7 Ways The Greatest Show In The Galaxy Is The Most Meta Doctor Who Ever
3. Is Captain Cook The Doctor?
Captain Cook is a blowhard: an old school colonial, British explorer who is more interested in talking about his own bravery and importance than he is in understanding the situation of others around him. He is a self-important old fool who travels the galaxy in the company of a young girl, Mags, whom he constantly belittles. Sound familiar? Yes, the Captain could be taken to be a reflection of how some uninformed people might view the Doctor himself, particularly during this era in the shows history where certain clichés about the series had become ingrained in the viewing publics consciousness, especially that part of the viewing that did not actually watch the show. And so Captain Cook is presented in a deliberate mirror to the Doctor, presenting the idea that people have against the reality. Where Cook treats Mags as a means to an end, the Doctor tries to encourage Ace to be her own person. Where Cook brags about his adventures, the Doctor quietly underplays his true nature. And where Cook assists the Gods of Ragnarok as a means to saving his own life, the Doctor risks his life to defeat them.
