The Doctor and the Apostle. Jeffrey A. Nelson

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СКАЧАТЬ how often he mentions women as coworkers in his ministry. Likewise, The Doctor has had many indispensable women in their life, including their thirteenth incarnation. Chapter 9 will highlight the importance of women to both figures, as well as the continuing critical role that women play in the life of both the world and the church.

      Chapter 10 will explore the concept of regeneration in Doctor Who, while comparing and contrasting it with Paul’s presentation of how resurrection works. There are similarities between the two, but also major differences. One thing that they have in common, however, is the ongoing hope and assurance that they provide for others.

      My hopes for you as you continue reading are multiple. I hope that fans will discover something new about this incredibly imaginative show that we love, and that those less familiar with it may be inspired to give it a chance. I hope that those seeking a greater understanding of Christian spirituality and faith will receive that in even a small way. I hope that fans of Paul may be able to approach him more realistically and that non-fans may find something redemptive. I hope that more than one of these things happens for every reader. And I hope most of all that I’ve done right by both of this book’s main subjects, and that as a result they may each have something to say to you.

      2

      Tents, Houses, and a Blue Box

      The Doctor’s TARDIS is integral to their ability to do what they do. The name TARDIS is an acronym for Time And Relative Dimension In Space, and, true to its name, it is The Doctor’s ship that has the ability to travel both through time and space. Its blue police box exterior is arguably the most iconic symbol of the show: both fans and non-fans alike may be able to recognize and associate it with Doctor Who, similar to how other vehicles like the Millennium Falcon, USS Enterprise, and a certain modified DeLorean are associated with their own franchises.

      Due to its being so critical to The Doctor’s life, the TARDIS is ever present even when it’s not on screen. After all, every adventure into which The Doctor and their companions stumble is due to traveling there through this special ship. And, as will be discussed shortly, some of the TARDIS’s powers give the characters some abilities even when they’re not inside it. It is a part of most episodes even when not featured.

      As explained on the show, the TARDIS is a product of Time Lord technology and originated on their home planet of Gallifrey. It is one of many that this civilization has produced, and we occasionally see others at work: The Master has their own that can still disguise itself as various other forms, another renegade Time Lord makes use of numerous TARDIS-like ships in “The War Games,” and companion Clara eventually gets her own that looks like a diner from the outside in the episode “Hell Bent,” as a few examples.

      A big part of The First and Second Doctors’ tenures is how the TARDIS had been acquired. The Doctor began traveling after stealing it, which immediately made him a fugitive and outlaw in the eyes of the Time Lords. Near the end of “The War Games” series, The Second Doctor reveals that he’d done so because he’d become bored with life on Gallifrey, and wanted to go and see other parts of the universe and see what positive difference he could make for others.

      A point of frustration for The Doctor throughout the show’s history has been how bureaucratic and stingy the Time Lords tend to be with their technology. He accuses them of hoarding what they have for themselves rather than using it to help resolve conflicts and fight the many evil forces throughout time and space that destroy and oppress. The Doctor chooses to break their laws against interference and venture out to make a positive difference instead, which brings consequences for him even as the Time Lords admit that he’s done a lot of good for people thanks to his initial act of theft. During The Third Doctor’s time, this transgression is finally forgiven, allowing him to travel with less secrecy and continue his quest to explore and to give aid to others.

      A long-running joke of the series is every new character’s reaction when they first step inside the TARDIS. The outside has the appearance of a blue police box, with certain measurable dimensions of so many feet or meters on each side. But it’s “bigger on the inside,” as many exclaim, with a much larger main control room and sometimes-seen corridors and rooms as well. The Doctor sometimes talks about other places contained within the TARDIS, including rooms for companions to stay in, a wardrobe area, recreational spaces, a library, and even other control rooms that are sometimes used instead of the main one. The perceived limitations of the ship’s outer appearance are offset by its immense inward one.

      The reason the TARDIS looks like a police call box is because it became stuck that way. All TARDISes have a “Chameleon Circuit,” which allows them to take different outer forms to blend in with their surroundings. The Master’s TARDIS can still do this, as do others that appear on the show. But during one of The Doctor’s earliest missions, his became broken.

      The inside, however, has undergone many alterations over the course of the series. Many of the earliest Doctors had the same basic layout in the inside of their ship, which was a simple white control room, sparsely decorated. The interior of later Doctors’ ships became more personalized and decorative, with most having a darker and larger space illuminated by blue, green, or orange lighting. The inside has been changed nearly every time that The Doctor has changed, and it is hinted that it is by some combination of The Doctor’s preferences and the TARDIS’s own ability that this happens.

      The abilities of the TARDIS are not confined to its inside. It has some functions that extend beyond its walls and that aid The Doctor and their companions even when they are far from it. Early in the episode “The Fires of Pompeii,” The Doctor’s companion Donna wonders at how she’s able to read the non-English text on buildings and signs. The Doctor explains that it is thanks to the TARDIS’s translation circuits, which remain connected with its travelers while they walk around. “We’re speaking Latin right now,” The Doctor adds, noting that these translation circuits also apply to speaking and hearing the languages of other earthly nationalities and alien species. The TARDIS can also provide oxygen for its passengers to venture outside in open space or on other planets, albeit usually on a limited basis. It sometimes has provided force fields for protection, and has sometimes sent telepathic messages to The Doctor and others as well.

      From the beginning, the TARDIS has also displayed its own personality and preferences. As mentioned, this sometimes manifests in its changing the inner appearance. But The Doctor often refers to it as a living entity. The Doctor sometimes talks to it affectionately, at other times argues with it, and interprets its feelings toward other characters. In the 1996 movie, The Doctor takes note of how it seems to be reacting to Grace, noting that it likes her. In “Utopia,” Captain Jack Harkness clings to the outside of the TARDIS as it travels, and The Doctor later comments that it was trying to shake him off. In “The Husbands of River Song,” a Christmas episode, The Doctor yells at the TARDIS for trying to cheer him up by putting holographic reindeer antlers on his head. When The Doctor finally reunites with the TARDIS after being separated for a while in “The Ghost Monument,” she expresses how much she has missed and loves it, then shows admiration for its redecoration efforts once she steps inside.

      The TARDIS has a rare opportunity to talk back during the episode “The Doctor’s Wife,” where early on its energy leaves the console of the ship and inhabits the body of a woman. In this form, the TARDIS is able to predict the future and provide insight for what it has been like to travel with The Doctor over the centuries.

      At numerous points, she and The Doctor talk about what their time together has been like from her perspective. This includes looking back on when they first got together, where the TARDIS hints that not only did she allow herself to be stolen, but she also stole him, allowing them both to run away. Later on, The Doctor yells at her for being unreliable and often taking him to places where he doesn’t want to go, to which she responds that she has actually been taking him where he needs to СКАЧАТЬ