Doctor Who once again wows fans at Comic Con, shows dinosaurs on a spaceship

Yet more CCI coverage here, this time courtesy of ScreenRant.

For the uninitiated, Doctor Who is the longest lasting science fiction TV program. Started in 1963 by Sydney Newman and Verity Lambert, the program was focused on entertaining the entire family, offering something for every age bracket. Constructed as both educational and exciting, Newman had a strict ban of Bug Eyed Monsters… but lost out after the first monster, the Daleks, rocketed the series into cult status. Very few details made up the core concept of Doctor Who to start with. Two school teachers followed a peculiar student home only to discover that she lived in a junk yard with her grandfather. Their ‘home’ was a small blue box that was far bigger on the inside than out. Capable of traveling through time and space, the quartet began a series of adventures with no way home as sadly the old man (known as The Doctor) had no way of piloting the ship… since he stole it from ‘his people.’

Made on a shoestring budget (think Star Trek the Next Generation made with the same money it cost to produce Cheers), Doctor Who is renowned for its innovations and downright brilliant sound and visual effect… usually.

When the lead actor playing the Doctor decided to leave (or was asked to, depending what/who you believe), the ingenious idea was hatched of introducing an entirely new actor in the part. It was described initially as a ‘renewal,’ but years later became better known as ‘regeneration.’ After 26 years, Doctor Who was pulled from the BBC due to steadily declining ratings, returning once in 1996 as a TV Movie starring Paul McGann. It wasn’t until 2005 that Doctor Who would enjoy a full return and a new generation of fans has fallen in love with the series.

Doctor Who ‘Dalek’ art by Anthony Dry

The current actor, Matt Smith, is the 11th actor to play the part on the small screen and the program is a roaring success in the UK and US as well.

The Doctor (No. 11)

The next year is a big deal for Doctor Who for several reasons; it will mark Matt Smith’s third year as the Doctor, the exit of companions Rory and Amy Pond (the longest standing traveling partners in some time), the return of the Daleks and Ice Warriors as well as a lead-in to the 50th anniversary special, a mysterious new companion and a focus on single part stand-alone stories rather than multi-part story arcs. The first half of the series apparently features a western, dinosaurs on a spaceship, weeping angels and lots of Daleks.

The Doctor has returned to San Diego for Comic-Con 2012. Joining him was Amy and Rory, most likely for the final time. Not to be left out, executive producers Steven Moffat and Caroline Skinner also joined the cast this year. In the panel, the cast and showrunners offered up details on the highly-anticipated 50 year anniversary of Doctor Who – as well as who may be returning for it.

The show started at 12:30 PM Pacific Time (3:30 PM Eastern) in Hall H and, as mentioned, featured actors Matt Smith (MS), Karen Gillan (KG), Arthur Darvill (AD), lead writer/executive producer Steven Moffat (SM) as well as executive producer Caroline Skinner (CS).

—————————–

Moffat wouldn’t elaborate further but promised more Dalek’s than viewers have ever seen, Weeping Angels, tragedy, and westerns – claiming there’s never been a “bigger variety of episodes than the ones we’re about to show you.”

Following his comments on season seven, Moffat went on to showcase a lengthier clip “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” – that sees The Doctor recruit Nefertiti (while attempting to avoid her sexual advances), a new character portrayed by Sherlock‘s Detective Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves), Rory, Amy, and (accidentally) Rory’s father, Brian (played by Mark Williams). The Doctor leads his “gang” to a derelict space station overrun with cobwebs – complete with spiders (very curious indeed). The group searches the craft by flashlight until they come upon a massive metal door that, upon their arrival, slowly begins to open. As everyone turns to run for their lives, The Doctor leans toward the doorway for a better look. As a pair of Ankylosauruses burst into the room, Amy tugs at The Doctor whose face twists into his iconic smile as he says “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship!”

The panel concluded with a standing ovation for Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill – before the cast exited the stage.