On the morning of June 3, Southern Oregon University’s students were not only greeted by the sunshine and the hustle and bustle of the beginning of Quiet Week, but by a phrase plastered all over campus in chalk – Bad Wolf. Was this the handiwork of graffiti artists? Rebels? Vandals? Indeed not – this was the job of SOU’s thriving population of “Whovians”, fans and followers of the BBC show Doctor Who.
For those of you non-Whovians out there, a little explanation is in order. The British Science Fiction Show Doctor Who initially premiered on the BBC in 1963. It lasted for twenty-six years and gained a huge cult following through its end in 1989. The BBC rebooted the show for a 2005 revival, and the Doctor has been gaining fans by the thousands ever since. The show tells the story of the Doctor, a mysterious regenerating Time Lord (allowing for the recasting of the Doctor multiple times – the most recent Doctors have included the fantastic Christopher Eccleston, the beloved David Tennant, and the wacky Matt Smith) who travels through time and space with the aid of his T.A.R.D.I.S. (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) and a companion – usually a woman – who accompanies him on his adventures.
But where does Bad Wolf come into play? In the Doctor Who-verse, Bad Wolf is an ubiquitous theme found throughout the series – found in multiple worlds, times, and dimensions that the Doctor and his companion(s) travel to. Nearly every episode of Doctor Who includes some reference to Bad Wolf, and I don’t want to give away any spoilers for those of you new converts, but let’s just say more knowledge is gained about its identity and purpose as the series goes on.
With Bad Wolf being such an integral part of Doctor Who, it would make sense that Whovians would an embrace a Bad Wolf Day – a day used to not only bring awareness to Doctor Who and amass more Whovians, but a day also used as fun outlet for Whovians to engage and express their devotion to a show that has captured millions with its brilliance. Luckily for SOU, the Whovian population is flourishing, and students and faculty alike can look forward to every June 3 as Bad Wolf Day.
