She Can Pilot the TARDIS
With its seemingly haphazard set of controls that seem less suited to a time machine and more to a funhouse ride, the TARDIS is hard to fly, to say the least. Even the Doctor has a hard time piloting the ship accurately through time and space most of the time. But under River's control, the vessel doesn't even make its signature wheezing sound.

She's a Good Shot
Having someone around who likes to shoot at things isn't unusual for the Doctor, but having one who is good enough to take crack shots at the Doctor's hats and hit a Dalek's eyestalk dead-on is even more rare.

She's a Professor
She may lead an exciting life of crime that includes stealing Van Gogh paintings, leaving grafitti at the beginning of time and researching ancient civilizations, but when it comes down to it, River is a scholar, out to save the universe and study it at the same time. Even as clever as his other companions may be, none of them are quite as ready to learn or challenge the Doctor intellectually as River.

She Isn't Jealous of Other Companions
Maybe this will change as we meet her at a younger age, but River knows she has a place in the Doctor's hearts with no delusions that she means more to him than anyone else. This lack of jealousy also gives her the ability to treat the Doctor less like some wizard who is bringing her joys she couldn't have on her own and instead see him as just another friend and adventurer.

She Might Be Better at the Timey-Wimey Stuff than the Doctor
She may use a diary to keep it all straight, but she is so comfortable bounding around time to place messages that she is willing to jump blindly out of an airlock confident that the she has left the proper clues throughout time that will allow the Doctor to catch her.

She's Stylish
Aside from the unflattering space suit she wore in the "Silence in the Library," just about every time we see her, she's dressed to kill. While she probably puts on a bit of a flourish whenever she knows she's going to be meeting up with the Doctor, it's clear that she is a lady who believes in traveling in style.

She Has Her Own Sonic Screwdriver
Unlike companions who get boring universal cell phones or even the very unfeminist sonic lipstick, River has her very own sonic screwdriver, which will probably get way more use before becoming a storage device for River's neural relay.

She's From the Future, But Her Future's From the Past
While the Doctor might keep meeting her earlier and earlier in her timeline, she keeps meeting him later in his. So even though the Doctor knows her future, she also knows his. Somehow, neither of them gives the other any spoilers. Their friendship is like The Time Traveler's Wife, only way less creepy.

She's Crazier Than the Doctor
The fact that she knowingly lets her past self go rushing toward the most dangerous situations without even really giving the Doctor more than a mysterious sign-off is just one of many signs of her craziness. There's also her enjoyment in making a Dalek beg for mercy and the already mentioned jumping out of airlocks.

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