Comic-Con Costume: The Tenth Doctor!

Last week was all about Harry Potter, but this week is all about The Doctor. With Comic Con quickly approaching, and my Doctor Who costume in the finishing touches stage, I thought I'd give some of my more nerd-less readers a little background on the Good Doctor's Tenth incarnation.

First off, if you've never seen an episode of Doctor Who, we could probably still be friends. But I'd be all like, "What the fuck, Dude?!" and "Okay, lemme tell you all about Doctor Who." I won't tell you all about it now, but here's a quick description of the series, then on to the costume.

The series has been running since the 60's, with a stop in the 90's, and it's recent revival in the early 2000's. The Doctor is a Time Lord, more specificially, the last Time Lord. He travels through time and space with his companions in his ship known as the TARDIS (an acronym for "Time and Relative Dimension in Space" and shaped like a police phone box that's bigger on the inside).

An important characteristic of the Time Lord: he can't die. When his physical body is about to perish, his soul is reincarnated into a new physical form. This is why there are several ordinal descriptions of each Doctor. There have been Eleven Doctors so far. Each reincarnation is the same person with the same memories, knowledge and emotional scars, but embodied in a new form with its own personality quirks, and fashion sense distinct to each incarnation. My favorite, and fan favorite, and my costume for this weekend is the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant.

Like all the Doctors, the tenth incarnation is highly intelligent, knowledgeable of pretty much everything in the universe, and quick-witted. This Doctor talks extremely fast covering topics his companions could never conceive let alone comprehend and is often ridiculed for presuming that they would. This Doctor is particularly adept at alternating almost instantaneously from light-hearted humor to powerful rage. This is based largely in part to the Doctor's constant realization that he is the last of his race and doomed to watch his companions wither and age as he gallivants alone across the galaxy.

Furthermore, the Tenth Doctor confronts what I found to be the most compelling issue conflicting the Good Doctor's existence. As the last of his kind with the ability to travel through time and space (the circumstances of this ability and his possession of the TARDIS are mysteriously referenced throughout the series), moral dilemmas are constantly risen as his omnipresent and omniscient characteristics create troubling god-like parallels when faced with life or death decisions (often on massive scales) that he alone can make.

The loner genius must have an outfit that fits the bill. His wardrobe is something like "Cowboy Lawyer Bookworm." He needs a purpose and a profession, along with a whimsical comfort and style to help him deal with a lonely and burdensome existence. Let's get to the details:

• The Suit - Brown or Blue pinstriped suit, somewhat disheveled, single breasted, always buttoned. 

• The Tie - Typically dark, not overly decorative, and always loosely tied.

• The Shirt - Blue or burgundy, depending on the suit, sometimes lighter, open collar, he's lawyerly, but never a "stuffed shirt."

• The Coat - Brown trench coat, again, a cross between western cowboy and foggy london business man. 

• The Shoes - Red or cream converse, adding that whimsical youth. 

• The Hair - Gelled, first Doctor to use product or, for that matter, put in any effort into his hair whatsoever. 

• Accessories - Wide-rimmed glasses, sometimes paper 3D glasses, psychic paper, and sonic screwdriver.

All that's left is work on my British accent and reverse the polarities. Not totally psyched about wearing that coat in the San Diego summer heat. Bow ties are still cool, but David Tennant is my Doctor. See ya this weekend!