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Opinion: Doctor Who - An Unearthly Child Part 1 is one of the best opening episodes to any Science Fiction TV Series

Is An Unearthly Child Part 1 a great opener to a Science Fiction Series?

  • Yes

    Votes: 36 81.8%

  • No

    Votes: 8 18.2%
  • Total voters
    44
TheGamingNewsGuy

TheGamingNewsGuy

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 5, 2017
31,496
I have been thinking about this for a while, i honestly think that the first part of An Unearthly Child is one of the best openings to any science fiction show. When it comes to the first episode of a science fiction show, they need to introduce the world of the series as the main cast and their dynamic going foward. When i was watching the Doctor Who marathon it made me realise just how efficent and effective it is in introducing the Doctor,The Tardis,Susan,Ian and Barbaba all in 22 minutes Plus i think an Unearthly Child has a fantastic atmosphere with the use of the fog making the whole thing feeling mysterious and otherworldly. As for why i am just stating the first part rather than the whole serial is simply because outside of the First Party - the rest of the serial is okay but nothing special. To me the first part of an Unearthly Child is one of the best TV Science Fiction Openers. I am curious if you agree or disagree with me on this?

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OP
OP
TheGamingNewsGuy

TheGamingNewsGuy

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 5, 2017
31,496
Also i really loved Hartnell's Doctor though it's odd considering he's far less of a main protagionst then he would later be
 
Big One

Big One

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,277
Still haven't watched the old Doctor Who seasons pre-reboot. Is there any recommended watch-orders? Is it even possible to binge watch all the episodes?
 
Blader

Blader

Member
Oct 27, 2017
26,620
It is very good. It's pretty incredible how much of this show was established in these 20 odd minutes, and still remains part of it nearly 60 years later.
 
Dalek

Dalek

Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,962
Hartnell sells it. He's so great in the role. His mannerisms in that scene are hilarious.
 
DoctorBat

DoctorBat

Banned
Nov 15, 2017
197
Big One said:
Still haven't watched the old Doctor Who seasons pre-reboot. Is there any recommended watch-orders? Is it even possible to binge watch all the episodes?
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Unless I'm mistaken, the streaming service Britbox has every available episode in the US.

And as far as watch orders go, I thoroughly recommend doing a chronological mystery tour of the classics with some flexible detours for whichever Doctors/companions you wanna continue following. That's what I did and I really enjoyed it. Take a look through, pick which stories sound interesting to you or research fan favourites, and you're off.

The classic series rarely relies on continuity and longer arcs that require you to watch every episode, so it's ideal to jump in and out through the years and still be able to get what's happening.
 
DoctorBat

DoctorBat

Banned
Nov 15, 2017
197
The first time I watched the Hartnell (First Doctor) era, I pretty much just watched:

An Unearthly Child
The Daleks
The Edge of Destruction
The Keys of Marinus
The Dalek Invasion of Earth
The Space Museum
The Chase
The Time Meddler
The War Machines
The Tenth Planet

and didn't find myself lost. It's all very watchable and entertaining, and the stories do a decent job of addressing who these new companions are if you don't see their introduction.
 
Blader

Blader

Member
Oct 27, 2017
26,620
Big One said:
Still haven't watched the old Doctor Who seasons pre-reboot. Is there any recommended watch-orders? Is it even possible to binge watch all the episodes?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Tom Baker's first few years (seasons 12-14) are probably the best entry point. Those usually rank among the most acclaimed episodes of Classic Who, and for good reason. I think they're also the most watchable if you're coming at it from a modern TV angle, with more robust production values than the 60s and early 70s episodes but before the severe budget cuts of the 80s started to sink in.

Dalek said:
Hartnell sells it. He's so great in the role. His mannerisms in that scene are hilarious.
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I find most Hartnell episodes just ok if not a little boring, but I've always loved Hartnell himself in the role; he's a fantastic Doctor.
 
Dwebble

Dwebble

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
9,627
It absolutely nails it.

Episodes 2-4, however, are some of the dreariest, dullest bits of business in 60s Who, and that's saying something.
 
ibyea

ibyea

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,164
Big One said:
Still haven't watched the old Doctor Who seasons pre-reboot. Is there any recommended watch-orders? Is it even possible to binge watch all the episodes?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You shouldn't binge watch this, it is a lot. Pick and choose eras you are curious about and just go through them if you have time. My own recommendation is to start with seasons 25-26 since they are the most similar to new who. The typical recommendation is seasons 12-14, the first three seasons for 4th Doctor, which is also a great starting point. Season 7 is really good too.
 
ClivePwned

ClivePwned

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,625
Australia
Unearthly Child holds up really well. It's recorded and performed almost live with everything from special effects, sound effects, music, title sequences and end credits all recorded at the same time, with a grand total of 1 edit when they move from the TARDIS exterior to the interior (videotape had to be physically cut for edits even into the 70's)

It also had the benefit of being a remake since they had tried making the episode as a pilot, with the Doctor and Susan being slightly different in character, and a TARDIS dooe that wouldn't stay shut.

The other three episodes of the story are really dull, but seeing The Doctor, initially not wanting to get involved or risk his neck for others was interesting since him changing his mind to help was some of the only character development the character ever really got (aside from regeneration).

In general, I found most Hartnell stories a bit slow to watch, there are some really well made ones and some less well made and it seems to depend on the director. If you find episodes directed by Douglas Camfield or Christopher Barry, they tend to be well made, Richard Martin and others, less so. The historicals come off better since they're just typical BBC costume Drama, but the Sci Fi ones were always more interesting to me, tacky effects aside (which for most ofthe Hartnell stories were created by the Set Designers since the BBC's Visual Effects department refused to work on the show unless they were allocated more resources).
 
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TheGamingNewsGuy

TheGamingNewsGuy

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 5, 2017
31,496
I was rewatching an Adventure in Space and Time and it's kinda a miracle Doctor Who got made at all
 
Crazymoogle

Crazymoogle

Game Developer
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
2,884
Asia
I have a strong nostalgia for watching old Doctor Who reairings on PBS late night, and sure, there is all sorts of things to point fingers at, but there was some genuinely interesting stories. And those old "episodes" also had what was a really interesting quirk - at least on PBS - which was that they were just super, duper long episodes. I'm not sure if the BBC run was all one thing or if they were always split into four, but the idea of "semi continuity" was really interesting and gave plotlines a way to breathe that even 90's Star Trek struggled to achieve. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting many of those episodes.

A clip from the OP's episode.



To the OP's statement, it's worth noting how many SF shows tend to flub the opener, or at least bury it later with far superior works. I think the only one I would suggest rivals it is not necessarily an "opener" depending on how you look at it:

Battlestar Galactica: "33"



BSG 2004 of course had the luxury of a miniseries before TV started proper, but regardless of whether you saw it or not, the opener of BSG is a breathtaking concept and arguably one of the best episodes of the the run.
 
OP
OP
TheGamingNewsGuy

TheGamingNewsGuy

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 5, 2017
31,496
Crazymoogle said:
I have a strong nostalgia for watching old Doctor Who reairings on PBS late night, and sure, there is all sorts of things to point fingers at, but there was some genuinely interesting stories. And those old "episodes" also had what was a really interesting quirk - at least on PBS - which was that they were just super, duper long episodes. I'm not sure if the BBC run was all one thing or if they were always split into four, but the idea of "semi continuity" was really interesting and gave plotlines a way to breathe that even 90's Star Trek struggled to achieve. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting many of those episodes.

A clip from the OP's episode.



To the OP's statement, it's worth noting how many SF shows tend to flub the opener, or at least bury it later with far superior works. I think the only one I would suggest rivals it is not necessarily an "opener" depending on how you look at it:

Battlestar Galactica: "33"



BSG 2004 of course had the luxury of a miniseries before TV started proper, but regardless of whether you saw it or not, the opener of BSG is a breathtaking concept and arguably one of the best episodes of the the run.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, I think in terms of firs episode I think an Unearthly Child Part 1 is the best at setting up the word of Doctor Who but BSG comes on a close second. Haven't watched the first episode of the OG Star Trek series though
 
gosublime

gosublime

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,432
Currently watching it with my son - he's 10. We did all of new Who and he's wanted to see some of the classics. Hope he enjoys them (particularly Sylvester McCoy's later two series!)

It is a great start - the mystery is well done and brings in puzzles a little at a time. For example the way she mentions knowledge of the decimal system starting in the U.K. and all the little flashbacks to Susan doing similar in other areas of the course
 
SPRidley

SPRidley

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,238
I watched modern before watching even a screen of the old series. I was really loving it and knowing it had so many doctors and so much history i wanted to see what were the differences between the first episode and how the series was now. I was really thinking things like the idea of the tardis, the sounds it made, the main theme of the series... were things thay were probably not there since the beginning and evolved with the show.

Then i watched it, i was incredibly surprise of how evolved was a time travel sci fi tv for the 1960s and how so much stuff was actually there since episode 1.
And the episode was actually great.
Sad i cant say the same thing about the following episodes of the same story, as they are pretty boring compared to the excitment of the first episode and feeling so modern.

Also Adventure thru space and time is super cool showing how before this episode the pilot went so wrong and had little quirks in the characters that were ironed super fast when they recorded the final version.
 
OP
OP
TheGamingNewsGuy

TheGamingNewsGuy

One Winged Slayer
Member
Nov 5, 2017
31,496
SPRidley said:
I watched modern before watching even a screen of the old series. I was really loving it and knowing it had so many doctors and so much history i wanted to see what were the differences between the first episode and how the series was now. I was really thinking things like the idea of the tardis, the sounds it made, the main theme of the series... were things thay were probably not there since the beginning and evolved with the show.

Then i watched it, i was incredibly surprise of how evolved was a time travel sci fi tv for the 1960s and how so much stuff was actually there since episode 1.
And the episode was actually great.
Sad i cant say the same thing about the following episodes of the same story, as they are pretty boring compared to the excitment of the first episode and feeling so modern.

Also Adventure thru space and time is super cool showing how before this episode the pilot went so wrong and had little quirks in the characters that were ironed super fast when they recorded the final version.
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An Adventure through Space and Time is really cool despite the Matt Smith being eh (like i get the reason behind it but still eh)
 
Pluto

Pluto

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,458
Big One said:
Still haven't watched the old Doctor Who seasons pre-reboot. Is there any recommended watch-orders? Is it even possible to binge watch all the episodes?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's not possible to watch all of them because many episodes of the first and second doctors are missing, the audio survived for all of them though and quite a few have been animated or reconstructed with telesnaps.

I recommend to watch the first episode of An Unearthly Child and then skip straight to the second serial "The Daleks" and pretend that's the first adventure (the rest of an unearthly child is a weird cavemen adventure, it's ... not good). As a general warning many classic doctor adventures feel as if they are about twice as long as they need to be, the pacing is often odd, it's an aquired taste but worth it in my opinion.

The second doctor is my favorite from the classic era, it's a shame so many of his stories are missing but thankfully the BBC keeps animating serials from his era, they just released "Fury from the deep", all six episodes have been animated, it's the first time in decades they can be watched. Currently 16 of the 21 second doctor serials are released on DVD (amd a handful on Bluray), the missing five serials (29 episodes with 24 of them lost) are hopefully animated in the next few years, it would be a dream come true.

I also enjoyed the third doctor, the fourth one is ... ok, it's probably blasphemy to say that but I didn't like him that much, I still enjoyed the fourth doctor stories but more for the companions, Sarah Jane and both Romanas are especially great.
 
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