Should the Next 'Doctor Who' Be a Woman? 772
Hugh Pickens DOT Com writes "Jennifer Finney Boylan writes in the NYT that for those who did not get beaten up in high school, 'Doctor Who' is a beloved British sci-fi series about a character called the Doctor who is able to regenerate into a new body whenever a mortal would die or whenever an actor grows tired of the gig. The Doctor has been played by 11 different men since the show went on the air in 1963 and with Matt Smith, stepping down this Christmas, many fans had hoped that this time, a dozen cycles in, the Doctorship would finally go to a woman. 'Maybe it was the election of Barack Obama that made it seem, fleetingly, as if there were no more glass ceilings, for offices from president to pontiff,' writes Boylan. 'Whether the 45th president is a woman (Hillary Rodham Clinton?) or a Latino (Marco Rubio?), it still feels, on a good day, as if we've entered a time when there are fewer limits on what men and women can aspire to.' But unlike presidents or popes, we may not get that many more chances at a glass-shattering Doctor. According to long-held Doctor Who mythology, the character's 13th regeneration could be his last. 'As the producers think about whom they want to take on the role next, they should keep in mind the way people's hopes are lifted when they see someone breaking the glass ceiling, even when it's for something as seemingly trivial as a hero on a science-fiction program. Equal opportunity matters — in Doctor Who's universe as well as our own.'"
"13th regeneration" (Score:4, Informative)
the character's 13th regeneration could be his last
Okay, first, the article means his TWELFTH regeneration, his thirteenth INCARNATION. Secondly, it's already canon that doctors can regenerate far more than twelve times [wikia.com].
Re:and how do you resolve the paradox (Score:5, Informative)
It has already been established in canon that they can.
"See that snake. The mark of The Corsair. Fantastic bloke. He had that snake as a tattoo in every regeneration. Didn't feel like himself unless he had that tattoo. Or herself a couple of times. Oo hoo! She was a bad girl!"
Re:Time Lord (Score:4, Informative)
Romana, played by the rather lovely Lala Ward.
Re:Really? Political correctness? (Score:2, Informative)
Yes. The same reason every Superman comic is about the same Kryptonian: he's the main character of the story.
All the instances of regeneration we've seen preserve gender. Not just the Doctor -- the Master and K'anpo Rimpoche stay male, while Romana, River Song, and Jenny stay female.
Yes, Romana's regeneration doesn't fit 100% with how the other instances of regeneration occur. and yes, one transgender Time Lord /Lady, the Corsair, is mentioned in one episode, but given the gender-preserving quality of all the regenerations we see it doesn't seem credible that regeneration is the source of that person's transgender status.
Re:Really? Political correctness? (Score:5, Informative)
BS. Guys just do different types of/more exercise because that's the societal norm. If you asked a female to do the work every time you needed something carried or a jar opened you'd be a wimp too. Sure testosterone plays a role, but almost any woman can get strong if they eat and train right. And by strong I mean sincerely fuck up 99% of the male population. Why? Because most people don't exercise to their potential.
This is very disingenuous. Of course many women could become stronger than the average man if they were involved in an Olympic-class workout/diet regimen, but even a very large, very strong woman will have difficulty matching a man's strength, if he's even doing casual strength-conditioning.
Sexual dimorphism is not caused by "societal norms", it is caused by genetics and specifically testosterone.
Re:What about the woman sidekick? (Score:4, Informative)
The 10th Doctor had a beefcake sidekick, Capt. Jack Harkness.