6. Knowledge Is Dangerous
I loved libraries as a kid. Doctor Who keeps making them scary. There are more interesting parallels here this time with the series four two-parter Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead where we meet and lose River Song in a library infested by carnivorous shadows. That is where the Doctor finds out that River knows his name. Similarly, Clara learns his name from a book titled History of the Time War that she finds in the TARDIS library, though she forgets it later. Libraries are temples of learning, yet knowledge can be a very dangerous thing. That doesnt mean we shouldnt seek it out, only that we should be careful with it. Someone was bound to figure out how to split an atom, for example, yet that didnt mean we had to build a bomb. The Doctors name in and of itself may not be harmful, but perhaps it could be used as an agent of destruction. Would even knowing it corrupt you? Is it possible its had or will have an effect on River or even Clara? The TARDIS is every explorers dream. She is infinite filled with endless wonder and deadly danger. She is her own universe both expanding and collapsing, existing everywhere all at once. But once you open her doors, theres no guarantee of safety. Part of the companions journey is to discover whether the rewards are worth the risks. Whats the point of exploring the universe if youre going to die? Well whats the point of not exploring the universe if youre going to die?