Martha Jones came on the scene at an awkward time—awkward for me, that is. The way I was introduced to the show, I had zero time to process the loss of my first Companion before another was thrust upon me, and I was not ready to move on. Sort of like the Doctor, then, I didn’t really give her a fair shake. She didn’t get the affection and respect from me that the character really deserved.

As I look back on her time in the TARDIS, though, I realize that I really have given Martha short shrift. Just by being there, by taking up space on screen and refusing to be shoved aside, she did more for representation of diversity than anyone else in the show’s history.

It’s not just her existence as a black Companion that makes her significant (and a better character than I’ve been able to internalize before); she has some brilliant moments that turn the old, comfortable “standard operating procedure” on its ear.