It’s one of the longest running TV shows in history, and recently celebrated its 50th anniversary on both the TV and in the theater but there are a myriad of philosophies and mysterious theories that surround it. It began in 1963 when the BBC, after a great deal of convincing, put its first science-fiction related TV show on the air. On a very normal night, November 23, 1963, citizens in the UK tuned into see a TV show entitled, “Doctor Who” which took many individuals by surprise. Though they were working to put a man on the moon, no one had seen anything like it before. The idea of time travel was an unexpected surprise and definitely unforeseen.
It was an arduous task just getting the show to be approved by the BBC to air. In fact, it is written that during the discussion of whether or not to air the show, someone stated “There’s always been lots of terrible stuff, just as there’s always been lots of great stuff. But I think something we’ve definitely lost is the room to at least risk failure, and therefore the room to experiment” (Spilsbury 33). However, they decided to take a chance and put a character on the screen with the name “The Doctor” which dumbfounded many watchers because it was a character with no name who travelled through time and space with companions changing and trying to better the world by changing history. Like most shows, there were unrealistic villains like the Daleks that would pop up throughout the history of the show, but many watchers wondered if the show were real, would it be right to go back in time and change the course of history? They also discussed whether or not this was right in a sense of morality because changing history could possibly affect every individual on the planet. It could even keep them from existing if an incident that happened was hindered. So the question is whether or not it is acceptable, morally, the possibility of changing the progression of history?
One particular episode which sticks out in every fan’s minds is the one entitled “Let’s Kill Hitler” because it was considered a controversy before it even aired. Watchers wondered whether this main character who considers himself a person who stands up against Earth’s largest enemies but never kills anyone himself going to really kill one of the most detested men in history. Luckily, when the episode aired, most fans breathed a sigh of relief when they saw “Melody, The Doctor’s soon to be wife, shoot the Tardis’ (his spaceship) time rotor, causing them to crash land into Hitler’s Grand Office by mistake” (Russell 157). The dilemma the cast of the show then faced was standing in front of Hitler and not knowing what they should do. Should they kill him? It definitely would have saved an immense amount of lives and changed the course of World War II. Luckily, after an enormous amount of convincing, The Doctor reminds the companions he is travelling with that though it was acceptable to feel that desire or urge, but taking down Hitler, before he committed suicide could change every life on the planet. Especially, since many countries were involved that particular war as allies and were aiding the defense effort against Hitler at that point in time. The problem is fortuitously resolved when “Hitler was punched on the nose by Rory (a companion of The Doctor) who then locked him a cupboard” (Russell 157). (see fig.1)
(Fig.1. Hitler encounters the Tardis for the first time; Doctor Who: the Encyclopedia, 2011; Print. 157)
Fortunately, just like in many episodes, the disposal of Hitler in the cupboard removes him from the picture so they can go on to complete the real task which was to find Melody. It does, however, bring up an immeasurable amount of thought due to the fact that they left Hitler alive. Were they right to do so? Should they have really murdered this abhorrent dictator? There is really no right or wrong answers to this question but it should be understood why The Doctor left him alive, which was because he knew, since he had already travelled to the future, that killing this man would affect the grand scheme of the way the world has progressed throughout history. It seems that for many fans and watchers the question will remain unanswered but it should be feasible and morally understandable why changing history could affect us in a negative way.
Works Cited
Russell, Gary. Doctor Who: The Encyclopedia. Ebury, 2011. Print.
Spilsbury, Tom. "An Adventure in Space and Time." Doctor Who Magazine Nov. 2013: 28-35.
Print.
