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mylescorcoran at 10:05am on 14/02/2008 under givingoutaboutfictionalpeople, science, torchwood
mylescorcoran at 10:05am on 14/02/2008 under givingoutaboutfictionalpeople, science, torchwoodis typified by last night's BBC3 episode.
Okay, the bad guy (a one-dimensional science-first villain from Central Casting) was wrong to engage in alien experiments, using and abusing both captive aliens and unwitting human subjects. I imagine we're all agreed on that. But this drug 'Reset' that was derived from the alien insect was nothing short of miraculous, and I can't see either Owen or Martha ignoring the potential. Just destroying all the research outright smacks of anti-science torch-wielding villagers and not the behaviour I'd expect from scientists. Any SF scientist worth their degree would have come up with a half dozen methods of isolating or replicating the drug without the abuse of the alien insect or the clumsy testing on human subjects with live larvae.
But that's the problem. The staff of Torchwood too often play the role of torch-wielding villagers. It's light years from the curiousity and whimsy of the Doctor, and the worse for that.
Okay, the bad guy (a one-dimensional science-first villain from Central Casting) was wrong to engage in alien experiments, using and abusing both captive aliens and unwitting human subjects. I imagine we're all agreed on that. But this drug 'Reset' that was derived from the alien insect was nothing short of miraculous, and I can't see either Owen or Martha ignoring the potential. Just destroying all the research outright smacks of anti-science torch-wielding villagers and not the behaviour I'd expect from scientists. Any SF scientist worth their degree would have come up with a half dozen methods of isolating or replicating the drug without the abuse of the alien insect or the clumsy testing on human subjects with live larvae.
But that's the problem. The staff of Torchwood too often play the role of torch-wielding villagers. It's light years from the curiousity and whimsy of the Doctor, and the worse for that.
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