Doctor Who question?

Question

Why does The Doctor look like a human even though he is an alien?

My friend told me that he just regenerates that way. Also, is he half human?

Answer 1

Basically because when the series first began in 1963 the Doctor was not an alien. That is to say that his background was kept as a mystery but he looked like a normal old man with fantastic knowledge. It was only a few years later on that we discovered that he was not just an old man but actually an alien who could regenerate his body to cheat death.

By making the character look human it means the plots are easier to write (otherwise he would have to spend half each episode running from the FBI like ET does) and also saves a huge amount on costumes.

The natural shape of a Time Lord looks like a human, that is just how they evolved, presumably two arms, two legs etc is a good design on a lot of planets.

There are some references that as a defence mechanism a Time Lord can regenerate to look more like a local species, and that The Doctor is half-human (on his mother's side). Both these factors may indicate why the Doctor has continued to look human.

Also on the episode "The Carnival Of Monsters" (a 3rd Doctor story) we are told that a lot of alien species look like humans proving 'Voldek's theory that life in the universe is infinitely variable' to be false.

Answer 2

Like all Time Lords, the Doctor has the ability to "regenerate" his body when near death, allowing for the convenient recasting of the lead actor. A Time Lord can regenerate twelve times, with a total of thirteen Doctors. The Doctor has gone through this process and its resulting after-effects on nine occasions, with each of his incarnations having his own quirks and abilities:

Despite these shifts in personality, the Doctor has always remained an intensely curious and highly moral adventurer, who would rather solve problems with his wits than through violence.

So he is mainly an alien from another planet who has the ability to transform into human form as well as transform the Tardis into an old fashioned police telephone box as not to look to suspicious with a Spaceship.

Answer 3

Many aliens in the Dr Who universe look human. We know however that he has many non-human physical characteristics - two hearts, for example.

It's not known if he has any control over his physical characteristics in a regeneration.

The statement that he is half-human only comes from the one-off TV movie with Paul McGann. It's debated among fans whether or not this is canonical.

Answer 4

Because he takes the form of a human when he regenerates. He would be toooo ugly to look at else.

Answer 5

Timelords do look human, you find this out in the classic episodes. Also, the only reference to him being half human is in the movie with Paul McGann, it has not been mentioned in the series as of yet.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

Regenerates as humanoid in time-lines in which we lesser beings are familiar. Does make for better communications.

Answer 7

Doctor Who visits and saves planet earth at least once a week and therefore to make it easier for the rest of us and to let us know he is the goody - he become one of us. Can you imagine Doctor Dalek?

Answer 8

Because Humans are the best race in the universe.
and how else do you expect him the get a female (human) assistant?

Answer 9

That's what Time Lords look like.

Answer 10

He looks that way so that he can go to places on Earth and go off without any suspicion.