Last week, I heard someone complain that the environmental message in this season of Doctor Who was heavy-handed. Really? I didn’t even notice it. When I saw those episodes, I just took it as the setting they were set in. One can’t deny that we are altering the environment of our planet in unprecedented ways.
Last season, I had another middle-aged white male complain that Doctor Who was too political. He couldn’t give me specific examples, so I didn’t really know what he was talking about. Was it the walks into history with Rosa Parks in Rosa or with the division of India in 1949 in Demons of the Punjab?
I suspect that what both of these friends were really complaining about was that the show was highlighting social issues that they disagreed with. That is, they don’t like the social commentary or decry that SJWs (social justice warriors) have taken over world culture. In fact, science fiction has always been political, making comments about issues of concern in society since what is considered the first science fiction story ever written, Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.
*Spoiler Alert*
One of the things I love about this season of Doctor Who and to some extent, last season, is the focus on meeting historical figures. For the most part, they focus on marginalized historical figures like Mary Shelley or Ada Lovelace. Both of these women had the foresight to see what the future coold look like. One as the conceptual inventory of software for a conceptual computer designed by Charles Babbage. The other was Mary Shelley, the writer of what is considered the very first science fiction novel.
Frankenstein as Social Commentary
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was a commentary on the effects of human prejudice and discrimination. Look Here for a short essay on the politics of Frankenstein. It was also a commentary on the enlightenment and the growing reliance on science and scientific discoveries in industry and medicine.
“Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein cannot merely be read as a literary work of the early 19th century. It represents the workings of young Shelley’s mind. Further, it represents the vast scientific discoveries of the time, combined with Mary Shelley’s intuitive perception of science. She views science as a powerful entity, but also recognizes the dangers if uncontrolled. Shelley demonstrates this fear in the book as science drives Victor Frankenstein to create his monster. In the end, it is also his use of science that inevitably becomes his demise. ” Frankenstein: The Man and the Monster, Suzanna Storment, October 2002
Politics in Doctor Who
It really burns me up to have people complain the Doctor Who has become too political. In fact, Doctor Who has been political since its inception in 1963. The Daleks came out of a series focussing on the horrors of war and fascism. Remember, World War II had only ended 18 years earlier and the world was in the midst of the Cold War. The Daleks are a commentary on what happens when you subordinate your humanity to victory at any cost.
The Cybermen are a direct descendant of Frankenstein and its commentary on the use of science to “improve” humans. What happens to our humanity when we are so merged with machines? C.f. Daleks above. For more examples of politics in Doctor Who, see this article on SyFy.com.
Politics in Science Fiction
Politics in science fiction has a long history. In fact, one could say that the purpose of science fiction is social commentary. How best to hold a mirror up to our own society than to create a fictional society where the aspect you want to focus on is magnified. Examples abound: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1984 by George Orwell, Dune by Frank Herbert, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. These are considered the pinnacle of science fiction and all are not just political, but blatantly political.
Star Trek in the 1960s took on social issues of race and war as well. Many commentators have noted that the first interracial kiss on television was on Star Trek, between the white Captain Kirk and the black Lt. Uhuru.
If your only exposure to science fiction is Star Wars, you might be forgiven for thinking science fiction shouldn’t be political, but even then, as watered down as it is, Star Wars is also political. In the wake of post-Vietnam, the original is suffused with the politics of the outgunned but plucky rebellion fighting against an overwhelming empire with only its wits and a pseudo-mystical force. How is that not social commentary?
When I hear people complaining about their favorite science fiction being too political, they are actually stating their own political preference. What they are actually complaining about is that their favorite show is displaying politics that they disagree with. If you hear this sort of complaint from someone, I suggest you challenge them on the issue. Ask if what they are complaining about is the show expressing a political point or if they are disagreeing with the point the show is expressing. I think you’ll find the answer informative.
