Why I love DOCTOR WHO

Doctor Who was - and still is - a popular science fiction program across the globe. One aspect of the show I especially admire is that the hero resists using violence whenever possible. We've now seen him in eleven different personalities -- starting with the crotchety old man first seen in a junkyard, who turned into the fun-loving, recorder-playing "cosmic hobo," and so on. Whenever the Doctor "dies" and regenerates, his personality, attitude, and taste in clothes all change. But one thing remains constant: he will never fire a gun.

Many people think that, to have a good story, you have to have cars exploding, or guns firing during every frame of the film, or people getting sucked into jet engines. Sure, Doctor Who has a lot of that, but that's not all it is. Despite the violence in it, the main purpose of the show is to how bad violence is, not to show how it can be used to get your way. As the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davidson) says to Davros: "I just haven't had as much practice with killing as you have."

Here is a paradox: I also enjoy the ultra-violent Daleks - they are exact opposites of the nonviolent Doctor. Their mantra, "Ex-ter-mi-nate," sends terror down the backs of anyone who knows what they are and what they're up to. But the Doctor, one way or the other, manages to stop them. Yet, despite the fact that he could destroy the Daleks at any time, he always gives them a chance to get away - not because he wants to, but because he abhors killing, and doesn't want there to be more deaths than are truly necessary. That's who the Doctor is: a role model for people in our violent culture.

What do you think?