Recently, I have been labeled a bad influence by a select group of friends. What have I been pushing on them? Not illicit substances–no drugs, or alcohol, or cigarettes. No, I’ve introduced them to the wonders of Doctor Who.

My adoration for the face-changing, bow tie wearing, TARDIS flying Timelord is no secret to those who know me well. In fact, that might even be the understatement of the century. But really, what’s not to love about an alien who travels through all of time and space, picking up humans (or other humaniod aliens) and taking them along with him on his adventures? He fights the bad guys, he stands up for the oppressed, and he’s got a wicked sense of humor.

Now, any geek will tell you that our second favorite activity (directly following actually watching our shows/reading our books) is luring others into the fold. This is why I’ve made it my particular mission to convince those around me to watch Doctor Who along with me. I started with my roommate and then moved on to friends at work. So far, everyone I’ve introduced to the series likes it, though I give all the credit for that straight back to the sheer awesomeness of the Doctor.

Why am I rambling about all this right now? Because, my friends, a big day is approaching. Next Saturday (according to various almost substantiated rumors) the seventh series of Doctor Who starts airing. Series six ended last fall, so fans have been waiting a long time for this, with nothing to tide us over except one admittedly brilliant Christmas special.

In light of that, I have a question for you. If you could go anywhere in time or space, where would you go? Backwards? Forwards? To the outermost reaches of the universe? Maybe even outside the universe! Imagine this universe is a giant soap bubble, and the places outside the universe are like the little tiny bubbles clinging to the side of it. Of course, it’s nothing like that at all, but if it helps, you can imagine it that way. (Paraphrased from “The Doctor’s Wife.”)

Historical fiction is also an escape through time, but if I had the TARDIS at my disposal, Regency England would not actually be my first stop. I think I’d want something a bit more impressive than that, like… Ancient Egypt, maybe. And frankly, what I’d really like is the ability to travel to other planets! Who knows where we could end up…