Doctor Who has used its first 60th anniversary special, “The Star Beast,” to bring a change to the franchise with inclusive language and the inclusion of the first major trans character with Yasmin Finney’s Rose Noble.
But one of the more widely discussed scenes on the show came from the Doctor talking to the Meep. The Meep—as a species—comes to town and the Doctor, while still trying to keep the memories of his time with Donna a secret, also has some questions for the Meep.
Rose found the Meep in the midst of her toys, and the Meep must answer questions about what happened to the Meep before the Meep ended up on Earth. Before the Doctor knows anything about the Meep, he just assumes that the Meep uses he/him pronouns and begins to question the Meep. Stopping the Doctor, Rose points out that he just assumed the Meep’s pronouns and the Doctor, to his credit, takes the criticism and quickly adjusts, asking the Meep what they prefer.
The scene in question is very easy and quick but it is a first for the franchise and one that fans cannot seem to stop talking about. The actual pronoun of the Meep is the definite article, but still, it is something the Doctor easily understands and it is something that LGBTQ+ fans of the series have embraced it.
The only ones who haven’t embraced it are the transphobes who have decided it is their time to loudly proclaim that it “took them out of the scene.” I don’t see how Rose pointing out that the Doctor assumed someone’s pronouns, the Doctor adjusting, and a fun exchange between the Doctor and the Meep took someone out of a scene, but I guess if the word “pronouns” makes your blood boil …
David Tennant doesn’t like you if you’re a transphobe
The creatives behind the series, including Russell T. Davies, don’t have time for transphobes. David Tennant has before and continues to share his love and support for the trans community, as does his wife Georgia Tennant, and this scene just continues to show how much Doctor Who loves and supports the trans community and is trying to bring inclusiveness into the series.
Outside of just this pronouns scene, we also have Rose Noble as a character, and Finney was talking to the BBC about getting to bring her to life, saying that she’s a character she would have loved to see growing up. She went on to talk about how representation is important and the younger generation needs to feel seen:
It was so surreal to me, because obviously Doctor Who is huge, and I remember watching Doctor Who when I was growing up years ago, especially the bride episode, David Tennant and Catherine Tate. And I just felt, like, lucky enough to be seen as a trans person in something so huge as Doctor Who, and I just felt lucky that like, I would be Catherine Tate’s daughter. In a way, that’s just insane, I mean, she’s an icon, and I love her. I think representation is so important, and if I had Rose growing up, it would be a completely different story, I think. I think representation is what we need and what the younger generation needs to feel like they can do it to. You know?
Between both the beautiful inclusion of the conversation about the Meep’s chosen pronouns and Rose’s storyline in “The Star Beast,” the show is making strides, and it is nice to see the change, especially with such a beautiful character as Rose Noble.
(featured image: Disney+)
