The Daleks are undoubtedly Doctor Who‘s greatest enemies. They may look like pepperpots, but there’s something undeniably appealing about this particular race of monsters; driven by a “dislike of the unlike,” they’re essentially the ultimate evolution of the Nazis. As seen in The Daleks, they were the result of a neutronic war that left their homeworld of Skaro pretty much uninhabitable. No longer humanoid, the Dalek mutants live in so-called “travel machines,” and they’re sworn to exterminate everything in the universe that is not Dalek.
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Doctor Who has been running for 63 years. Understandably, then, the Daleks have changed a lot over the years; they’ve become increasingly dangerous, horrifically powerful, and even rivals for the Time Lords of Gallifrey. Not all Dalek stories are great – some are actually quite forgettable – but the best of them loom large in Doctor Who lore. Here are five Dalek stories that really did change everything.
5. The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Doctor Who introduced the Daleks as a distant, alien force. When they returned, though, they were transformed into something far more dangerous; actual invaders, destined to conquer a future Earth. Releasing in 1964, “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” is undoubtedly one of the best Doctor Who stories of all time; it foreshadows what would become a standard trope for the franchise, where the aliens invade or even conquer the Earth. Dalek technology has advanced a little, allowing them to become a threat to the entire universe.
“The Dalek Invasion of Earth” is better than all its successors, though, simply because it has a very different tone and style. Most Doctor Who invasions are aborted, and a handful are erased from history so the dystopia is averted. But “The Dalek Invasion of Earth” is set in a dystopian near-future timeline, one where the Daleks have succeeded; the Doctor isn’t defeating an invasion, he’s overthrowing an occupying force. What better way to demonstrate just how dangerous the Daleks really are?
4. The Power of the Daleks
1966’s “The Power of the Daleks” is one of the most important Doctor Who stories of all time (this despite the fact all six episodes have sadly been lost). This story doesn’t just matter because of the Daleks, though; it’s the first Patrick Troughton adventure, which means this had to sell the concept of regeneration to audiences who’d never seen it before. “The Power of the Daleks” uses the Doctor’s greatest foe in a smart way, because viewers know the Second Doctor’s memories of the Daleks are accurate, but the companions – who’d never met them – do not.
That said, I love “The Power of the Daleks” because it puts the Daleks on the back foot. Human colonists on the planet Vulcan discover a Dalek factory-pod, but have no idea what they’re dealing with. The Daleks are initially dependent on human power sources, and ruthlessly exploit division among the colonists, triggering a civil war as a prelude to a full-scale Dalek attack. Most stories turn the Daleks into killing machines, but “The Power of the Daleks” demonstrates their Machiavellian cunning.
3. Genesis of the Daleks
Nobody will be surprised to see 1975’s “Genesis of the Daleks” on this list. One of the most essential Doctor Who stories of all time, fans regularly vote for this as the best classic story ever. “Genesis of the Daleks” revisits the Dalek origin, introducing their twisted creator, Davros. The dynamic between Michael Wisher’s Davros and Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor is absolutely electrifying, while the prosthetics and design are remarkable considered the show’s low budget.
Oddly enough, “Genesis of the Daleks” was – in a sense – the worst thing that could happen to the Daleks. Davros became their human face, their mouthpiece, and the Daleks themselves were relegated to secondary characters in their own stories. Future Dalek episodes regularly featured civil wars between Davros’ Daleks and those of the Dalek Emperor. The conflict felt oddly symbolic, representing the tension between two different versions of the Daleks, each with their own distinct appeal.
2. Dalek
Now let’s fast-forward to 2005, when Doctor Who returned with Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. The first season quickly began dropping hints about a mysterious “Time War” that had wiped out the Time Lords, and it was pretty easy for old-school fans to guess who was responsible. All that was confirmed in “Dalek,” when the Doctor responded to an SOS that turned out to be sent by what he believed to be the last Dalek in the universe. “Dalek” is a stunning adventure, a modern classic that shines a light on the Doctor’s own character after the Time War.
“Dalek” is also notable for establishing just how dangerous the Daleks really are. According to the Doctor, a single Dalek is essentially a planetary-scale threat. Traditional aspects of the Dalek design are repurposed as weapons (the Dalek uses its sucker to asphyxiate), and the Doctor’s monstrous foe is shown beating stairs with ease. In the end, the Dalek is the enemy too dangerous for even the Doctor to defeat, and it is only beaten because of its own twisted ideology of hate.
1. Asylum of the Daleks
“Asylum of the Daleks” released in 2012, and it’s not generally seen as one of the best Dalek stories. It is, however, quite fascinating; it reinterprets the Dalek race, and gives us a sense of their psychology. The aliens keep an asylum where they keep Daleks who are too broken to be useful, simply because they consider it “offensive” to kill anything possessed of such “divine hatred.” Daleks have a concept of beauty, and it is one that leaves the Doctor absolutely sickened. “You think hatred is beautiful,” he gasps.
The Dalek Parliament, too, is a fascinating twist. In the past, we’ve had Dalek Empires; now, we have an allusion to a Dalek democracy, albeit one driven by social impulses we would condemn. “Asylum of the Daleks” stands out to me as something quite unique in Doctor Who history, a single story that treats the Daleks as a race, with their own culture and government, rather than just a marauding force of galactic conquerors. We’ll see whether that approach is ever repeated.
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