Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently.

[The Badger]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

Interestingly enough the doctor USED to have a tricorder like device.

Really? I don't remember that at all.
The only thing I can think of even remotely like that is the curiously designed Geiger counter the Doctor uses in Ghost Light.
I'm getting old, I can not brain any more.

 

[Aldo]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

This is all leading up to the reveal of the Doctor's true name: Doctor Screw.

Too late:

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

Interestingly enough the doctor USED to have a tricorder like device.

Really? I don't remember that at all.
The only thing I can think of even remotely like that is the curiously designed Geiger counter the Doctor uses in Ghost Light.
I'm getting old, I can not brain any more.

I watched a bunch of Sixth Doctor episodes recently and saw it there, can't point you to a specific episode unfortunately.
Could have been very well be the device Green Lantern mentioned.

 

[Mitty]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

I love that it came back in the new series, but I agree it's way overused now. I don't think it can be rested (because it's obvious that he can just get another one from the TARDIS) but it does need to be reined back.

 

[Psion]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

I'm fine with it. It makes sense that a 1000-year-old time traveling alien would have technology we don't recognize or understand. It also makes sense that he'd spend time developing better and better models over time.

Over the years, he's wandered around with all sorts of crudely cobbled-together devices. Why not put the best of those into one omnipresent package?

Twenty years ago, I had a bulky cellphone. No one is complaining because now I can take pictures with my latest version. And remotely control other computers. And access the Internet. And predict the weather. And control my TV. And detect radiation.

If anything, the Doctor needs to add holographic communications to the tool and hand out copies to each of his companions.

 

[Sketcher]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

I always thought it'd be funny if in a multi-doc story, 11 scans something and looks at the screwdriver, the other doc grabs it and exclaims "What are you looking at? There's nothing there but a green line!" 11 takes it back and says "well no, but it looks cool."

 

[Thestral]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

Twenty years ago, I had a bulky cellphone. No one is complaining because now I can take pictures with my latest version. And remotely control other computers. And access the Internet. And predict the weather. And control my TV. And detect radiation.

Exactly. It's his multitool, it does what it needs to do to move the plot along but not actually solve it. Hold open a door? Scan an area? Put up a shelf? It does what it needs to do. Who cares that we don't understand how he reads it? Psychic interface works for me if you like.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

I've been watching a lot of 3rd Doctor episodes lately and it's funny because it will only open electronic locks not mechanical ones which seems entirely backwards to me.

 

[Bacl]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

It is absolutely ridiculous that he reads the screwdriver as if there is some kind of screen on it. It is also ridiculous that a screwdriver has sensors and, well, other tricorder like functions.

Most ridiculous of all is that the story never needs the screwdriver to do these things. It is easily written around with the same result obtained.

I loved the sonic screwdriver as an aesthetic; a way to have the Doctor appear high-tech and other-worldly when in fact all he is doing in the story is opening or closing something, or turning something on and off.

The screwdriver should be should be used just for that: make things lock and unlock, turn on and off, the end.

 

[Stevil2001]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

I've never had a problem with "overuse." If there was an episode where he put it in his pocket and pulled out a different device to scan, it would not be any better.

Sure, the sixth Doctor didn't have a screwdriver... but when the plot required him to open a locked drawer in The Trial of a Time Lord, he just pulled a different lock-opening device out of his pocket and used it.

It did get hilarious in the later Tennant era how many things could be "deadlock sealed" in order to slow the screwdriver down....

 

[I am not Spock]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

As I recall, RTD's rule with the sonic screwdriver was that it can do anything except solve the plot, and throughout his run that was pretty much adhered to. And so far, through out Moffat's run it's being adhered to as well. That is the entire episode isn't solved simply by the Doctor showing up waving the sonic around declaring "all done" and then a bombastic version of "I am the Doctor" plays.

Compare that with the tricorders. How many times do Star Trek episodes (particularly the TNG-Voyager period) get resolved simply by fiddling with a tricorder, spewing technobabble, and then all is good accompanied by a bland one note piece of music because Rick Berman hates music?

Hear hear! This forum really needs a 'like' or 'thanks' button

 

[_C_]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

I would die laughing if the Doctor got into TNG and used the sonic to make Data do weird things. :P

That, and it might be funny if pointing it at Odo on DS9 makes Odo liquefy. Cue the Doctor going "Whoops...ah, sorry!"

I think it could disable handheld weapons like phasers, but not whole starship weapons systems. And I imagine it could seriously mess up/KO a Borg drone.


All kidding aside, I think the sonic screwdriver is a great tool. It doesn't work on wooden things. It's never solved the plot although it has led TO the solving of a show's plot. I personally think it's fine.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

Interestingly enough the doctor USED to have a tricorder like device.

Then I don't see the problem with the fact that he incorporated that device into his screwdriver. He's modified the device since the second Doctor used it, so expecting it to only have the same capabilities is unfair.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

The Doctor is inherently the most dangerous man in the Universe. Monsters fear him--even some Daleks back up in fear when he appears before them. He's defeated entire armies and massive space fleets.

And he's done this armed only with a sonic screwdriver.

There's nothing wrong with how the sonic is used in the show, in fact, I think it's better used now than during the classic run as a fairly multipurpose tool. It's very plausible that its sonic waves act as sensor waves or radar. When the current version of the sonic is fully deployed (extended with the arms out), there may indeed be a small indicator in the exposed casing the Doctor can read that displays sensor data (the Doctor does often have to squint when he looks at it).

 

[P0sitr0nic]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

I like the idea that the inner green core is a display, but not a physical one.. Psychic readout. Much like psychic paper. Amy mentioned it was psychic... but this week we also saw the Doctor twisting the handle to change settings...

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

The Doctor is inherently the most dangerous man in the Universe. Monsters fear him--even some Daleks back up in fear when he appears before them. He's defeated entire armies and massive space fleets.

And he's done this armed only with a sonic screwdriver.

Yeah, the only thing that bothered me was when he used it as a raygun (essentially) in Day of the Moon.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Re: Should the Doctor get a Tricorder? Oh wait, he has one apparently

Yeah, the armed only with a screwdriver notion loses something when it's such an uber-device.

For me, the worse was when he was holding up the door with it in Rings a few episodes ago. It just put so much focus on it, I think it works best when it's something he can just wave and get a reading or shut something off. For tasks where he has to keep it running and running to do something or hold something off or nullifies a threat on its own that it wears out its welcome.