Pitch a companion for Doctor Who.

I want a companion who argues with the Cybermen, logically. And wins.

I didn't even realize there was a thread like this. Funnily enough, I had a weird dream not too long ago that gave me an idea for a theoretical first(? I honestly don't know if someone else already qualifies) (unaccompanied) male Companion for Nu!Who:

• Physically, he'd have shaggy hair and be distinguished by a reversible red-and-black-striped hoodie (I guess I'm channeling Calvin a bit here). Overall, looks a bit like a big kid despite being at the back end of his 30s or early 40s.

• He'd be a bit of a Steve Coogan/Arthur Dent 'loveable manchild' type. Sweet & kind-hearted but a bit aimless and finds it difficult to meet the standards the world has of him (not serious enough, bad punctuality, daydreamer, not 'settled down,' has a girlfriend who loves him but wants him to find direction/a spine and grow up a little, etc.)

• His parents disappeared on him when he was young (this is very important) and he was raised afterwards by an aunt or grandmother.

• Perhaps he works with kids? An attempt to vicariously 'make up' for his own miserable childhood and abandonment issues.

• In contrast, his Doctor is more professorial, occasionally also a 'big brother' or 'distant dad' type, though sometimes unable to contain himself in sharing his Companion's geeky enthusiasm for things.

• The two of them have some variation of the ol' 'learning how to ride a bike' scene. It's silly, but it also plays into the Companion's arc.

• The ultimate twist is that his parents didn't abandon him, but were kidnapped by the Doctor's enemies. This leads to a genuine rift between the two of them (because I'm curious to see that) that lasts for some time. At some point, though, the Doctor figures out a way to undo or at least mitigate what happened and they part on friendly terms, the Companion having become more dependable and self-sure without losing any of his childlike wonder.

edited 21st Oct '13 9:20:32 AM by dreamshell

I kinda always liked the idea of a sailor from the 17th-18th century.

I've alqays wondered why they haven't had a more varied range of companions in the new series; they've all been young(ish) human females from modern day Earth or their boyfriends. Jack and River are some of the few exceptions, but I never really thought of them as permanent companions.

Why not have any aliens? They certainly have the budget to do actual extraterrestrials, rather than Rubber Forehead Aliens, so why not have a non-human assistant? And I mean a companion who actually travels in the TARDIS (so Vastra and co. don't count).

Does anyone else think having a permanent elderly companion would be interesting?

I think the idea is supposed to be the Doctor has a soft spot for the human race and favors them, so naturally he's going to pick humans as his most common type of Companion (plus, there's the meta-reason; it's a show made by humans. =P)

An elderly Companion could be great. I loved Wilf (Donna's grandfather or great-grandfather, I can't remember which) and it would be great to have a character like that around on a regular basis. I think that, in addition to favoring humans, though,the Doctor likes to choose younger Companions because their youth generally makes them more adventurous and less cynical, not to mention they help distract him from his own issues.

A Dalek. Because why not.

An American named Henry Bearfists who solves the problems that the Doctor can't by punching them.

I guess you're right about all those things... but maybe Capaldi could have an elderly companion? Showing he's giving in to old age, or something; not trying to be an eccentric man-child any more (although we don't know how Capaldi intends to play the role yet, so...)

Amelia Pond.

Old Amy has twice as much attitude as her younger self and is 8 times bigger. Therefore, young Amelia has 4 times the Attitude density as old Amy.

You are gonna say fixed point in time proves Amelia can't be a companion.

Timey wimey ball proves she must be. Every single fixed point in time has been broken. Doctor dies; no, it was a robot in a doctor suit. Doctor must speak his name; no, he mustn't. Spitfires never crossed trans dimensional vortex; no, now they do. Christmas episode, a child cries at Xmas and the Universe cancels ALL fixed points in time just to stop a child crying at Xmas.

edited 22nd Oct '13 2:19:31 PM by Jaqen

Speaking of Amelia, a child companion would be interesting... as long as he/she didn't become a second Adric...

3 episodes where Adric of the week dies would be fine, but in general, I want a likable companion.

Bagsie Dalek!young Amelia Pond. Because wibbly wobbly timey wimey

Harry James Potter Evans-Verres

Last Dalek Evah comes to Little Whingeing and exterminates Dursleys. Harry and Figg hide in Tardis. Doctor kill Last Dalek Evah and flies off for nxt week's adventure. Only later does Doctor notice the stowaways.

Dumbledore is a Time Lord and tries to bring Harry back.

DD resurrects Dursleys as rotting Zombies and wants Harry to live with them.

Doctor wants Harry to live with Dursleys and only agrees to rescue Harry after Dursleys eat Figgs' brains.

A [Perky Goth|gothic], teenage asian girl, with dark purple hair, a sarcastic attitude, and very "action-y". Originally from 24th century Earth (specifically, a town called [Where the Hell Is Springfield?|Cotviller].)

I'd like to see a low-ranking but abnormally curious Ice Warrior as a companion. Stoic, taciturn, but wanting to see the universe. Also, some ambivalent feelings towards the Doctor for his role in the history of their people.

Ed Wood. I'm being totally serious.

edited 31st Jan '14 6:11:26 PM by Jinxmenow

An artificial human, bred to be an unquestioning soldier in some war nobody cares about on some planet nobody's ever heard of. After the Doctor helps end said war (which takes a turn for the nasty when another clone soldier has a breakdown and sabotages their side), the guy doesn't really have much of a purpose anymore, so he decides to go with the Doctor to find a new life for himself. He'd be a quiet sort, not really that good at socializing, and whenever the next problem of the week shows up, his solutions would tend towards violence up until character development kicks in.

I see him being played by Rutger Hauer for some reason.

A handsome, younger Time Lord sent by the higher-ups to keep an eye on the Doctor and stop him from making any big messes. He's a by-the-book guy, who's always kind of a buzzkill, but a fundamentally good guy at heart. He acts like he's the main character and captain of the TARDIS, and that the Doctor and the human companion are his sidekicks, but they don't really show him any respect, and he's pretty much a butt-monkey.

Rex Matheson.

And all humans are young, compared to the Doctor.

... what?

Sorry- I was responding to someone higher up on the page who mentioned the Doctor traveling with "younger humans." I was noting that we're all babes in arms, next to him.

(Though the new series seems to have been taking the "babes" angle very literally, badum-tish.)

Oh. My bad.

Name: Plix ni'Vral Where is she from?: A planet named Voltox. And when?: Earth year 2017. Voltox year 5050. How does she join the Doctor?: When she is the equivalent to an human 13 year old, she is adjusting some ship that went down. The Doctor helps her. Daleks appear, the Doctor and Plix fight them together, then they hug each other, and the Doctor has a feeling that Plix should come with him. And so they depart together with the TARDIS. Who are her family?: Her dad is named Vral zu'Froe and her mom is named Ledi ni'Maph. She also has an younger brother, Kafi zu'Vral. They're a low class family. They live in a regular Voltoxian home. Plix often calls them during her travels. Occupation?: She repairs ships and machines for the Voltoxian royalty. She actually lives in their repairing shed! She's also an inventor. Abilities?: Really good at mechanics and biotechnology stuff. Somewhat psychic but not much. But she is good at martial arts and can wield a sword. A bit smarter than average. Personality?: Very active and loud. Somewhat messy. Very excitable. Somewhat hotheaded and brash. Always stands up for herself. Really brave and daredevil-ish. Quite friendly and outgoing. Loves cars and technology. Appearance?: Goggles and pigtails. Fashion sense that would be considered Steampunk. Short and flat chested (she's 1.50 as an adult). Olive skin. Pointy ears. Bright green eyes. Red facial markings under eyes. Brownish-orangish hair which is lighter than her skin. How does she leave the Doctor?: She visits Voltox once in her travels with the Doctor and thus meets her family again (it's a few months after her leaving for them). But then all 3 of them get killed in the next Dalek attack to the planet as the Doctor does'nt manage to save them. So she gets semi-adopted by the Doctor, like Vicki, Victoria, Adric and Nyssa before her. The Doctor tells Plix that Voltox will be destroyed in less than an Earth year than when Plix came from. After a few other travels, Plix and the Doctor arrive on a spacebase in the year 3000 (Earth date). The spacebase is malfunctioning and it is colliding with some exploding star in one or two Earth years. And so, Plix (now biologically 17) leaves to become the spacebase's mechanic and head scientist. Life after the Doctor?: After the spacebase is'nt malfunctioning anymore and everything is upgraded, Plix marries an human female named Jadin (she does'nt have a surname as she was'nt born on Earth) and they have a biological daughter named Firi ni'Plix. They settle down on a planet named Serfilex. When Firi is grown up, Plix travels with the Doctor for another while, and they go to Ravolox (year 1 Ravolox date) and she helps her own ancestors become the steampunk\biotech species they're now, along with the Doctor. Then she goes back to Serfilex, and finds out Jadin has been killed. And Firi has married one of Serfilex' native species, a guy named Vircan, and they have a son together named Ahim zu'Vircan, which Plix helped raise until she died.