Yesterday it was announced that Scotish actor, Peter Capaldi, would be the 12th Doctor. I had no idea who Capaldi was before the announcement. After perusing his IMDB page, though, I saw that he was in Torchwood and a Tennant episode of Doctor Who. I’ve yet to watch Torchwood but I remember him as the head of the family the Doctor saved from Pompeii.
I’m excited for the new Doctor but not everyone shares my sentiments. I think some of my friends are worried that Capaldi isn’t as attractive as David Tennant or Matt Smith. Other friends just seem unwilling to let go of Smith for someone new. I felt the same way when Eccleston left for Tennant but quickly warmed up to the 10th Doctor.
I have no reason to believe Capaldi won’t make a great Doctor. However, I am little bummed out that Doctor Who’s producers didn’t go outside the box. I would have loved to see a woman Doctor or a minority Doctor. I don’t think choosing Capaldi was sexist or racist, but Helen Mirren or Chiwetel Ejiofor would have been interesting choices.
There is a comfort level, though, in doing what we’ve always done. The Doctor has always been a white male. Again, I don’t think there’s anything sinister in that fact, it’s simply a fact. Even I had difficulty when Matt Smith was cast because he was younger than me. And I’m again having difficulty because Capaldi is significantly older than both Smith and Tennant.
The new Doctor aside, though, we shouldn’t get trapped doing something because we’ve always done it. I love traditions and rituals but even God likes doing new things. In Isaiah he says:
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
We should honor the traditions of the past but we shouldn’t let them blind us to the new thing God might be trying to do, whether that’s in our lives, our friendships, our families, our jobs or our ministries. Some times we can get stuck in a rut because clinging to the past keeps us from seeing the brighter future.
That being said, I think the future is bright for Peter Capaldi as the 12th Doctor. I’m excited for what will hopefully be his first appearance in this year’s Christmas special. But I’m even more excited for him to take over the reins of the TARDIS and wield the sonic screwdriver in the eighth season of Doctor Who.
What are your thoughts about the 12th Doctor?
Thanks to my beautiful wife, Alycia, for the idea for this post.
Wow. An older doctor. I'm not sure. Of course, they've had older Doctors in the past. I like how you tie it in with honoring good traditions while moving forward into the future.
Thanks, Josh. It was actually Alycia who made that connection.
I just got home from a Worship Leader convention, so this topic is ALL over my brain right now. It's obviously a really common theme among churches to get stuck in love with tradition. Tradition can be beautiful, meaningful and even fun. But it hurts my heart to see Christians use a love a tradition to avoid confronting bigger issues in their hearts and relationships with Christ and others.