The First Doctor was a crotchety old curmudgeon; a wicked-tempered Time Lord who was quick to chastise both friend and foe, alike. However, underneath all that grubbiness was a child at heart, and his first adventures with his companions would show just what a likable fellow he really was.
Here’s ten of the best and most memorable quotes ever uttered by the First Doctor. It’s sure to give veteran and novice Whovians a look into what made this character who he was.
THE SENSORITES
“I don’t make threats. But I do keep promises. And I promise you I shall cause you more trouble than you bargained for, if you don’t return my property!”
This serial features the Doctor trying to bridge an uneasy truce between humans and an alien race known as the Sensorites, who are in conflict with each other following a series of events that has put the latter race on the defense. When the Sensorites lock the Doctor’s TARDIS, his patience quickly runs out, bringing out his nasty side! It’s not all words, either. The Doctor has lived up to his threats, and made himself infamous across the galaxy.
THE ROMANS
“Alright? Of course I’m alright, my child! You know, I am so constantly outwitting the opposition, I tend to forget the delights and satisfaction of the arts - the gentle art of fisticuffs!”
The Third Doctor might have been a full-fledged martial arts expert, but that doesn’t mean his previous incarnation wasn’t capable of throwing down when the need arose! During the 1965 serial “The Romans,” the Doctor managed to overcome an elite assassin named Ascaris, who was sent to kill him. Even in advanced years (for a Time Lord), this Doctor could handle himself.
THE DALEKS’ MASTER PLAN
“Your ideas are too narrow, too crippled. I am a citizen of the universe, and a gentleman, to boot!”
During a rather light-hearted exchange in this otherwise bleak Dalek serial, the Doctor scoffs at an insular question from a police officer as to whether he’s a British citizen. His response is typically (for the time) British, with all the pomp and hilarious bravado for one putting an elite foot forward!
THE TENTH PLANET
“Emotions. Love! Pride! Hate! Fear! Have you no emotions, Sir? Hmm?”
The Doctor’s first encounter with the Cybermen helped establish the nature of this villainous race, paving the way for future Who stories. Here, the Doctor confronts the Cybermen on their cold, logical thinking, and the fact that they have no human emotions to speak of. By establishing this lack of emotion, the Cybermen cement themselves as mere shadows of their former selves, trapped in bodies of metal and silicone.
THE KEYS OF MARINUS
“I don’t believe that man was made to be controlled by machines. Machines can make laws, but they cannot preserve justice. Only human beings can do that.”
The 1964 serial “The Keys of Marinus” focuses on the Doctor and his companions trying to restore consciousness to the supercomputer of Marinus, which maintains law and order on the planet before its inhabitants fall into chaos. It’s an interesting take on the idea of putting oversight into the hands of a logic-based machine, and the pitfalls that come with it.
THE THREE DOCTORS
“So, you’re my replacements. A dandy and a clown!”
There was no love lost between the Second and Third Doctors, but both of them were disappointments in the eyes of the original. “The Three Doctors” found the originals teaming up to fight the sinister Omega, the Time Lord responsible for giving Gallifrey the powers of time travel. The First Doctor wasn’t too pleased about having to rely on his future incarnations to stop this villain, even though they all prevailed in the end.
THE FIVE DOCTORS
“As it happens, I am the Doctor! The original, you might say!”
Not to be outdone with three, “The Five Doctors” would pit all five of his selves in the same story together (though the Fourth Doctor would unfortunately get stuck in stasis) to battle a sinister foe seeking ultimate immortality. When the First and Fifth Doctors meet up for the first time, the latter’s companions are puzzled about the old fellow. His response is not only fitting, but has since been used by future Doctors, as well.
TWICE UPON A TIME
“There is good and there is evil. I left Gallifrey to answer a question of my own. By any analysis, evil should always win. Good is not a practical survival strategy - it requires loyalty, self-sacrifice and love. And so, why does good prevail? What keeps the balance between good and evil in this appalling universe? Is there some kind of logic? Some mysterious force?”
The First Doctor would come full circle with his twelfth incarnation in the 2017 serial “Twice Upon A Time.” Here, he waxes philosophical about the nature of good and evil, and the irrationality of the former always seeming to overcome the latter. He speculates that the triumph of good might have something to do with a quantifiable force; perhaps sheer will to overcome adversity. An interesting take!
THE MASSACRE OF ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S EVE
“My dear Steven, history sometimes gives us a terrible shock, and that is because we don’t quite fully understand! Why should we? After all, we’re too small to realize its final pattern. Therefore, don’t try and judge it from where you stand.”
During a tense standoff with his companion Steven, the Doctor has choice words about criticism for certain decisions he’s made regarding others in his company. The importance of the quote goes beyond that, however. It’s a vital reminder that we should never judge the good or evils of history from our own modern perspective, as we will never know what important roles these events have played for our future.
THE DALEK INVASION OF EARTH
“One day, I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine! Goodbye, Susan. Goodbye, my dear.”
The original tear-jerker moment came at the end of this iconic Dalek serial. After defeating their plans to eject the Earth’s core and pilot it through the cosmos like a giant spaceship, the Doctor shuts the TARDIS door on his granddaughter Susan, and leaves her with the man she loves. This act gives Susan a chance at a normal life and a place to belong, which she secretly yearned for.
