First Doctor's Younger Years?

[Brendan Moody]

I doubt they disposed of retired police boxes in junkyards. The episode even makes a point of the police box being out of place:

BARBARA: Ian, look at this.
IAN: It's a police box. What on earth's it doing here? They're always in the street.

As a disguise, therefore, I'd say it's pretty clearly a miss. In dramatic terms, the TARDIS needs to be conspicuous, so the chameleon circuit ends up sort of working but not really. You could retcon it as an early sign of the breakdown, I suppose.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

^In addition to the fact that the dimensions of the police box are inaccurate (according to "Blink" anyway).

Although, the police box design is perfect if it utilizes the S.E.P. field (Somebody Else's Problem) from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's books. With the S.E.P. field, the more audacious & problematic the object is, the stronger the impulse is to ignore it in the hopes that somebody else will take care of it. (It's a concept I never really understood until I got a job.)

 

[Brendan Moody]

^The reference in "Blink" is to fan complaints that the windows of the new series TARDIS prop were the wrong size. But in-universe I suppose it must mean something different.

 

[wamdue]

or the origins of the 1st Doctor-- meeting Susan's grandmother, having kids & grandkids, and then eventually the traumatic event that turned him from a beloved family man into a cranky space nomad.

how about we skip the bit where he meets Mrs Doctor, and everything to the part where we find out how he became a "cranky space nomad" nothing bugs me more than seeing movies about characters like say Superman spend the whole movie paining after some girl, rather than kicking bad guy butt.

It would be like an episode of 24 where Jack has to speed date 24 girls, 2 minutes per girl, and not fight any terrorists, phone Chloe, or speak to the President.

 

[Frodo Lives]

It would be like an episode of 24 where Jack has to speed date 24 girls, 2 minutes per girl, and not fight any terrorists, phone Chloe, or speak to the President.

That would be so awesome!

"Drop the cheque! Drop it now!"

 

[Sci]

You know, when I think about ideas for a Doctor Who movie, I often feel like the only 2 ideas that are really large enough for the big screen are a Time War movie or the origins of the 1st Doctor-- meeting Susan's grandmother, having kids & grandkids, and then eventually the traumatic event that turned him from a beloved family man into a cranky space nomad. It would be a tough story to do well. But if done well, I imagine it would be the greatest Doctor Who story ever told.

Never. Never ever ever ever ever.

We should never learn the history of the Doctor. We should never learn what happened to his family or why he fled Gallifrey or what his real relationship is to the Master.

And we must never, ever, ever learn his real name.

Otherwise, it's no longer asking the eternal question, "Doctor who?"

The mystery is what makes the character work.

 

[Tomalak]

Really? I was under the impression that 1963 was around the time that they were starting to phase out the police boxes and replace them with portable radios. Thus, wouldn't a police box belong in a 1963 junkyard? (Keep in mind this is coming from someone who has never been to England and wasn't around in the 1960s. Excuse any incidental ignorance.)

They were still around until the late sixties, but even so, they weren't boxes you could pick up and put in a junkyard. They were basically permanent structures, some made of concrete. When they were removed, they were just smashed up there and then, unlike the red cast iron phone boxes.

 

[wamdue]

It would be like an episode of 24 where Jack has to speed date 24 girls, 2 minutes per girl, and not fight any terrorists, phone Chloe, or speak to the President.

That would be so awesome!

"Drop the cheque! Drop it now!"

I said that quote, not The Borgified Corpse

 

[Mr Awe]

The police box shape is Doctor Who's first plot hole, of course: the TARDIS lands, with a working chameleon circuit, in a junkyard and disguises itself as... something that doesn't belong in a junkyard.

That was probably the first sign that the chameleon circuit was starting to break down!

As for why they visited earth for Unearthly Child, I think they state in the episode, or at least imply, that they'd been there for a while mainly as an educational experience for Susan. Let her go to school like an earth child. Barbara and Ian speak of her as a student they've had for some (unspecified) time.

Mr Awe

 

[Mr Awe]

You know, when I think about ideas for a Doctor Who movie, I often feel like the only 2 ideas that are really large enough for the big screen are a Time War movie or the origins of the 1st Doctor-- meeting Susan's grandmother, having kids & grandkids, and then eventually the traumatic event that turned him from a beloved family man into a cranky space nomad. It would be a tough story to do well. But if done well, I imagine it would be the greatest Doctor Who story ever told.

Never. Never ever ever ever ever.

We should never learn the history of the Doctor. We should never learn what happened to his family or why he fled Gallifrey or what his real relationship is to the Master.

And we must never, ever, ever learn his real name.

Otherwise, it's no longer asking the eternal question, "Doctor who?"

The mystery is what makes the character work.

Oh come on, if a movie explored the Doctor's origins in an effective and interesting manner, it would only add to the character. I disagree that a trivia question like, what is the Doctor's real name, is adding much to the character.

The mystery adds to the character for awhile but after a point it becomes an artificial construct. Mysteries are meant to be revealed at some point. Surely the Doctor's character is strong enough, interesting enough to withstand some background development?!

Of course, any such movie would have to be done well. It comes down to execution, but I like the idea.

Mr Awe

 

[Brendan Moody]

That was probably the first sign that the chameleon circuit was starting to break down!

You could retcon it as an early sign of the breakdown, I suppose.

Barbara and Ian speak of her as a student they've had for some (unspecified) time.

Susan mentions that "the last five months" have been the happiest time of her life.

 

[Starkers]

Mysteries are meant to be revealed at some point. Surely the Doctor's character is strong enough, interesting enough to withstand some background development?!

Explaining a mystery usually ruins it, if the mystery was that good to hold your attention the explanation never, ever lives up to your expectation (for an example see how lame the explanation of Agatha Christie's dissapearance was as explained in S4)

This is why I'm really hoping Lost doesn't explain everything at the end because it will spoil the show somewhat.

 

[Mr Awe]

Susan mentions that "the last five months" have been the happiest time of her life.

I forgot that she was so specific, but there you go!

Mr Awe

 

[Mr Awe]

Mysteries are meant to be revealed at some point. Surely the Doctor's character is strong enough, interesting enough to withstand some background development?!

Explaining a mystery usually ruins it, if the mystery was that good to hold your attention the explanation never, ever lives up to your expectation (for an example see how lame the explanation of Agatha Christie's dissapearance was as explained in S4)

This is why I'm really hoping Lost doesn't explain everything at the end because it will spoil the show somewhat.

For me, it wasn't the mystery surrounding the Doctor's origins that got me into the show. So, it wouldn't be such a big loss, but YMMV. I like mysteries ok, but they're a thing to be revealed at some point. And, I think the Doctor's character can withstand it.

Mr Awe

 

[Winterwind]

While I've no strong desire to see those early years revealed since I do like the mystery, if they did, as long as it was done well, I'd be ok with it.

 

[Chaos Descending]

As for why they visited earth for Unearthly Child, I think they state in the episode, or at least imply, that they'd been there for a while mainly as an educational experience for Susan. Let her go to school like an earth child. Barbara and Ian speak of her as a student they've had for some (unspecified) time.

Mr Awe

Call it "RetCon" if you like, but I think Remembrance of the Daleks strongly hints that the Doctor was there during An Unearthly Child for the purpose of hiding the Hand of Omega.

 

[Sci]

You know, when I think about ideas for a Doctor Who movie, I often feel like the only 2 ideas that are really large enough for the big screen are a Time War movie or the origins of the 1st Doctor-- meeting Susan's grandmother, having kids & grandkids, and then eventually the traumatic event that turned him from a beloved family man into a cranky space nomad. It would be a tough story to do well. But if done well, I imagine it would be the greatest Doctor Who story ever told.

Never. Never ever ever ever ever.

We should never learn the history of the Doctor. We should never learn what happened to his family or why he fled Gallifrey or what his real relationship is to the Master.

And we must never, ever, ever learn his real name.

Otherwise, it's no longer asking the eternal question, "Doctor who?"

The mystery is what makes the character work.

Oh come on, if a movie explored the Doctor's origins in an effective and interesting manner, it would only add to the character.

No, because inevitably it would disappoint someone or contradict someone else's interpretation of the character. The essential element of the character is the mystery -- it's a guy who doesn't even give out his name.

You take away the mystery of the Doctor and what's left but some eccentricities?

I disagree that a trivia question like, what is the Doctor's real name, is adding much to the character.

Are you kidding me? It is the fundamental element of the entire series -- the contradiction, this man who travels in time and space and has a literal army of people who love him, yet can't bring himself to give out his own name. The mystery and the loneliness of the character are fundamental to the program. Without it, it's just another generic TV show about a funny guy fighting evil-doers.

The mystery adds to the character for awhile but after a point it becomes an artificial construct. Mysteries are meant to be revealed at some point. Surely the Doctor's character is strong enough, interesting enough to withstand some background development?!

Some, sure. All? No. The Doctor's character is the mystery. It's right there in the title: "Doctor who?"

 

[Mr Awe]

Are you kidding me? It is the fundamental element of the entire series -- the contradiction, this man who travels in time and space and has a literal army of people who love him, yet can't bring himself to give out his own name.

YMMV, but, honestly for me, it's not such a big deal. So, he doesn't give out his name. That's not the fundamental element of the series for me. I'm not sure if there is a fundamental element other than a guy righting wrongs.

Some, sure. All? No. The Doctor's character is the mystery. It's right there in the title: "Doctor who?"

Sure, that's the title. But, 45 years later, I don't think that mystery is still there. Sure, there are some specifics we don't know but they're not what keep me coming back again and again.

Mr Awe

 

[Chris227]

The Sylvestor McCoy years, specifically Rememberance of the Daleks and Silver Nemesis, hinted that there's more to the Doctor than just being an exiled Time lord. The Seventh Doctor books (Virgin's "New Adventures") dwelled more on this, suggesting that the Doctor was the reincarnated form of a third member of a Time Lord triumvirate (The Other; aside from Rassilon and Omega). Then of course the TV movie threw in the half-human thing. The novel "Something, Never" also tried to retcon the Doctor's past by suggesting the Ouroboros theory.


However, all this has been pretty much tossed out or ignored by the new series.

 

[RoJoHen]

It could be an awesome idea for the very end of Doctor Who, once they decide to never ever make another episode.