The Science of Dr Who
Paul Parsons
Penguin
Hardcover, pages not given, R180.00
Reviewed by Ian Jamieson, on 1 June 2006
Paul Parsons, is editor of the BBC science magazine "Focus" and holds a
pHD in cosmology; he is also a huge Dr Who fan.
From Doctors one through ten he takes us on a journey to discover the
science behind the programme. He shows us the good Doctor and tells us why
each doctor looks different and is able to regenerate at will, with his two
hearts and his amazing good luck; and the Tardis with its spacious interior,
its ability to teleport and move through time, and what happens when it comes
to food and the use of the toilet in such a machine.
From there he takes us on a visit to the various life forms and enemies of
the Doctor, and shows how each might just be possible! The Daleks, who are
Gelf's in tin cans but can move up stairs; the Slitheen who can compress
themselves into human skins; intelligent plants and why they might just
exist; and the Autons, intelligent beings made of plastic; and various
others such as the Cybermen, the Sontrands and the Krynoids.
From there Parsons moves onto future human galactic empires and the
problems such a communications they would have to overcome, and the
problems of alien invasions.
He then goes on to cover future weapons, space habitats, robots, force
fields, the matrix, black holes and of course, the Big Bang.
This is an interesting and intelligent effort to disect the actual
science behind the various aspects of Doctor Who, some of which is feasable
today, some of which is possible or even probable, tomorrow, and some of
which, at least by todays standards and knowledge is not possible.
The book is an enjoyable read, although a little extra humour would have
made it even better. (And the Doctor's sonic screwdriver should be a standard
item in every house hold.)
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