Doctor Who

CAPT_Howdy said:
Time Lords = First Ones? Hmmm... :think:
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The Dalek vs. Time Lord dynamic has a lot of a Shadows vs. Vorlons to it. There are some pillars of epic s/f storytelling that are found all over the place. And I honestly thing that JMS's preferences in content and tonality would be a great match for Doctor Who.

As another example, I always figured Star Trek's Borg were possibly inspired by the Cybermen, which Gaiman in a way turned on it's head when he basically borrowed the "Best of Both Worlds" storyline for "Nightmare in Silver". That was not as good a match in tonality and content, somehow.
 
The Borg were originally thought up as an insect race. Hence the Queen, drones and "hive-mind" dynamic. It was only after the ST:TNG producers realised that the special effects for an insect race would be too expensive that they decided to make them cyborgs.
 
Ok, I just remebered something and need the proper Dr. Who geeks to figure that out for me:

We saw the Smith-Doctor actually die a while ago, which kinda excludes him from regeneration into another doctor. But I guess I forgot about some event that rendered that whole timeline obsoloete, right?
 
stiggie said:
The Borg were originally thought up as an insect race. Hence the Queen, drones and "hive-mind" dynamic. It was only after the ST:TNG producers realised that the special effects for an insect race would be too expensive that they decided to make them cyborgs.
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That's only half-true. The insects were changed to cyborgs for budget reasons, that's right. But most detailed stuff, especially the Queen, were retconned into the Borg race long after the change. The Queen is the most obvious example, only being introduced in "First Contact", even though it contradicted "The Best of Both Worlds" (which clearly stated that the need for a single face, a spokesperson, was the reason for assimilating Picard - exactly the role the Queen plays in "First Contact").
There's a pretty good timeline of the process at Memory Alpha.

Especially when making up a cyborg race as you go along, looking into other s/f cyborgs for inspiration sounds reasonable, although admittedly no one from the ST:TNG team ever mentioned the Cybermen. But no matter if Cybermen-inspired or not, the "Cyborg race bent on destruction of humanity", in both cases spiced up by the fact that the cyborgs actually want to change people into cyborgs, is a classic s/f trope as are the "elder races" mentioned above, which was all that I was saying.
 
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PaperBiro said:
:( Sad to see him go. 4 years is a good run. His Doctor has been brilliant.

This means the Grand Moff is going to write for a new Doctor then - it's been confirmed he's working on Series 8.
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I suspect Moffat will be going with Smith. Apparently people in charge aren't really thrilled with how things have been going - basically he's been fucking it up and patience is getting thin.
 
Emarline said:
I suspect Moffat will be going with Smith. Apparently people in charge aren't really thrilled with how things have been going - basically he's been fucking it up and patience is getting thin.
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Officially, he's staying on. But I would not blame the BBC execs - both reviews and ratings have suffered this year. And you have to keep at least one, ideally both, up in order to keep your job in TV.
 
I reckon 8 might be his last series though. I hope his era finishes on a high too.

BleedingCool published a rumour that the next series won't be split, it'll be a straight run from August all the way to Christmas (the Christmas special will double as a finale). Hopefully that's the case.
 
If that means more episodes, I'm down for that. But maybe they go to a every-2-weeks schedule instead, which... I guess would be ok too.
 
That was based entirely on hearsay though, the journalist in question admits it himself. :| And - well, the details about Series 8 haven't been announced as predicted, so it's probably false.

According to our sources, the BBC are tonight going to announce that Matt Smith is leaving the show and that we?ll get a new Doctor as of August next year. They?ll also be announcing how many new episodes we?ll get, and it won?t be one of those cut-in-two seasons like we?ve just been through. In fact, we?ve heard talk that it?s going to run right up to a finale that is also the Christmas special.
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OK, so rumour update!

Series 8, the 12th Doctor?s debut series, will air in August of 2014 and be an uninterrupted run, according to recent rumours.

The Sun (who are keen to remind us they were correct about Matt leaving) claim:

Beeb bosses had to admit Matt?s exit after a leaked email from its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, to clients gave the game away.

The mail, sent [last] Friday, told of plans to air 12 new episodes from August 2014. Crucially, it said: ?This will give the new Doctor a chance to develop with the audience (apologies for this spoiler if you didn?t know).?

Meanwhile, the Radio Times reports that the 12th Doctor could be announced as soon as July 2013:

The new Doctor could be handed the keys to the TARDIS as early as next month, BBC sources have confirmed ? with insiders suggesting Matt Smith?s replacement needs to be announced before the Doctor Who Christmas special begins filming next month.

It would be virtually impossible to keep the identity of the new doctor a secret even if the entire set went into lockdown during filming of the Christmas special, a BBC source told RadioTimes.com.

?The search has begun in earnest and is active now,? the source said, adding that the BBC has not ruled out hiring a woman to replace Matt Smith.

They also corroborate that Series 8 will contain 12 episodes:

The new series, expected to be 12 episodes long, begins filming in the autumn.

A BBC source also moved to squash speculation that showrunner Steven Moffat could also be calling it a day, insisting that he has signed up for at least another year.
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http://doctorwhotv.co.uk/series-8-in-august-2014-50046.htm
 
thomas said:
If that means more episodes, I'm down for that. But maybe they go to a every-2-weeks schedule instead, which... I guess would be ok too.
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I'd rather a kick ass episode every 2 or 3 weeks than a shitty one every week.
 
stiggie said:
I'd like to see them take a break from Doctor Who for a while and make some Sherlock.
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Indeed, hence me saying I'd be ok with that :D.

That American Girl said:
I'd rather a kick ass episode every 2 or 3 weeks than a shitty one every week.
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I couldn't care less for sherlock, so take that and leave this thread, fast! :p
 
I think the problem with Moffat isn't that he's lost it, just that since he became showrunner he has been spreading himself too thin and his ideas and writing have suffered. Get someone else (like RTD) to run the bloody thing and let Moffat get back to what he does best.
 
stiggie pointed out another important fact: Moffat is running Sherlock, as well. It might be just three TV movies a year, but it just adds to his duties.

And I'd still prefer JMS to RTD. JMS knows how to run a show, write almost all the episodes and still keep it all together. Mostly.
 
:/ Personal taste and all, but I still prefer Moffat to RTD. RTD's tenure was just... it was alright - I respect it for reviving the show so successfully and for its best moments, but there was a lot of camp, just as much deus-ex machina, and it all felt a bit too Eastenders.

I don't want to see The Weakest Link still going on in the year 100,000, thanks. And then you had the lowlights like Love & Monsters or that ridiculous hammy spider thing from that Christmas special (I was only about 11 when I saw that, even at that age it turned me off Doctor Who for years).

And whilst I've had my complaints this series, Moffat's Who matches what I like about the show more: escapism. Fantastic scenarios on poetically rendered planets. And I like the complicated plot arcs, and the mythical style of writing he adopts when he does a finale.

Anyways, there hasn't been a single era of Doctor Who where the showrunner hasn't been hated on by fans. Not even in the mid-70s with when Hinchcliffe and Holmes were in charge.
 
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Dr_Grip said:
Seconded, it's a pity that Smith only stayed for such a short time.

The JMS part? Guilty as charged. Some of his more sappy Babylon 5 episodes, especially how Sheridan escapes death on Z'ha'dum, had a perfectly Who tone about them.
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4 years is a normal run for a Doctor, most have been the doctor that long or less, Tom Baker is really only outlier at 7 years. Smith had a good run and did great playing the Doctor, he's young and his career is taking off, he shouldn't be restricted to only playing a role like the Doctor.

In other news

Karen Gillan cast as yet unnamed villaness in Guardians

The 25-year-old will play the lead female villain in the film, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Benicio Del Toro is also said to have joined a starry ensemble that already includes Glenn Close and Zoe Saldana.

Gillan played plucky Amy Pond opposite Matt Smith's Doctor. Her latest film, Not Another Happy Ending, closes the Edinburgh Film Festival this month.

Shooting on Guardians of the Galaxy, about a group of aliens tasked with the protection of Earth in the 31st Century, is due to begin this month. It is set for release in August 2014.

The film forms part of Marvel's so-called "Phase 2" movement, following an initial raft of superhero movies that culminated with 2012 blockbuster Avengers Assemble.
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