I've always liked the sonic screwdriver. The idea of the most dangerous man in space and time going about fighting horrible baddies armed with only a screwdriver is an endearing aspect of the series, IMO.
I don't mind him using it to pick locks, disrupt machines, stun guards, etc. It's turning it into a tricorder that bugs me. Using it to track a signal, or scanning an unconscious person just seems weird and beyond the scale of what it was built for. I prefer the old days when he'd stick a finger in the air to decide which way to go, or feel a persons pulse and put an ear to their mouth to see if they're still alive.
Yeah, physical interaction with something is fine. Passive scanning is a bit harder to swallow. And looking at it and reading of the results of the scan as if it had some kind of display is crossing the line. At least give it a display when it's capable of doing that.
I think Amy said something about a psychic display, iirc. The thing is far bulkier than the original one, so, in that sense, I can see it doing other things.
On the other hand, its increasing functionality over time makes sense given the Doctor's character. It's plausible that he'd take a device that was originally just a screwdriver and spend centuries tinkering with it and adding incremental improvements. I mean, really, is it any more ridiculous than the little boxes we still call "phones"? Originally, for the first century or so of the technology's existence, a telephone had one function: real-time voice communication over a distance. But today a "phone" is a multifunction computer interface and multimedia entertainment center that can also be used for text and visual communication and occasionally for carrying on a live voice conversation.
Aww, nuts! Once again, Christopher beat me to the punch. Basically, "what he said." The Doctor has added functionality to the device, making it ever more multifunctional. Narratively, it's like Trek's transporter. It allows the Doctor to advance the plot faster. Otherwise, we'd have more scenes of him trapped with a cell until someone releases him or building specialized devices to perform a single function. (Yes, I realize he has built Zygon detectors and timey-wimey sensors.) Now, if his "magic wand" (the analogy is very apt) worked flawlessly every time, yes, it would be a "god in the machine" contrivance, but like the TARDIS, the screwdriver can be a bit "random", per the needs of the story. Sincerely, Bill
Every Doctor after the original had SOME gadget on them. The Third Doctor really popularized the screwdriver, and I agree it's something he'd keep upgrading over time just for the hell of it, but even during his "middle" incarnations he had gadgets that helped out, be they a sonic lance or a fancy fob scanner watch thingy. I wouldn't mind a substitute gadget for a while, just to mix things up. Mark
Personally, I like think of the sonic more as a really advanced smart phone rather than a magic wand. Think about all the things we can do nowadays with a smartphone. Now imagine it with another century or two of advancement. Wouldn't it be conceivable that our descendants will all be carrying around in their pockets something that will have a lot of the functions we see in the sonic screwdriver or a tricorder?
Agreed. The sonic not only moves the story along faster, but makes the Doctor a much more proactive character. And as for the tricorder comparison, well, why wouldn't the Doctor want to use it in a similar way? If you've got an urgent mystery or puzzle to solve (with sometimes thousands of lives hanging in the balance), it only makes to use all the tools you have available to you. Instead of just... aimlessly wandering about for a while until you stumble on a solution.
Although I admit, it did make the Doctor seem more impressive back when he'd just look at some mysterious phenomenon or fancy piece of technology, maybe sniff the air or something, and be able to identify it or determine its state based on that. That way he's just using his own knowledge and Holmesian observational skills rather than relying on a machine to give him the answer. Granted, the screwdriver is a machine he made himself, but it still isn't quite as impressive.
No idea who this is, but apparently its a thing. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/Tom-Riley-to-star-in-an-episode-written-by-Mark-Gatiss
Might it be a Robin Hood-themed episode: http://blogtorwho.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/robin-hood-themed-ep-for-s8.html
Spoiler: Possible episode title One of the rumoured episode titles I've seen floating around online is Robots of Sherwood.