1. Time Lords: part of the alien species the Doctor belongs to. Time Lords are “the oligarchic rulers of the planet Gallifrey” (Time Lords)
2. Regeneration : “the process by which Time Lords renewed themselves, causing a complete physical and often psychological change”. (Regeneration)
3. Enjoy this video of the scene this discussion is centered around: David Tennant regenerating into….David Tennant
Regenerations have always been a controversial topic within the Doctor Who world. From the very first one in the 1966 episode “The Tenth Planet”, people haven’t been able to stop talking about it. During the 2008 episodes “The Stolen Earth” and “Journey’s End” David Tennant regenerates into himself. Before this, every time the Doctor had regenerated, his appearance and parts of his personality changed drastically. This begs the question: does this actually count as regeneration making David Tennant the 10th and 11th Doctor? I say yes it does.
Now, you may be asking, why does this matter? Isn’t it just a technicality? In some ways yes, but it’s a technicality that has serious repercussions for the future of the show. Unfortunately, many of the episodes from the original series are extremely difficult to find, so I have to rely on experts such as Jim Leach. In his book TV Milestones: Doctor Who, Leach explains, “in The Deadly Assassin (1976) do we learn that Time Lords have the capacity to regenerate twelve times.” (Leach 56) This means that if David Tenannt is in fact the 10th and 11th Doctor, Matt Smith would actually be the 12th and Peter Capaldi will be the 13th and last incarnation. This issue dictates how much longer the show can continue.
While the process of regeneration has never been completely explained, there are a number of things we can deduce from the information provided. The website, “The TARDIS Data Core” is dedicated to collecting information about every area of Doctor Who. In its article about regeneration, it says, “Time Lords were also said to have "packets" of regeneration energy in their bodies, one for each life. These packets could be physically removed from a Time Lord's body, essentially robbing them of their regenerations.” (Regeneration) In this scene, David Tennant uses the energy to repair his body, and then siphons the rest off into a spare hand. While David Tennat’s appearance and personality don’t change, he does rid his body of all the regeneration energy. Regeneration is a biological process, so if a Time Lord’s body only has enough energy to regenerate 12 times, the use of the energy is what matters, not the change in appearance. Based off the information we as viewers know, I am led to believe that is David Tennant is in fact both the 10th and 11th Doctor.
"Regeneration." TARDIS Data Core. Wikia, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
"Time Lords." TARDIS Data Core. Wikia, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.
Leach, Jim. "Talking about Regeneration: The Five Doctors." TV Milestones:Doctor Who. Detroit: Wayne State UP, 2009. 55-64. Print.
1.Topic Sentence- Topic sentence is strong.
ReplyDelete2.Support- You do use support in your second and third paragraph.
3.Transitions- Transitions flow nicely with each paragraph.
4.Quote- You do use good quotes to support post 1, but there is no integrated quote.
5.Grammar &Spelling- There are 1 or 2 grammar and spelling mistakes. Ex. “Many of the episode of from....”Of should be are.
6.Strong Argument- I don’t know much about your topic but overall you do have a strong argument. Interested in seeing where you go from here.
- I like the structure of post 1. You definitely caught my attention, by first explaining “Doctor who” and using a video for us who aren’t familiar with the show. Make sure use support to explain your argument. Other than that, I really found your topic to be interesting!
1. Topic sentence: Topic sentence works, and is true to the topic of the whole post.
ReplyDelete2. Support: Support is perfect. All the points are backed up and make sense to me, and I don't watch nearly as much Doctor Who.
3. Transitions: Transitions are really well done. The entire thing flows together.
4. Quote: Quote properly integrated and cited.
5. Grammar and spelling: No mistakes.
6. Strong argument: Definitely.
This post is interesting, but I think adding something about the impact on the show (and its fans) based on how long it's been around would be an interesting thing to at least touch on. It would also help people unfamiliar with Doctor Who understand the weight of this topic.
I believe that your post was written very well.
ReplyDelete1. Your topic sentence revealed what was happening and your thesis statement was clear. Clarifying to your audience the terminology and general necessities to understand what your argument is was a very good strategy.
2. Your support was clear in finding resources on the show's past to explain the ideas and how you drew your conclusion.
3. & 5. As far as transitions, grammar, and spelling, your composition is strong, clear and your diction and words use is perfect for an adult audience and this topic.
4. The quote was nice and flowed where it was put, your citing was diligent and informative
6. Your argument is strong I believe though I know very little of the show I would be intrigued to read this paper.
I enjoy the way you wrote this and the flow, I would love to see a counter viewpoint to better understand the ideas of the fans and the people who write the show.