{"id":81498,"date":"2020-09-14T05:07:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T09:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/?p=81498"},"modified":"2020-09-13T16:19:46","modified_gmt":"2020-09-13T20:19:46","slug":"doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who: The Keeper of Traken"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

This episode, the penultimate of the Tom Baker era, introduced two new characters: Nyssa, who would become the companion of the Doctor for some time thereafter, and a new actor playing the Master who would appear quite frequently from that point onward. After Roger Delgado\u2019s death, he having played the role since its introduction during the Jon Pertwee era, there had clearly been a desire to bring him back, and there had been a couple of appearances of a deteriorating humanoid representing the Master clinging to life. Whether the plan at that stage was already to have him find a way to steal the life of another person I do not know. But since he steals the life and form of Nissa\u2019s father, in the episode that introduces them both, the two remain connected at a visceral and emotional as well as a narrative level.<\/p>\n

It hadn\u2019t really struck me that in this period the Doctor\u2019s companions regularly included school-age children. One reason for that might of course be the fact that the actors who depicted them were quite obviously older than their characters were supposed to be. I find myself wondering now, however, whether there was a conscious decision to have a younger Doctor and younger companions to help the show connect with younger viewers. Did young people watching the show feel they could relate to Adric, Nissa, and Turlough more than they could to Romana, Sarah Jane Smith, or Jo Grant?<\/p>\n

There are other sources whose canonical status is ambiguous (mostly audiobooks) that explore Traken\u2019s mythology and the involvement of their god in creating the Source<\/a>, which the Master seeks to obtain access to. The episode itself features Melkurs which are beings and forces of evil that are attracted to Traken and there calcified, literally turned to stone, by its peaceful atmosphere. Some of them, we are told, are redeemed. The Trakenite Empire is said by the Doctor to be a whole empire \u201cheld together\u2026by people being terribly nice to one another.\u201d The Doctor\u2019s limitations even as a time lord are emphasized such as when he tells Adric that he doesn\u2019t always know what is going on, adding,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIf I knew everything that was going to happen, where would the fun be?\u201d He also seems to cast doubt on his own goodness when he says, \u201cThey say the atmosphere there was so full of goodness that evil just shrivelled up and died. Maybe that\u2019s why I never went there.\u201d After Adric tells him what he said was silly, in response to his axiom \u201cwhat cannot be cured must be endured,\u201d he quips, \u201c<\/span>Don\u2019t listen to me \u2013 I never do.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The episode has religious overtones, including but not limited to when it is said, \u201cThe Fosters are the guardians of the spiritual welfare of our capital,\u201d and when twice mention is made of Kassia\u2019s purity of spirit or spiritual qualities. The fact that the Master is able to deceive them then suggests that spirituality may be naive, hinting that goodness and purity might be no match for evil without the help of some whose goodness is more qualified and ambiguous. It is also noteworthy that the episode does not simply play \u201cscience and understanding\u201d off against spirituality. The Trakenites have relied on both in the past, and yet their confidence in the Keeper and in the inherent goodness of their way of life makes them blind to corrupting influences of a more subtle sort.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This episode, the penultimate of the Tom Baker era, introduced two new characters: Nyssa, who would become the companion of the Doctor for some time thereafter, and a new actor playing the Master who would appear quite frequently from that point onward. After Roger Delgado\u2019s death, he having played the role since its introduction during […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":81500,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[133],"tags":[2765,12704],"class_list":["post-81498","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-doctor-who-science-fiction","tag-doctor-who","tag-tom-baker"],"yoast_head":"\nDoctor Who: The Keeper of Traken<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This episode, the penultimate of the Tom Baker era, introduced two new characters: Nyssa, who would become the companion of the Doctor for some time\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Doctor Who: The Keeper of Traken\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This episode, the penultimate of the Tom Baker era, introduced two new characters: Nyssa, who would become the companion of the Doctor for some time\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/religionprof\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-09-14T09:07:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-09-13T20:19:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/719\/2020\/09\/Nissa-Doctor-Who.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"520\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James F. McGrath\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ReligionProf\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James F. McGrath\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html\",\"name\":\"Doctor Who: The Keeper of Traken\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-09-14T09:07:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-09-13T20:19:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/78342576667b872e3d259c153ce4c5bf\"},\"description\":\"This episode, the penultimate of the Tom Baker era, introduced two new characters: Nyssa, who would become the companion of the Doctor for some time\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Doctor Who: The Keeper of Traken\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/\",\"name\":\"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath\",\"description\":\"The Blog of Dr. James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, Indianapolis\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/78342576667b872e3d259c153ce4c5bf\",\"name\":\"James F. McGrath\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88ca096942acd474313f7ef4227a49da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88ca096942acd474313f7ef4227a49da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"James F. McGrath\"},\"description\":\"Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. BD University of London, PhD Durham University. Author of John's Apologetic Christology, The Only True God, Theology and Science Fiction, and The Burial of Jesus, as well as (with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) the two-volume Mandaean Book of John critical edition, translation, and commentary. Also author of numerous articles (and a few science fiction short stories) and the editor or co-editor of several volumes.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Ge8ul5\",\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/religionprof\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jamesfmcgrath\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jfmcgrat\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ReligionProf\",\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/religionprof\",\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/religionprof\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_F._McGrath\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/author\/james-f-mcgrath\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Doctor Who: The Keeper of Traken","description":"This episode, the penultimate of the Tom Baker era, introduced two new characters: Nyssa, who would become the companion of the Doctor for some time","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Doctor Who: The Keeper of Traken","og_description":"This episode, the penultimate of the Tom Baker era, introduced two new characters: Nyssa, who would become the companion of the Doctor for some time","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html","og_site_name":"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath","article_author":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/religionprof\/","article_published_time":"2020-09-14T09:07:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-09-13T20:19:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":768,"height":520,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/719\/2020\/09\/Nissa-Doctor-Who.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"James F. McGrath","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ReligionProf","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James F. McGrath","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html","name":"Doctor Who: The Keeper of Traken","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-09-14T09:07:04+00:00","dateModified":"2020-09-13T20:19:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/78342576667b872e3d259c153ce4c5bf"},"description":"This episode, the penultimate of the Tom Baker era, introduced two new characters: Nyssa, who would become the companion of the Doctor for some time","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2020\/09\/doctor-who-the-keeper-of-traken.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Doctor Who: The Keeper of Traken"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/","name":"Religion Prof: The Blog of James F. McGrath","description":"The Blog of Dr. James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University, Indianapolis","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/78342576667b872e3d259c153ce4c5bf","name":"James F. McGrath","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88ca096942acd474313f7ef4227a49da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88ca096942acd474313f7ef4227a49da?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"James F. McGrath"},"description":"Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. BD University of London, PhD Durham University. Author of John's Apologetic Christology, The Only True God, Theology and Science Fiction, and The Burial of Jesus, as well as (with Charles Haberl of Rutgers University) the two-volume Mandaean Book of John critical edition, translation, and commentary. Also author of numerous articles (and a few science fiction short stories) and the editor or co-editor of several volumes.","sameAs":["https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Ge8ul5","http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/religionprof\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/jamesfmcgrath\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jfmcgrat\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/ReligionProf","http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/religionprof","https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/religionprof","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/James_F._McGrath"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/author\/james-f-mcgrath"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81498","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=81498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}