Doctor Who is one of those unique phenomena that cannot be adequately explained without sounding like a lunatic; instead, it must be experienced. But how do you convince someone to get in on the experience without first providing some context? Well, that's what I am trying to figure out.
For starters, Doctor Who is no ordinary TV series. In fact, the show is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this November. Yes, I'm serious- it's been running for quite awhile. But how does that work? How could a show last that long and maintain the favor of an ever-evolving audience? Well, that's where the genius of it really comes into play! The premise of the show, boiled down to the simplest and most degrading level, is about time travel, which means that no storyline or character is too far out of bounds. That being said, the show caters to a massive audience of all genders, ages and cultures. I truly believe there's something in it for everyone.
Doctor Who is often introduced as a science-fiction show, which only just begins to scratch the surface of its essence, and probably turns away many perspective viewers with the mention of the genre alone. It's is so much more than that. Sure, it's a "sci-fi" series, but it's also history and comedy and life and death and love and loss and friendship and everything in-between. If the aliens don't grab you, the storyline might. If the special effects aren't your cup of tea, you'll still find yourself picking up bits of British culture and slang, and if nothing else, the witty dialogue will make your day. I could go on and on about how fantastic the it is, but the truth is, there is really only ONE reason that anybody watches it, and that reason is the main character: the Doctor.
The Doctor is a thousand year-old alien man known as a Time Lord. He has two hearts and travels through time and space in a machine called the TARDIS which stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space. His home planet was destroyed in the great Time War, and as the last of his race, he ventures through space doing everything he can to make the universe a better place.
The Doctor may be an alien, but he is also everything that we strive to be as human beings. What makes the show so rich is the emotional investment of the audience in this supreme caricature. The Doctor is as close to perfection as any living being could possibly be. His wit will put a ridiculous smile on your face, his awkwardness will have you giggling in understanding, his optimism will inspire you and his cleverness will blow your mind, but at the end of the day, his selflessness will break your heart. And that's what I love about the show. It's a roller coaster of emotion that will pain and delight you simultaneously- a lot like life.
I should probably address the fact that there have been eleven different actors to portray the Doctor over the past fifty years. That might sound a bit weird, but it's worked seamlessly into the storyline. As a Time Lord, the Doctor is almost immortal. When he's dying, he "regenerates" and takes on a new form, which is when a new actor steps into the role and brings his own quirky personality to the existing character. The Doctors are often referred to by the number of their incarnation, the eleventh being the current. Whether they are willing to admit it or not, everybody has a favorite Doctor. Mine is the tenth. That being said, most people don't watch the show from it's beginning because that would take an eternity. The series was revamped in 2005 with the ninth Doctor, and that's typically where people jump in.
The phenomenon that is Doctor Who is truly all-encompassing. With fifty years of complex history, it's nearly impossible to summarize it without writing a novel. Rather than rambling on and on, I will leave you with some video clips that will hopefully further spark your interest.
Doctor Who?
Time Crash (The Doctor Bumps into an Earlier Version of Himself)
What IS Doctor Who?
First, a definition. Planned obsolescence or built-in obsolescence in industrial design is a policy of planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time (Wikipedia).
Now, read this article regarding Apple designs. It's good I swear! http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/disruptions-you-know-you-cant-live-without-apples-latest-glass-rectangle/
And finally, a word of my own...
Built-in obsolescence is nothing but an annoyance from the consumer’s point of view. Most people aren’t made of money, so the notion of investing your funds in an item with a “limited useful life” seems absurd. Design should facilitate our lives, not cause problems. How annoying is it to have to replace the batteries in your calculator in the middle of a homework assignment, or better yet, how annoying is it that you can't replace the battery in your iPod when it dies? Very. But did you ever stop to think that those items were designed to manipulate you? Built in obsolescence is not a new phenomenon, so we’ve sort of become accustomed to things like changing batteries, or replacing an item completely because you are unable to change its battery. In modern times it's even more annoying when we know the technology exists to avoid such problems, and yet it isn’t always implemented. Why? Economics.
From a commercial point of view, I can understand why built-in obsolescence exists. It’s a cushion, or a near guarantee that businesses will continue to prosper despite the fast-paced changes occurring in the world. Apple is the prime example. They seem to put out new products in the blink of an eye, but with only very slight adjustments to either the software or physical design. Lots of people find this wrong, but I think the fault is in the consumers just as much as the producers. Sure, it could be said that Apple is taking advantage of its audience by constantly tempting them with new products, but the bigger issue in my opinion is that PEOPLE ACTUALLY FALL FOR IT! Why on Earth would you buy the new iPod nano, when your “old” version from 6-months ago still functions absolutely fine? What companies like Apple are really doing is altering our very culture, making people far more materialistically conscious than they need to be. It’s creating a social hierarchy based on who has the most up-to-date technology. That is not to say that everyone falls into the Apple trap. Actually, I know many people, including myself, who avoid it quite actively. In my life, I have owned a single iPod. I’ve had it for five years, and I have no desire to upgrade it. I am well aware, however, that the irreplaceable battery will soon die, and I will be left with a decision: do I invest in a new iPod, do I buy another brand of mp3 player, or do I live without? Whatever I chose, I find myself engaged in the unavoidable battle of built-in obsolescence.