Hatred is a powerful emotion, not just anger directed at a single person or event, but
a raw hatred against everything. This is the mindset of a Dalek and it has led them to
kill nearly all other lifeforms they encounter. The exact dates of the Dalek’s history and
their governmental structure has changed a lot due to the longevity of the species, the
50 plus years of Doctor Who itself and the fact that time travel is a messy affair that
can retcon events out of history. But I’ll do my best to summarise them.
On Skaro there were two factions, the Kaleds and Thals. They were at war, and had been
for a thousand years, so long that neither faction could identify the cause of the war
due to the rampant destruction that both sides had bestowed upon their culture. The two sides
wielded early firearms alongside laser weaponry suggesting that their technology had entered
a period of decline due to the constant war, with scavenged technology from their past
continuing their feud. During this conflict, radiation weapons and
other contaminates created mutations among the sides who were shunned by the Kaleds.
Termed “Mutoes” their rejection was perhaps the origin of the Dalek’s inherited obsession
with purity and in ironic stance considering their later development.
A Kaled scientist Davros created the Daleks we know today by mutating the Kaleds into
creatures bred for war and begun encasing them in Mark III Travel machines, armoured
mobile tanks forged from Dalekanium and Polycarbide compounds.
The term Dalek is an anagram of Kaled, though its origins are a mystery though it is suggested
that the name itself may be a paradox as Davros was exposed to the term from the Fourth Doctor
who then began to use the name, though it bears similarities to an ancient Skaran, Skaran?
That right? Skaro…Skaranian, …ronion race? An ancient Skaran race, the Dals.
The mutated forms were little more than a brain, sensory organs and tentacles used for
operating the frame, however the younger the mutant, the more mobile outside of the shell
they were. Despite looking frail, they are capable of strangulation, leaping a fair distance
and are biologically immortal thanks to the regenerative and mutative qualities of their
DNA. In an extreme example of this tenacity, a Dalek mutant could survive dismemberment
and remain dormant for around 1200 years before returning to full health. With advanced age
however, they could lose cellular structure and effectively liquefy to a point where they
were confined to a form of sewer system, below their cities to remain forgotten. Cybernetics
and technological additions were also made to further bind them to their armour and they
could metabolise various radiations (ultraviolet/atron and so on) to repair and reenergize themselves.
The exterior casing itself was derived from the mobility and weapons technology devised
by the Scientific Elite of the Kaleds and serves as a battle armour, tactical computer,
environmental suit and life support system. It has many functions that varied from time
period and specialisation, but some constants remain. An eyestalk sits atop the armoured
dome, allowing for a sight (also one of the few weaknesses the Daleks have), and two lights
that flash when in commination. Then there are the Gunstick and manipulator, modular
attachments that act as a Dalek’s arms and weaponry. The Gunstick produces an infamous
sound when discharged and could cause massive internal disruption or complete atomization.
The lower frame was designed for mobility and was heavily armoured. The Dalek’s were
connected via the Pathweb which was a Scientifically created telepathic link and database which
contained a vast library of information. Due to the fact that their creation was attributed
to one individual, their goals and mind-set were shaped by his singular will and unfortunately
for the universe; a millennia of warfare on Skaro had rendered Davros’ views rather
twisted. He installed a cortex vault in the frames that would smartly analyse memories
and emotions then distil those that would keep the Kaled mutant in a state of hatred.
He had great pride in his creations, and the first he made did not permit any authority
higher than their own. They also gave no quarter in battle, sparing no victim for mercy’s
sake, only tactical advantage. This also shows a clear level of operational logical behaviour,
not just raw hate. They also developed the notion that their
form and existence was the pinnacle of evolution and this lead to an extremely xenophobic attitude
of racial purity when combined with their constant hatred. When in combat, they scream
“exterminate!” as a battle cry of sorts to amp themselves up and supply power to their
Gunsticks which can only be fired when in an agitated state. Speculation here, but I
suspect this is a further failsafe to encourage a Dalek to fire first and not worry about
the consequences of killing, being enraged when they do so.
The Daleks are constantly trying to attain a level of purity through genetic experimentation
and cultural adaptation. This can then fundamentally alter their goals as a species at times and
has led to internal conflict. Some examples include the Humanised Dalek created by the
Second doctor and Davros when the Current Dalek Emperor saw humanity’s destructive
potential and forced the Doctor to create a Human Factor to introduce into their genetics.
It also brought across more passive traits and a rebellious streak that lead to a civil
war. Another was a Dalek known as Sec, who tried to evolve the species to survive after
the Time War, but was exterminated by his former allies when he was “corrupted”
by more benign emotions. The introduction of compassion, friendship
and such emotional traits is seen as abhorrent to a Dalek as it fundamentally alters the
premise for which Davros designed them, we saw this in the episode “Dalek” where
a lone unit was contaminated by Human DNA once again and chose destruction over emotion.
Their limited emotional range has led them to develop an appreciation for death and destruction,
terming it the closest thing they can come to appreciating beauty.
The Dalek’s governmental structure has changed significantly over the eons with several radical
shifts. A common return point through is the position of the Emperor and thus the Dalek
as an Empire. They first rebelled against Davros, but then later came to almost deify
him as their creator allowing him great influence over the race so long as he continued to serve
their interests. The same can be said of Dalek Caan whose actions in rescuing Davros elevated
him to a respected position, even as his sanity was lost. At this time, a New Dalek Empire
was being established but ultimately fell to the Tenth Doctor and many of these governmental
structures were instituted during attempts to rebuild after the Last Great Time War.
There was also the creation of the New Dalek Paradigm to save the race from extinction
where specialist Daleks would oversee certain operations, but this later gave way to the
Parliament of Daleks overseen by a Prime Minister. So lets’ look at the most common layout
of Dalek hierarchy. At the top of the chain of command is the
Dalek Emperor, and there have been several, the “Golden Emperor”, the “Dalek City
Emperor” who was cybernetically connected to the Dalek City and the Emperor during the
Time War who again was installed in his command saucer. There was also the Progenitor Emperor
of the New Dalek Paradigm who was then disposed of in favour of the Parliament.
Below the Emperor was the Supreme Dalek, also known as the Black Dalek when this position
was occupied by such a unit. This Dalek is the second in command and is often tasked
with being the Emperor’s voice in campaigns. In instances where there was no Emperor, the
Supreme Dalek became the total head of the Dalek Empire.
Surrounding these positions were the Imperial Guard, elite Black cased Daleks. And reporting
directly to the Supreme was the Time Controller, whose specialty in Time Travel often led it
to outrank the Supreme in matters within its purview. The Daleks also operated a number
of divisions: The Eternity Circle was Temporal RnD and marked
by blue and silver colourings. The Cult of Skaro was an elite unit with greater
imagination and therefore emotional range. Volatix Cabal were another elite task group
but more secretive. There was the Dalek Scientific Division responsible
for regular RnD marked by blue and brass. But orange under the New Paradigm.
The Strategists were Blue and part of the New Dalek Paradigm.
There was the Eternal Dalek whose goal seems to be the preservation of the species and
part of the NDP, marked in Yellow. And there were the Astrodaleks, stationed
to observe the space around Skaro. As well as the Recon Specialists who were
among the first dispatched from Skaro and had a variety of extra abilities.
Within these Divison were Ranks of Daleks. The Dalek Prime is designation for a current
operation commander and a term seemingly used to address any rank, Supremes and even the
occasionally emperor. The Black Dalek oversaw an operation, but
ranked below the supreme. A Controller is a designation for a unit overseeing
an army or force. The Inquisitor General oversaw the inquisitors
and was Known as Dalek X, it reports only to the Supreme and records only ever mentioned
one during the Time War. A Command Dalek is designation given to an
installation’s commander. Likewise a Saucer Commander is the captain
of a Dalek ship. A Red Dalek is an officer with some authority
over squads of others. And there is a Blue Dalek with similar responsibilities.
It’s interesting to note that most of these Daleks were created to fulfil a role, rather
than a lower Dalek ascending in rank. Below these are the soldiers of the Empire and they
serve a variety of functions. Dalek Drones are your basic Daleks whose appearance
varies with the time peroid. Dalek Puppets are the semi-dalek nanocloud
conversions of other species used as agents and infiltrators.
There were certain special weapons Daleks Marsh Daleks who operated on stilts to traverse
bog world environments Spider Daleks are 8 legged Daleks with larger
Strider Daleks variants. A Marine Dalek that was torpedo shaped for
water mobility. An Assault Dalek had breaching equipment,
hacking capabilities and was designed to siege a compound.
And there were the Skaro Degradations, which were created during one of the many Dalek
experiments during the Time War. These were disrespected genetic failures of an experiment
to retro-evolve the Dalek genome. Used as mindless infantry fodder.
The Daleks superiority complex led them to enslave and genetically or technologically
modified other dominated races as cannon fodder or a labour force.
Overall the Dalek initiative is simple and the product of an insane mind. Everything
that isn’t a Dalek is inferior and must be purged. This state of mind leads them into
a state of constant warfare and scheming against most other species and they became the primary
antagonists of the Last Great Time War, but when engaging such a foe with absolutely no
ethical boundaries, the Timelords found their own culture forever tainted by the Dalek’s
onslaught. The Daleks have no art, no culture, no religion save a devotion to some indefinable
purity and death meaning that their ultimate goal of being the supreme life in the universe
would lead to a complete stagnation. It’s for this reason that the Timelords
consider them the ultimate threat to the universe and their resilience and refusal to be stamped
out even beyond their apparent annihilation solidifies them as a recurring foe, whether
it be one or an army. There’s a lot more to the Dalek’s than
mentioned here and I’d like to examine the Kaled people in more detail too, but that
will have to wait for another Video. Until then, the next index will be a viewer voted
one, which you can do by liking the appropriate comment below to vote and the choices this
time are either the Orions from the Star Trek universe or the similarly culturally inclined
Zygerrians of Star Wars infamy. Thanks for watching this video on the Daleks, there’s
so much I didn’t have time to address as well so no doubt we’ll revisit them at some
point, but until next time, I’ve been Ric, thanks for watching this Index and goodbye!