Mark Gatiss, in his narration for the Physician Who Worlds of Marvel exhibition, astutely observes that the present is rooted in science. That is evident in its portrayal of alien life, together with each monstrous creatures and humanoid allies. Dr. Vladimir Blagoderov, Principal Curator of Invertebrates, explores the expansive legendarium of Physician Who and the way its aliens match into the taxonomy of life on Earth.
As somebody who didn’t develop up with entry to Western packages, I used to be a latecomer to the Physician Who phenomenon. It was not till my daughter, Tatiana, a loyal fan of the present, launched me to it throughout our time in London that I really found its magic. Collectively, we watched each out there episode a number of instances, and my appreciation for the collection has solely grown with every viewing.
As a taxonomist, I method Physician Who with each awe {and professional} curiosity. My work includes discovering, naming, describing, classifying, and organizing new species inside a hierarchical system that displays their evolutionary relationships. With its huge array of otherworldly creatures, Physician Who presents an interesting problem for anybody within the range of life kinds. By delving into its intricate mythology, we are able to achieve a deeper understanding of the present’s imaginative imaginative and prescient and its affect on our collective creativeness.
Making use of taxonomy to the Physician Who universe
Taxonomy is the science of categorizing and classifying species primarily based on their evolutionary relationships. On the subject of the expansive universe of Physician Who, this process might be fairly daunting given the present’s spectacular vary of aliens and monsters. In reality, there are greater than 300 species within the TV canon alone.
To make sense of this huge array of imagined life kinds, we are able to apply the identical classification strategies used for Earth’s residing creatures. We will group species with widespread evolutionary histories or, within the case of species evolving on completely different planets independently, group them primarily based on their underlying morphology and biochemistry. By doing so, we are able to kind the species in Physician Who into 5 broad classes.
Human descendants and associated species
The primary class is human descendants and associated species. People have established a number of colonies all through the universe and proceed to evolve, giving rise to a minimum of two identified species, the Futurekind and the Dregs, with different post-human species talked about within the prolonged Whoniverse, like Homo solaris. Moreover, many post-human species developed by hybridization with native life kinds. It’s value noting that Toclafane will not be a separate species however quite augmented people. This class additionally features a intently associated species of people, Homo neanderthalensis, who appeared within the serial Ghost Mild.
Different Earth clever species such because the Silurians and Sea Devils share a typical ancestor with people within the type of a lobed-fin fish known as Tiktaalik roseae that lived virtually 400 tens of millions years in the past. Subsequently in addition they fall on this class.
Humanoid aliens
The second class consists of humanoid aliens. So most of the clever species within the Physician Who universe are bipedal, with massive heads containing huge brains, two arms, opposable thumbs, and so forth. Intriguingly, when Amy Pond mentioned to the Eleventh Physician, “You look human”, The Physician replied, “No, you look Time Lord.” Whereas this presumably hints at a shared hyperlink, the exact origins of the humanoid type of many clever species stays ambiguous in Physician Who lore.
Many of the aliens in Physician Who are humanoid, from Kaleds and Thals to Mouri, though they developed on completely different planets independently from people. Even Weeping Angels protect a humanoid type regardless of being creatures we all know little or no about.
Cyborgs and robots
The third class incorporates cyborgs and robots. Technologically augmented or artificially created life kinds represent a separate class, though they may be primarily based on an current species, like Daleks or Cybermen.
Non-humanoid aliens (AKA ‘monsters’)
The fourth class consists of non-humanoid aliens or monsters. This class is probably the most morphologically various and encompasses species that resemble varied Earth animals and crops. A few of these species could have biochemistry that’s solely completely different from that discovered on Earth, they usually could even signify non-carbon-based life kinds.
Examples of such species embrace Rutans, Raxacoricofallapatorians and Abzorbalovians. A few of these species could not even possess a bodily physique, like Vashta Nerada and Midnight Entity or Home.
Unsubstantiated or supernatural
Lastly, there’s a fifth class of unsubstantiated or supernatural beings that we all know little or no about. This class consists of legendary or supernatural beings just like the Guardians of Time, Eternals (together with Menti Celesti), Chronovores and Boneless. They largely exist exterior the universe or belong to different universes, making them inconceivable to categorise till we’ve extra dependable info.
Hybrids, chimeras and humanoids, oh my!
The Physician Who universe is dwelling to a number of the most fascinating and imaginative creatures in all of science fiction. Nevertheless, the classification of those beings isn’t all the time simple, with many species belonging to a couple of class. For example the Toclafane, descendants of Homo sapiens who’ve been technologically augmented to the purpose the place they may very well be thought-about cyborgs. The identical might be mentioned for Cybermen and Daleks.
Moreover, many monsters within the present possess a normal humanoid look however are literally chimeras, with a mixture of humanoid and animal morphologies. Examples of those embrace the Jaconda Gastropods, Mentors, Tractators, Vervoids, Empress of Racnoss, Skithra Queen, Haths, and Judoon. Typically cyborgs are chimeras, incorporating components and tissues of various people and species. Instance embrace Morbius (The Mind of Morbius, 1976) or Half-Face Man (Deep Breath, 2014).
As an entomologist, I discover the class of non-humanoid aliens to be probably the most attention-grabbing. Regardless of the huge array of morphologies and chemistries out there to select from and adapt, the group behind Physician Who appear to have primarily based numerous the present’s life kinds on actual examples from Earth.
Alien biology and human empathy
The commentary that strikes me probably the most in regards to the portrayal of alien species in Physician Who is that the nearer they resemble people, the extra empathetically they’re depicted within the present. Chimera aliens primarily based on mammals, such because the Lupari, Cheetah folks, Judoon and Catkind, are all the time proven with compassion or, on the very least, irony. Reptile and fish-based characters are extra evenly break up between good and evil.
Characters with visually distinguished ossification (the formation of bones) are virtually all the time portrayed as evil, as seen within the Sycorax, Fisher King, Monks, Ribbons and Dregs.
On the subject of invertebrates (animals and not using a backbone reminiscent of bugs, crustaceans, molluscs, worms, and others), all of them are portrayed as evil with only a few exceptions, particularly Alpha Centauri, Menoptra, Zarbi, and the large spiders in Arachnids within the UK (2018). Even then, the Menoptra and Zarbi had been corrupted by the spider-like Animus. Nevertheless, it is a nice injustice. Invertebrates are a number of the most stunning creatures on Earth. Sadly, many individuals are petrified of them as a result of their completely different look, and creatives typically use these fears to create monsters.
Physician Who all the time imparts worthwhile classes in compassion. From the Physician’s incapacity to destroy the Daleks utterly (Genesis of the Daleks, 1975) to their nice sympathy in direction of a large spider that was mercilessly killed by a billionaire (Arachnids within the UK), the Physician persistently demonstrates empathy and understanding in direction of all beings, no matter their type or origin.
A couple of cosmic quibbles
As a fan of Physician Who, I’ve all the time loved watching the Physician and their companions journey by area and time, encountering all kinds of monsters and aliens alongside the way in which. Nevertheless, generally the result’s a compromise on scientific accuracy for the sake of constructing an excellent story.
Take the Spider germs within the Kill the Moon (2014), for instance. The Physician, performed by Peter Capaldi, calls them “bacteria-like”, which is inaccurate (though he most probably did this to clarify one thing merely to his companions). Micro organism are single-cell organisms with quite simple buildings. Single cells are unable to maneuver quick, soar, or type articulated appendages. ‘Parasites’ could be a greater time period.
One other scientific inaccuracy might be seen within the Inexperienced Demise serial (1973), the place Jon Pertwee’s Third Physician encounters big maggots (legless true fly larvae) that metamorphose into dragonflies. In actuality, dragonflies would not have larvae and can’t metamorphose on this means.
Then there are the Slitheen within the 2005 episode Aliens of London, with Christopher Eccleston because the Ninth Physician. The Slitheen are a household of outlawed intergalactic criminals who had been born to hunt, eat people, and put on pores and skin fits comprised of their victims. Nevertheless, inside the identified guidelines of our universe, they’d not be capable of costume in human skins for a really painful cause – human pores and skin is normally barely acidic (pH 4-5). If a Raxacoricofallapatorian (Slitheen household) explodes when splashed with a pint of pickle juice (pH 3.5-4.5), as we see occur within the episode, it might slowly soften inside its human costume!
Asking the large questions
There are numerous causes for scientists to like Physician Who. It’s a present that captures the creativeness and challenges our understanding of the universe. By means of its intricate storylines and sophisticated characters, it invitations us to ponder the most important questions of existence.
In simply this quick take a look at a handful of creatures and characters, we’ve delved into the very nature of taxonomy, evolution, and our relationship with alien life. By watching Physician Who, we study that we should not choose aliens – or, certainly, Earthly ones – primarily based on our personal slender requirements, however quite try to coexist and dwell in concord with them.
If I could mix the knowledge of the Eleventh and Twelfth Docs: Information is one of the best weapon on the planet. Arm your self, however by no means fail to be variety. Physician Who’s a real masterpiece of science-fiction, inspiring us to discover the vastness of the universe and our place inside it.
Physician Who Worlds of Marvel is on the Nationwide Museum of Scotland till 1 Might 2023.
