Rusty (Into the Dalek): Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
(Removing speculation. Undo revision 2552215 by 80.5.213.41 (talk))
 
(81 intermediate revisions by 33 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{retitle|"{{PAGENAME}}"}}
{{retitle|"Rusty" (Into the Dalek)}}
{{ImageLink|Rusty}}
{{Infobox Individual
{{Infobox Individual
|image        = Rusty eye.jpg
|image        = Rusty eye.jpg
|alias        =  
|alias        =  
|species      = Dalek
|species      = Dalek
|affiliation  = New Dalek Paradigm
|affiliation  = Dalek Empire
|affiliation2 = Combined Galactic Resistance
|affiliation2 = Combined Galactic Resistance
|origin      = [[Skaro]]
|origin      = [[Skaro]]
|voice actor  = Nicholas Briggs
|voice actor  = Nicholas Briggs
|first        = Into the Dalek (TV story)
|first        = Into the Dalek (TV story)
|appearances  = [[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]''
|appearances  = {{Il|[[PROSE]]: ''[[Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe (short story)|Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe]]''|[[GAME]]: ''[[LEGO Dimensions (video game)|LEGO Dimensions]]''|[[GAME]]: ''[[Legacy (video game)|Legacy]]''|[[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]''|[[GAME]]: ''[[Lost in Time (video game)|Lost in Time]]''}}
|clip        = Doctor...will you help me? - Into the Dalek Preview - Doctor Who Series 8 Episode 2 2014 - BBC One
|clip        = Doctor...will you help me? - Into the Dalek Preview - Doctor Who Series 8 Episode 2 2014 - BBC One
|clip2        = Death to the Daleks! - Into The Dalek - Doctor Who - BBC
|clip2        = Death to the Daleks! - Into The Dalek - Doctor Who - BBC
|bts          = Why Doctor Who brought back Rusty the Dalek
|bts          = Why Doctor Who brought back Rusty the Dalek
}}{{you may|Rusty Goffe|Rusty (Vampire Science)|n2=Rusty from Vampire Science}}
{{Navfobox
|header = Alternate counterparts of<br>[[Rusty (Into the Dalek)|"Rusty"]]
|t1    =
|1      = [[Rusty (Into the Dalek)|The Doctor's universe]] • [[Rusty (The Daft Dimension)|Daft Dimension]]
}}
}}
"'''Rusty'''" was the name given by the [[Twelfth Doctor]] to a [[Dalek]] captured by the forces of [[Combined Galactic Resistance]], due to the outer Dalek shell being old and damaged. Intrigued and worried by Rusty's desire to exterminate the Daleks, the Doctor decided to explore the possibility for a "[[moral]] Dalek".
"'''Rusty'''" was the name given by the [[Twelfth Doctor]] to a [[Dalek]] captured by the forces of [[Combined Galactic Resistance]], due to the [[Casing|outer Dalek shell]] being old and damaged. Intrigued and worried by Rusty's desire to [[Extermination|exterminate]] the Daleks, the Doctor decided to explore the possibility for a "[[moral]] Dalek" during what was dubbed "the [[Good Dalek Incident]]".


== Biography ==
==Biography==
Rusty lived a normal Dalek life, until one battle left him drifting alone in the depths of space; unknown to him, his power source had cracked and was leaking radiation that disrupted his shell's programming to keep him from feeling anything but xenophobic hatred towards non-Daleks. Seeing the birth of a [[star]] triggered a realisation in Rusty of the inevitability of life returning despite the efforts of the [[Dalek]]s. From this, Rusty saw Daleks were [[evil]] and needed to be [[genocide|wiped from existence]].
===Early life===
According to the research of [[human]] historians, Rusty was a Dalek fighting towards the end of the [[Dalek Wars]]. ([[PROSE]]: '' [[Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe (short story)|The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe]]'') Alternatively, the ''[[The Secret Lives of Monsters]]'' stated that the events surrounding the ''[[Aristotle (spacecraft)|Aristotle]]'' occurred at "the height" of the Dalek Wars. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Secret Lives of Monsters (short story)|The Secret Lives of Monsters]]'') [[Book (The Whoniverse)|Another historical account]] however held that the Combined Galactic Resistance against whom Rusty fought had operated during the [[Great War (The Evil of the Daleks)|Great War]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Whoniverse (novel)|The Whoniverse]]'')


Eventually, he was found by the [[Combined Galactic Resistance]], and brought aboard their ship the ''[[Aristotle (spaceship)|Aristotle]]''. They attempted to open the shell, hurting Rusty. Badly hurt already, Rusty asked for help in recovering so he could exterminate his own race. Interested in the idea of a moral Dalek, the crew promised him medical attention.  
However, Rusty also had access to memories of post-[[Last Great Time War]] events, suggesting he was from a later point in Dalek history. ([[TV]]: ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'') Indeed, [[Time Lord]] research placed Rusty's existence after the War. In fact, the Lords of Time stated the Dalek unit existed in the time of the [[Resurrected Dalek Empire]] long following the [[47th century]], at some point after the [[Siege of Trenzalore]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)|Dalek Combat Training Manual]]'') which the human historians had tentatively dubbed the destruction of the Dalek species. ([[PROSE]]: '' [[Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe (short story)|The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe]]'') The Time Lords, trapped within the Time War but using [[the Matrix]] to look at they believed were merely theoretical visions of the future, dubbed the events surrounding Rusty the "[[Good Dalek Incident]]". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)|Dalek Combat Training Manual]]'')


The Doctor, [[Clara Oswald]], [[Journey Blue]], [[Ross (Into the Dalek)|Ross]] and [[Gretchen Carlisle]] were shrunk and ventured into Rusty to try to fix the damage that was killing him. Using his [[sonic screwdriver]], the Doctor repaired a crack in Rusty's power source that was leaking [[radiation]] and killing him.
===Rehabilitation===
Rusty lived a normal Dalek [[life]], until one [[battle]] left him drifting alone in the depths of [[space]]; unknown to him, his power source had cracked and was leaking [[radiation]] that disrupted his shell's programming to keep him from feeling anything but [[Xenophobia|xenophobic]] [[Hate|hatred]] towards non-Daleks. Seeing the birth of a [[star]] triggered a realisation in Rusty of the inevitability of life returning despite the efforts of the [[Dalek]]s. From this, Rusty saw Daleks were [[evil]] and needed to be [[genocide|wiped from existence]].


However, without the radiation affecting him, Rusty reverted to his original Dalek programming, restored to full power and went on a rampage, killing several soldiers and sending a distress call that attracted a nearby [[Dalek flying saucer]]. Upon urging from Clara, the Doctor decided to attempt to restore the changes once more. He had Clara reactivate the Dalek's suppressed memories so he could see the birth of the star again and be reminded of the universe's beauty.
Eventually, he was found by the [[Combined Galactic Resistance]], and brought aboard their ship the ''[[Aristotle (spacecraft)|Aristotle]]'' ([[TV]]: ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'') in the [[Ryzak solar system]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Secret Lives of Monsters (short story)|The Secret Lives of Monsters]]'') They attempted to open the shell, hurting Rusty. Badly hurt already, Rusty asked for help in recovering so he could exterminate his own race. Interested in the idea of a moral Dalek, the crew promised him medical attention.
 
The Doctor, [[Clara Oswald]], [[Journey Blue]], [[Ross (Into the Dalek)|Ross]] and [[Gretchen Carlisle]] were shrunk and ventured into Rusty to try to fix the damage that was killing him. Using his [[the Doctor's sonic screwdriver|sonic screwdriver]], the Doctor repaired a crack in Rusty's power source that was leaking [[radiation]] and killing him.
 
However, without the radiation affecting him, Rusty reverted to his original Dalek programming, restored to full power and went on a rampage, [[Murder|killing]] several [[soldier]]s and sending a [[distress call]] that attracted a nearby [[Dalek flying saucer]]. Upon urging from Clara, the Doctor decided to attempt to restore the changes once more. He had Clara reactivate the Dalek's suppressed [[Memory|memories]] so he could see the birth of the star again and be reminded of the [[universe]]'s [[beauty]].


[[File:Rusty.jpg|thumb|left|Rusty's casing. ([[TV]]: ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'')]]
[[File:Rusty.jpg|thumb|left|Rusty's casing. ([[TV]]: ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'')]]
Clara succeeded and the Doctor [[telepathy|telepathically]] linked with Rusty to show him more from inside his own mind. At first it seemed the Doctor had succeeded, as Rusty again saw beauty and divinity. However, Rusty also saw the Doctor's hatred of the Daleks, which resonated even more strongly with him. Rusty saw the Daleks as an evil which must be, in true Dalek fashion, exterminated.


Rusty then went on a rampage against his own kind, slaughtering the Daleks attacking the ''[[Aristotle (spaceship)|Aristotle]]'' and fooling the saucer into retreating by falsely telling the other Daleks that the ''Aristotle''{{'}}s [[self-destruct]] had been activated. Rusty left with the Daleks to continue his efforts against them, telling the Doctor that although Rusty himself was not a "[[good]] Dalek", the Doctor was a good Dalek. ([[TV]]: ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'')
Clara succeeded and the Doctor [[telepathy|telepathically]] linked with Rusty to show him more from inside his own [[mind]]. At first it seemed the Doctor had succeeded, as Rusty again saw beauty and divinity. However, Rusty also saw the Doctor's hatred of the Daleks, which resonated even more strongly with him. Rusty saw the Daleks as an evil which must be, in true Dalek fashion, exterminated.


Rusty then went on a rampage against his own kind, slaughtering the Daleks attacking the ''[[Aristotle (spacecraft)|Aristotle]]'' and fooling the saucer into retreating by falsely telling the other Daleks that the ''Aristotle''{{'}}s [[self-destruct]] had been activated. Rusty left with the Daleks to continue his efforts against them, telling the Doctor that although Rusty himself was not a "[[good]] Dalek", the Doctor was a good Dalek. ([[TV]]: ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'')
===Crusade against the Daleks===
{{Section stub|[[Lost in Time (video game)/Events|Purity of the Daleks]]}}
According to the human historians, Rusty's betrayal sent the [[Dalek Council|Supreme Council]] in a world of worry, even calling off their galactic invasion out of fear that Rusty's changed worldview would infect other units, but their experiments proved that his freak turn of heart could not be mass-replicated. Relieved, and unwilling to snuff out such beautiful hatred as Rusty's, they consigned him to the [[Dalek Asylum]], home to Daleks whose hatred was so powerful it threatened their own kind in one way or another. ([[PROSE]]: '' [[Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe (short story)|The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe]]'') The asylum was ultimately destroyed by the [[Parliament of the Daleks]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]'') Alternatively, the Time Lords believed Rusty to be from a later point in Dalek history, dating his crusade against the Daleks beginning sometime after the asylum's destruction. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)|Dalek Combat Training Manual]]'')
===Based in Villengard===
[[File:Rusty lights lit up TUaT.jpg|thumb|Rusty speaks to the [[Twelfth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')]]
[[File:Rusty lights lit up TUaT.jpg|thumb|Rusty speaks to the [[Twelfth Doctor]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')]]
Rusty continued to fight the Daleks for billions of years. He isolated himself at the [[centre of the universe]], in the ruins of [[Villengard]], combating numerous Daleks that came to fight him. Rusty fended them off, positioning himself in a tower overlooking the battered city. The Twelfth Doctor, nearing his death, came to the lone Dalek with his [[First Doctor|original incarnation]] to gain information on the [[Testimony]], as Rusty still had access to the Daleks' Pathweb. Rusty attacked him. However, he eventually removed his [[Gunstick]] as a peace offering to the Doctor, who persuaded him to help as it would irritate the Daleks greatly. After providing him the information he desired, the Twelfth Doctor left Rusty. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')


=== Memories ===
Rusty continued to fight the Daleks for billions of [[year]]s. In time, he grew to be, as the Twelfth Doctor put it, "a bit of a legend", entirely because he was a Dalek who had turned on his own kind. As his casing grew ancient and, much like his nickname implied it should be, rusty, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (novelisation)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') he isolated himself at the [[centre of the universe]] on [[Villengard]], combating numerous Daleks that came to kill him. Rusty fended them off, positioning himself in a tower overlooking the battered [[city]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') specifically remaining in what may have once been a throne room. Hooked up to machines that appeared to be keeping the Dalek alive, Rusty would fire out the windows at the many Daleks who came to destroy him, destroying their casings and filling the ruins with a mess of broken travel machines. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (novelisation)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')
As a Dalek, Rusty was linked to [[Pathweb]], the shared intelligence of the Daleks. ([[TV]]: ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]'') Through it, Rusty had access to the memories of [[Henry Van Statten]]'s "[[Metaltron]]" exterminating [[Bywater]] as it escaped [[The Vault (Dalek)|the Vault]] in the [[Battle of GeoComTex]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'') and [[Davros]]' [[New Dalek Empire]] attacking the ''[[Valiant (aircraft carrier)|Valiant]]'' during the [[21st century Dalek invasion]] of [[Earth]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'') The destruction of the Daleks, the [[Dalek Fleet|fleet]] and the [[Crucible]] at the failure of said invasion ([[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'') were memories Rusty saw while telepathically connected to the Doctor. ([[TV]]: ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'')


== Legacy ==
The Twelfth Doctor, nearing his [[death]], came to the lone Dalek with his [[First Doctor|original incarnation]] to gain information on the [[Testimony]], as Rusty still had access to the Daleks' [[Pathweb]]. Rusty attacked him but, upon the Doctor noting the Dalek had a chance to watch him die, eventually removed his [[Gunstick]] as a peace offering to the Doctor. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') The Time Lord was well aware of the fact that Rusty could simply [[Telekinesis|telekinetically]] recall the blaster, yet understood the action was a sign Rusty was willing to talk. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (novelisation)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') When the Doctor persuaded him to help as aiding him in any form would hurt the Daleks greatly, ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') Rusty proclaimed that the logic was ingenious and approved of it being, as the Doctor then said, "just a little bit evil". With that, the Doctor understood he could approach Rusty.
After the [[Twelfth Doctor]]'s [[mind]] was connected to a [[mind scythe]], the "holiday snaps" the Doctor showed [[Kygon Brox]] included Rusty. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Instruments of War (comic story)|The Instruments of War]]'')


The Doctor remembered what Rusty had said to him when [[The Master|Missy]] offered him an army of [[Cyberman (Mondas)|Cybermen]] for his [[birthday]] that he could use to rule the [[universe]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'')
Nonetheless, Rusty mocked the Doctor after he tapped his [[sonic sunglasses]] to the Dalek's [[manipulator arm]] to transfer the little information about Testimony he did know; instead of remarking that the Doctor was a good Dalek, Rusty remarked that the Doctor "would make a good Time Lord", entirely to ridicule the [[Gallifreyan]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (novelisation)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') Rusty projected the information from the Pathweb, revealing to the Doctor that the Testimony was simply a [[University of New Earth]] way to preserve the dead; in effect, the Doctor saw "its not an evil plan". After providing him the information he desired, the Twelfth Doctor left Rusty. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'') From the moment Rusty had projected the information, the Doctor understood the real [[Bill Potts]] had not come with him to Villengard, merely a Testimony copy of her memories, yet he hid how hard the news hit him from Rusty. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (novelisation)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')


== Behind the scenes ==
===Legacy===
* This was the fourth of four television Daleks to realise the [[evil]] of his kind and turn on them: the others are [[Metaltron]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]''), [[Dalek Sec]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'') and [[Dalek Caan]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'').
The [[Twelfth Doctor]] wrote about his and Clara's journey inside a Dalek in [[Twelfth Doctor's diary|his diary]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Doctor's Diary (DWAN 2015 short story)|page=9}})
* ''[[The Doctor and the Dalek (video game)|The Doctor and the Dalek]]'', which like ''Into the Dalek'' was also credited to [[Phil Ford]], features a Dalek which the Doctor names [[Lumpy]] who shares many similarities with Rusty (though unlike Rusty, Lumpy permanently reverts to his baseline "evil" self by the end of the game).
* Rusty was also seen to fight the Daleks with [[the Doctor]] and {{Gomez}} in the [[GAME]]: ''[[LEGO Dimensions]]''.
* Originally Rusty was planned to blow up on the Dalek ship. This ending can be seen in an early black and white version of the episode, which leaked online before the original episode's release.


== External links ==
After the Twelfth Doctor's [[mind]] was connected to a [[mind scythe]], the "[[holiday]] snaps" the Doctor showed [[Kygon Brox]] included Rusty. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Instruments of War (comic story)|The Instruments of War]]'')
 
The Doctor remembered what Rusty had said to him when [[Missy]] offered him an [[army]] of [[Cyberdear|Cybermen]] for his [[birthday]] that he could use to rule the [[universe]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Death in Heaven (TV story)|Death in Heaven]]'')
 
Rusty's efforts against his own kind elevated him to a legendary status across the galaxy but given the unlikelihood of a defecting Dalek, his existence was doubted. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')
 
===Other realities===
[[File:Daft Dimension 5.jpeg|thumb|left|An [[Rusty (The Daft Dimension)|alternative Rusty]] spends Christmas in the TARDIS. ([[COMIC]]: [[The Daft Dimension (DWM 481 comic story)|''The Daft Dimension'' 481]])]]
 
A [[Rusty (The Daft Dimension)|version of Rusty]] existed in [[the Daft Dimension]], where he was a [[Gold Dalek]] and had the name "RUSTY" inscribed on the name-tag beneath his [[Dalek eyestalk]]. Instead of parting ways with the [[Twelfth Doctor (The Daft Dimension)|Twelfth Doctor]] after their initial encounter, this version of Rusty wound up spending [[Christmas]] in [[the Doctor's TARDIS (The Daft Dimension)|the Doctor's TARDIS]] with him and [[Clara Oswald (The Daft Dimension)|Clara Oswald]], although he was not happy about the humanoids insisting on using him as a [[Christmas tree]]. ([[COMIC]]: [[The Daft Dimension (DWM 481 comic story)|''The Daft Dimension'' 481]])
 
==Behind the scenes==
===Prop===
Rusty was depicted using a [[bronze Dalek]] prop originally created for use in ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]'' before being reprised in ''[[The Day of the Doctor (TV story)|The Day of the Doctor]]'' and the trailer, ''[[Doctor Who: 50 Years (trailer)|Doctor Who: 50 Years]]''.<ref>http://www.dalek6388.co.uk/the-new-series-season-seven/</ref><ref>http://www.dalek6388.co.uk/the-new-series-the-specials/</ref>
 
===Other matters===
*This was the third of four television individual Daleks to realise the [[evil]] of his kind and turn on them: the others are [[Dalek Sec]] ([[TV]]: ''[[Evolution of the Daleks (TV story)|Evolution of the Daleks]]'') [[Dalek Caan]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Journey's End (TV story)|Journey's End]]'') and [[Dalek (The Power of the Doctor)|a traitor Dalek]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Power of the Doctor (TV story)|The Power of the Doctor]]'') However, there have been more Daleks within non-televised media to against the Daleks.
**He is also the second televised Dalek to recognise the Doctor's potential as a Dalek himself. In [[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]] the single Dalek having heard the [[Ninth Doctor]]'s hatred and anger told him "You would make a good Dalek".
*''[[The Doctor and the Dalek (video game)|The Doctor and the Dalek]]'', which like ''Into the Dalek'' was also credited to [[Phil Ford]], features a Dalek which the Doctor names [[Lumpy]] who shares many similarities with Rusty (though unlike Rusty, Lumpy permanently reverts to his baseline "evil" self by the end of the game).
*Rusty was also seen to fight the Daleks with [[the Doctor]] and [[Missy]] in the [[GAME]]: ''[[LEGO Dimensions (video game)|LEGO Dimensions]]''.
*Originally Rusty was planned to blow up on the Dalek ship. This ending can be seen in an early black and white version of the episode, which leaked online before the original episode's release.
*Rusty appears briefly in the webcast ''[[Merry Christmas! (webcast)|Merry Christmas!]]'', decorated like a Christmas tree and carrying a sign that reads ''MERRY CHRISTMAS''.
 
==External links==
{{Dwlx|Rusty the Dalek|Rusty the Dalek}}
{{Dwlx|Rusty the Dalek|Rusty the Dalek}}
{{ldx|Rusty the Friendly Dalek|Rusty the Friendly Dalek}}


==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
{{NameSort}}
{{NameSort}}
[[es:Rusty]]
 
[[Category:Individual Daleks]]
[[Category:Prisoners]]
[[Category:Prisoners]]
[[Category:Aliases]]
[[Category:Locations visited by the Twelfth Doctor]]
[[Category:Locations visited by the Twelfth Doctor]]
[[Category:Murderers]]
[[Category:Murderers]]
[[Category:The Doctor's Dalek companions]]
[[Category:Aliases]]
[[Category:Daleks with unknown names]]
[[Category:Bronze Daleks]]
 
[[es:Rusty]]
[[Category:Dalek Asylum residents]]
[[Category:Good Dalek Incident]]

Latest revision as of 00:50, 22 October 2024

You may be looking for Rusty Goffe or Rusty from Vampire Science.

"Rusty" was the name given by the Twelfth Doctor to a Dalek captured by the forces of Combined Galactic Resistance, due to the outer Dalek shell being old and damaged. Intrigued and worried by Rusty's desire to exterminate the Daleks, the Doctor decided to explore the possibility for a "moral Dalek" during what was dubbed "the Good Dalek Incident".

Biography[[edit] | [edit source]]

Early life[[edit] | [edit source]]

According to the research of human historians, Rusty was a Dalek fighting towards the end of the Dalek Wars. (PROSE: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe) Alternatively, the The Secret Lives of Monsters stated that the events surrounding the Aristotle occurred at "the height" of the Dalek Wars. (PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters) Another historical account however held that the Combined Galactic Resistance against whom Rusty fought had operated during the Great War. (PROSE: The Whoniverse)

However, Rusty also had access to memories of post-Last Great Time War events, suggesting he was from a later point in Dalek history. (TV: Into the Dalek) Indeed, Time Lord research placed Rusty's existence after the War. In fact, the Lords of Time stated the Dalek unit existed in the time of the Resurrected Dalek Empire long following the 47th century, at some point after the Siege of Trenzalore, (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual) which the human historians had tentatively dubbed the destruction of the Dalek species. (PROSE: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe) The Time Lords, trapped within the Time War but using the Matrix to look at they believed were merely theoretical visions of the future, dubbed the events surrounding Rusty the "Good Dalek Incident". (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual)

Rehabilitation[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rusty lived a normal Dalek life, until one battle left him drifting alone in the depths of space; unknown to him, his power source had cracked and was leaking radiation that disrupted his shell's programming to keep him from feeling anything but xenophobic hatred towards non-Daleks. Seeing the birth of a star triggered a realisation in Rusty of the inevitability of life returning despite the efforts of the Daleks. From this, Rusty saw Daleks were evil and needed to be wiped from existence.

Eventually, he was found by the Combined Galactic Resistance, and brought aboard their ship the Aristotle (TV: Into the Dalek) in the Ryzak solar system. (PROSE: The Secret Lives of Monsters) They attempted to open the shell, hurting Rusty. Badly hurt already, Rusty asked for help in recovering so he could exterminate his own race. Interested in the idea of a moral Dalek, the crew promised him medical attention.

The Doctor, Clara Oswald, Journey Blue, Ross and Gretchen Carlisle were shrunk and ventured into Rusty to try to fix the damage that was killing him. Using his sonic screwdriver, the Doctor repaired a crack in Rusty's power source that was leaking radiation and killing him.

However, without the radiation affecting him, Rusty reverted to his original Dalek programming, restored to full power and went on a rampage, killing several soldiers and sending a distress call that attracted a nearby Dalek flying saucer. Upon urging from Clara, the Doctor decided to attempt to restore the changes once more. He had Clara reactivate the Dalek's suppressed memories so he could see the birth of the star again and be reminded of the universe's beauty.

Rusty's casing. (TV: Into the Dalek)

Clara succeeded and the Doctor telepathically linked with Rusty to show him more from inside his own mind. At first it seemed the Doctor had succeeded, as Rusty again saw beauty and divinity. However, Rusty also saw the Doctor's hatred of the Daleks, which resonated even more strongly with him. Rusty saw the Daleks as an evil which must be, in true Dalek fashion, exterminated.

Rusty then went on a rampage against his own kind, slaughtering the Daleks attacking the Aristotle and fooling the saucer into retreating by falsely telling the other Daleks that the Aristotle's self-destruct had been activated. Rusty left with the Daleks to continue his efforts against them, telling the Doctor that although Rusty himself was not a "good Dalek", the Doctor was a good Dalek. (TV: Into the Dalek)

Crusade against the Daleks[[edit] | [edit source]]

This section's awfully stubby.

Purity of the Daleks

According to the human historians, Rusty's betrayal sent the Supreme Council in a world of worry, even calling off their galactic invasion out of fear that Rusty's changed worldview would infect other units, but their experiments proved that his freak turn of heart could not be mass-replicated. Relieved, and unwilling to snuff out such beautiful hatred as Rusty's, they consigned him to the Dalek Asylum, home to Daleks whose hatred was so powerful it threatened their own kind in one way or another. (PROSE: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe) The asylum was ultimately destroyed by the Parliament of the Daleks. (TV: Asylum of the Daleks) Alternatively, the Time Lords believed Rusty to be from a later point in Dalek history, dating his crusade against the Daleks beginning sometime after the asylum's destruction. (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual)

Based in Villengard[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rusty speaks to the Twelfth Doctor. (TV: Twice Upon a Time)

Rusty continued to fight the Daleks for billions of years. In time, he grew to be, as the Twelfth Doctor put it, "a bit of a legend", entirely because he was a Dalek who had turned on his own kind. As his casing grew ancient and, much like his nickname implied it should be, rusty, (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time) he isolated himself at the centre of the universe on Villengard, combating numerous Daleks that came to kill him. Rusty fended them off, positioning himself in a tower overlooking the battered city, (TV: Twice Upon a Time) specifically remaining in what may have once been a throne room. Hooked up to machines that appeared to be keeping the Dalek alive, Rusty would fire out the windows at the many Daleks who came to destroy him, destroying their casings and filling the ruins with a mess of broken travel machines. (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time)

The Twelfth Doctor, nearing his death, came to the lone Dalek with his original incarnation to gain information on the Testimony, as Rusty still had access to the Daleks' Pathweb. Rusty attacked him but, upon the Doctor noting the Dalek had a chance to watch him die, eventually removed his Gunstick as a peace offering to the Doctor. (TV: Twice Upon a Time) The Time Lord was well aware of the fact that Rusty could simply telekinetically recall the blaster, yet understood the action was a sign Rusty was willing to talk. (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time) When the Doctor persuaded him to help as aiding him in any form would hurt the Daleks greatly, (TV: Twice Upon a Time) Rusty proclaimed that the logic was ingenious and approved of it being, as the Doctor then said, "just a little bit evil". With that, the Doctor understood he could approach Rusty.

Nonetheless, Rusty mocked the Doctor after he tapped his sonic sunglasses to the Dalek's manipulator arm to transfer the little information about Testimony he did know; instead of remarking that the Doctor was a good Dalek, Rusty remarked that the Doctor "would make a good Time Lord", entirely to ridicule the Gallifreyan. (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time) Rusty projected the information from the Pathweb, revealing to the Doctor that the Testimony was simply a University of New Earth way to preserve the dead; in effect, the Doctor saw "its not an evil plan". After providing him the information he desired, the Twelfth Doctor left Rusty. (TV: Twice Upon a Time) From the moment Rusty had projected the information, the Doctor understood the real Bill Potts had not come with him to Villengard, merely a Testimony copy of her memories, yet he hid how hard the news hit him from Rusty. (PROSE: Twice Upon a Time)

Legacy[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Twelfth Doctor wrote about his and Clara's journey inside a Dalek in his diary. (PROSE: The Doctor's Diary [+]Loading...{"page":"9","1":"The Doctor's Diary (DWAN 2015 short story)"})

After the Twelfth Doctor's mind was connected to a mind scythe, the "holiday snaps" the Doctor showed Kygon Brox included Rusty. (COMIC: The Instruments of War)

The Doctor remembered what Rusty had said to him when Missy offered him an army of Cybermen for his birthday that he could use to rule the universe. (TV: Death in Heaven)

Rusty's efforts against his own kind elevated him to a legendary status across the galaxy but given the unlikelihood of a defecting Dalek, his existence was doubted. (TV: Twice Upon a Time)

Other realities[[edit] | [edit source]]

An alternative Rusty spends Christmas in the TARDIS. (COMIC: The Daft Dimension 481)

A version of Rusty existed in the Daft Dimension, where he was a Gold Dalek and had the name "RUSTY" inscribed on the name-tag beneath his Dalek eyestalk. Instead of parting ways with the Twelfth Doctor after their initial encounter, this version of Rusty wound up spending Christmas in the Doctor's TARDIS with him and Clara Oswald, although he was not happy about the humanoids insisting on using him as a Christmas tree. (COMIC: The Daft Dimension 481)

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

Prop[[edit] | [edit source]]

Rusty was depicted using a bronze Dalek prop originally created for use in Asylum of the Daleks before being reprised in The Day of the Doctor and the trailer, Doctor Who: 50 Years.[1][2]

Other matters[[edit] | [edit source]]

  • This was the third of four television individual Daleks to realise the evil of his kind and turn on them: the others are Dalek Sec (TV: Evolution of the Daleks) Dalek Caan, (TV: Journey's End) and a traitor Dalek. (TV: The Power of the Doctor) However, there have been more Daleks within non-televised media to against the Daleks.
    • He is also the second televised Dalek to recognise the Doctor's potential as a Dalek himself. In Dalek the single Dalek having heard the Ninth Doctor's hatred and anger told him "You would make a good Dalek".
  • The Doctor and the Dalek, which like Into the Dalek was also credited to Phil Ford, features a Dalek which the Doctor names Lumpy who shares many similarities with Rusty (though unlike Rusty, Lumpy permanently reverts to his baseline "evil" self by the end of the game).
  • Rusty was also seen to fight the Daleks with the Doctor and Missy in the GAME: LEGO Dimensions.
  • Originally Rusty was planned to blow up on the Dalek ship. This ending can be seen in an early black and white version of the episode, which leaked online before the original episode's release.
  • Rusty appears briefly in the webcast Merry Christmas!, decorated like a Christmas tree and carrying a sign that reads MERRY CHRISTMAS.

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

Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]