The last few days—since the full schedule got posted—I’ve been thinking ahead to this year’s Gallifrey One, now a mere two(ish) weeks away. As usual, there are copious panels from which to choose; when deciding how to spend the weekend, one has to prioritize not only panels but meals, potty breaks, and time with friends. My first attempt at a tentative schedule is predictably bonkers, and I’ve found myself trying to decide whether or not the effort to get from panel to panel is worthwhile based on what is likely to be said (or not) in each.
There’s one panel in particular that intrigues me, though probably not enough to pull me away from my usual “park myself in Program A most of Sunday” tradition. Because I won’t be there to hear how the panelists approach the topic, then, I decided to share my own perspective now. So what’s sparked my latest round of thinky thoughts? It’s a panel called “The Missing Companion.”
This panel has us looking to the future of the show. What will upcoming Companions have to offer? How will they be similar to or different from past Companions? What kinds of stories—in terms of who the Companions are and where (both geographically and philosophically) they come from—ought to be told? How would these Companions fit into how Doctor Who has been or “should” be (depending on individual visions) presented?
Not knowing any of the scheduled panelists personally (and only one or two by reputation/podcast), I have no idea what direction their discussion will take. If I were a panelist, though, I’d probably start by sharing what kinds of people I’d like to see in the TARDIS.
My initial thoughts are superficial: I’m tired of the pretty, modern, young white British woman. I’ve read that Moffat believes that since the Companion is the POV character—the one from whose perspective the audience experiences the story—she (or, rarely, he) must be from modern times, or the audience will get lost. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a load of crap; how else do we ever reach beyond our own experiences than by putting ourselves in others’ places? That’s one of the best parts of good storytelling, in my opinion, and one reason I love Doctor Who is its ability to tell interesting stories. Give us more varied ways of looking at the world, not more of the same!
Along those lines, give me someone outside of not only their own time (as a Companion always is as she travels with the Doctor through the cosmos), but out of ours as well. The future (Oswin) and Victorian versions of Clara were both perfectly relatable, and could have worked fine as long-term Companions. It would not be terribly difficult to do that for real with the next Companion.
Similarly, why make her (necessarily) young? We saw at the end of Last Christmas how if someone is too far past her prime, obviously she won’t be up to the rigors of travel the way the Doctor does things, but one doesn’t need to be 20-something to be fit. The audio adventures have certainly shown that a more mature Companion works just fine. Besides, with a bit more life experience, a prospective Companion would likely get into an entirely different type of trouble than someone in their 20s; that’s a whole new range of adventures right there.
But perhaps most important, to my mind, is representation. Among frequent recent discussions about whether or not the Doctor could ever be a woman or non-white, we’ve not seen much about a Companion breaking molds. With Martha we finally got some racial diversity in the TARDIS, but we could certainly stand more. What about a queer person (yes, Capt Jack, but he wasn’t exactly a regular), or someone of non-binary gender? How about someone whose faith is a core part of their personality (the topic of another Gally panel I may or may not get to)?
As an American, I hear stories all the time about how young black girls felt a previously unknown sense of empowerment after seeing Nichelle Nichols’s Lt. Uhura on the original Star Trek in the 1960s. We need more of that across all media, and because of my love for Who, I feel like it should be leading the charge. Can you imagine what it would be like to have—for example—a brown-skinned, non-binary Companion? How much would that change things for a generation of Doctor Who fans—both those who identified directly with such a Companion, and those who learned to see such individuals around them as “real people” when they might not have before?
Every Companion needs a sense of adventure, a desire to see what the Doctor has to share; aside from that, the field is wide open. We’ve seen how much the Doctor delights in broadening his friends’ horizons. Maybe he can broaden his own, and mix things up a bit more in the TARDIS. That could expand the scope of both stories to be told and new fans to be reached. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a win for everyone.
I agree
It would be interesting to see The Doctor pick up a comapnion in another time on another continent (and to have adventures in another time on another continent but that’s another topic). Or a non human companion.
The problem with non human companions of course is the makup or FX that would be necessary on a weekly basis which is why Madame Vashta will never be a regular character.
But if The Doctor rescued an Arabian Knights princess from a harem or had a Native American brave from the Revolutionary war or an escaped slave from the South or a Chinese ninja as a companion think how interesting it could be! The different societies these characters would come from would give them a radically different understanding of the things they would see and do with The Doctor.
Some of the best companions from classic Who were from other places and times. Jamie and Leela were great companions! Lets have more like them.
One at a time
Also The Doctor has been taking his companions one at a time. Multiple companions give more opportunities for interesting character interactions. The Fifth Doctor had 3 at a time and while adventures were often crowded with not enough for 4 characters to do, the relationships that developed between the companions, independant of The Doctor, were satisfying.
Agreed
Yes, I agree with you on both points/comments you’ve made here. Two Companions (who are not a couple) would give more chance for interesting character dynamics without making every story too crowded, in my opinion. I really hope they shake things up next time there’s a cast change. (Not holding my breath, but a fan can hope!)