The Doctor Who Thread

The idea that Time Lords (the Doctor's species) can change gender during a regeneration has been a fan theory since the classic run of the series. It only was finally confirmed in the modern series in "The Doctor's Wife" from S6 when the Doctor mentions a friend called the Corsair;

"See that snake; the mark of the Corsair. Fantastic bloke! He had that snake as a tattoo in every regeneration, didn't feel like himself unless he had a tattoo. Or herself, a couple of times... she was a bad girl."

The Master had been traditionally depicted as a man from her introduction back in 1973, but would later show back up in S8 in a female incarnation. A lot of fans were initially divided about this as well, but seem to have been largely won over by Michelle Gomez's portrayal and her chemistry with Capaldi. After all, being a woman this time around didn't prevent her from being just as insane, calculating and dangerous as before.

We also saw another Time Lord changing sex and race in "Hell Bent" from Series 9, where the character of the General went from being a white man to a black woman. The General even casually reveals her previous incarnation was the only time she'd ever been a man and that she found it slightly hard to handle "all that ego" and is somewhat glad to be "back to normal".

(I have to admit that line could be seen as a tad on the nose, depending on how you chose to view it. But it's hardly a blip on the radar when it comes to issues that plagued that particular episode)

So yeah, the conceit of the Doctor's people being able to change sex/race isn't new, it's just the first time we're going to see it in action with the protagonist. I don't think that it's pandering to those who want more representation, but merely the writers deciding to run with an idea that's been around for decades.

The show has always reinvented itself slightly with each new Doctor, from the "base under siege" stories of the Second Doctor, the spy-thrillers of the Third, the Gothic horror and more sci-fi elements of the Fourth etc. Likewise each Doctor have been portrayed as markedly different men from each other; Nine was a hardened survivor plagued with guilt from the Time War, Ten was a dashing hero, Eleven was an eccentric "madman with a box", while Twelve is a jerk with a heart of gold.

Opening the floor for female Doctors seems like the next logical step the show has been building to.

As for those calling timing suspicious and the like, I have a genuine question, as I have been following Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook comments as well. At what point does something like this go from interesting story idea to "SJW pandering"?

Was it pandering when they turned Colonel Fury black? I think, for one, having the female Thor really worked because it allowed for the Unworthy Thor storyline.

From Billy Piper on Twitter:

I've got no problems with it, but I have some concerns about how they'll handle it.

I keep remembering, for example, when I watched the first episode of Supergirl. I remember feeling like the screenwriters were screaming "girl power!" Every five minutes. They couldn't seem to go for long without the show making a point to emphasize her gender. I couldn't watch it without rolling my eyes and thinking "I get it! She's female! Are you ready to actually give me a reason to care about this character and story beyond 'female superhero OMG'?"

Thankfully they throttled back on that as the show went on, though I haven't watched it in a while.

Female Thor? Ugh!

There's Captain Jack but he wasn't really around more than a few episodes(which is a shame, because his character is amazing). Rory as well, though I would think a lot of fans would rather forget Amy and Rory. Other than that nobody in the new rebooted series that's noteworthy.

There was plenty of male companions in Classic Who though. The show actually started off with both female and male companions from the first episode.

Hopefully there will be the first male companion in the new Who.

Well, it's not really female Thor.  It's...

Don't hit me....she's not a good enough actress tho.

I quit half way thru Capaldi's first season. I felt the quality had gone down and never gave a damn about Clara sooo...

Have there been any companions close to the quality of Jack or River lately?

Pepper Potts did it first.

It's also far from a newfangled SJW crusade. Comics have been obsessed with giving male superheroes miniature distaff counterparts since the 50s. Even before Supergirl came on the scene, Lois Lane had a brief stint as "Superwoman."

Also,

Batgirl, X-23, Miss Sinister, SheHulk, Hawkgirl, Aquagirl, Harley Quinn, Miss Martian, Ms. Marvel, Dani Cage, Lady Octopus, and lots and lots of others are all designed as versions of established superheroes and supervillains but with breasts, and most of them have been around for decades. This isn't a new trend, it's an enduring obsession in the industry.

AAAAHHHHHHH! WHAT?? But, I...I... Love her.

Valid opinion though.