Cult of Skaro: Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
No edit summary
(Fall of Gallifrey is explicit not apparent in some sources)
 
(120 intermediate revisions by 55 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{subpage tabs}}
{{Infobox Organisation
{{Infobox Organisation
|name= Cult of Skaro
|image       = Cult of Skaro.jpg
|image= Cult of Skaro.jpg
|leader     = [[Dalek Sec]], later [[Dalek Caan]]
|leader= [[Dalek Sec]], later [[Dalek Caan]]
|aka         =  
|aka=  
|affiliation = [[Dalek]]s
|affiliation= [[Dalek]]s
|bases       = [[Skaro]], [[Empire State Building]]
|bases= [[Skaro]]<br />[[Empire State Building]] (temporary base)
|members    = {{il|[[Dalek Sec]]|[[Dalek Jast]]|[[Dalek Thay]]|[[Dalek Caan]]}}
|appearances= [[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'' / ''[[Doomsday]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]'' / ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''/''[[Journey's End]]'' ([[Caan]] Only), [[GAME]]: ''[[Daleks v Cybermen]]'' ([[Sec]] Only), [[PROSE]]: ''[[Birth of a Legend]]''  
|size        = 4 known members
|members= [[Dalek Caan]]<br />[[Dalek Sec]]<br />[[Dalek Jast]]<br />[[Dalek Thay]]
|first      = Army of Ghosts (TV story)
|size= 4 members
|appearances = {{il|[[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]''|[[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]'' / ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]''|[[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'' / ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]''|[[PROSE]]: ''[[Birth of a Legend (short story)|Birth of a Legend]]''}}
|main voice actor [[Nicholas Briggs]]}}
|clip        = Rose and The Doctor are seperated forever - Doctor Who - Doomsday - Series 2 - BBC
|clip2      = Dalek Hybrid = Human Sacrifice - Doctor Who - Daleks in Manhattan - Series 3 - BBC
}}{{you may|The Cult of Skaro (short story)|n1=the short story}}
{{ImageLink}}
The '''Cult of Skaro''' was an elite [[Dalek]] organisation that were "above and beyond the [[Dalek Emperor|Emperor]] himself" and designed to "think as the enemy thinks". The Cult was thought to be merely a legend by the [[Tenth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}}, [[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Whoniverse (novel)}})


The '''Cult of Skaro''', named after the [[Skaro|Dalek homeworld]], was a secret group of four Renegade Daleks made up of three [[Dalek drone]]s and one [[Dalek Supreme|Supreme Dalek]].
== Purpose ==
The Cult of Skaro were assigned the task of furthering the Dalek cause through the development of new and unorthodox ideas and strategies, while operating in complete secrecy. [[Dalek Sec]] claimed that it was created to "imagine new ways of survival", ([[TV]]: {{cs|Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)}}) while the [[Tenth Doctor]] believed their purpose was to "find new ways of [[Death|killing]]". Their willingness to adopt alien modes of thought was demonstrated by the fact that they had individual names, a concept most Daleks found unorthodox. Led by Sec, the [[black]] Dalek, they answered to no one, not even the [[Dalek Emperor (The Parting of the Ways)|Dalek Emperor]], although they still respected him. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}})


== History ==
== History ==
==== Purpose ====
=== Origins ===
The Cult of Skaro were assigned the task of furthering the Dalek cause through the development of new and unorthodox ideas and strategies. The leader of the Cult claimed that it was created primarily to further the process of Dalek evolution. Their willingness to adopt alien modes of thought was demonstrated by the fact that they had individual names, a concept most Daleks found abhorrent. Led by Sec, the Black Dalek, they answered to no one, not even the [[Dalek Emperor]], although they still revered him. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'')
The Cult of Skaro were at first just four ordinary Daleks. Dalek Sec was the [[Dalek Commander]] of the [[Seventh Incursion Squad]] sent to wipe out the remnants of the [[Mechanoid]]s which they succeeded in doing. Dalek Caan was an [[Attack Squad Leader]] of the [[Thirtieth Assault Group]]. [[Dalek Thay]] was the [[Commandant]] of [[Station Alpha]], the most secret Dalek research facility. [[Dalek Jast]] was a [[Force Leader]] of the [[Outer Rim Defensive Battalion]]. After doing this all four of them were promoted to become the Cult of Skaro. They were given their names — making them some of the only Daleks with names — and Dalek Sec was chosen to be their leader. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Birth of a Legend (short story)}}) By [[A Brief History of Time Lords|another account]], the Cult was created during the [[Last Great Time War]], alongside groups such as the [[Eternity Circle]] and the [[Volatix Cabal]], to match the [[imagination]] of the [[Time Lord]]s. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)}})


==== Origins ====
=== Last Great Time War ===
The Cult of Skaro were at first just four ordinary Daleks. Dalek Sec was a commander of a Dalek group sent to wipe out the remnants of the [[Mechanoid]]s which they succeeded in doing. After doing this all four of them were promoted to become the Cult of Skaro. They were given their names - making them the only Daleks with names - and Dalek Sec was chosen their leader. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Birth of a Legend]]'')
They were an elite order who were to think like their enemies in order to destroy them, although their original purpose was to imagine new ways of survival. During the [[Last Great Time War]], they operated as a final strategic reserve. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}})


==== Survival ====
Looking into projections of [[the Doctor]]'s [[future]] via [[the Matrix]], the [[Last Great Time War]]-era [[Time Lord]]s were made aware of the Cult of Skaro despite their intelligence services having had no information on the group, validating rumours about the "Black Ops" unit and how it had worked independent of the Emperor. The revelation of the cult created concerns about how far the Dalek Empire was willing to go to achieve victory, yet [[psyche evaluation team]]s also speculated that Daleks like the group, thanks to their individuality, could be suggestible and reasoned with, undertaking research to find and identify these Daleks on Skaro.
They were a secret order who were to think like their enemies in order to destroy them, although their original purpose was to imagine new ways of survival. During the [[Last Great Time War]], they operated as a final strategic reserve - rather than fighting, they escaped into [[the Void|the space between universes]], along with what they called the [[Genesis Ark]], a piece of [[Time Lord]] technology. Having left the universe, they were not caught in the destruction of the Dalek fleet. ([[TV]]: ''[[Army of Ghosts]]'' / ''[[Doomsday]]'', ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]'')


==== Conflict with the Cybermen ====
Foreseeing the [[Invasion of Manhattan]], the Time Lords saw Dalek Sec as the most open of the cult to new ideas, while the other three members defaulted to typical Dalek responses when faced with such options, and that the group's individuality could cause strife amongst them. Recognising that the [[Human-Dalek]] Sec knew much about Dalek strategy while also being welcome to emotions, the military, despite seeing the node foretell Sec's death, sought permission from the [[High Council]] to extract the Human-Dalek from that moment in the timeline, hoping to recruit him. The Time Lords also became aware of Dalek Caan's incursion into the war and were alarmed by how a single bronze Dalek, even if it had enhanced mental capacity, was able to break through a [[time lock]] and so began to investigate the matter. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)}})
The [[Torchwood Institute]]'s meddling began to open the barrier to the Void which had been broken down by the Cult's [[Void ship]]. [[Torchwood Tower]], known to the public as Canary Wharf, had been built around the gap into the Void so that [[Torchwood One]] could study it and use its energy. When the Void Ship opened, the Cult exited the ship and declared war - or "pest control" - against the [[Cyberman (Pete's World)|Cybermen]] that had invaded Earth from [[Pete's World]], leading to the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]]. They then opened the [[Genesis Ark]] and released thousands of Daleks onto England. All these Daleks were sucked into the void along with the Cybermen. The Cult survived by using an emergency temporal shift. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'')


==== In New York City ====
The Cult created a sentient [[Dalek time machine]], intended to infiltrate the ranks of [[TARDIS]]es. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Didn't You Kill My Mother? (audio story)}})
The Cult escaped the battle through a [[temporal shift]] and ended up in [[New York City]] in [[1930]]. They infiltrated the construction of the [[Empire State Building]] and began what they called the "[[Final Experiment]]" - the creation of a [[human-Dalek|new Dalek race]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]'' / ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]'') Inside the sewers below the Empire State Building they set up a genetic laboratory and began attempting to create new Dalek embryos. After the failure of this experiment, they tried thinking, as the Cult was designed to, and came up with the idea that they should use Earth's greatest resource, its people. They placed Dalekanium upon the mast of the Empire State Building and devised a plan to fuse the DNA of Daleks and humans using an incoming ray of gamma radiation from the sun. Dalek Sec tested this on [[Diagoras|Mr Diagoras]] and he became a Dalek-human hybrid, now with human thoughts and emotions. Dalek Sec wanted to make the Dalek-humans' DNA 90% human. The other Daleks, although bred to obey Sec, knew it was against the Dalek cause and so changed the DNA to 100% Dalek and imprisoned Dalek Sec. Dalek Sec was later exterminated accidentally after the other Cult members fired their [[gunstick]]s at the [[Tenth Doctor]].


The Doctor got in the way of the blast of [[gamma radiation]] and so infused the DNA with some of his own. Therefore the humans rebelled and killed Dalek Thay and Dalek Jast. The Doctor offered Dalek Caan—the last surviving Dalek—help but instead of taking it, Caan used an emergency temporal shift to escape ([[TV]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]''). Caan returned to the [[Last Great Time War]] (despite the fact that the war was [[time-lock]]ed) and rescued [[Davros]] from his doomed command ship. Caan, however, became insane during his successful attempt at rescuing Davros. Caan, the last remaining member of the Cult of Skaro, was presumed killed when the Crucible was destroyed. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]''/''[[Journey's End]]'')
Knowing that the Daleks could not win the war, ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Whoniverse (novel)}}) the Cult of Skaro escaped into [[the Void|the space between universes]], along with what they called the [[Genesis Ark]], a piece of [[Time Lord]] technology. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}}, {{cs|Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)}}) Having left the universe, they were not caught in the destruction of the [[Dalek Fleet|Dalek fleet]] at the end of the war. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Day of the Doctor (TV story)}}) They did, however, become aware of the [[fall of Gallifrey]], believing the Genesis Ark to be all that survived of the Time Lords' [[homeworld]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}}) They spent their time in the Void thinking up new ways for the Dalek race to evolve. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)}}) The [[Dalek Time Strategist (The Shadow Vortex)|Dalek Time Strategist]] was aware of the Cult and their importance to the Daleks' post-Time War history. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Restoration of the Daleks (audio story)}})


:''See the individual sections on members for what is known about their respective histories:''
=== Emerging from the Void ===
[[File:Dvc.jpg|thumb|The Cult of Skaro enters the Battle of Canary Wharf. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}})]]
The [[Torchwood Institute]]'s meddling began to open the barrier to the Void which had been broken down by the Cult's [[Void ship]]. [[Torchwood Tower]], known to the public as Canary Wharf, had been built around the gap into the Void so that [[Torchwood One]] could study it and use its energy. When the Void Ship opened, the Cult exited the ship and declared war — or "pest control" — against the [[Cybusman|Cybermen]] that had invaded Earth from [[Pete's World]], leading to the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] while humanity was caught in the middle of the conflict.


== Members of the Cult of Skaro ==
They then opened the [[Genesis Ark]] and released "millions" of Daleks onto [[England]]. All these Daleks were sucked into the void along with the Cybermen, by the [[Tenth Doctor]]'s intervention. The Cult escaped before being returned to the void, by using an emergency [[temporal shift]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}})
=== Dalek Caan ===
''For a full biography, please see [[Dalek Caan]].''


'''Dalek Caan''' originally had the lowest-pitched voice out of the members of the Cult. He survived the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] in [[2007]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday]]''), the events in [[1930]] [[New York City]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]'', ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]''), and rescued [[Davros]] from the [[Last Great Time War]]. He can be credited with the defeat of Davros and was presumed killed in the destruction of the [[Crucible]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'' / ''[[Journey's End]]'')
=== Escape to New York City ===
[[File:Sec and his cronies.jpg|left|thumb|The Cult, led by the now Human-Dalek Sec, face the Doctor. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)}}]]
After using the temporal shift, the Cult ended up in [[New York City]] in [[1930]]. They infiltrated the construction of the [[Empire State Building]] and began what they called the "[[Final Experiment]]" — the creation of a [[human-Dalek|new Dalek race]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)}}/{{cs|Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)}}) Inside the sewers below the Empire State Building, they set up a [[Transgenic Laboratory|genetic laboratory]] and attempted to create new Dalek embryos. After the failure of this experiment, they tried thinking creatively, as the Cult was designed to. They devised a plan using Earth's greatest resource — its people. They placed Dalekanium upon the mast of the Empire State Building, intending to fuse the DNA of Daleks and humans using an incoming ray of gamma radiation from the sun. Dalek Sec tested this on [[Diagoras|Mr Diagoras]], becoming a "human Dalek" hybrid, now with human thoughts and emotions.


=== Dalek Sec ===
As the [[invasion of Manhattan]] began, Dalek Sec began to want the Dalek-humans' to keep their human emotions, but the other Daleks, although bred to obey Sec, believed that this was against the Dalek cause. They changed the [[DNA]] to 100% Dalek and imprisoned Dalek Sec. Dalek Sec was later exterminated accidentally after the other Cult members fired their [[gunstick]]s at the Doctor. The Doctor got in the way of the blast of [[gamma radiation]] and so infused the DNA with some of his own. The humans rebelled and killed Dalek Thay and Dalek Jast, before being killed themselves. The Doctor offered to help Dalek Caan — the last surviving Dalek — but instead of taking it, Caan used an emergency temporal shift to escape once more. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)}})
[[File:Dalek-sec.jpg|thumb|right|Dalek Sec. ([[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]'' / ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]'') ]]
''For a full biography, please see [[Dalek Sec]].''


'''Dalek Sec''' was the original Supreme Dalek of the Cult of Skaro. He was notable for becoming the first [[Human-Dalek|Dalek-human hybrid]]. He led the Cult during the  [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] in [[2007]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'') He survived to take the Cult to 1930 New York City, where he was killed by [[Dalek Thay]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]'' / ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]'')
=== The Last of the Cult ===
[[File:Caan mutant.jpg|thumb|Caan, the last of the Cult of Skaro. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}}]]
Caan was eventually able to penetrate the [[time lock]] on the [[Last Great Time War]], from which he rescued [[Davros]] from his doomed command ship. Caan, however, became insane during his successful attempt at rescuing Davros. He came to view the Daleks negatively, and set in motion a chain of events that would destroy the [[New Dalek Empire]]. Caan, the last remaining member of the Cult of Skaro, was presumed killed when the [[Crucible]] was destroyed. ([[TV]]: {{cs|The Stolen Earth (TV story)}}/{{cs|Journey's End (TV story)}})


=== Dalek Thay ===
== Members of the Cult of Skaro ==
''For a full biography, please see [[Dalek Thay]].''
[[Dalek Caan]], [[Dalek Sec]], [[Dalek Thay]] and [[Dalek Jast]] were members of the Cult of Skaro. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Doomsday (TV story)}}) Some reports mentioned a [[Dalek Rabe]], though - according to [[Christian Peterson]]'s ''[[Daleks - Invasion Earth]]'' - these appeared erroneous. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Secret Lives of Monsters (novel)}})
 
'''Dalek Thay''' spoke in a low-pitched voice with a slight nasal croak. He was tricked into identifying the Daleks by the Cybermen during the Battle of Canary Wharf in 2007. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'') He survived and escaped with the rest of the Cult to [[1930]]s [[New York City]], where his [[Dalekanium]] plates were used on the [[Empire State Building]] mast. He killed [[Dalek Sec]] with a blast intended for [[The Doctor]], and was killed by the [[Human-Dalek|Dalek-human hybrids]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan]]'', ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]'')
 
=== Dalek Jast ===
''For a full biography, please see [[Dalek Jast]].''


'''Dalek Jast''' has the highest-pitched voice of the Cult of Skaro. He recognised the [[Tenth Doctor]] as an enemy of the Daleks at the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] in [[2007]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday]]'') He turned against Dalek Sec in [[New York City]], and was destroyed by the [[Human-Dalek|Dalek-human hybrids]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks]]'')
== Other references ==
From [[the Matrix]]'s projection of the [[Security Drone Incident]], it came much to the concern of the [[Time Lord]]s that the [[Reconnaissance Dalek]] was able to create [[Defence Drone|a whole new mutant strain of the Dalek race]] without the advanced skills of [[Davros]], the [[Dalek Emperor in the Last Great Time War|Dalek Emperor]] or the Cult of Skaro. As such, they began research into the genetic make-up of the [[reconnaissance scout]]s to further understand the extent of their abilities. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)}})


== Behind the scenes ==
== Behind the scenes ==
* Throughout their appearances, Thay, Jast and Caan's recognition codes switch. In [[TV]]: ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'', Dalek Jast's recognition code had two short lines on the bottom and middle and a long line on the top, and Dalek Caan's had two short lines on the top and bottom, and a long line on the middle; while in [[TV]]: ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]'' and ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'', Jast's recognition code had two short lines on the top and bottom and no third line in the middle, and Caan's recognition code had two short lines on the middle and bottom and a long line on the top.
* Throughout their appearances, Thay, Jast and Caan's recognition codes switch. In ''[[Doomsday (TV story)|Doomsday]]'', Dalek Jast's recognition code had two short lines on the bottom and middle and a long line on the top, and Dalek Caan's had two short lines on the top and bottom, and a long line on the middle; while in ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]'' and ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'', Jast's recognition code had two short lines on the top and bottom and no third line in the middle, and Caan's recognition code had two short lines on the middle and bottom and a long line on the top.
* Thay, Jast and Caan are erroneously depicted as [[Elite Guard Dalek|black-domed Daleks]] on the "Cult of Skaro" card from ''[[Doctor Who: Battles in Time]]''.
* A promotional still image from ''Doomsday'', featuring the Cult of Skaro and the Genesis Ark, is used to depict Dalek invaders on a copy of the [[newspaper]] ''[[Daily Times]]'' in [[GAME]]: ''[[City of the Daleks (video game)|City of the Daleks]]''. However, the invaders in the game itself are shown to be [[Red Dalek|red]] [[Drone Dalek]]s of the [[New Dalek Paradigm]].
* Explaining how [[Henry van Statten]] was unfamiliar with the [[Dalek]] he named [[Metaltron]], ''[[The Time Traveller's Almanac]]'' suggested that the [[Van Statten Incident]] took place in a [[timeline]] where the Cult of Skaro did not emerge from [[the Sphere]] in [[Torchwood London]] and precipitate the [[Battle of Canary Wharf]] in [[2007]] and so did not go on to [[Invasion of Manhattan|influence]] the construction of the [[Empire State Building]], nor was the [[Earth]] [[Planetary Relocation Incident|transported]] to the [[Medusa Cascade]] since the [[personal timeline]]s of both [[The Doctor's time stream|the Doctor]] and the [[Daleks' timeline|Dalek race]] had not progressed to the point where those events occurred.
* ''[[The Dalek Handbook]]'' claimed that the Cult of Skaro escaped the Time War following the [[fall of Arcadia]].
* The Cult of Skaro and the later-introduced [[Volatix Cabal]] share heavy similarities (both being fanatic secret organisations of mutant Daleks created for the [[Last Great Time War|Time War]], placed outside the Emperor's jurisdiction, and possessing creativity). However, no explicit link has been drawn between them.
* The fact that there are only four of them to begin with is likely a reference to the fact that early on during the classic era's run the budget only allowed for four Dalek props to be fully created.


{{Dalek variants}}
{{Dalek variants}}
[[Category:Cult of Skaro| ]]
[[Category:Cult of Skaro| ]]
[[Category:Individual Daleks]]
[[Category:Time-active factions]]
[[Category:Time-active factions]]
[[Category:Groups in the Last Great Time War]]
[[Category:Combatants in the Last Great Time War]]
[[Category:Survivors of the Last Great Time War]]
[[Category:Combatants in the Battle of Canary Wharf]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Dalek variants]]
[[fr:Culte de Skaro]]
[[it:Culto di Skaro]]

Latest revision as of 13:38, 18 August 2024

You may be looking for the short story.

The Cult of Skaro was an elite Dalek organisation that were "above and beyond the Emperor himself" and designed to "think as the enemy thinks". The Cult was thought to be merely a legend by the Tenth Doctor. (TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"], PROSE: The Whoniverse [+]Loading...["The Whoniverse (novel)"])

Purpose[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Cult of Skaro were assigned the task of furthering the Dalek cause through the development of new and unorthodox ideas and strategies, while operating in complete secrecy. Dalek Sec claimed that it was created to "imagine new ways of survival", (TV: Daleks in Manhattan [+]Loading...["Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)"]) while the Tenth Doctor believed their purpose was to "find new ways of killing". Their willingness to adopt alien modes of thought was demonstrated by the fact that they had individual names, a concept most Daleks found unorthodox. Led by Sec, the black Dalek, they answered to no one, not even the Dalek Emperor, although they still respected him. (TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"])

History[[edit] | [edit source]]

Origins[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Cult of Skaro were at first just four ordinary Daleks. Dalek Sec was the Dalek Commander of the Seventh Incursion Squad sent to wipe out the remnants of the Mechanoids which they succeeded in doing. Dalek Caan was an Attack Squad Leader of the Thirtieth Assault Group. Dalek Thay was the Commandant of Station Alpha, the most secret Dalek research facility. Dalek Jast was a Force Leader of the Outer Rim Defensive Battalion. After doing this all four of them were promoted to become the Cult of Skaro. They were given their names — making them some of the only Daleks with names — and Dalek Sec was chosen to be their leader. (PROSE: Birth of a Legend [+]Loading...["Birth of a Legend (short story)"]) By another account, the Cult was created during the Last Great Time War, alongside groups such as the Eternity Circle and the Volatix Cabal, to match the imagination of the Time Lords. (PROSE: A Brief History of Time Lords [+]Loading...["A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)"])

Last Great Time War[[edit] | [edit source]]

They were an elite order who were to think like their enemies in order to destroy them, although their original purpose was to imagine new ways of survival. During the Last Great Time War, they operated as a final strategic reserve. (TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"])

Looking into projections of the Doctor's future via the Matrix, the Last Great Time War-era Time Lords were made aware of the Cult of Skaro despite their intelligence services having had no information on the group, validating rumours about the "Black Ops" unit and how it had worked independent of the Emperor. The revelation of the cult created concerns about how far the Dalek Empire was willing to go to achieve victory, yet psyche evaluation teams also speculated that Daleks like the group, thanks to their individuality, could be suggestible and reasoned with, undertaking research to find and identify these Daleks on Skaro.

Foreseeing the Invasion of Manhattan, the Time Lords saw Dalek Sec as the most open of the cult to new ideas, while the other three members defaulted to typical Dalek responses when faced with such options, and that the group's individuality could cause strife amongst them. Recognising that the Human-Dalek Sec knew much about Dalek strategy while also being welcome to emotions, the military, despite seeing the node foretell Sec's death, sought permission from the High Council to extract the Human-Dalek from that moment in the timeline, hoping to recruit him. The Time Lords also became aware of Dalek Caan's incursion into the war and were alarmed by how a single bronze Dalek, even if it had enhanced mental capacity, was able to break through a time lock and so began to investigate the matter. (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual [+]Loading...["Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)"])

The Cult created a sentient Dalek time machine, intended to infiltrate the ranks of TARDISes. (AUDIO: Didn't You Kill My Mother? [+]Loading...["Didn't You Kill My Mother? (audio story)"])

Knowing that the Daleks could not win the war, (PROSE: The Whoniverse [+]Loading...["The Whoniverse (novel)"]) the Cult of Skaro escaped into the space between universes, along with what they called the Genesis Ark, a piece of Time Lord technology. (TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"], Daleks in Manhattan [+]Loading...["Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)"]) Having left the universe, they were not caught in the destruction of the Dalek fleet at the end of the war. (TV: The Day of the Doctor [+]Loading...["The Day of the Doctor (TV story)"]) They did, however, become aware of the fall of Gallifrey, believing the Genesis Ark to be all that survived of the Time Lords' homeworld. (TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"]) They spent their time in the Void thinking up new ways for the Dalek race to evolve. (PROSE: A Brief History of Time Lords [+]Loading...["A Brief History of Time Lords (novel)"]) The Dalek Time Strategist was aware of the Cult and their importance to the Daleks' post-Time War history. (AUDIO: Restoration of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Restoration of the Daleks (audio story)"])

Emerging from the Void[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Cult of Skaro enters the Battle of Canary Wharf. (TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"])

The Torchwood Institute's meddling began to open the barrier to the Void which had been broken down by the Cult's Void ship. Torchwood Tower, known to the public as Canary Wharf, had been built around the gap into the Void so that Torchwood One could study it and use its energy. When the Void Ship opened, the Cult exited the ship and declared war — or "pest control" — against the Cybermen that had invaded Earth from Pete's World, leading to the Battle of Canary Wharf while humanity was caught in the middle of the conflict.

They then opened the Genesis Ark and released "millions" of Daleks onto England. All these Daleks were sucked into the void along with the Cybermen, by the Tenth Doctor's intervention. The Cult escaped before being returned to the void, by using an emergency temporal shift. (TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"])

Escape to New York City[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Cult, led by the now Human-Dalek Sec, face the Doctor. (TV: Evolution of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)"]

After using the temporal shift, the Cult ended up in New York City in 1930. They infiltrated the construction of the Empire State Building and began what they called the "Final Experiment" — the creation of a new Dalek race. (TV: Daleks in Manhattan [+]Loading...["Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)"]/Evolution of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)"]) Inside the sewers below the Empire State Building, they set up a genetic laboratory and attempted to create new Dalek embryos. After the failure of this experiment, they tried thinking creatively, as the Cult was designed to. They devised a plan using Earth's greatest resource — its people. They placed Dalekanium upon the mast of the Empire State Building, intending to fuse the DNA of Daleks and humans using an incoming ray of gamma radiation from the sun. Dalek Sec tested this on Mr Diagoras, becoming a "human Dalek" hybrid, now with human thoughts and emotions.

As the invasion of Manhattan began, Dalek Sec began to want the Dalek-humans' to keep their human emotions, but the other Daleks, although bred to obey Sec, believed that this was against the Dalek cause. They changed the DNA to 100% Dalek and imprisoned Dalek Sec. Dalek Sec was later exterminated accidentally after the other Cult members fired their gunsticks at the Doctor. The Doctor got in the way of the blast of gamma radiation and so infused the DNA with some of his own. The humans rebelled and killed Dalek Thay and Dalek Jast, before being killed themselves. The Doctor offered to help Dalek Caan — the last surviving Dalek — but instead of taking it, Caan used an emergency temporal shift to escape once more. (TV: Evolution of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)"])

The Last of the Cult[[edit] | [edit source]]

Caan, the last of the Cult of Skaro. (TV: Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"]

Caan was eventually able to penetrate the time lock on the Last Great Time War, from which he rescued Davros from his doomed command ship. Caan, however, became insane during his successful attempt at rescuing Davros. He came to view the Daleks negatively, and set in motion a chain of events that would destroy the New Dalek Empire. Caan, the last remaining member of the Cult of Skaro, was presumed killed when the Crucible was destroyed. (TV: The Stolen Earth [+]Loading...["The Stolen Earth (TV story)"]/Journey's End [+]Loading...["Journey's End (TV story)"])

Members of the Cult of Skaro[[edit] | [edit source]]

Dalek Caan, Dalek Sec, Dalek Thay and Dalek Jast were members of the Cult of Skaro. (TV: Doomsday [+]Loading...["Doomsday (TV story)"]) Some reports mentioned a Dalek Rabe, though - according to Christian Peterson's Daleks - Invasion Earth - these appeared erroneous. (PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters [+]Loading...["The Secret Lives of Monsters (novel)"])

Other references[[edit] | [edit source]]

From the Matrix's projection of the Security Drone Incident, it came much to the concern of the Time Lords that the Reconnaissance Dalek was able to create a whole new mutant strain of the Dalek race without the advanced skills of Davros, the Dalek Emperor or the Cult of Skaro. As such, they began research into the genetic make-up of the reconnaissance scouts to further understand the extent of their abilities. (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual [+]Loading...["Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)"])

Behind the scenes[[edit] | [edit source]]