The Doctor Who Shipping Controversy
Nov. 19th, 2015 03:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
circular_timeShipping came up in that interesting discussion thread about Big Finish and New Who. As rochelle-templer points out: hey, wait a minute, some classic Who fans ship the Doctor, so why isn't it valid for some new Who writers to ship him with somebody?
That was a very tactful way of NOT calling us hypocrites, so thank you. ;)
To answer the question...
Let me revisit something I described a year ago. I defined Quantum Shipping, the opposite of OTP: rather than being drawn to one exclusive ship, quantum shipping enjoys multiple AU ships, contemplating the same characters' relationships in several different ways, either with different characters or at different points along the romantic/platonic spectrum.
I said I quantum ship because
But surely, if my shipping tastes sometimes include the Doctor having romantic relationships with companions, why am I reluctant to see such ships onscreen?
The major problem is Casanova Syndrome. When Amy sees an album of the Doctor's past companions and thinks they're all his exes, that's reductive. It's not really fair to the Doctor or his companions, to suggest that he's traveling the universe picking up and discarding girlfriends. That's why the "no hanky panky in the TARDIS" rule was instituted on classic Who when they picked the first young actor to play the Doctor.
Asexuality or demisexuality is the only way to keep the Doctor character from becoming Cosmic Casanova.
The other problem is that it's really, really hard to write the Doctor in a meaningful romantic relationship, because he's a Time Lord. He's centuries old, yet he was born practically yesterday. His life is a fascinating but difficult blend of immortality and ephemerality. Beyond the almost insurmountable age and lifespan gap, there's a vast gulf in the life experiences of the Doctor and his companions: he's seen and done so much that they'll never understand, while they experience life in a way that he can't relate to either. That's fascinating to explore, but I worry about the uneven power dynamic between a powerful, brilliant, knowledgeable and experienced Time Lord and an ordinary mortal. It's very difficult to portray a sexual or romantic relationship with that kind of inequity without it being creepy or unhealthy. (See Greek mythology's god/mortal matchups for numerous examples.)
Even when we try to write with care and attention towards each individual character's traits, it's all too easy to lose what's great about Platonic friendships: a relationship based on the unique personalities, skills and experiences of each person and how they complement or clash with each other. As someone who writes shipfic now and then, I often see this failure in my own writing, however much I try to surmount it.
Fans can get away with writing all kinds of Doctorships badly in fanfic, because it's not canon. Fanfiction allows us to explore AUs, including guilty pleasures. But when it's canonical, it needs to be handled with finesse and care. I'm not certain new Who has always managed that.
[Aside: The Master/Doctor is an exceptional case. Most of the concerns I raised above are erased when it's someone with the Doctor's longevity. Their relationship has been percolating for decades of TV show time and centuries IC, so they have plenty of shared experience and understanding. Even then, I sympathize with fans who wish it hadn't been made explicit, because it's still an unhealthy relationship, albeit a fascinating one!]
Usually, I prefer canon that inspires rather than deprecates Quantum Shipping. Sure, there's always the option to defy a canon ship, but it's a little easier to entertain multiple possibilities when there isn't a canonical OTP. (You don't have to bother with extra cumbersome backstory to show why your ship happened instead of the "real" one, you don't have to write the canon ship's other partner out of the story by altering or eliminating the character, you don't have to defend yourself against the "it's not canon, therefore it's wrong!" side of fandom, and you won't be drowned in a sea of canon ship fanworks that just don't work for you).
Often, you can see the exact same interaction between the Doctor and his companion in multiple ways. That can be very satisfying, inspiring a lot of different thoughts (and fanworks) about the dynamic. It allows fans with different tastes to enjoy the same relationship, each in their own way.
Did I mention I hate OTP wars?
Shipping is a bit like writing in the margins of a book. If it's your own copy, why not? You're not interfering with anyone else's enjoyment of the book. But I'd never dream of writing in a library copy, let alone uploading my marginalia to the original copy which everyone buys.
Bottom line: I prefer the Big Finish approach to classic or new TV. It's not that romance never happens, but love stories of any kind, whether with the Doctor or between other characters, are the rare exception rather than the rule. BF does a really good job of exploring complex and close friendships between men and women, something that mainstream media seldom does. Except in Doctor Who, where it's been a part of the show since its inception. (See: Barbara and the Doctor, once they came to an understanding.)
TL;DR: Although I do ship on occasion, I don't want to impose Doctor-shipping on other fans, because I recognize it's extremely subject to individual taste and can alienate fans who love the characters but don't see them that way. Even for my own ships, I prefer to leave Platonic as an option.
That was a very tactful way of NOT calling us hypocrites, so thank you. ;)
To answer the question...
Let me revisit something I described a year ago. I defined Quantum Shipping, the opposite of OTP: rather than being drawn to one exclusive ship, quantum shipping enjoys multiple AU ships, contemplating the same characters' relationships in several different ways, either with different characters or at different points along the romantic/platonic spectrum.
I said I quantum ship because
- I can see the specific appeal of various noncanonical ships
- Yet I like the way canon presents those same characters
- Sometimes I want to appreciate the power of deep and loving friendship and partnership
- Sometimes I want romantic and/or sexual love which canon avoids (sometimes because of systemic queer erasure)
But surely, if my shipping tastes sometimes include the Doctor having romantic relationships with companions, why am I reluctant to see such ships onscreen?
The major problem is Casanova Syndrome. When Amy sees an album of the Doctor's past companions and thinks they're all his exes, that's reductive. It's not really fair to the Doctor or his companions, to suggest that he's traveling the universe picking up and discarding girlfriends. That's why the "no hanky panky in the TARDIS" rule was instituted on classic Who when they picked the first young actor to play the Doctor.
Asexuality or demisexuality is the only way to keep the Doctor character from becoming Cosmic Casanova.
The other problem is that it's really, really hard to write the Doctor in a meaningful romantic relationship, because he's a Time Lord. He's centuries old, yet he was born practically yesterday. His life is a fascinating but difficult blend of immortality and ephemerality. Beyond the almost insurmountable age and lifespan gap, there's a vast gulf in the life experiences of the Doctor and his companions: he's seen and done so much that they'll never understand, while they experience life in a way that he can't relate to either. That's fascinating to explore, but I worry about the uneven power dynamic between a powerful, brilliant, knowledgeable and experienced Time Lord and an ordinary mortal. It's very difficult to portray a sexual or romantic relationship with that kind of inequity without it being creepy or unhealthy. (See Greek mythology's god/mortal matchups for numerous examples.)
Even when we try to write with care and attention towards each individual character's traits, it's all too easy to lose what's great about Platonic friendships: a relationship based on the unique personalities, skills and experiences of each person and how they complement or clash with each other. As someone who writes shipfic now and then, I often see this failure in my own writing, however much I try to surmount it.
Fans can get away with writing all kinds of Doctorships badly in fanfic, because it's not canon. Fanfiction allows us to explore AUs, including guilty pleasures. But when it's canonical, it needs to be handled with finesse and care. I'm not certain new Who has always managed that.
[Aside: The Master/Doctor is an exceptional case. Most of the concerns I raised above are erased when it's someone with the Doctor's longevity. Their relationship has been percolating for decades of TV show time and centuries IC, so they have plenty of shared experience and understanding. Even then, I sympathize with fans who wish it hadn't been made explicit, because it's still an unhealthy relationship, albeit a fascinating one!]
Usually, I prefer canon that inspires rather than deprecates Quantum Shipping. Sure, there's always the option to defy a canon ship, but it's a little easier to entertain multiple possibilities when there isn't a canonical OTP. (You don't have to bother with extra cumbersome backstory to show why your ship happened instead of the "real" one, you don't have to write the canon ship's other partner out of the story by altering or eliminating the character, you don't have to defend yourself against the "it's not canon, therefore it's wrong!" side of fandom, and you won't be drowned in a sea of canon ship fanworks that just don't work for you).
Often, you can see the exact same interaction between the Doctor and his companion in multiple ways. That can be very satisfying, inspiring a lot of different thoughts (and fanworks) about the dynamic. It allows fans with different tastes to enjoy the same relationship, each in their own way.
Did I mention I hate OTP wars?
Shipping is a bit like writing in the margins of a book. If it's your own copy, why not? You're not interfering with anyone else's enjoyment of the book. But I'd never dream of writing in a library copy, let alone uploading my marginalia to the original copy which everyone buys.
Bottom line: I prefer the Big Finish approach to classic or new TV. It's not that romance never happens, but love stories of any kind, whether with the Doctor or between other characters, are the rare exception rather than the rule. BF does a really good job of exploring complex and close friendships between men and women, something that mainstream media seldom does. Except in Doctor Who, where it's been a part of the show since its inception. (See: Barbara and the Doctor, once they came to an understanding.)
TL;DR: Although I do ship on occasion, I don't want to impose Doctor-shipping on other fans, because I recognize it's extremely subject to individual taste and can alienate fans who love the characters but don't see them that way. Even for my own ships, I prefer to leave Platonic as an option.
