Episode #78 : Genesis of the Daleks

"Today, the Kaled race is ended, consumed in a fire of war. But, from its ashes will rise a new race. The supreme creature. The ultimate conqueror of the universe. The Dalek!"

Episode 78:   Genesis of the Daleks.
Companions: 4th Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan.
Air Date:       Six episodes. 8th March to 12th April 1975.

The Time Lords intercept the transmat beam taking the Doctor, Sarah and Harry back to Nerva and deposit them instead on the planet Skaro at an early point in its history. There a Time Lord gives the Doctor both a mission to prevent or alter the Daleks' development so that they become less of a threat to the universe and a time ring that will enable him and his companions to return to the TARDIS once this is done.

Despite it's length and too much filler elements, Genesis of the Daleks is a truly fantastic story for Doctor Who. In this one we learn the origins of the Dalek race and encounter their creator, Davros, for the first time. Previously the Daleks have simply been hateful cybernetic creatures out to exterminate the universe, but now we seen the how and why of their creation. I think it certainly adds more to the shows mythos than perhaps any other classic story.

In the original Star Trek series there were several episodes that featured planets where everyone wore a wore Nazi, Roman or 20's gangster outfits because it was what was on hand and cheap to use. The costumes in this story remind me greatly of those Trek episodes. The Kaleds resemble the Nazi's (in both costume and expected demeanour), and at other times we see characters running about dressed for the first world world. While I am sure that this was entirely intended for the tone of the story, it does tend to stand out more than perhaps it should.

Genesis has also been hinted at as being the first element of the Time War that is to come. The Time Lords sending the Doctor back to prevent their creation or alter them somehow. He doesn't really do either, just delaying their development for a few centuries at best. How the Daleks learnt that the Time Lords attempted this may never be known but seems like a fair reason to launch a war against Gallifrey.

Genesis of the Daleks really is a must watch story for fans.

Episode #68 : Planet of the Daleks

 

"Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know.

It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway."

 

 

Episode 68:    Planet of the Dalek.

Companions:  3rd Doctor and Jo Grant.
Air Date:        Six episodes. 7th April to 12th May1973.

 

Immediately after the events of Frontier in Space: the Third Doctor has been shot and gravely wounded by the Master. Jo helps him into the TARDIS, where he uses the telepathic circuits to send a message to the Time Lords before he collapses.

 

The Time Lords guide the TARDIS to the planet Spiridon where the Daleks have prepared an army ten thousand strong with which to conquer the Human and Draconian empires. A band of Thaals have also arrived to destroy the Daleks before they can release that army. The Daleks have also come to this world to take the natural invisibility of the native Spiridons.

 

It is interesting that since we last saw the Thaals on Skaro they seem to have achieved some advanced technology and even space flight. Have they fled Skaro to a new home world or have they somehow survived alongside the Daleks? This question is never answered.

 

At points in the story it feels very reminiscent of the original Dalek story. It definitively shares certain similarities with that story. Maybe that was the point since it was a very good introductory story for the Daleks.

 

As much as the previous story was quite bad, Planet of the Daleks makes up for it by being a very entertaining and enjoyable story. The plot works very well and there are some great moments of dialogue between the Doctor and the Thaals. If I have any grumbles with Planet of the Daleks it is simply that it could have been better handled as a follow up to Frontier in Space.

 

Episode #2 : The Daleks

"I never fight against the inevitable, it's a vain occupation. But I would advise you to reconsider what you consider to be inevitable. It is amazing how often apparent defeat can be turned into victory."

Episode 2:     The Daleks.
Companions: The 1st Doctor, Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright.
Air Date:        Seven episodes. 21st December 1963 to 1st february 1964.

The TARDIS lands on Skaro, a seemingly dead world with high levels of radiation. Seeing a deserted city, the Doctor deliberately sabotages his TARDIS in order to force Ian, Barbara and Susan to explore further. But the city is not as dead as it first appears. The TARDIS crew are captured by sinister metal creatures that silently glide through the corridors and walkways - Daleks!

A fairly lengthy story that was also turned into a popular movie of the 1960's starting Peter Cushing in the title role. It is a shame that the movie actually does a better job of telling this story in 90 minutes than the seven episodes presented here do.

This is the story that first introduces us to the Doctor's archetypal villains, the Daleks. There are some differences in this story the Daleks of later ones. For example, in this story the Daleks can only move on metal using static electricity something they must have learnt to overcome. Either that or the Daleks presented here were of a type no longer used and abandoned on Skaro. The other thing is that rather than exterminate people the Daleks use a type of weapon that paralyses the legs of the target.

As a story goes it isn't a bad one and thrusts the show firmly into the science fiction genre rather than the historical which was what I understand the show to have originally been (to teach children I suppose). A move that has done the show very well over the last fifty years. But with all that I find that the story doesn't lend itself well to seven episodes (just over three hours!) and this is something that haunts the show in my opinion for a good deal of the early episodes.