Post by burrunjor on Mar 8, 2024 12:49:22 GMT
Whilst the original will always be a classic there were still many avenues that it didn't explore with its character and villains and so on that a sequel could have exploited. Again whilst I'm not saying the 21st century version should have been better overall, it certainly could have improved on certain things.
Personally things I would have liked to have seen would have been.
For the Daleks, more focus on them invading other worlds. I think having them attack modern earth was always a bit of a drawback. Not that you can't get some classic stories that way such as Resurrection, Remembrance and Day of the Daleks, but ultimately when they are supposed to be the biggest threat in the universe, seeing them constantly get defeated by humans in modern day really under sells that. I'd also have like to have seen a story where they won and actually conquered and destroyed a planet, and a story that showed you their empire, and all of the species that had been enslaved by them etc. I'd also have had them experiment on people, harken back to Mengele and really take us deep into their evil, inhuman nature. I'd also have harkened back to the Doctors guilt over not destroying them and show him face the consequences of that, have them also kill companions, or at least have a companion whose life had been ruined by them, to again make the Doctors guilt stronger.
For the Cybermen, first and foremost, for them to be treated with respect. No more bullshit Raston Warrior Robot (as badass as that scene was) or Ace killing an entire platoon of them moments. I'd also like to see the Cybermen's body horror aspect always brought to the fore, and for it to be quite gory when they convert people, and for blood to squirt out of them when they get shot and for some new, creative ideas beyond just them wanting to invade earth. Maybe at some point in the future the Cybermen become our allies because their technology can be used to cure diseases, and we offer them up certain people to be converted in exchange for that like, criminals, people who are dying etc. Remember the Cybermen are not racial supremacists like the Daleks, they are just trying to survive. The only reason they conquer is because it is the only way they can reproduce through conversion, a fact that sadly was often lost even in a lot Classic Who that sadly tended to write them as Daleks with legs. Actually they could realistically enter into an alliance with us rather if we gave them enough people to convert, and the conflict could be the Doctor has to try and help one of the prisoners escape from the monsters clutches? Something just beyond the invading monsters idea, though by all means still do stories like that as they are fun.
The Master meanwhile I'd like to have seen be a really vicious bastard in a revival. The thing I always loved about the Master in old who was how much I genuinely hated him LOL. He'd do the most horrible, heinous things, but no matter how hard the Doctor tried to make him pay, he always slipped through the net, sometimes gloating and laughing as he did. I'd have loved to have played up that aspect and made him genuinely terrifying. Ultimately I think Classic Who did fall down a little in this respect in the 80s and even in the Delgado era, as in certain stories the Master just became a cartoon villain, whose crimes didn't even seem that bad they were so cartoony. However the best stories like The Sea Devils, The Deadly Assassin, Survival etc those are when he seems like the worst scumbag you want to see suffer, but then escapes and that's what I would have gone with, made his crimes a lot more brutal, taken us deep into how predatory and manipulative he can be and cast an actor that was genuinely terrifying and would have played it as such. How people saw stories like Survival or Deadly Assassin and got a gay subtext out of it, baffles me.
For the Doctor meanwhile, well to be honest more of the same LOL. I can't think of anything extra that wasn't in old who. Obviously I'd want to develop him a bit more, bring some stories to a head like his feud with Davros and the Master etc. I'd also maybe show the consequences of his actions every now and again, like maybe do a story arc where we see how a planet develops throughout its history thanks to his meddling, some of it good, some of it bad.
The companions well by all means show more of their backstories like they did with Ace, but just make it a sci fi backstory. You can still even have them exist in modern day as long as it's a sci fi backstory. For instance years back when I was pushing for Osgood as the companion (I wonder why) I suggested that a cool way to link them would be to have Osgood's mother be the woman in Resurrection that gets shot by the Dalek duplicates, and that began Osgood's love for the Doctor as she joined UNIT to find out happened and grew to respect the Doctor for avenging her mother and fighting against the monsters that killed her.
Again not saying to do that, but something along those lines so that the companion is more fleshed out, but goes with the flow of the series rather than against it. Also by all means have a steamy, sexy romance between the companions. Again if that is necessary for modern audiences work it in. Again just work it in with the sci fi and adventure, you know show how they are brought together by their battles against the Daleks and other monsters and that's fine.
I'd also have liked to have seen more new monsters. Obviously bring the classic monsters back, but don't make them the main bad guys for every seasons. I had 0 issues with how often RTD brought the Daleks back btw. I think at first they would be the best foes to use as the central antagonists, and honestly I think the 80s used them too sparingly, but yeah after that give them a rest for like 4 years. To me what we saw from Hartnell's first year to Destiny is about right, a period where they are the big cheese, followed by a period where they are given a rest.
Personally things I would have liked to have seen would have been.
For the Daleks, more focus on them invading other worlds. I think having them attack modern earth was always a bit of a drawback. Not that you can't get some classic stories that way such as Resurrection, Remembrance and Day of the Daleks, but ultimately when they are supposed to be the biggest threat in the universe, seeing them constantly get defeated by humans in modern day really under sells that. I'd also have like to have seen a story where they won and actually conquered and destroyed a planet, and a story that showed you their empire, and all of the species that had been enslaved by them etc. I'd also have had them experiment on people, harken back to Mengele and really take us deep into their evil, inhuman nature. I'd also have harkened back to the Doctors guilt over not destroying them and show him face the consequences of that, have them also kill companions, or at least have a companion whose life had been ruined by them, to again make the Doctors guilt stronger.
For the Cybermen, first and foremost, for them to be treated with respect. No more bullshit Raston Warrior Robot (as badass as that scene was) or Ace killing an entire platoon of them moments. I'd also like to see the Cybermen's body horror aspect always brought to the fore, and for it to be quite gory when they convert people, and for blood to squirt out of them when they get shot and for some new, creative ideas beyond just them wanting to invade earth. Maybe at some point in the future the Cybermen become our allies because their technology can be used to cure diseases, and we offer them up certain people to be converted in exchange for that like, criminals, people who are dying etc. Remember the Cybermen are not racial supremacists like the Daleks, they are just trying to survive. The only reason they conquer is because it is the only way they can reproduce through conversion, a fact that sadly was often lost even in a lot Classic Who that sadly tended to write them as Daleks with legs. Actually they could realistically enter into an alliance with us rather if we gave them enough people to convert, and the conflict could be the Doctor has to try and help one of the prisoners escape from the monsters clutches? Something just beyond the invading monsters idea, though by all means still do stories like that as they are fun.
The Master meanwhile I'd like to have seen be a really vicious bastard in a revival. The thing I always loved about the Master in old who was how much I genuinely hated him LOL. He'd do the most horrible, heinous things, but no matter how hard the Doctor tried to make him pay, he always slipped through the net, sometimes gloating and laughing as he did. I'd have loved to have played up that aspect and made him genuinely terrifying. Ultimately I think Classic Who did fall down a little in this respect in the 80s and even in the Delgado era, as in certain stories the Master just became a cartoon villain, whose crimes didn't even seem that bad they were so cartoony. However the best stories like The Sea Devils, The Deadly Assassin, Survival etc those are when he seems like the worst scumbag you want to see suffer, but then escapes and that's what I would have gone with, made his crimes a lot more brutal, taken us deep into how predatory and manipulative he can be and cast an actor that was genuinely terrifying and would have played it as such. How people saw stories like Survival or Deadly Assassin and got a gay subtext out of it, baffles me.
For the Doctor meanwhile, well to be honest more of the same LOL. I can't think of anything extra that wasn't in old who. Obviously I'd want to develop him a bit more, bring some stories to a head like his feud with Davros and the Master etc. I'd also maybe show the consequences of his actions every now and again, like maybe do a story arc where we see how a planet develops throughout its history thanks to his meddling, some of it good, some of it bad.
The companions well by all means show more of their backstories like they did with Ace, but just make it a sci fi backstory. You can still even have them exist in modern day as long as it's a sci fi backstory. For instance years back when I was pushing for Osgood as the companion (I wonder why) I suggested that a cool way to link them would be to have Osgood's mother be the woman in Resurrection that gets shot by the Dalek duplicates, and that began Osgood's love for the Doctor as she joined UNIT to find out happened and grew to respect the Doctor for avenging her mother and fighting against the monsters that killed her.
Again not saying to do that, but something along those lines so that the companion is more fleshed out, but goes with the flow of the series rather than against it. Also by all means have a steamy, sexy romance between the companions. Again if that is necessary for modern audiences work it in. Again just work it in with the sci fi and adventure, you know show how they are brought together by their battles against the Daleks and other monsters and that's fine.
I'd also have liked to have seen more new monsters. Obviously bring the classic monsters back, but don't make them the main bad guys for every seasons. I had 0 issues with how often RTD brought the Daleks back btw. I think at first they would be the best foes to use as the central antagonists, and honestly I think the 80s used them too sparingly, but yeah after that give them a rest for like 4 years. To me what we saw from Hartnell's first year to Destiny is about right, a period where they are the big cheese, followed by a period where they are given a rest.
