's comet in an attempt to rewrite history, keeping a glacier full of frozen reusable human parts, causing the death of one of the Doctor's companions (which very rarely happens) and in their latest plot trying to assimilate the Doctor himself!  

Here they are!  The very latest version of this menace, which I am sure will return again.....

B is for Borusa

Borusa is noted as one of the most important Time Lords in the history of their race.  He appears four times in the televised series (The Deadly Assassin, The Invasion of Time, Arc of Infinity, The Five Doctors) and each time we see him it is a new incarnation. This leads us to believe that, at odds to most Time Lords, Borusa got up to some dangerous business in between the times that we actually see him.

Borusa starts out as a Cardinal (one of many officious titles amongst Time Lords) actually campaigning to become Lord President of Gallifrey.  As the interactions between the 4th Doctor and himself go on, it is revealed that in the past he was a teacher. One of the Doctor's teachers no less, and perhaps his greatest *official* teacher.  As we go on learning of this Time Lord through the four stories, we learn that each has a begrudging respect for the other, although the Doctor resents his former tutor's rigidity towards the stagnant society of Gallifrey and Borusa resents the Doctors reckless insubordinate off-planet behaviors.

By the end of The Deadly Assassin the Cardinal moves up to the position of Lord Chancellor (though possibly illegally) and in The Invasion of Time seems to be acting President as well (until the Doctor puts his claim in) He assists the Doctor in saving Gallifrey yet again. But, as we all know the Doctor did NOT stay on as President of Gallifrey.

Borusa finally, and officially, does become President. We next meet him when one of the other (thought deceased) heroes of Gallifrey comes back to avenge himself. It is possible that the necessity to destroy Omega took its toll on Borusa as the climax of this adventure begins a downward spiral for the President.

Or perhaps....he was just power mad. Whatever the reason when we meet the next incarnation of Borusa he is consumed with the desire to be President eternal. He activates the Game of Rassilon, ensnaring five of the Doctors to carry out his will and open the way to immortality.  However, it is learned that immortality was a curse. Rassilon sought it and won it, and decided that this game would be to get nefarious parties out of the way, keeping clean (or cleanER) the political forum of Gallifrey.  Thus, once Borusa claimed his gift, he was turned into a living statue to live out his days on the side of the bier of the mighty Rassilon.

However, Borusa's story does not end there.  In the novel Blood Harvest, a trio of Time Lords fanatical to the (late?) President attempt to restore him to his former glory. As the Time Lord is reconstituted it turns out that he does not share the desires of the three villains and after assisting in their thwarting, goes back to his eternal slumber.

Then again, in the novel the Eight Doctors, Borusa is shown to be redeemed from his lust for power and is actually released from the incarceration to find some life back in Time Lord society.

Granted, even with the addition of two novels we only get but a glimpse into this Time Lord's life (especially with how long they live; remember we have looked into four of his lives and that's roughly a third of them) There must be quite a lot of other events that concern him for him to have become as great a figurehead in Time Lord history as we are led to believe...

A is for An Unearthly Child

Now as my brother made me painfully aware of, no self-respecting librarian would ever alphabetize An Unearthly Child under the letter A.  However, I'm thumbing my nose in his direction simply because there is no better place to start speaking about Doctor Who

An Unearthly Child is the first glimpse the entire world was given in to the Who Universe. The first episode was broadcast the day after the assassination of President Kennedy in November of 1963.  Overshadowed by the very real tragedy, the new series did manage to spark the viewing interests of many.  As it would turn out, this rather slow, limited in science-fiction piece would turn out to be a show much different to so much that was shown on the BBC.

The first glimpse we get into the first story of Doctor Who is a lone nightshift policeman walking into a junkyard. We are overpowered by decay and neglect, and yet pulsing above the scenery is this strange hum of power, seeming to be emanating from a London police call box.

Back in the day, police used these boxes to temporarily lock up prisoners and call for back up to cart the miscreant to the station.  But in this case...

::grins::   More on that later.

I think the most amazing thing about An Unearthly Child is the fact that is practically two stories in one. The first half hour is merely an introduction to characters and the main idea that will permeate through the next 50 years.  ....travel.

Yes, i left out the word "time" and for good reason. No matter the fact that it is time travel. It is quite simply travel. The Doctor and company, never once stay situated and settle. Sure, sometimes they can be held prisoner, sometimes for years on end.  Yes, certainly we know the Doctor owns several houses. But, the Doctor is not a static entity, he is all about movement. Sometimes he moves on too soon...

The second three pieces of this story are I suppose what you might call: the danger.  There is danger everywhere the Doctor goes, and in this story the danger is very purposefully segregated to the final three parts, where the travelers are whisked back in time to attempt to survive in a tribe of cavemen (led by a superb performance by Derek Newark) eager to relearn the secrets of fire.

But, to be honest, despite the fact that the action and adventure take place in the final three parts. That first episode...is key.

The introductory episode to Doctor Who could not have gone more perfectly in my opnion. If you do get the chance to see the pilot, by all means do but that pales in comparison to the second (and packaged) run through.

You get a sense of the alienness of the Doctor and his (adopted) grand-daughter Susan.  You get the feeling of isolation both from the two Time Lords and from the two school teachers.  Then, of course you get the wonderment, most evident in the eyes of Ian Chesterton.  He refuses to believe, and yet WANTS to believe; and finally when he accepts it he is so overwhelmed that it almost takes him off his feet.

All in all a brilliant opening to a fantastic journey....

The other key point in this story is the junkyard itself.  76 Totters Lane, presumably owned by a scrap merchant by the name of I.M. Foreman.  The Doctor learns much later in life that his time machine (the blue police box, his TARDIS: Time and Relative Dimensions in Space) was drawn to this junkyard.

The junkyard is in reality another TARDIS, for these miraculous machines can change shape!!  Blending in with their surroundings to further disguise their alien nature to the populace of that world.

The junkyard features more times through the course of the series. It is a fixed space time event, sort of the echo trail of the previous TARDIS landing.

The owner of that TARDIS took the name I.M. Foreman intending it as a play on words, in reality intending to mean "I am for Man!"

To those of you that are new to Doctor Who, or even not so new but babes of the new series.  I do urge you to break past the fact that....this the beginning of the Time Lord's journey was conceived in pre-CGI times, pre-COLOR times and understand that all story telling is limited by the media available.  Some of the classic stories are appalling to look at, and yet, the story told is 9 times out of 10 extraordinary.

Do give An Unearthly Child a shot....  For even though in this day and age we have audios and comics that have delved even earlier in the First Doctor and Susan's history, without this one lone piece of television, we would not even be Whovians....

Let's Put the Who in sWHOp!!

So hello there, my name is Samantha and I have been a dedicated Whovian for about 32 years now....

::listens and hears crickets chirping::

Ah ha... " But, Samantha, what is a Whovian", you ask?

A Whovian is a fan of the British science-fiction series known as Doctor Who, and as this blog is solely going to revolve around that series I suppose I ought to give any "newbs" out there a bit of a lead in.

Doctor Who is the longest running series in human existence. It has survived archive fires and temporary cancellations. It has hopped from format to format, able to be seen heard or read on TV, cinema screen, audio, book, and comic form.

The premise of the story, brought to us by Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert, is of an alien being exiled from his home planet with some singularly amazing physical abilities.....and.....one....phenomenal blue box.

It is a story that incorporate any genre of fiction you like, and many different factual and historical figures and events.  Yes, my friends, this story has time travel!

The Doctor, as this alien is called, is a Time Lord and he travels through space and time doing what all good heroes do.....righting wrongs, ending oppression and savoring exotic teas.  Well, ok perhaps not all heroes knock back a whole lot of tea. But, that's one of the many  points of uniqueness this story scores.

Doctor Who is a decidedly British venture, and yet, it encompasses all manner of ideas from religion to relationships, ancient history to future survival, philosophy to genetics, and space travel to matter transmission. One never knows where the next trip will take him.

This blog is going to be treated, in a sense, like learning your ABC's. Except, as we delve through the 26 letters of the alphabet, instead of learning about apples, balloons and cats, we will be learning about Alzarians, Bow Ships and Catavelauni.  Each post will introduce us to another aspect of the series that has been my love for almost my entire life and in my opinion....the greatest story ever told.

Enjoy!