Happy Birthday Doctor Who: Traveling British Time Lord Celebrates 50 Years

Todays Google Doodle honors “Doctor Who”,  a beloved British sci-fi series about a character called the Doctor â€" actually an alien Time Lord â€" who travels through space and time to fight evil. His real name isn’t “Doctor Who” (its actually a secret) but he does travel with a series of human companions, despite looking like one, he himself is not.

British Time Lord: Doctor Who and his infamous mode of transport, the TARDIS [Photo by Free Fever]

And, thanks to a clever plot twist, when the Doctor dies, he can regenerate into a new form; as a result, the role has been played by 11 different men since the show went on the air in 1963.

The first version of the show ran from 1963 till 1989, and the reboot has been around since 2005, with a TV movie in the middle. But, unlike many other shows or movies that have gotten reboots, every episode and appearance is part of the same canon

Doctor Who’s nemesis, The Daleks [Image by Deviant Art]

One of the reasons why Doctor Who has been so successful, and what differentiates it from more traditional sci-fi fare, is that the Doctor always travels with one or more companions. There have been dozens over the years, most of them humans from the present time of the Doctor.

Another aspect of the show that may turn out to be a surprising aspect of its appeal to audiences is its quintessential British-ness.

The “Doctor Who” 50th anniversary special is out in theaters Saturday, and Whovians across the globe are celebrating the BBC series’ milestone.

Online fans are also enjoying the adorable “Doctor Who” Google Doodle game, Google Street View’s look inside the TARDIS, and BBC’s brilliant interactive timeline.

In addition to receiving a limited theatrical release, the feature-length special “The Day of the Doctor” will be simulcast worldwide on TV in more than 75 countries, including the U.S. The special is set to premiere on BBC America at 11:50 a.m. PST

All you need to know about the long-running British sci-fi series

â€" The TARDIS looks like an old fashioned police lock-up box because its cloaking device, the chameleon circuit, malfunctioned after his first visit to 1963 London.

â€" It has a six-sided control console because it was designed to have six operatives; the TARDIS wheezes and groans during landing because Doctor leaves the brakes on.

â€" Members of the Doctor’s race, the Time Lords, can only regenerate twelve times â€" but there are loopholes. The limitation was first revealed in “The Deadly Assassin” (1976), but ironically the story also featured an attempt by the Doctor’s arch-enemy, the Master, to renew himself after his thirteenth body had started to fail.

â€" But, while the Doctor is the last of the Time Lords, it’s unlikely that his thirteenth incarnation will be his last.

Info Graphic Courtesy of Sand Box World

Happy Birthday Doctor Who: Traveling British Time Lord Celebrates 50 Years