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hpstrangelove 2009-08-30 04:33 pm UTC (link)

I'm not familiar with Stargate (so I'll be interested in your replies to that part), but I know a bit about Dr. Who. You could start with the new Dr. Who series, the first ones being with Christopher Eccleston and the next seasons with David Tennant. I started watching them because of David Tennant and his being Barty Crouch Jr. in GoF. I did used to watch the old Tom Baker Dr. Who shows about twenty-five years ago, and they're fun too, but I think as a starting point, you'd like the more recent series. My sister is big on the Dr. Who history, and I had to ask her about a character that showed up in the David Tennant shows - the Master, played by John Simm. The Master quickly became my favorite character, and John Simm one of my favorite actors, leading me into the Life On Mars/UK series... (Reply to this) (Thread)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-30 09:03 pm UTC (link)
	I want to start in chronological order - that is, the order they were made in! This helps, though. Thanks. (Reply to this) (Parent)

bk7brokemybrain 2009-08-30 05:09 pm UTC (link)

So glad you asked! You can certainly start with the New Who. Watch the first series with Doctor number nine (Eccleston - love him). You are then introduced to Capt. Jack Harkness from Torchwood. The series interweave, so you can watch them as they were shown, to get the biggest bang for your viewing buck. I'll check with my Who guru, then get back to you with the ideal viewing order. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-30 09:04 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks! I want to start at the start, though - not where the series says it starts, you know, but the ones that were filmed earliest. I find that the best way to understand the development of shows. Any help is appreciated - I look online and no one seems to be able to put them in any order. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bk7brokemybrain 2009-08-30 09:45 pm UTC (link)

By coincidence, I was just IMing The Guru and this is the order in which it is best to view the Who-verse series: Who - series 1 Torchwood - 1 Who - 2 & 3 Torchwood - 2 Who - 4 Torchwood - 3 To be very specific, and help you dovetail the series at the exact point at which they intersect (save me Jeebus, hope I get this right): Watch DW S1 (Meet Capt. Jack toward the end,yay) Watch TW S1 (last episode has Jack running like the wind to catch the Tardis) Watch DW S2 & 3 (the last three eps have Jack. He catches the Tardis in the third-from-last episode "Utopia" and spends the rest of the season with the Dr.) Watch TW S2 (Jack returns to the Torchwood group) Watch DW S4 Watch TW S3 "Children of Earth" I mention the details since Who and Torchwood have many character/info crossovers and it is very helpful to let the shows' histories build on each other. They stand alone, but why on Earth not get the most out of it? I do hope you watch both series. Doctor Who is excellent, the effects top-notch, except when they bow to the past and pay homage to all the men-in-suits monsters, lol. But even those are great. The Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" remains the most frightening thing I have ever seen on television. I thought the Buffy episode "Hush" with The Gentlemen would never be dethroned, but I think it has. *nods* Torchwood was created out of whole cloth without the benefit of building on decades of Who before it, so it has weak moments, but overall is quite worth the trip, especially the second season. And Torchwood has actual slash! Yay! Even the Doctor gets a kiss at one point. And don't forget! There are Doctor Who Christmas specials and Children in need mini-episodes that appear between seasons, so maybe Wikipedia has a comprehensive listing so you don't miss out. Those eps are all stand-alone, so you can always tuck them into the negative spaces later if need be. Enjoy! I was never a Who fan until the new series arrived. I've seen older episodes, and they are strong on character, very short on budget and special effects. The New Who has Buffy-quality effects and a modern attitude that is SO refreshing. Even as a 'children's show' the wonderful Brits are quite frank about life and get very cheeky sometimes, which I adore. Torchwood is more than cheeky. *g* We see actual cheeks. *waggles eyebrows* (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

bk7brokemybrain 2009-08-30 09:54 pm UTC (link)

Oh wow. You want to watch from the beginning?! It is literally impossible to watch all the episodes, since so many were destroyed. My boyfriend DLd many recreated eps that have only still photos over the audio. People are literally looking for any scraps, audio or video, of many of the early Doctors that might exist in attics or basements somewhere. I may be able to help you find them if you feel strongly about seeing them from the beginning. It will take lots of DVDs to burn and many, many hours of DLing, unless you can buy them off someone. The later years might be more easily accessible on mainstream DVDs, I'm not sure. All I can say is you lose nothing by starting with Number 9. It's very well-written, and the Doctor is always mysterious anyway, so we get dribs and drabs of his story as we need to know it. Actually makes for more exciting TV. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bk7brokemybrain 2009-08-30 10:03 pm UTC (link)
	Ah-Ha! The guru strikes again. Here's the comprehensive list of the Doctors and episodes for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Doctor_Who_serials It would take you years to watch them all. You can start with the modern series, and go back to the old ones when you acquire them. It's part of the charm of the show that the doctors are all different. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-30 11:37 pm UTC (link)
	This is perfect, thanks! I want to start at the start, so the Tom Baker ones will be where I'll begin. Thanks again! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-31 08:36 pm UTC (link)
	Well, I want to start as early in the actual production cycle as is possible, you know? Since I won't know canon, I won't be too bugged, I suspect, by what's missing, but I find I like to see how the interpretations (and effects and stuff) develop over time. (Reply to this) (Parent)

auctasinistra 2009-08-31 08:34 pm UTC (link)

The New Who has Buffy-quality effects and a modern attitude that is SO refreshing. This is actually helpful because, truth to tell, Buffy (the series) did nothing for me. ;-) I'll probably like the old Who better (never can tell, of course). I'm sure it's because I'm old, but the "I'm so GOD DAMNED clever" tone of many modern TV series turns me right off. You damn' kids! Get off my TV's lawn! GRMBLgrmblgrrr..... (Reply to this) (Parent)

leela_cat 2009-08-30 05:26 pm UTC (link)

The advantage of the old series of Doctor Who is that they come in series and arcs rather than seasons. Although there is an awful lot of them. So, like the others, I really recommend that you start with the Ninth Doctor (Eccleston), which is the first series of the modern day Who. For Stargate, SG:1 was the original series. SG:Atlantis spun off it. You can definitely watch SG:1 in order, starting with the first season and moving forwards. To be honest, I watched SG:Atlantis without having really watched SG:1, and enjoyed it any way. There are some characters who appear in both, and some cross-over episodes, but I didn't feel that confused. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-30 09:05 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks for the Stargate guidance! As for Dr Who, I want to start at the start - since the doctors are numbered, I want to start with No. 1, you know? Everything builds from its past, so I like to view things that way. Thanks again! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	leela_cat 2009-08-30 09:44 pm UTC (link)
	For the doctor, you need to be aware that some of the earlier episodes are not available in any form. The original film was not stored properly and is no longer viewable. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-30 11:37 pm UTC (link)
	That's OK, though - I'll go fishin' and find what I find. :-) (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	leela_cat 2009-08-30 11:42 pm UTC (link)
	Have fun. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	bethbethbeth 2009-08-31 02:30 am UTC (link)
	Not viewable, but they're *all* available in complete audio versions (thanks to obsessive fans all over the world who taped the show from their t.v.'s *g*). That - combined with small clips (found in basements and attics) and production stills - means that every episode has at least a reconstruction version. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-31 08:32 pm UTC (link)
	This is good to know - I won't get frustrated then, looking for it! Thanks. How annoying, though. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	leela_cat 2009-08-31 08:54 pm UTC (link)
	Did you see Beth's response to me? Apparently there are audio reconstructions of a lot of these episodes. (Reply to this) (Parent)

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	auctasinistra 2009-08-30 09:07 pm UTC (link)
	Thanks - this is helpful. You and leela_cat are helping me know which things to rent from Netflix first - sounds like SG-1 is the route to take. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	graculus 2009-08-30 09:12 pm UTC (link)
	I deleted that first comment because I realised I hadn't said why you needed to get into SG-1 first (which I did in the other one), but there are some continuity issues that don't make as much sense without running through SG-1 first. Also Michael Shanks playing James Spader playing Daniel Jackson is worth the price of admission on its own (imo). ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)

graculus 2009-08-30 08:15 pm UTC (link)

In terms of Stargate, the first ep of SG-1 pretty much picks up from about a year or 18 months after the movie ended, so there's some continuity there (kind of) and it'll be very confusing if you don't start with that first season since it takes the movie characters and then adds series characters to them. SG:A spins off around the end of s7 of SG-1, with a couple of the characters who've been recurring on SG-1 being the main characters on SG:A. As far as I can see, SG:U (the new kid on the block!) is going to pick up where s10 of SG-1 ended. And then there's the SG-1 movies (Ark of Time and Continuum) which also come after s10, which I haven't personally seen or include in canon, but that's just me. ;) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-30 11:38 pm UTC (link)
	I'm a James Spader fan but I didn't love the movie. I did love the concept though, and I've though about watching the new series for some time but didn't know where to start. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	chinatree 2009-08-30 09:24 pm UTC (link)
	http://www.drwhoguide.com/who.htm This seems to be a very comprehensive list of Doctor Who, hope it's of some help. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-31 08:38 pm UTC (link)
	Thank you! Every time I look, I don't seem to be able to find anything chronological, so I appreciate the help. (Reply to this) (Parent)

bethbethbeth 2009-08-30 09:36 pm UTC (link)

Okay, so Doctor Who has been airing for something like 45 years and there was a huge fan base from before the most recent series. The new Who - starring Christopher Eccleston as the 9th incarnation of the Doctor - is the easiest series to get ahold of, but there are ways to watch the older eps too, even if you don't want to use Netflix or buy the episodes. One place to look is here. which has some of the older episodes. You can also try youtube.com or tv shows online (or email me for other options) For a full-list of all the Doctor Who eps, Wikipedia is your go-to place (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Doctor_Who_serials). I sympathize with your desire to see everything in order, but as somebody who watched Doctor Who in childhood, I have to tell you that it's really not necessary, because Doctor Who canon (if it exists at all) also includes things like Radio Plays, AudioBooks, Torchwood, the Sarah Jane Adventures, comics, and a million other mostly-official things. You could also check out this website: http://www.drwho-online.co.uk/ Or this Forum: http://gallifreybase.com/forum/index.php? (A registration required, re-booted version of a very old and very popular forum that had been around forever) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	bethbethbeth 2009-08-30 09:38 pm UTC (link)
	Note: Christopher Eccleston was only the Doctor for one year, then David Tennant took over as the Tenth incarnation. My first Doctor? The fourth, played by Tom Baker. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-30 11:39 pm UTC (link)
	The thing about "in order," though, for me, is I like to see how the filming technology grows up, too, you know? The way stuff's shot and written has changed over the decades, and I like to see that evolution. Thanks for this stuff, Beth! Way helpful. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	bethbethbeth 2009-08-31 12:05 am UTC (link)
	You're so welcome. And honestly, I get the impulse to watch everything in order. I actually have a list of all the eps which i'm working my way through, making notes for myself as I go. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	dancing_serpent 2009-08-31 09:25 am UTC (link)
	Stargate...um, well. I could never get over the fact that they replaced Kurt Russell with MacGyver, uh, Richard Dean Anderson as Col. O'Neill. Didn't even manage to watch half of the first episode. *shudders* (Reply to this) (Thread)

	auctasinistra 2009-08-31 08:37 pm UTC (link)
	Well, I love Kurt Russell (well, and James Spader, though this was a role he sleep-walked through, I think), but I'm not TOO attached to the original cast, you know? :-) (Reply to this) (Parent)