The Impossible Science of Doctor Who...

     Let me set a few things straight before I begin. One, I am thoroughly enjoying Doctor Who. No matter what I say afterwards, know that I do like the show and quite enjoy the Doctor and the hilarious predicaments he gets himself into. Comedy is a big part of the show, and they almost always execute it flawlessly, whether it be jokes or just personality quirks. Two, this here post will most likely have oodles of spoilers all the way up to, and including, the finale of Season 5. Right... onto the science... or lack thereof...

It's timey-whimy... space stuff...

     Let me preface this whole argument with some facts. I know my Science Fiction; 'this isn't my first rodeo', so to speak. I'm not trying to brag, but I've seen more than my fair share of Science Fiction. I've watched dozens of Sci-Fi shows and movies, including: Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, and some Battlestar Galactica. I've watched countless Sci-Fi anime shows, such as Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in the Shell. I've played all manner of Sci-Fi video games, like Halo and Killzone. And, of course, I've watched all three Back to the Future movies.

You gonna get to the point sometime soon, Doc?

     I know how Sci-Fi works. I understand the theories behind impulse drives and repulsorlift drives; how slipspace, warp, and FTL (Faster Than Light) drives are supposed to work; how teleporters and replicators work (basically the same principle); and I have several different theories on time travel. But... and here it is... I can't for the life of me figure out how the science in Doctor Who is supposed to work... and I don't think the writers do either.

     I pride myself on being able to figure out how things work in Science Fiction. Flying faster than light? Your FTL drive tears a whole in the fabric of space/time, folding it over onto itself like a piece of paper and allowing you to get from point A to point B much faster than normal. Teleporters? The teleporter deconstructs you, atom by atom, storing the information gathered in a memory buffer, then reconstructs you wherever you're going from that stored information. Basically, it destroys you utterly, then copies you exactly. And don't even get me started on time travel...

Not bad...

      As you can see, I can go on for hours about this kind of stuff. But Doctor Who baffles me... not all the time, but most of the time at key plot points. Time travel and creating paradoxes I get, and I can somewhat put together how a sonic screwdriver works (even though they've messed it up a few time in the actual show). I believe the problem lies in the fact that the science isn't based on anything. I'm not talking about it being based on something real or actual science, I'm saying that they don't explain it at all. I doubt the writers even know how it works most of the time. A lot of it relies on more of a supernatural component or luck than an actual science fix. For example...

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

     The Season 5 finale: the Doctor is put into the Pandorica to be sealed away for all time and the TARDIS is exploding with the intensity of the sun. Using some very spiffy time travel (which I did enjoy) he goes back and forth through time to break himself out. He zips back to find that Amy is wounded and tells Rory to stick her into the Pandorica; it's restorative powers will heal her (so, kind of like a sarcophagus from Stargate). Then, when the whole gang is back together, the plan is fully explained: the TARDIS is exploding with the force of the sun at all times and in all space. By throwing the Pandorica into the exploding TARDIS, it will amplify the Pandorica's restorative powers and broadcast it over all of space and time and close the cracks in time that have been the focal point of the entire season. Up until this point, I had been able to follow the plot with some understanding. I got it...

Go on... I'm listening...

      ...but then the Doctor tells Amy that she has to remember, and that her remembering will bring them all back. And... I lost it. Why does her remembering have the power to bring back everything? Where's the science behind that? A friend explained it that she had been so close to the crack for so long that she now has the power to bring people back that the crack has taken... which still doesn't it. There's no valid explanation given it the show... other than an assumed "supernatural remedy". This is very odd for a show that prides itself on science being the answer to everything.

     Let me give an example from another Sci-Fi: Star Wars. Now, I'm going to forget the travesty that was the introduction of the midichlorians and go back to before George messed things up. Yoda described the force as something that was all around and inside, binding the universe together. It was a supernatural force that payed no attention to physics or reality. The point is that the Force was explained on screen, as a supernatural force, while Amy's abilities to bring back lost loved ones was glazed over by rushing off to another adventure without an explanation.

      This isn't the first time in the show that they've neglected to put a basis for the science, and I doubt it will be the last. Season 3's finale and "The End of Time" specials were a few others I felt had terrible explanations (if they had any at all). I saw a comment on the internet that summed up Doctor Who perfectly: "The writers are trying to get away with anything they can." They just say, "It works because I say so," which, for me, isn't good enough. I would go so far as to call it "sub-par Sci-Fi". Good comedy, but bad Sci-Fi... like the new Star Trek reboot (OH SNAP!).

Oooh! BURN!

      Also, the Doctor went to the other side of the cracks, which meant when she called for him he would have had to open at least one of the cracks again to get back... right? WE JUST FIXED THAT, DOCTOR!

EDIT: Apparently the writers intended for the Sci-Fi to not exactly line up. They wanted it to be "like when we were younger and we made things happen with our imagination"... What am I saying, that explanation still reeks of the "supernatural". For a show that consistently bashes all forms of religion and tries to explain that everything is science, it's doing a terrible job. As I said: really good comedy, but bad Sci-Fi.