Posted in: BBC, Disney+, Paramount+, TV | Tagged: ,

Doctor Who: William Shatner's Right! The Doctor IS a "Troublemaker"!

William Shatner joked that Doctor Who is "an intergalactic troublemaker," and guess what? He's absolutely right! The Doctor brings chaos!

Published
by
|
Comments

Doctor Who vs. Star Trek has long been a bit of a rivalry between their respective fanbases. Because fandom, like any other tribe, needs an antagonist. Fans often debate which is better, the Doctor or Captain Kirk. Now, "Captain Kirk" himself has weighed in. William Shatner, in a tongue-in-cheek trolly mood, tweeted, hilariously, "Dr. Who is an intergalactic troublemaker." You know what? He's right!

Doctor Who vs. Star Trek Feud Deepened by Captain Kirk - He's Right!
Image: BBC; Paramount Global

Think about it. The Doctor is an anarchist, an agent of Chaos! The Doctor is absolutely an intergalactic troublemaker. Starfleet is all about order. Granted, it's progressive and benign, and The Doctor would probably approve of their principles but probably disapprove of their rigidity and covert tactics. The Federation is all about orderly government and cooperation. The Doctor is all for cooperation, and if a government isn't a dictatorship, they'll generally leave it alone. But if they dictate anything dark and nasty in its underbelly, the Doctor will mess that shit up and some. And then hope in the TARDIS and continue their merry way, leaving everyone behind to clean up the mess. As far as Kirk or any Starfleet captain is concerned, they might as well be a Q. The Doctor is capable of destroying Starfleet, the Klingon Empire, and the Borg, probably each in one afternoon, without firing a gun at anyone. Hell, they'd probably use the sonic screwdriver to completely hack and scramble the Borg's OS and set them all free.

When you think about it, Doctor Who and Star Trek are Science Fiction series with diametrically opposite viewpoints. Granted, they share a progressive, inclusive viewpoint, but after that, they differ wildly. Star Trek might be considered the more "mature" franchise since it was a product of the 1960s Kennedy era optimism and can be said to be an offshoot of American soft power propaganda. Doctor Who is mainly a kid's show that set out to teach children about history and Science through entertainment, even when the Daleks came along, because Daleks make everything better. The most interesting part of the series is its celebration of British eccentricity, anarchy, and rebelliousness. Just think about how many governments and empires the Doctor has brought down in the last sixty years. And the show is as beloved worldwide as Star Trek.

Even current Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davis said The Doctor wouldn't last a minute as a Starfleet recruit. They'd be this crazy idiot who would be lucky to be the janitor on a USS Starship before getting kicked out. Davies is an unabashed fan of both Doctor Who and Star Trek, and isn't how it should be? Why must the choice be binary? Why not like both? See? Fandom toxicity defused!

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Adi TantimedhAbout Adi Tantimedh

Adi Tantimedh is a filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist. He wrote radio plays for the BBC Radio, “JLA: Age of Wonder” for DC Comics, “Blackshirt” for Moonstone Books, and “La Muse” for Big Head Press. Most recently, he wrote “Her Nightly Embrace”, “Her Beautiful Monster” and “Her Fugitive Heart”, a trilogy of novels featuring a British-Indian private eye published by Atria Books, a division Simon & Schuster.
twitter
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.