The First Doctor was played by William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. From all appearances, the original idea was that "Doctor Who" was to be a quasi-educational show for children, teaching them about various historical periods and events using the plot device of time travel. This Doctor wasn't so much a hero or a savior, but more a slightly cranky, absent-minded professor. Of course, once the ratings for the shows with scary monsters came in, the producers knew that more adventure needed to be in the offing! :-)
In the earliest adventures of the First Doctor, he traveled with his granddaughter Susan and two of her teachers. It took them all a while to reveal (or to figure out!) that the Doctor and Susan were alien exiles, Time Lords, from the planet Gallifrey. I've only seen a handful of these early black-and-white episodes.
Quotation:
"Our lives are important -- at least to us -- and as we see, so we learn... Our destiny is in the stars, so let's go and search for it."
The First Doctor is a LEO. Just look at that lion's mane of hair, and his often self-centered demeanor. Leos are also supposed to be creative and outgoing, and this Doctor definitely takes charge and thinks his way out of danger. (Pretty much all the Doctors do that, of course, so maybe this first incarnation carries a natal stamp through all his other lives, too.) Other key personality traits of Leos are said to be generosity, heart, and playfulness. Although he often appeared annoyed and impatient with the events around him, he was always quick with some silly bit of humor. I chuckled out loud a few times reading through some of his quotes here.
The New Years Resolution for the fiery Leonines among you is to step back a bit and share the limelight. It doesn't always have to be about you, y'know. (Something my lovely wife tells me all the time.) The generous side of the Leo personality should make this not too much of a chore. The site where I found these Zodiacal resolutions did give the Leos a bit of consolation, though: "The less attention you seek for personal gratification, the noble side of your nature shines. Ironically, this leads to even greater recognition in the long haul." :-)
[See the introduction for more about sources and motivations for this series of posts.]
A granddaughter!
ReplyDeleteI have these old episodes added to my list on Netflix, I just haven't found time to watch them yet. TIME, I need time, where's a Time Lord when you need him?
Ah, yes, how do you solve a problem like Susan Foreman? (The last name was taken from the name of the junkyard where the Doctor first parked his TARDIS, I think.) Subsequent eras have largely ignored her, but now that Clara Oswald is teaching at her old school, there may be a family reunion in the works...
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