Ace

Regular followers are probably aware that we here are at Sound on Sight are more than a little fond of an obscure British science fiction program that celebrated an anniversary of some kind last weekend. Anniversaries are always an excellent time to reflect upon and celebrate a show’s history and the lead up to last Saturday’s “The Day of the Doctor” saw the entire Whoniverse coming together to share their thoughts on everything from their favourite episodes, most beloved eras, and of course, “their” Doctor. I just love that a top ten list can be the beginning of a good conversation or a great fight, and I find that the most heat, and some of the best light, is generated when Whovians start talking about their favourite Companions. A Companion is more than just our surrogate, they’re a gateway and guide to the series who helps us find our own way through the barking mad universe that is Doctor Who. It’s no wonder then that our attachments to them are passionate, personal, and gloriously partisan, especially when we try to educate normally well-informed Whovians who disagree with us on just how wrong they are.

Dorothy Gale McShane, nicknamed Ace (which she says rather frequently) is troubled teenaged chemistry whiz, Ace enjoys cooking up bombs of her own recipe, Nitro-9, which she’s fond of carrying around just in case. While she was experimenting with explosives in her room, a time storm swept her off from contemporary (to when her stories aired) England to a spaceport in the far future, where she encounters the Doctor, who takes an interest in the displaced teen.