![]() Secondly, Skaro was, at this point, destroyed in the last years of Sylvester McCoy’s run by the Hand of Omega (“Remembrance of the Daleks”). First off, the Daleks are mortal foes of the Time Lords, specifically the Doctor. Note: Okay, sooo much wrong with that opening narration. As the Doctor narrates, he should never have granted their ‘request’… The Daleks–mortal foes of the Doctor–have inexplicably requested the Doctor to take the Master’s liquified remains back to the Time Lord home world of Gallifrey. The movie opens in space, with ( eventual) star Paul McGann narrating as the Doctor, telling the audience that his longtime nemesis, The Master ( at this point, an anonymous double in a wideshot) has been sentenced to death by ( unseen) Daleks. I would later come to appreciate the movie for its accomplishments, rather than just its glaring deficits… If nothing else, this singular soft-reboot of the series would make for an interesting ride in the TARDIS. While an Americanized remake is a curious notion to explore in a one-off TV-movie, I was relieved when the series reverted fully to the BBC nine years later, after this odd coproduction with Fox. There’s a definite vibe of by proxy- Spielbergian TV influence as well for example, the opening titles give Ron Grainer’s classic Doctor Who theme a bombastic symphonic overhaul–making it sound more like unused music from Spielberg’s own “Amazing Stories.” Doctor Who is inherently British–despite the fact that it was first conceived of by Canadian producer Sydney Newman. The TV-movie was directed by Geoffrey Sax, and more importantly, it was executive produced by Steven Spielberg-groomed TV producer Philip David Segal ( seaQuest DSV, Earth II), who was born in England but raised in the US, which should’ve (in theory) given him valuable insight as a showrunner for this UK/US/Canadian coproduction. The new Doctor with new companions Chang Lee (Yee Jee Tso) and the ‘other’ doctor, Grace Holloway (Daphne Ashbrook). Note: The weird new continuity of the TV-movie (the Daleks’ trial of the Master, etc) almost felt as if writer Matthew Jacobs had only a passing familiarity with Doctor Who he knew of the show’s elements, such as Gallifrey, the Master, Skaro, Daleks, etc. The presence of 7th Doctor Sylvester McCoy’s appearance in the first act also helped make the transition a teensy bit smoother as well. We also saw the Doctor casually quipping that he’s “half-human, on (his) mother’s side.” Odd continuity notwithstanding, I tried to embrace the movie as a soft-reboot of the show, slightly rejiggered for American sensibilities. There were also some very odd continuity missteps, such as the Daleks holding a trial (?) and allowing their mortal foe, the Doctor, to take the Master’s cremated remains back to Gallifrey ( say what now…?). Paced more like an episode of “21 Jump Street” than “Doctor Who,” it was also shot in the style (and color palette) of a wannabe James Cameron flick ( “Terminator” homages all over the place). Not-too jarringly set in Vancouver-for-San Francisco, the 95 minute movie that followed was a decided mix bag. 7th Doctor Sylvester McCoy hands over the keys to the TARDIS to Doctor Eight, Paul McGann. Note: Sure enough, Roseanne’s big finale spelled doom for the Doctor’s US debut and while the movie was a ratings hit in the Doctor’s UK home turf with the BBC, it performed dismally in the US, thus ensuring this UK/US/Canadian coproduced film never went to series. After becoming re-addicted to the series years earlier, I was psyched for its return. The next day, after a refreshing swim in my old apartment complex’s pool, I sat down to watch the new Who. Oh, and of course, I had to work that night as well, but I had my handy-dandy VCR record “Doctor Who: The TV-Movie” (in hi-fi stereo, no less- so fancy). Well, as luck would have it, the movie aired on the same night as the much-ballyhooed “Roseanne” series’ finale, which sucked up US TV ratings like a Hoover vac. This would be a single TV-movie, acting as a pilot episode, which would air in the US on the Fox TV network. ![]() In May of 1996, after a 7 year drought of Doctor Who ( which was last broadcast in the US on PBS), I was set to enjoy an all-new Doctor Who adventure. ![]()
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