So, Doctor Who.

[Fry]

How come he can understand english, and french and aliens and shit? I mean, I heard there was a reason but I don't know.
Is it nanomachines?

[Fry]

Also, why is the tardis always goinign to important places/times. I've not watched it before this series, I am a little confused.

[j_u_d_a_s]

If you have to ask, you'll never understand.

[imitationleather]

If you have to ask, you've clearly not been paying attention.

[Ambient Sheep]

How come he can understand english, and french and aliens and shit? I mean, I heard there was a reason but I don't know.  Is it nanomachines?

The TARDIS translates for him and his companions via some sort of telepathic (in a scientific, rather than a mystical, sense) method.  Explicitly mentioned in the second Christopher Eccleston story The End of the World (Rose: "you mean your machine gets inside my head and you never even bothered to tell me?") as well as being referred to in a handful of other episodes.

Also, why is the tardis always goinign to important places/times.

Good question.  I don't think it's ever been explicitly explained, but the TARDIS does have a bit of a mind of its own (more so in the pre-2005 series), and there's been suggestions that it tends to get drawn, or even possibly draw itself, close to interesting (temporally or otherwise) events.

Sometimes it's The Doctor himself though: take last week's Van Gogh episode, where he was just giving Amy a bit of sightseeing round an art gallery when he suddenly noticed the monster hidden in one of the paintings and decided to investigate.

I've not watched it before this series, I am a little confused.

You haven't asked why it's bigger on the inside yet.

[Fry]

So like, in reality, the doctor's language could just be a bunch of high pitched screams?

[Ambient Sheep]

So like, in reality, the doctor's language could just be a bunch of high pitched screams?

Much like the ones you emit while being viciously rogered by Baxter, yes.

[Alternative Carpark]

Also, why is the tardis always goinign to important places/times. I've not watched it before this series, I am a little confused.

Good question.  I don't think it's ever been explicitly explained, but the TARDIS does have a bit of a mind of its own (more so in the pre-2005 series), and there's been suggestions that it tends to get drawn, or even possibly draw itself, close to interesting (temporally or otherwise) events.

Sometimes it's The Doctor himself though: take last week's Van Gogh episode, where he was just giving Amy a bit of sightseeing round an art gallery when he suddenly noticed the monster hidden in one of the paintings and decided to investigate.

Also there probably are journeys between stories where nothing much happens and they just wander around for a while, look at the sights if there are any, and then leave again.

A bit like how in sitcoms the more uneventful days in the characters' lives aren't usually shown.

[Ambient Sheep]

Also there probably are journeys between stories where nothing much happens and they just wander around for a while, look at the sights if there are any, and then leave again.

Indeed, I should have mentioned that myself.  Again, during Eccleston's series that sort of thing, which had always been implied, was made a bit more explicit: I can't remember details right now but a couple of episodes started with conversations between Rose & The Doctor that made it clear they'd been on holiday to a few places in the meantime.

One of the things I liked about RTD's revival is that he went out of his way to address such common criticisms of / questions about the series: the most infamous one of course being Daleks being unable to climb stairs (despite the fact that they'd been doing that since Rememberance of the Daleks in 1988).

[Still Not George]

Yeah, basically what they said. An important thing to remember is that travelling in the TARDIS fundamentally alters its inhabitants in some fashion that is never clearly explained, but would possibly involve the necessary modifications to allow someone from one time period to exist in another without causing all kinds of problems just by existing. Not to mention preventing issues such as accidentally introducing modern viruses and bacteria into Ancient Rome, killing off millions.

One of the core conceits of the show is that the Time Lords are an old - REALLY old - and unthinkably advanced species. Their technology adapts to its users (thus the Doctor's TARDIS seems idiosyncratic and odd, while the Master's TARDIS back in the stories where he had one was clean and simplistic), but it's essentially capable of anything. And the Doctor's TARDIS in particular has been hinted as being something even more unusual.

[biggytitbo]

In the Tom Baker story The Masque of Mandragora Sarah can't understand why she understands 15th century Italian and the Doctor tells her its a 'gift of the timelords', later revealed in the End of the World to be a telepathic field emitted by the Tardis that translates all languages.

As for why the Tardis always lands in trouble, well it doesn't. They only televise the trips that have any adventure in the them, most of the time everythings quite uneventful.

[Ambient Sheep]

As for why the Tardis always lands in trouble, well it doesn't. They only televise the trips that have any adventure in the them, most of the time everythings quite uneventful.

As I said above, this is partly true, but just to be nitpicky, I wouldn't say "most of the time".  In Rose, when the title character's deciding whether or not to travel with EcclesDoc, she asks him "Is it always like this?" (meaning "Is it always this hectic?") and he says "Yes".  Also, Matt Smith's Doctor has mentioned quite recently how he can't bear things (not just blue buttons) to be boring, he always has to be doing something exciting.

[Santa's Boyfriend]

How come he can understand english, and french and aliens and shit? I mean, I heard there was a reason but I don't know.
Is it nanomachines?

[papalaz4444244]

In the Tom Baker story The Masque of Mandragora Sarah can't understand why she understands 15th century Italian and the Doctor tells her its a 'gift of the timelords', later revealed in the End of the World to be a telepathic field emitted by the Tardis that translates all languages.

As for why the Tardis always lands in trouble, well it doesn't. They only televise the trips that have any adventure in the them, most of the time everythings quite uneventful.

This is straight out of The New Adventures. In Paul Cornell's Love and War, for example, Ace decides to stay on the planet Heaven, and when she walks away from the Doctor, Benny and the TARDIS she starts to not understand what the people she is with are saying.

It's actually been over-defined in the post-2005 series IMO, because if the TARDIS "can translate ANY language in the Universe" then how come they couldn't talk to the Zarbi for example or a giant space wasp or the Hath or the Tritovores........ lol

[papalaz4444244]

Also, why is the tardis always goinign to important places/times. I've not watched it before this series, I am a little confused.

I like to think that they just don't televise the days when they stop off for chips or pop into Primark for clean pants. :)

Or the Doctor is desperate for a shite....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZahysN2sIIw

[biggytitbo]

This is straight out of The New Adventures. In Paul Cornell's Love and War, for example, Ace decides to stay on the planet Heaven, and when she walks away from the Doctor, Benny and the TARDIS she starts to not understand what the people she is with are saying.

It's actually been over-defined in the post-2005 series IMO, because if the TARDIS "can translate ANY language in the Universe" then how come they couldn't talk to the Zarbi for example or a giant space wasp or the Hath or the Tritovores........ lol

He added that feature to the tardis at some point after that? Although it doesnt explain why the Doctor needs to speak Judoon in the Stolen Earth. Maybe the circuits were playing up that day?

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

And in "The Christmas Invasion" Rose, Harriet and the others couldn't understand the Sycroax until the Doctor awoke, and only then did the TARDIS start to translate.

[papalaz4444244]

The rule is - It works on any language.....or doesn't if it's not convenient. lol

The Big Finish play Survival of the Fittest uses the translation ability in a fascinating and unique way.

Spoiler alert

The aliens in this are like ants and spray scents to communicate. The scents linger for a while after so it's possible to "hear" conversations or emotions from the near past (using the TARDIS' telepathic circuits).  It works very well in this tale.

[close]

[Fry]

Does anyone know if the thread for when it first started up again is about? I've started watching them all from series 1 (of the new lot) and would like to read a bit.

Oh man, I just saw the DALEK episode. I have always thought they were a bit shit, but that was absolutely terrible.

[Ambient Sheep]

Oh man, I just saw the DALEK episode. I have always thought they were a bit shit, but that was absolutely terrible.

<splutter> That was generally very well thought of round here (and most places!) at the time.  Something that brought back the true menace of even a single Dalek, after the cultural joke they became during the 80s

Although interestingly there have been one or two other dissenters here lately, mainly people such as yourselves who missed it back in the day and are only now seeing it for the first time.

What was so terrible about it, in your opinion?

Does anyone know if the thread for when it first started up again is about?

Yeah, there's an index of all the old threads knocking around, I'll find it and put it up shortly.  Bit of a cock-up that we didn't manage to do that on the first page of the current thread, it should be The Law that that's always done in future.

I've started watching them all from series 1 (of the new lot) and would like to read a bit.

It might end up being more than just "a bit" when you see how much there is... :-)

[eluc55]

<splutter> That was generally very well thought of round here (and most places!) at the time.  Something that brought back the true menace of even a single Dalek, after the cultural joke they became during the 80s

Although interestingly there have been one or two other dissenters here lately, mainly people such as yourselves who missed it back in the day and are only now seeing it for the first time.

What was so terrible about it, in your opinion?

I'm with fry; its an awful episode, with only one redeeming scene (one of the few where I agree with the casting of Ecclestone). The rest, much like a lot of series 1, is far too "children's TV" for my liking. Van Staten is terribly performed, the lighter parts of the script is far too knowing, and worst of all, the Dalek is introduced to a new audience by it absorbing the emotions of a human and developing compassion. The ending, with it reaching for the sunlight cements it for me as a true stinker.

But then I tend to dislike almost all of series 1, bar The Empty Child two parter, which is okay. It really is the microwaveable meal of TV at that stage, and its to RTD's credit, that after making it so accessable at that start, he still went on to develop it into something far more interesting, ambitious and intelligent. 

[biggytitbo]

Series 1 really is like a completely different show to what it then became. You'd hardly believe that Rose or World War 3 were even written by the same man that wrote Turn Left and Midnight would you?

[Edley]

Series 1 really is like a completely different show to what it then became. You'd hardly believe that Rose or World War 3 were even written by the same man that wrote Turn Left and Midnight would you?

On the other hand, it's not exactly a stretch to believe that Rose and World War 3 were written by the man that wrote Partners in Crime and Planet of the Dead.

[Ambient Sheep]

Wow, two hours later, that took a lot longer to find and update than I thought...


Sheepy's new expanded guide to Doctor Who threads

Main threads about the new series, in chronological order of creation:
2004/03/04 - 2004/03/20:  Izzard as Dr Who ? (Rampant speculation)
2004/03/20 - 2005/02/21:  And the new Doctor Who is... (Eccleston's announcement to the start of Series 1, just 14 pages in all that time!)
2005/02/27 - 2006/10/10:  New Doctor Who (Series 1 (27) & 2 (28))
2006/11/01 - 2007/05/21:  Newer Doctor Who  (Series 3 (29) part 1)
2007/05/24 - 2009/10/21:  The New Doctor Who thread (Series 3 (29) part 2, Series 4 (30), 2009 up to but not including The Waters Of Mars)
2009/10/21 - 2010/03/26:  The "New" Doctor Who Thread (2009 just before The Waters of Mars to just before Series 5 (31) aired)
2010/03/18 - 201?/??/??:    Doctor Who - Series 5 Discussion (No Spoilers) (Series 5 (31) onwards -- the current thread)

Other Doctor Who threads, also in chronological order:
Old Doctor Who
Torchwood Series 1
The Best And Worst Of Doctor Who... Ever
Doctor Who - where does everyone stand now ?
Torchwood Series 2
Torchwood Series 3
Doctor Who and the SPOILERS OF DEATH (aborted Series 5 (31) thread)
Recommend me some Old Doctor Who
Junior Masterchef with Doctor Who
Doctor Who: The Adventure Games
So, Doctor Who.


_{^{(Info from here and here plus my own further searching.  Thanks to Tokyo Sexwhale for reminding me back in February about the two earliest threads.  Further additions & corrections welcome.)}}

[gloria]

Excellent thread-harvesting there!

[Fry]

Oh thank you AS!

And yeah, eluc pretty much sums up what I don't like about that episode. The only way, I think, a dalek could ever become as scary or as formindable a villian as everybody thinks thinks they should be (which I believe is a stretch anyway) is to make them a total, one track minded killing machine. Stuff like emotionally manipulating Rose just seems absolutely ridiculous, especially when coupled with their Daleky voice. Or, like eluc said, the sunshine scene.
I kind of feel a reticence in criticising parts of such an iconic villian, when I have only really just started watching it - but still.


Now Autons? Scary as fuck.

[Still Not George]

NEVER DOUBT THE DATABASE

[Bingo Fury]

But the whole business of the Dalek emotionally manipulating Rose was considered quite welcome at the time - it was the return of the clever, scheming side of the Daleks, which was prominent in the 60s (see "Power Of The Daleks", for instance), but had been pretty much absent since the introduction of Davros. It is in character for them that, even chained up and all but powerless, the Dalek uses any method at its disposal, including psychology, to find a means to escape. That's all part of being a "one track minded killing machine".

And let's not forget that, even with the somewhat syrupy "sunshine" scene, RTD makes it quite clear that the Dalek is born a Nazi and dies a Nazi. It's revolted by the feelings that contact with Rose has given it, and chooses suicide rather than become something which is not 100% Dalek. I'm not saying you overlooked that, Fry, but a lot of people did miss it at the time, and made outraged posts about how RTD had made the Daleks all sweet and sympathetic.

So, yeah, I think I'm still a fan of that episode for the most part, although watching it again does reinforce what a different show it's become.

[biggytitbo]

The mistake people make with the Daleks is to think they are emotionless killers, they're not like the Cybermen in that regard, they are actually a seething brew of emotions - anger, hate, impatience, annoyance, not to mention their long held ability to be scheming and devious. Lose all that and the Daleks become rubbish, which is why those scenes in Victory of the Daleks where they're pretending to be friendly are so great (whilst the rest of it is total guff).

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

Wow, two hours later, that took a lot longer to find and update than I thought...


Sheepy's new expanded guide to Doctor Who threads

Outstanding work. Thanks AS, a perfect way of shirking work for the rest of the afternoon.