Having watched all of the Star Trek TOS, TNG, etc. episodes, I prefer the "almost amateurish feel" anyway.
Mm, it certainly works well for it and similar programs.
I suppose sci-fi can benefit from the style.
But I would say that Star Trek is a different sort of amateur to Doctor Who, if that makes sense...
Like Star Trek was low budget, obviously silly at times, but still took itself seriously.
Whereas Doctor Who is relatively low budget, designed to be silly, and probably fits in (atleast these days) more silliness that seriousness into it.
I think with Doctor Who, it's the great mix of it being both a children's program and a sci-fi program that people of all ages can enjoy.
Basically, I love the way Doctor Who is done. I can't properly explain it, but it works out greatly, and the writers and actors and producers and directors and everyone who works on it does a great job.
Do I need to watch the episodes from the 60's and onward to know what's going on, or is Series 7 independent?
Not at all.
Even back then you could watch one doctor, not watch the next, start with the one after and not miss anything.
The stories now are entirely independant from the old ones. When Eccleston started in Series 1, they didn't even bother with an explanation of where he's been since his last appearance. They didn't need to.
Occasionally they do have some reference to old things, but it's nothing you'll miss. If it's important, they explain it.
Most people who watched it back when it first started are on into their 40s and such.
None of the main audience who watches it now ever watched it back then (And can't, due to most of the old tapes being destroyed).
But they do like to put in easter eggs whenever they can. Like there is one episode in Series 1, where they go to this person's own private museum of alien artifacts, and in it is things like the old Cybermen heads and other such stuff.
And this episode had easter eggs that related to the images of the Daleks throughout the series.
I'd say the only big big part from back in the old series that they brought back was the episode in which Sarah Jane Smith, (played by the great Elisabeth Sladen, who sadly passed away last year), returns with K-9.
And then together they had a spin-off series, The Sarah Jane Adventures, which was a more child-orientated series on BBC's CBBC.
Doctor who has a nice way of having every episode being its own thing that anyone can watch and enjoy with a few exceptions.
important series/season wide plot points are generally only addressed during finales and at the end of an episode.
This was one of my favourite features. They don't do it so much with Matt Smith's Doctor though. It's much less subtle.
I absolutely loved the first series finale and it's twist.
Really, who actually picked up on Bad Wolf.
