Pregnancy is a weird thing. One's body undergoes strange changes for nine months in order to grow and care for a small being. And particularly for first-timers like me, these changes can often seem like something out of science fiction. Because of this, many science-fiction programmes have taken the obvious step and incorporated elements of pregnancy and twisted them to give them that sci-fi edge. Just like so many other elements of the genre that reflect the human condition, the many different experiences that come with being pregnant are displayed in ways that can be humourous, dramatic, or frightening. As a young mother, the first of my friends to be pregnant and the youngest out of many cousins, I don't really have a ton of knowledge to draw from when it comes to being pregnant. But I have found that I can look back at these episodes and find comfort, a laugh, or at the very least something that I can relate to, even if they are under different (and very strange) circumstances.
10. Doctor Who A Good Man Goes To War
Poor Amy Pond probably never imagined motherhood would be the way she experienced it. Kidnapped by an evil organisation and replaced by a clone replica that contained her own consciousness, she does not even realise she is pregnant until just before she goes into labour. She is forced to give birth without her husband or her best friend, in the clutches of the sinister Madame Kovarian who wants the child for her own evil plans. The remainder of the plot-heavy episode shows the Doctor and Rory's epic attempt to set Amy and baby Melody free. As an expectant mother I can only imagine the hope surging through Amy as she tells Melody about her father who is coming to save her, or the fear as Madame Kovarian takes her away. Amy has a moment of motherly protectiveness that defies all logic as she tells her husband Rory "No offence to the others, but you let them all die first, okay?" That one line sums up so many feelings that come along with motherhood and the strong ties amongst family in a time of crisis. Near the end of the episode, Amy finds that the baby she has been holding has been switched with a clone replica by Madame Kovarian. The clone dissipates into a mass of white goo in her own hands, and all she can do is scream. I have had many surreal dreams since becoming pregnant, and this episode feels like it was drawn from one of them.
Sarah is a twenty-something film school graduate and mother-to-be from Arizona. She loves to write and is currently working on a novel that may be finished sometime in the next fifty years. Doctor Who, Star Trek, Final Fantasy, and Supernatural are among her various obsessions.
