Post by Deleted on May 9, 2021 10:18:22 GMT
Ok I asked a question like this some time ago but I think I can explain what I mean better now.
Firstly this is not a critic of the actors, but of the in-universe Doctors. I came to ask this question when seeing other debate about the nuwho Doctors on other sites.
A good starting point would be One and Two. Hartnell's Doctor has ton's of book learning but far less practical experience and his old age severely hinders him. Troughton was far quicker of mind, able to deduce if a planets atmosphere was safe without any instruments, and had a lot more energy thanks to his younger body. He also had far more practical experience and a greater confidence in his actions towards helping others. The only real flaw he had was his smaller stature and less physical strength, as he would normally come up short in fights even Hartnell could have won. This is one of the lesser examples of where a future incarnation is actually lacking in comparison to his forbear.
Pertwee was physically one of, of not the greatest, Doctor when it came to hand to hand combat and thanks to his time spent tacking apart the Tardis, as well as working on other gadgets and vehicles, his technical ability greatly improved. I would also say that this was further helped by the fact he was stuck on 20th century earth, forcing him to work with more primitive technology to get results. That said he spent two seasons with his understanding and use of the Tardis severally handicapped while his imprisonment on earth seems to have made him far more short tempered. He also started to treat the people around him with a bit more scorn and inpatients then Troughton did.
Tom's Doctor was the great traveller and in many way he had most of the best of his three counterparts rolled into one. His main flaw was his alien and flippant nature, likely spawned by his time so long trapped on earth and having to deal with it's and the timelord political constrains.
Now while each had their flaws, there has a general trend of each Doctor improving in comparison to his later selves, though each had their own weaknesses. It's not until the 80's when my questions gains more relevance.
5 might be the poster child for this topic. Far less confident in his abilities and to human for his own good at times, Five was the least of the classic Doctors. He could panic and become indecisive under pressure, while his desire to result situation peacefully would go beyond reason and result in more deaths. He also would swing between total pacifist to killer, likely a by product of his inability to handle pressure as well as his older selves. He also suffered some of the most bitter personal loses of any Doctor, having a long-term companion di and another abandon him on bad terms.
6 suffered from mental instability due to his regeneration. While he regained his self confidence, many would say it overshot. Condescending and abrasive, he would easily rub people up the wrong way, which didn't work well in situations were discretion was the better option. Even in his own trial. He was also very judgmental towards other he thought less of. That said, he did learn from his mistakes, as his misjudgement of Lytton and he could deal with situations far more effectively then 5.
7 is what I believe is 2 taken to his logical extreme. After the dark years of 5 and 6, it seems the Doctor became someone built to win. A mind crafted for going up against any foe and beating them. This sadly came at the price of his more heroic qualities. 7 is far more proactive then any other, actively seeking out conflicts and is willing to cross lines his counterparts wouldn't. While this made him very effective and dangerous, it also brought him into into conflict with his companions then any other. While in come cases he was trying to help them, they would feel pushed into situations they were not ready for and in others they were used as pawns in a greater scheme. Not since Hartnell's early years the Doctor and his companions been so at odds with eachother. It even puts him at odds with his own conscience at time, and he often in extended works the other Doctor's tend to treat him with the most distain.
So witht that all in mind what do you all think? You can bring in 8 if you feel like it but I'm excluding nuwho as the characters evolution feels less organic and detached from what came befor.
Firstly this is not a critic of the actors, but of the in-universe Doctors. I came to ask this question when seeing other debate about the nuwho Doctors on other sites.
A good starting point would be One and Two. Hartnell's Doctor has ton's of book learning but far less practical experience and his old age severely hinders him. Troughton was far quicker of mind, able to deduce if a planets atmosphere was safe without any instruments, and had a lot more energy thanks to his younger body. He also had far more practical experience and a greater confidence in his actions towards helping others. The only real flaw he had was his smaller stature and less physical strength, as he would normally come up short in fights even Hartnell could have won. This is one of the lesser examples of where a future incarnation is actually lacking in comparison to his forbear.
Pertwee was physically one of, of not the greatest, Doctor when it came to hand to hand combat and thanks to his time spent tacking apart the Tardis, as well as working on other gadgets and vehicles, his technical ability greatly improved. I would also say that this was further helped by the fact he was stuck on 20th century earth, forcing him to work with more primitive technology to get results. That said he spent two seasons with his understanding and use of the Tardis severally handicapped while his imprisonment on earth seems to have made him far more short tempered. He also started to treat the people around him with a bit more scorn and inpatients then Troughton did.
Tom's Doctor was the great traveller and in many way he had most of the best of his three counterparts rolled into one. His main flaw was his alien and flippant nature, likely spawned by his time so long trapped on earth and having to deal with it's and the timelord political constrains.
Now while each had their flaws, there has a general trend of each Doctor improving in comparison to his later selves, though each had their own weaknesses. It's not until the 80's when my questions gains more relevance.
5 might be the poster child for this topic. Far less confident in his abilities and to human for his own good at times, Five was the least of the classic Doctors. He could panic and become indecisive under pressure, while his desire to result situation peacefully would go beyond reason and result in more deaths. He also would swing between total pacifist to killer, likely a by product of his inability to handle pressure as well as his older selves. He also suffered some of the most bitter personal loses of any Doctor, having a long-term companion di and another abandon him on bad terms.
6 suffered from mental instability due to his regeneration. While he regained his self confidence, many would say it overshot. Condescending and abrasive, he would easily rub people up the wrong way, which didn't work well in situations were discretion was the better option. Even in his own trial. He was also very judgmental towards other he thought less of. That said, he did learn from his mistakes, as his misjudgement of Lytton and he could deal with situations far more effectively then 5.
7 is what I believe is 2 taken to his logical extreme. After the dark years of 5 and 6, it seems the Doctor became someone built to win. A mind crafted for going up against any foe and beating them. This sadly came at the price of his more heroic qualities. 7 is far more proactive then any other, actively seeking out conflicts and is willing to cross lines his counterparts wouldn't. While this made him very effective and dangerous, it also brought him into into conflict with his companions then any other. While in come cases he was trying to help them, they would feel pushed into situations they were not ready for and in others they were used as pawns in a greater scheme. Not since Hartnell's early years the Doctor and his companions been so at odds with eachother. It even puts him at odds with his own conscience at time, and he often in extended works the other Doctor's tend to treat him with the most distain.
So witht that all in mind what do you all think? You can bring in 8 if you feel like it but I'm excluding nuwho as the characters evolution feels less organic and detached from what came befor.