The Day of the Doctor

Esther Rodriguez, Parents & Teachers Section Editor

December 13, 2013

On Nov. 23, Doctor Who, a British television show celebrated its 50^th anniversary, making it the longest running science fiction show in the world.

To celebrate its 50^th anniversary, Steven Moffat, writer and producer of Doctor Who, wrote an episode called “The Day of the Doctor” that journeys into the Doctor’s past as the war Doctor, played by John Hurt. The episode included the current cast, Matt Smith, the 11^th Doctor, and Jena Coleman, who plays Clara Oswald, and some of the old cast such as David Tennant, the 10^th Doctor, and Billie Piper, who plays Rose Tyler. In this episode, Piper did not play Rose, but the conscience of the Moment, a weapon that could destroy a whole galaxy and everything inside of it. This episode was simulcast in 75 countries while fans of the show, also known as Whovians, all around the world anticipated its premiere.

The episode starts with the Doctor making the difficult decision to use the Moment to destroy Gallifrey, his home planet and every creature and person in it to end the time war. The episode continues with the 10^th Doctor and the 11^th Doctor trying to stop the destruction of Gallifrey without changing the future while the war Doctor, with the help of the conscience of the Moment, decides he has no other choice then to destroy Gallifrey. The 10^th and 11^th Doctor and the other Time Lords help him find another way to end the war, and the Doctor and all his past and future regenerations save Gallifrey.

Fans were pleased with the episode, but had different opinions of which characters should have been in the episode. One issue that was presented was that Billie Piper did not play her original character, Rose Tyler. When news broke that Piper would be coming back for the episode, fans who anticipated Rose’s return were disappointed when they realized Piper was not playing Rose, but the conscience of the Moment; however, others were pleased to have Piper back on the show, even if it was for one episode.

Doctor Who premiered in 1963 in Great Britain and continued to run until 1989. It soon launched again in 2005 gaining popularity with a new generation while keeping the attention of its older fans. Since then, the British TV show has gained much popularity in America and many other countries.

Doctor Who is a show about a 1,000-year-old Time Lord who journeys through time and space protecting the galaxy, bringing with him his companions from earth.

Over 10 million people all over the world watched the episode as it celebrated 50 years of regenerations, companions, and many different creatures from all over the universe. Fans enjoyed “The Day of the Doctor” as it gave them a glimpse into the Doctor’s past. The 50^th anniversary special was a time for Whovians of all ages to come together and celebrate the 50-year journey with the Doctor through time and space.

About the Contributor

Esther Rodriguez, Parents & Teachers Section Editor

Entering her second year as a writer for The Downey Legend, senior Esther Rodriguez has high hopes. As a sophomore, she heard about joining Newspaper during the morning announcements and her English teacher, Mr. Kraus, encouraged her to fill out an application and display her knack for writing. This inspired her to apply and see if she could make it, which she did. Rodriguez joined in hopes of improving her writing skills, becoming less shy, and learning to write in more detail. To her, the best part about being on the newspaper staff is finding out about interesting, random things going on around the school. “There are things you would not know just coming to school, but being in Newspaper you learn things that aren’t common knowledge,” Rodriguez said. “We are the eyes and ears of the school.” In her down time, Rodriguez enjoys reading young adult literature, writing fictional stories, and spending quality time with her cell phone on websites like YouTube, Tumblr, and Twitter. Besides being in Newspaper at school, she is also a new tutor at Downey High’s Writing Center. Writing as much as possible is important to her because she dreams of one day being an author. Along with chasing her aspirations of writing for a living, after she finishes high school, Rodriguez also looks forward to attending a university such as UCLA, San Diego State, or UC San Diego and obtaining a degree in English. Next summer, she will also be going on a missionary trip with church to Japan. Although her head is full of thoughts about the surreal future, for now Rodriguez is focusing on her schoolwork and activities and soaking up her last year as a high schooler.