Discuss the 'politics' of Doctor Who Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Discuss the 'politics' of Doctor Who - Essay Example This essay will examine these three articles. Discussion In the article â€Å"War Without End? Utopia, the Family and Post-9/11 World in Russell T. Davies Doctor Who,† author Alec Charles (2008) explains how Dr. Who responds to the contemporary world. One of the major events of the 21st Century was 9/11, and Doctor Who is reflective of this event. In fact, the 9/11 tragedy has been reflected in popular culture, including movies such as The Day After Tomorrow, Cloverfield, I Am Legend, and War of the Worlds. All of these films feature the destruction of New York City as their motif. This has been a trend that has always been popular, explains Charles (2008), as media science fiction has always tried to not only reflect popular trends, but to predict new ones. To be on the cutting edge of a trend, so to speak, while also reflecting what has gone before. As an example of this, Charles (2008) points to Star Trek: The Next Generation, which featured a peace achievement between the Federation and the Klingons’ Evil Empire, which was reflective of the peace that was to occur between the Soviet Union and the rest of the world, at the end of the Cold War. These are a few of the examples of science fiction echoing real life, and commenting upon the political issues of the day, while looking to the future to political issues of tomorrow. It is in this context that Charles (2008) locates Doctor Who. Specifically, the new incarnation of Doctor Who is modern, where the previous version was archaic. The previous version, which ran from 1963-1989, featured an older actor playing the titular role, and the series became outmoded by the end of its run. In the new version, the titular hero is played by a younger man in a leather coat, who shares a kiss with a bisexual male companion, stirring up controversy and locating the series squarely in the 21st Century. This is not the only touch that brings it up to date. The show also features pop cultural references  œ game shows, reality TV, soap opera, news, music and politics – which puts the individual into a historical context, in that the history that is being referenced is recent history. In fact, the show also exemplifies the axiom put forth by the head show writer, Russell Davies, who believes that there it not â€Å"history, there’s just people† (p. 453). Charles (2008) states that this contextualizes Doctor Who, while putting the titular character into the New World Order. Davies has made the show contemporary by not only featuring modern storylines, a modern character, and modern popular culture relics, but also features modern political concerns. This is what ties the show to the post 9/11 culture. It is a feature of the post 9/11 culture that there is, or was, a concern regarding chemical weapons that might be used against citizens of the West. To this end, Doctor Who has featured direct storylines that echo this concern about chemical weapons, as well as our c oncern regarding internment tactics. These are not the only allusions to popular and current events. Other references concern whether America is at war with Europe – In â€Å"Voyage of the Damned†