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{{Infobox Novel|
{{title dab away}}
novel name= War of the Daleks |
{{real world}}
image=[[Image:war_of_the_daleks_cover.jpg|250px]] |
{{Infobox Story SMW
series=[[Doctor Who]] -<br/>[[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures]] |
|adapted from = War of the Daleks (unproduced TV story)
number= 5 |
|image = war of the daleks cover.jpg
doctor=[[Eighth Doctor]] |
|series=[[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures]]
companions= [[Sam Jones]] |
|range= BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures
enemy= [[Daleks|The Daleks]]<br/>[[Davros]] |
|number in range = 5
year= Border of [[Thal]] and [[Dalek]] Space<br>[[Skaro]]<br>[[Antalin]] (interlude)<br>[[Hesperus]] (interlude)|
|number= 5  
writer= [[John Peel]] |
|doctor = Eighth Doctor  
publisher= [[BBC Books]] |
|companions= [[Sam Jones|Sam]]
release date= [[October]] [[1997]] |
|enemy= [[Dalek Prime]], [[Davros]]  
format= Paperback Book, 277 Pages |
|setting= {{il|Border of [[Thal]] and [[Dalek]] Space|[[Skaro]]}}
isbn= ISBN 0-563-40573-2|
|writer= John Peel
previous story= [[Genocide]]|
|publisher= BBC Books
next story= [[Alien Bodies]]  
|cover = [[Black Sheep]]
}}
|release date= 6 October 1997
|format= Paperback Book; 17 Chapters, 277 Pages
|isbn= ISBN 0-563-40573-2
|prev= Genocide (novel)
|next= Alien Bodies (novel)
}}{{you may|Dalek Wars}}
'''''War of the Daleks''''' was the fifth novel in the [[BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures]] series. It was written by [[John Peel]], released [[6 October]] [[1997 (releases)|1997]] and featured the [[Eighth Doctor]] and [[Sam Jones]].


== Publisher's Summary ==
It features the [[Dalek]]s, [[Davros]] and several [[Thal]]s. This novel is also notable for significantly attempting to retroactively rewrite every televised Dalek story from ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'' onwards. It also features a reference to every single TV story featuring the Daleks from ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'' through to ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''.
The Doctor is repairing the TARDIS systems once again when it is swept up by a garbage ship roving through space, the [[Quetzel]].


When another ship approaches and takes the Quetzel by force, the Doctor discovers that he and Sam are not the only unwitting travellers on board - there is a strangely familiar survival pod in the hold. Delani, the captain of the second ship, orders the pod to be opened. The Doctor is powerless to intervene as Davros is awakened once again.
Concerning a continuity issue brought up by the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|1996 telemovie]], this novel gave a possible explanation for the planet [[Skaro]] reappearing after the [[Seventh Doctor]] supposedly used the [[Hand of Omega]] to destroy it in ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]''. Instead, he was apparently duped into destroying [[Antalin]], a sacrificial decoy used by the Daleks.


But this is no out-and-out rescue of Davros. Delani and his crew are Thals, the sworn enemies of the Daleks. They intend to use Davros as a means to wipe out the Daleks, finally ridding the [[universe]] of the most aggressive, deadly race ever to exist. But the Doctor is still worried. For there is a signal beacon inside the pod, and even now a Dalek ship is closing in...  
== Publisher's summary ==
[[Eighth Doctor|The Doctor]] is repairing [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] systems once again when it is swept up by a garbage ship roving through space, the ''[[Quetzel]]''.


==Characters==
When another ship approaches and takes the ''Quetzel'' by force, the Doctor discovers that he and [[Sam Jones|Sam]] are not the only unwitting travellers on board - there is a strangely familiar survival pod in the hold. [[Delani]], the captain of the second ship, orders the pod to be opened. The Doctor is powerless to intervene as [[Davros]] is awakened once again.
*[[Eighth Doctor|The Doctor]]


*[[Samantha Jones|Sam Jones]]
But this is no out-and-out rescue of Davros. Delani and his crew are [[Thal]]s, the sworn enemies of the [[Dalek]]s. They intend to use Davros as a means to wipe out the Daleks, finally ridding the [[universe]] of the most aggressive, deadly race ever to exist. But the Doctor is still worried. For there is a signal beacon inside the pod, and even now a [[Dalek ship]] is closing in...
:*Is vegetarian.
:*Cries out "I'm too young to die!" before breaking into hysterical giggles that turn into odd laughter.
:*Has been in the TARDIS for around 6 months (page 98).


*[[Davros]]
== Plot ==
The story opens up with the Doctor and Sam in the TARDIS doing some maintenance when they are collected by a ship which holds an escape pod containing the Dalek Emperor Davros. A group of Thals arrive; they want Davros to alter their species so they will be better able to fight the Daleks. A force of Renegade Daleks then arrive and take the Doctor and Davros, along with others to Skaro. Before landing on Skaro, the Doctor discovers that the coordinates he believed were Skaro's were actually those of the planet Antalin.


*[[Dalek Prime]]
Since Davros's return, the Dalek Prime has met considerable resistance with a number of Imperial Daleks forming. Initiating a final civil war on Skaro, the Dalek Prime has all the Davros loyalists revealed and exterminated. In the mean time he releases the Doctor to leave Skaro. The Doctor discovers a planted device on board the TARDIS which would allow the Daleks to survive in case the Dalek Prime failed. He jettisons it into the vortex.
:*Is one of the original Daleks.
:*Is leader of all the Daleks.


*[[Dalek|The Daleks]]
With the Imperial Daleks defeated, Davros is sentenced to death by matter dispersal. Prior to his downfall he had implanted a Spider Dalek as a spy amongst the Dalek Prime's forces. Davros is placed in a disintegration chamber and his atoms dispersed. His fate is left open when his data is either erased from the disintegrator or transmatted across space to a safe location.


*[[Ayaka]]
== Characters ==
* [[Eighth Doctor]]
* [[Sam Jones]]
* [[Davros]]
* [[Dalek Prime]]
* [[Ayaka]]
* [[Ayaka's father]]
* [[Rebec (War of the Daleks)|Rebec]]
* [[Balatan]]
* [[Chayn]]
* [[Chayn's father]]
* [[Chayn's mother]]
* [[Cathbad]]
* [[Delani]]
* [[Dyoni (War of the Daleks)|Dyoni]]
* [[Harmon (War of the Daleks)|Harmon]]
* [[Loran (War of the Daleks)|Loran]]
* [[Dryn Faber]]
* [[Faylen]]
* [[Marc (War of the Daleks)|Marc]]
* [[Barydon]]
* [[Ioki]]
* [[Captain (War of the Daleks)|Captain]]
* [[Tactical (War of the Daleks)|Tactical]]
* [[Navigation (War of the Daleks)|Navigation]]
* [[Science (War of the Daleks)|Science]]
* [[Red Dalek (War of the Daleks)|Red Dalek]]
* [[Black Dalek (War of the Daleks)|Black Dalek]]
* [[Gold Dalek (War of the Daleks)|Gold Dalek]]
* [[Mechon 17]]
* [[Mechon 84]]
* [[Mechon 179]]
* [[Mechon 212]]
* [[Mechon 612]]
* [[Mechon 719]]
* [[Mechon 720]]
* [[Mechon 721]]
* [[Mechon 722]]
* [[Mechon 723]]
* [[Mechon 724]]
* [[Mechon 725]]
* [[Mechon 726]]
* [[Mechon 727]]
* [[Mechon 728]]
* [[Mechon 729]]
* [[Mechon 730]]
* [[Mechon 731]]
* [[Mechon 732]]
* [[Mechon 733]]
* [[Mechon 734]]
* [[Mechon 735]]
* [[Mechon 736]]
* [[Mechon 737]]
* [[Mechon 738]]
* [[Mechon 739]]
* [[Mechon 740]]
* [[Mechon 741]]
* [[Mechon 803]]
* [[Mechon 906]]
* [[Argini]]


*[[Chayn]]
== Worldbuilding ==
=== Daleks ===
* Skaro means "home" in the original Kaled language.
* [[Davros]] still has [[Imperial Dalek|Dalek supporters]] on Skaro. They started to appear shortly after word of their creators' survival after the original Daleks shot him, and believe that because Davros is their creator he should be in command.
* Davros used the [[Hand of Omega]], which destroyed what he thought of as Skaro.
* Several types of Daleks appear: [[Strider|Strider Daleks]], [[Spider Dalek]]s, [[Marine Dalek]].
* [[Movellan]]s, it is suggested, are of Dalek manufacture. They were designed to fool Davros into thinking his creations were in trouble several times.
* The Daleks are always on the lookout for new sources of metals and chemicals for their war effort.
* Dryn Faber notes the Daleks are paranoid and cautious.
* One of the Daleks' motives for the safety of Skaro was because the planet has a number of industrial facilities and war factories. Losing them would have only hampered the Daleks plans.
* When Sam enters the war room, she is taken by surprise by the number of Daleks currently deployed in all their wars.
* The Doctor says the Daleks "have no interest in anything but conquest and war. Art, decoration, poetry, music - it's all irrelevant to them." <ref>''War of the Daleks'', page 170</ref>
* At Davros's (or the Dalek Race's, depending on how you see it) trial the Daleks play a recording of Professor [[Rachel Jensen]] concerning [[Coal Hill School]] and [[Shoreditch Incident|the battle]] that took place there.
* The [[Dalek Prime]] is one of the original Daleks. It is the leader of all the Daleks and it is the ancestor of many Daleks currently around.


==References==
=== The Doctor's items ===
* The Doctor has another [[The Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]], which he uses to kill the Daleks with high frequency shock waves.
* The Doctor's jacket came from a costume shop in [[San Francisco]].
 
=== Foods and beverages ===
* Sam orders French [[toast]] and [[orange juice]] from the TARDIS food machine - though all its food looks like a [[Mars Bar|mars bar]] and a glass of [[carrot juice]]. She also eats half of a Mars bar.
 
=== Individuals ===
* Sam cries out, "I'm too young to die!", before breaking into hysterical giggles that turn into odd laughter. She's been in the TARDIS for around six months.
* The Doctor, Sam, the [[Thal]]s and the crew of the ''[[Quetzel]]'' are taken by the [[Dalek]]s to [[Skaro]].
* [[Space Security Service]] agents are trained to be one-man armies; [[Marc Cory]] is mentioned by [[Dryn Faber]] after he's destroyed a Dalek facility which was attempting to mine precious metals. (during an interlude).
 
=== Planets ===
* It is suggested that the [[Seventh Doctor]] destroyed a planet called [[Antalin]] rather than Skaro.
* [[Terakis]] is destroyed by a [[Thal]] bomb in order to wipe out half of the Dalek [[Eighth Fleet]]. Terakis was inhabited by a primitive society, and were considered expendable by the Thals.
 
=== Species ===
* [[Mechanoid]]s have fought the Daleks on more than one occasion.
* A [[Slyther]] makes a brief appearance (during an interlude).
* Some [[Draconian]]s make an appearance (also during an interlude). They die in battle against Dalek Killcruisers.
* [[Varga plant]]s are mentioned briefly as the crew of the ''[[Quetzel]]'' consider what could be within the pod.
 
=== TARDIS ===
* The Doctor removes the [[TARDIS lock]] to discover how [[the Master]] got through the lock in [[San Francisco]].
* The Doctor removes the [[TARDIS lock]] to discover how [[the Master]] got through the lock in [[San Francisco]].
* The Doctor, Sam, the [[Thal]]s and the crew of the [[Quetzel]] are taken by [[Dalek|The Daleks]] to [[Skaro]].  
* The Doctor refers to the TARDIS as a "[[Type 40]] TT capsule" when he and Sam arrives on the ''Quetzel. ''
*Skaro means 'home' in the original Kaled language.
 
*It is suggested that [[Seventh Doctor|the Doctor]] destroyed a planet called [[Antalin]] rather than Skaro.
=== Vehicles ===
* [[Davros]] still has Dalek supporters on Skaro.
* The ''[[Quetzel]]'' has a [[Bussard Ram Jet]] which Sam learnt from reading ''[[Jane's Spaceships]]''.
* Davros used [[Hand of Omega]] which destroyed what he thought of as Skaro.
* Various types of Daleks appear: [[Dalek variants#Dalek strider|Dalek Striders]], [[Dalek variants#Spider Dalek|Spider Daleks]], [[Dalek variants#Marine Dalek|Marine Dalek]].
* [[Movellan]]s are suggested to be of Dalek manufacture.
* The [[Quetzel]] has a [[Bussard Ram Jet]] which Sam learnt from reading [[Jane's Space Ships]].
* [[Mechanoid]]s have fought the Daleks on more than one occasion.
*The Doctor has another [[sonic screwdriver]] which he uses to kill the Daleks with high frequency shock waves.
*The Doctor says the Daleks ''"have no interest in anything but conquest and war. Art, decoration, poetry, music - it's all irrelevant to them."'' (page 170), he's forgetting ''"[[The Lament of the Non-Operational]]"''.
*A [[Slyther]] makes a brief appearance (during an interlude).
*Some [[Draconian]]s make an appearance (also during an interlude), they die.
*[[Varga plant]]s are mentioned briefly as the crew of the [[Quetzel]] consider what could be within the pod.
*At Davros's (or the Dalek Race's, depending on how you see it) trial the Daleks play a recording of Professor [[Rachel Jensen]] concerning [[Coal Hill School]] and [[Shoreditch Incident|the battle]] that took place there.


==Story Notes==
== Story notes ==
* The meaning of Dalek colours is revealed in this novel: Grey Daleks are the foot soldiers with limited intelligence, next are the Blue Daleks which serve as corporals and sergeants. The Red Daleks have some intelligence and autonomy from the Dalek command structure. Black Daleks are smarter still, the Gold Daleks are the elite at the top is the Dalek Prime.
* The meaning of Dalek colours (at this point in their history anyway) is revealed in this novel: [[Dalek drone|Grey Daleks]] are the foot soldiers with limited intelligence; the [[Blue Dalek]]s serve as corporals and sergeants; the [[Red Dalek]]s have some intelligence and autonomy from the Dalek command structure; [[Black Dalek]]s are smarter still; the [[Gold Dalek]]s are the elite; and at the top is the [[Dalek Prime]].
* This story was the first to feature a Dalek inside the TARDIS until [[The Parting of the Ways]].
* This story was the first to feature a Dalek inside the TARDIS, which did not happen again until [[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]''.
*Counting the Interludes every single Dalek story is referenced in some way (except [[Death to the Daleks]]).
* Counting the Interludes, every single Dalek story is referenced in some way (except ''[[Death to the Daleks (TV story)|Death to the Daleks]]'').
*The Dalek Prime looks like the Dalek Emperor from [[The Dalek Chronicles]].
* The Dalek Prime looks like the Dalek Emperor from ''[[The Dalek Chronicles]]''.
*War of the Daleks begun life as a four part TV story, but when the series was cancelled it held off, then it was put forward by John Peel as a possible [[Virgin New Adventures]] novel, but was rejected before finally becoming a Eighth Doctor Adventure. Peel noted in an interview ''"Another reason for the story was to bring back Skaro. I feel that its destruction in [[Remembrance of the Daleks|Remembrance (of the Daleks)]] - was a bad move, as did [[Terry Nation]]. When I sought his permission for War, he asked me to try and rectify the destruction, which I think I've done very sneakily."''<ref>[http://www.sorddin.com/broadsword-old/issue11/interview11h.html Interview with John Peel, which appeared in ''Broadsword'' issue 11]</ref>
* The Dalek Prime previously appeared in John Peel's Dalek [[Target novelisation|novelisations]] ''[[The Chase (novelisation)|The Chase]]'', ''[[The Mutation of Time (novelisation)|The Mutation of Time]]'', ''[[The Evil of the Daleks (novelisation)|The Evil of the Daleks]]'' (as the [[Dalek Emperor]]) and was mentioned in ''[[Mission to the Unknown (novelisation)|Mission to the Unknown]]''. This is the Dalek Prime's first role in an original story. The second and only other would be [[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Four Doctors (audio story)|The Four Doctors]]'', its only role outside of a novel.
* ''War of the Daleks'' began life as a four-part TV story, but when the series was cancelled it was shelved, then was put forward by John Peel as a possible [[Virgin New Adventures]] novel. It was rejected, before finally becoming an Eighth Doctor Adventure. Peel noted in an interview, "Another reason for the story was to bring back Skaro. I feel that its destruction in [[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|''Remembrance'' <nowiki>[of the Daleks]</nowiki>]] - was a bad move, as did [[Terry Nation]]. When I sought his permission for ''War'', he asked me to try and rectify the destruction, which I think I've done very sneakily."<ref>[http://www.sorddin.com/broadsword-old/issue11/interview11h.html Interview with John Peel, which appeared in ''Broadsword'' issue 11]</ref>
* This is the only ''Doctor Who'' novel to feature Davros as a character.
* The novel was released the same day as the [[Past Doctor Adventures|Past Doctor Adventure]] novel ''[[Illegal Alien (novel)|Illegal Alien]]'', another [[Illegal Alien (TV story)|proposed TV story]] that was scrapped due to the show's cancellation and featured another popular recurring enemy. Additionally, like ''War'', ''Illegal Alien'' was also the fifth novel of its line.
* There are two planets called Antalin. One appears in the Human Space Interlude and the other is a decoy for Skaro, which is a main story element of the book.
* Presuming the interludes take place concurrently with the main story, this novel takes place circa [[4000]], as [[Dryn Faber]] mentions [[Marc Cory]]'s death in ''[[Mission to the Unknown (TV story)|Mission to the Unknown]]'', indicating the [[destruction of Skaro]] occurred circa [[3970]].


===Retcon===
=== Retcon ===
''War of the Daleks'' is controversial for its retconning of every Dalek story from ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'' to ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', although it is not really a true retcon. The retcon also makes reference to other Dalek stories.
''War of the Daleks'' is controversial for its retconning of every Dalek story from ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'' to ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', although it is not really a true retcon. The retcon also makes reference to other Dalek stories.


{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Events of original Dalek story
! Events of original Dalek story
! Events of original Dalek story with added ''War of the Daleks'' context
! Events of original Dalek story with added ''War of the Daleks'' context
|-
|-
| The Daleks invaded Earth in the 22nd century (''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'').
| The Daleks invaded Earth in the 22nd century (''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'').
| During the invasion defeated in ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' (set in the 22nd century), the Daleks discovered records showing that Davros had destroyed Skaro in 1963 (''Remembrance of the Daleks'').
| During the invasion defeated in ''The Dalek Invasion of Earth'' (set in the 22nd century), the Daleks discovered records showing that Davros had destroyed Skaro in 1963 (''Remembrance of the Daleks'').
|-
|-
| The Daleks used time travel to conquer Earth and it is implied that this was to prevent the failure of the 22nd-century invasion (''[[Day of the Daleks]]'').
| The Daleks used time travel to conquer Earth and it is implied that this was to prevent the failure of the 22nd-century invasion (''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'').
| The Daleks then used their nascent time travel abilities to try to prevent the failure of the invasion. This attempt created a parallel timeline (''Day of the Daleks''). When this failed, the Daleks realised that they could not save Skaro by changing history.
| The Daleks then used their nascent time travel abilities to try to prevent the failure of the invasion. This attempt created a parallel timeline (''Day of the Daleks''). When this failed, the Daleks realised that they could not save Skaro by changing history.
|-
|-
| The Daleks entered into a war with the robotic [[Movellan]]s. Both sides were entirely logical and reached an impasse. The Daleks returned to Skaro to revive Davros, so he could help them break their stalemate. The Daleks and Movellans on Skaro were defeated and Davros was captured and taken for trial (''Destiny of the Daleks'').
| The Daleks entered into a war with the robotic [[Movellan]]s. Both sides were entirely logical and reached an impasse. The Daleks returned to Skaro to revive Davros, so he could help them break their stalemate. The Daleks and Movellans on Skaro were defeated and Davros was captured and taken for trial (''Destiny of the Daleks'').
| The Dalek Prime came up with a new plan. The planet Antalin was terraformed to resemble Skaro. Davros was excavated from the Kaled bunker and moved to Antalin. The Daleks also created the [[Movellan]]s and faked a war with them to give them a plausible reason for reviving Davros. When Davros was revived, he believed himself to be on Skaro, and was told by the Daleks that they needed him to solve the logical impasse in their war with the Movellans. The Daleks ensured that Davros would be captured and taken for trial (''Destiny of the Daleks'').
| The Dalek Prime came up with a new plan. To simultaneously save their homeworld and maintain the flow of history, the Daleks reasoned that they must make Skaro '''appear''' to have been destroyed. To that end, the planet Antalin was terraformed to resemble Skaro. Davros was then excavated from the Kaled bunker and moved to Antalin. The Daleks also created the [[Movellan]]s and faked a war with them to give them a plausible reason for reviving Davros. When Davros was revived, he believed himself to be on Skaro, and was told by the Daleks that they needed him to solve the logical impasse in their war with the Movellans. The Daleks ensured that Davros would be captured and taken for trial (''Destiny of the Daleks'').
|-
|-
| Davros was sprung from his imprisonment by the Daleks, who wanted him to find a cure for the Movellan virus. At this time, the Daleks also wanted to invade Gallifrey by using robotic duplicates, as well as 1980s Earth in the same way. To this end, their ship contained a time corridor (''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'').
| Davros was sprung from his imprisonment by the Daleks, who wanted him to find a cure for the Movellan virus. At this time, the Daleks also wanted to invade Gallifrey by using robotic duplicates, as well as 1980s Earth in the same way. To this end, their ship contained a time corridor (''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]]'').
| It was then arranged that Davros was sprung from his imprisonment and given access to the time travel technology he needed to return to 1963, acquire the Hand of Omega, and destroy Antalin (''Resurrection of the Daleks'').
| It was then arranged that Davros was sprung from his imprisonment and given access to the time travel technology he needed to return to 1963, acquire the Hand of Omega, and destroy Antalin (''Resurrection of the Daleks'').
|-
|-
| Davros began to create a new race of Daleks (''[[Revelation of the Daleks]]'').
| Davros began to create the Imperial Dalek Faction. (''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'').
| At this point, the plan seemed to go a bit wrong, as Davros instead began to create a new race of Daleks (''Revelation of the Daleks'').
| At this point, the plan seemed to go a bit wrong, as Davros instead began to create the Imperial Daleks (''Revelation of the Daleks'').
|-
|-
| Davros conquered Skaro with his Imperial Dalek faction. The Imperials and the Renegades and travelled back in time to 1963 in order to acquire the [[Hand of Omega]]. Tricked by the Doctor, Davros destroyed Skaro (''Remembrance of the Daleks'').
| Davros conquered Skaro with his Imperial Dalek faction. The Imperials and the Renegades travelled back in time to 1963 in order to acquire the [[Hand of Omega]]. Tricked by the Doctor, Davros destroyed Skaro (''Remembrance of the Daleks'').
| When Davros was finally able to travel back to 1963 with his Imperial faction, the Renegade faction - ultimately loyal to the Dalek Prime - ensured that he acquired the Hand of Omega and destroyed what appeared to be Skaro to fulfil the historical record. Tricked by the Doctor who was tricked by the Dalek Prime, Davros destroyed Antalin (''Remembrance of the Daleks'').
| When Davros was finally able to travel back to 1963 with his Imperial faction, the Renegade faction - ultimately loyal to the Dalek Prime - ensured that he acquired the Hand of Omega and destroyed what '''appeared''' to be Skaro, in order to fulfil the historical record. Tricked by the Doctor who was tricked by the Dalek Prime, Davros destroyed Antalin (''Remembrance of the Daleks'').
|}
|}


===Discontinuity and Errors===
== Continuity ==
* War of the Daleks is considered by many to be non-canonical, or at least on the outskirts of established canon as it makes numerous revisions to 'established' Dalek history.
* The Doctor basically retells the events of [[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'', ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'' to Sam, Chayn and the others.
:* In short, every TV Dalek story from ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'' to ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'' is revised to fit War of the Daleks' plot.
* In conversation with the Dalek Prime the events of (in addition to the above stories) [[TV]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', ''[[Day of the Daleks (TV story)|Day of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'' are discussed in varying levels of detail.
:* The only 'question' this book seems to answer is where the Dalek Factory Ship seen in ''[[The Power of the Daleks]]'' came from.
* The Dalek factory ship is suggested to be the factory ship in [[TV]]: ''[[The Power of the Daleks (TV story)|The Power of the Daleks]]''. This however contradicts the fact that those Daleks were powered by static electricity and there are no silver Daleks in the Dalek ranks (from what we are told).
:*However throughout the various discussions the events of ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'' don't appear to gel with the story given to the Doctor by the Dalek Prime (its motivations do not make sense given what is said in this novel with regard to that story).
* Sam complains about the lack of a kitchen in the TARDIS; there is one in [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Room With No Doors (novel)|The Room With No Doors]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[Autumn Mist (novel)|Autumn Mist]]'' and ''[[Escape Velocity (novel)|Escape Velocity]]''.
:*If the Movellans were created by the Daleks then who were the humanoid robots causing the Daleks grief in [[MA]]: ''[[A Device of Death]].
* In the 'Human Space' Interlude, [[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)|The Daleks' Master Plan]]'' is briefly visited upon.
:*Additionally ''if'' the Movellans were a ruse to trick Davros, why was there a Movellan virus created, why was it on Earth and why have all the Dalek shock troops (all from [[DW]]: ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks]]'')
* In the 'Draconian Space' Interlude, Draconians first appeared in [[TV]]: ''[[Frontier in Space (TV story)|Frontier in Space]]''.
:*The Dalek Prime claims that the Daleks recovered Davros on Skaro, relocated him to Antalin, and altered his memories so that he would believe Antalin to be Skaro.  However, if the Daleks did indeed find Davros before the events in ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'', why did they not simply finish him off there? ''Davros had to apparently destroy Skaro. Perhaps the Daleks were afraid that if they killed Davros and created a paradox then the universe would end, or something.''
* In the 'Hesperus' Interlude Mechanoids appear; they first appeared in [[TV]]: ''[[The Chase (TV story)|The Chase]]'' and fought the Daleks early in their space travels. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Eve of War (comic story)|Eve of War]]'', ''[[Impasse (comic story)|Impasse]]'')
:*In one of the Interludes in the book (page 81 - Interlude Human Space), it's set on a planet covered entirely by water, called Antalin. (This planet has the same name as the planet which was made to look like Skaro). ''Perhaps it simply shared Antalin's name, like there can be two places on Earth with the same name.''
* The Doctor says he took a trip to Skaro for the Master's trial. ([[TV]]: ''[[Doctor Who (TV story)|Doctor Who]]'')
*If during the events of ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'' the Daleks discovered records of Skaro's destruction and set about preventing it, why would they not also find out about the cataclysmic (for the Daleks) events of ''[[Doomsday]]'' and ''[[Journey's End]]''?
* The Doctor mentions he left hints about the Hand of Omega in order for Davros to destroy Skaro. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Emperor of the Daleks! (comic story)|Emperor of the Daleks]]'')
*The Daleks moved Davros from Skaro to Antalin. They buried him in a replica of the Kaled bunker. Once they had finished doing that, they presumably immediately set about digging him up again, all to fool him into thinking he was on Skaro. Did the Daleks use the slaves to bury Davros as well? If so, why didn't the slaves mention that in ''Destiny of the Daleks''? If not, why did the Daleks need the slaves to dig Davros up? ''Maybe they used a different group of slaves.''
* The Doctor comments, "I was starting to get worried that you'd discovered religion." This does happen, in [[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]''.
*If the renegade Daleks in ''Remembrance of the Daleks'' were taking orders from the Dalek Prime, and presumably were in on the plot, then why did the Black Dalek at the end of ''Remembrance'' blow itself up when told of its race's defeat by the Doctor, when it should know full well that everything is going according to plan?
* "Skaro" means "home" in the [[Kaled language]]. [[Davros]] later notes to the [[Twelfth Doctor]] that the Daleks have a strong [[concept]] of home, explaining why they remade their [[homeworld]] following the [[Time War]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Witch's Familiar (TV story)|The Witch's Familiar]]'')
*The Antalin scheme requires either extreme carelessness on the part of the Doctor and Davros, or very careful alteration of maps by the Dalek Prime. In ''Remembrance'', the Doctor sees a star chart of what is allegedly Antalin, and believes it to be Skaro; it also seems that at no point between being revived on Antalin in ''Destiny of the Daleks'' and leading his Imperial faction in ''Remembrance'' did Davros ever bother to look at his home planet on a map, which surely would have shown clearly that the planet he was ruling from was NOT the planet he had been born on. ''The Doctor had only been to Skaro four times before ''Remembrance''. The first time, in ''[[The Daleks]]'', the TARDIS was not working properly. The next two times, in ''[[The Evil of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'', he went there without the TARDIS (although he did leave in the TARDIS in ''Evil''). The fourth time was in ''Destiny of the Daleks'', and that was actually Antalin. If the Doctor had used his knowledge of Skaro's location gained in ''Destiny'', then he would have false coordinates as that planet was Antalin.''
 
A lot of this supports the theory put forward by some fans that the Dalek Prime's story about Antalin is actually untrue and is a fabrication for propaganda purposes, and that Skaro was destroyed in ''Remembrance''. If this is true, it is possible that the "Skaro" featured in ''War of the Daleks'' is actually Antalin, as this novel reveals that "Skaro" simply means "home", and so presumably could be used to refer to whatever the current Dalek base of operations is. Evidence for this includes the fact that in ''War'', "Skaro" is not radioactive.


==Continuity==
== External links ==
*The Doctor basically retells the events of: [[DW]]: ''[[The Daleks]]'', ''[[Genesis of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'' to Sam, Chayn and the others.
{{dwrefguide|whobbc05.htm|War of the Daleks}}
*In conversation with the Dalek Prime the events of; (in addition to the above stories) [[DW]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', ''[[Day of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Revelation of the Daleks]]'' and ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'' are discussed in varying details.
* {{whoniverse|ed05|War of the Daleks}}
*However as mentioned in Notes everything from [[Destiny of the Daleks]] is retconned in some way.
* [http://mysite.science.uottawa.ca/rsmith43/cloister/waro.htm The Cloister Library: '''War of the Daleks''']
*This is set ''after'' [[DW]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks]]''.
*The Dalek factory ship is suggested to be the factory ship in [[DW]]: ''[[The Power of the Daleks]]''.
*In [[PDA]]: ''[[Salvation]]'' it's established that the Mechanoids were sent out in early stages of space exploration...so how do they recognise the Movellans (who were from a much later period).
*In [[NA]]: ''[[GodEngine]]'' it is shown that the Daleks were hollowing out Earth's core to make an Osiran device work, here it's so they can pilot planets.
*Sam complains about the lack of a kitchen in the TARDIS, there is one in [[NA]]: ''[[The Room With No Doors]]'', [[EDA]]: ''[[Autumn Mist]]'' and ''[[Escape Velocity]]''.
*The Doctor says the Daleks ''"have no interest in anything but conquest and war. Art, decoration, poetry, music - it's all irrelevant to them."'' (page 170), he's forgetting ''"The Lament of the Non-operational"'', mentioned in [[NA]]: ''[[The Also People]]''.
*In the 'Human Space' Interlude [[DW]]: ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan]]'' is briefly visited upon.
*In the 'Draconian Space' Interlude, well, Draconians first appeared in [[DW]]: ''[[Frontier in Space]]''.
*In the 'Hesperus' Interlude Mechanoids appear, they first appeared in [[DW]]: ''[[The Chase]]''.
*The Doctor says he took a trip to Skaro for the Master's trial. ([[DW]]: ''[[Doctor Who: The TV Movie]]'')
*On page 187 the Doctor comments ''"I was starting to get worried that you'd discovered religion."'', which actually happens in [[DW]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]''.


== External Links ==
== Footnotes ==
* [http://www.drwhoguide.com/whobbc05.htm The Doctor Who Reference Guide detailed synopsis of '''War of the Daleks''']
{{reflist}}
* [http://www.whoniverse.org/discontinuity/ED05.php Whoniverse Discontinuity Guide entry for '''War of the Daleks''']
*[http://tinyurl.com/32stdz The Cloister Library - '''War of the Daleks''']


==Footnotes==
{{EDA}}
<references/>
{{Dalek prose stories}}
{{Davros stories}}
{{Mechanoid stories}}
{{TitleSort}}


{{BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures Series Box | before = [[Genocide]] | after = [[Alien Bodies]]}}
[[Category:Dalek novels]]
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[[Category:BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures]]
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[[Category:Stories set on Skaro]]
[[Category:Stories set on Skaro]]
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Latest revision as of 21:07, 17 June 2024

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You may be looking for Dalek Wars.

War of the Daleks was the fifth novel in the BBC Eighth Doctor Adventures series. It was written by John Peel, released 6 October 1997 and featured the Eighth Doctor and Sam Jones.

It features the Daleks, Davros and several Thals. This novel is also notable for significantly attempting to retroactively rewrite every televised Dalek story from Destiny of the Daleks onwards. It also features a reference to every single TV story featuring the Daleks from The Daleks through to Remembrance of the Daleks.

Concerning a continuity issue brought up by the 1996 telemovie, this novel gave a possible explanation for the planet Skaro reappearing after the Seventh Doctor supposedly used the Hand of Omega to destroy it in Remembrance of the Daleks. Instead, he was apparently duped into destroying Antalin, a sacrificial decoy used by the Daleks.

Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Doctor is repairing the TARDIS systems once again when it is swept up by a garbage ship roving through space, the Quetzel.

When another ship approaches and takes the Quetzel by force, the Doctor discovers that he and Sam are not the only unwitting travellers on board - there is a strangely familiar survival pod in the hold. Delani, the captain of the second ship, orders the pod to be opened. The Doctor is powerless to intervene as Davros is awakened once again.

But this is no out-and-out rescue of Davros. Delani and his crew are Thals, the sworn enemies of the Daleks. They intend to use Davros as a means to wipe out the Daleks, finally ridding the universe of the most aggressive, deadly race ever to exist. But the Doctor is still worried. For there is a signal beacon inside the pod, and even now a Dalek ship is closing in...

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

The story opens up with the Doctor and Sam in the TARDIS doing some maintenance when they are collected by a ship which holds an escape pod containing the Dalek Emperor Davros. A group of Thals arrive; they want Davros to alter their species so they will be better able to fight the Daleks. A force of Renegade Daleks then arrive and take the Doctor and Davros, along with others to Skaro. Before landing on Skaro, the Doctor discovers that the coordinates he believed were Skaro's were actually those of the planet Antalin.

Since Davros's return, the Dalek Prime has met considerable resistance with a number of Imperial Daleks forming. Initiating a final civil war on Skaro, the Dalek Prime has all the Davros loyalists revealed and exterminated. In the mean time he releases the Doctor to leave Skaro. The Doctor discovers a planted device on board the TARDIS which would allow the Daleks to survive in case the Dalek Prime failed. He jettisons it into the vortex.

With the Imperial Daleks defeated, Davros is sentenced to death by matter dispersal. Prior to his downfall he had implanted a Spider Dalek as a spy amongst the Dalek Prime's forces. Davros is placed in a disintegration chamber and his atoms dispersed. His fate is left open when his data is either erased from the disintegrator or transmatted across space to a safe location.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Daleks[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Skaro means "home" in the original Kaled language.
  • Davros still has Dalek supporters on Skaro. They started to appear shortly after word of their creators' survival after the original Daleks shot him, and believe that because Davros is their creator he should be in command.
  • Davros used the Hand of Omega, which destroyed what he thought of as Skaro.
  • Several types of Daleks appear: Strider Daleks, Spider Daleks, Marine Dalek.
  • Movellans, it is suggested, are of Dalek manufacture. They were designed to fool Davros into thinking his creations were in trouble several times.
  • The Daleks are always on the lookout for new sources of metals and chemicals for their war effort.
  • Dryn Faber notes the Daleks are paranoid and cautious.
  • One of the Daleks' motives for the safety of Skaro was because the planet has a number of industrial facilities and war factories. Losing them would have only hampered the Daleks plans.
  • When Sam enters the war room, she is taken by surprise by the number of Daleks currently deployed in all their wars.
  • The Doctor says the Daleks "have no interest in anything but conquest and war. Art, decoration, poetry, music - it's all irrelevant to them." [1]
  • At Davros's (or the Dalek Race's, depending on how you see it) trial the Daleks play a recording of Professor Rachel Jensen concerning Coal Hill School and the battle that took place there.
  • The Dalek Prime is one of the original Daleks. It is the leader of all the Daleks and it is the ancestor of many Daleks currently around.

The Doctor's items[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The Doctor has another sonic screwdriver, which he uses to kill the Daleks with high frequency shock waves.
  • The Doctor's jacket came from a costume shop in San Francisco.

Foods and beverages[[edit] | [edit source]]

Individuals[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Sam cries out, "I'm too young to die!", before breaking into hysterical giggles that turn into odd laughter. She's been in the TARDIS for around six months.
  • The Doctor, Sam, the Thals and the crew of the Quetzel are taken by the Daleks to Skaro.
  • Space Security Service agents are trained to be one-man armies; Marc Cory is mentioned by Dryn Faber after he's destroyed a Dalek facility which was attempting to mine precious metals. (during an interlude).

Planets[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • It is suggested that the Seventh Doctor destroyed a planet called Antalin rather than Skaro.
  • Terakis is destroyed by a Thal bomb in order to wipe out half of the Dalek Eighth Fleet. Terakis was inhabited by a primitive society, and were considered expendable by the Thals.

Species[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • Mechanoids have fought the Daleks on more than one occasion.
  • A Slyther makes a brief appearance (during an interlude).
  • Some Draconians make an appearance (also during an interlude). They die in battle against Dalek Killcruisers.
  • Varga plants are mentioned briefly as the crew of the Quetzel consider what could be within the pod.

TARDIS[[edit] | [edit source]]

Vehicles[[edit] | [edit source]]

Story notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • The meaning of Dalek colours (at this point in their history anyway) is revealed in this novel: Grey Daleks are the foot soldiers with limited intelligence; the Blue Daleks serve as corporals and sergeants; the Red Daleks have some intelligence and autonomy from the Dalek command structure; Black Daleks are smarter still; the Gold Daleks are the elite; and at the top is the Dalek Prime.
  • This story was the first to feature a Dalek inside the TARDIS, which did not happen again until TV: The Parting of the Ways.
  • Counting the Interludes, every single Dalek story is referenced in some way (except Death to the Daleks).
  • The Dalek Prime looks like the Dalek Emperor from The Dalek Chronicles.
  • The Dalek Prime previously appeared in John Peel's Dalek novelisations The Chase, The Mutation of Time, The Evil of the Daleks (as the Dalek Emperor) and was mentioned in Mission to the Unknown. This is the Dalek Prime's first role in an original story. The second and only other would be AUDIO: The Four Doctors, its only role outside of a novel.
  • War of the Daleks began life as a four-part TV story, but when the series was cancelled it was shelved, then was put forward by John Peel as a possible Virgin New Adventures novel. It was rejected, before finally becoming an Eighth Doctor Adventure. Peel noted in an interview, "Another reason for the story was to bring back Skaro. I feel that its destruction in Remembrance [of the Daleks] - was a bad move, as did Terry Nation. When I sought his permission for War, he asked me to try and rectify the destruction, which I think I've done very sneakily."[2]
  • This is the only Doctor Who novel to feature Davros as a character.
  • The novel was released the same day as the Past Doctor Adventure novel Illegal Alien, another proposed TV story that was scrapped due to the show's cancellation and featured another popular recurring enemy. Additionally, like War, Illegal Alien was also the fifth novel of its line.
  • There are two planets called Antalin. One appears in the Human Space Interlude and the other is a decoy for Skaro, which is a main story element of the book.
  • Presuming the interludes take place concurrently with the main story, this novel takes place circa 4000, as Dryn Faber mentions Marc Cory's death in Mission to the Unknown, indicating the destruction of Skaro occurred circa 3970.

Retcon[[edit] | [edit source]]

War of the Daleks is controversial for its retconning of every Dalek story from Destiny of the Daleks to Remembrance of the Daleks, although it is not really a true retcon. The retcon also makes reference to other Dalek stories.

Events of original Dalek story Events of original Dalek story with added War of the Daleks context
The Daleks invaded Earth in the 22nd century (The Dalek Invasion of Earth). During the invasion defeated in The Dalek Invasion of Earth (set in the 22nd century), the Daleks discovered records showing that Davros had destroyed Skaro in 1963 (Remembrance of the Daleks).
The Daleks used time travel to conquer Earth and it is implied that this was to prevent the failure of the 22nd-century invasion (Day of the Daleks). The Daleks then used their nascent time travel abilities to try to prevent the failure of the invasion. This attempt created a parallel timeline (Day of the Daleks). When this failed, the Daleks realised that they could not save Skaro by changing history.
The Daleks entered into a war with the robotic Movellans. Both sides were entirely logical and reached an impasse. The Daleks returned to Skaro to revive Davros, so he could help them break their stalemate. The Daleks and Movellans on Skaro were defeated and Davros was captured and taken for trial (Destiny of the Daleks). The Dalek Prime came up with a new plan. To simultaneously save their homeworld and maintain the flow of history, the Daleks reasoned that they must make Skaro appear to have been destroyed. To that end, the planet Antalin was terraformed to resemble Skaro. Davros was then excavated from the Kaled bunker and moved to Antalin. The Daleks also created the Movellans and faked a war with them to give them a plausible reason for reviving Davros. When Davros was revived, he believed himself to be on Skaro, and was told by the Daleks that they needed him to solve the logical impasse in their war with the Movellans. The Daleks ensured that Davros would be captured and taken for trial (Destiny of the Daleks).
Davros was sprung from his imprisonment by the Daleks, who wanted him to find a cure for the Movellan virus. At this time, the Daleks also wanted to invade Gallifrey by using robotic duplicates, as well as 1980s Earth in the same way. To this end, their ship contained a time corridor (Resurrection of the Daleks). It was then arranged that Davros was sprung from his imprisonment and given access to the time travel technology he needed to return to 1963, acquire the Hand of Omega, and destroy Antalin (Resurrection of the Daleks).
Davros began to create the Imperial Dalek Faction. (Revelation of the Daleks). At this point, the plan seemed to go a bit wrong, as Davros instead began to create the Imperial Daleks (Revelation of the Daleks).
Davros conquered Skaro with his Imperial Dalek faction. The Imperials and the Renegades travelled back in time to 1963 in order to acquire the Hand of Omega. Tricked by the Doctor, Davros destroyed Skaro (Remembrance of the Daleks). When Davros was finally able to travel back to 1963 with his Imperial faction, the Renegade faction - ultimately loyal to the Dalek Prime - ensured that he acquired the Hand of Omega and destroyed what appeared to be Skaro, in order to fulfil the historical record. Tricked by the Doctor who was tricked by the Dalek Prime, Davros destroyed Antalin (Remembrance of the Daleks).

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

External links[[edit] | [edit source]]

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]

  1. ↑ War of the Daleks, page 170
  2. ↑ Interview with John Peel, which appeared in Broadsword issue 11
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