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{{Infobox Story | {{Infobox Story SMW | ||
|image = Genocide revised.jpg | |image = Genocide revised.jpg | ||
|range = Main Range | |range = Main Range | ||
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|doctor = Seventh Doctor | |doctor = Seventh Doctor | ||
|companions = [[Ace]] | |companions = [[Ace]] | ||
|enemy = [[Dalek]] | |featuring = [[Bev Tarrant]] | ||
|enemy = [[Dalek Supreme (The Genocide Machine)|Dalek Supreme]] | |||
|setting = [[Kar-Charrat]] | |setting = [[Kar-Charrat]] | ||
|writer = | |writer = Mike Tucker | ||
|director = [[Nicholas Briggs]] | |director = [[Nicholas Briggs]] | ||
|producer = [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]] | |producer = [[Gary Russell]] and [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]] | ||
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|cover = [[Clayton Hickman]] | |cover = [[Clayton Hickman]] | ||
|publisher = Big Finish Productions | |publisher = Big Finish Productions | ||
|release date = | |release date = April 2000 | ||
|format = 2 CDs<br/>2 cassettes<br/>Download | |format = 2 CDs<br/>2 cassettes<br/>Download | ||
|production code = [[List of production codes#Big Finish production codes|7S]] | |production code = [[List of production codes#Big Finish production codes|7S]] | ||
|isbn = ISBN 1-84435-069- | |isbn = ISBN 978-1-84435-069-8 (physical)<br/>ISBN 978-1-84435-688-1 (digital) | ||
|trailer = {{StoryTitle}}.ogg | |trailer = {{StoryTitle}}.ogg | ||
|prev = The Marian Conspiracy (audio story) | |prev = The Marian Conspiracy (audio story) | ||
| Line 28: | Line 29: | ||
|next2 = The Apocalypse Element (audio story) | |next2 = The Apocalypse Element (audio story) | ||
|soundcloudtrailer = https://soundcloud.com/big-finish/doctor-who-the-genocide-machine | |soundcloudtrailer = https://soundcloud.com/big-finish/doctor-who-the-genocide-machine | ||
|epcount = 4}}{{spotify|album= | |epcount = 4 | ||
'''''The Genocide Machine''''' was the seventh story in [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]'s [[Main Range|monthly range]]. It was written by [[Mike Tucker]] and featured [[Sylvester McCoy]] as the [[Seventh Doctor]] | }}{{spotify|album=0MRcG5xKrBEDgOINUV3EJE|height=350}} | ||
'''''The Genocide Machine''''' was the seventh story in [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]]'s [[Main Range|monthly range]]. It was written by [[Mike Tucker]] and featured [[Sylvester McCoy]] as the [[Seventh Doctor]], [[Sophie Aldred]] as [[Ace]] and introduced [[Louise Faulkner]] as [[Bev Tarrant]]. | |||
It was the first serial in the ''[[Dalek Empire (audio series)|Dalek Empire]]'' arc, which continued in the [[Sixth Doctor]] audio ''[[The Apocalypse Element (audio story)|The Apocalypse Element]]'' and the [[Fifth Doctor]] audio ''[[The Mutant Phase (audio story)|The Mutant Phase]]'' before concluding in the [[Eighth Doctor]] audio ''[[The Time of the Daleks (audio story)|The Time of the Daleks]]''. | It was the first serial in the ''[[Dalek Empire (audio series)|Dalek Empire]]'' arc, which continued in the [[Sixth Doctor]] audio ''[[The Apocalypse Element (audio story)|The Apocalypse Element]]'' and the [[Fifth Doctor]] audio ''[[The Mutant Phase (audio story)|The Mutant Phase]]'' before concluding in the [[Eighth Doctor]] audio ''[[The Time of the Daleks (audio story)|The Time of the Daleks]]''. | ||
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The story introduced the character of [[Bev Tarrant]] who would go on to be a main character in the [[Bernice Summerfield (series)|''Bernice Summerfield'' audio range]]. | The story introduced the character of [[Bev Tarrant]] who would go on to be a main character in the [[Bernice Summerfield (series)|''Bernice Summerfield'' audio range]]. | ||
Behind the scenes, this story was notable, not just as the first Big Finish production to feature the [[Dalek]]s, but as [[Nicholas Briggs]]' first time voicing them in an official ''Doctor Who'' production. He previously voiced the Daleks for the [[Audio Visuals]] in the 1980s. Briggs later went on to voice the Daleks throughout the [[BBC Wales]] series of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', as [[Russell T Davies]] was a Big Finish subscriber and discovered him that way. | Behind the scenes, this story was notable, not just as the first Big Finish production to feature the [[Dalek]]s, but as [[Nicholas Briggs]]' first time voicing them in an official ''Doctor Who'' production. He previously voiced the Daleks for the [[Audio Visuals (fan work)|Audio Visuals]] in the 1980s. Briggs later went on to voice the Daleks throughout the [[BBC Wales]] series of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', as [[Russell T Davies]] was a Big Finish subscriber and discovered him that way. | ||
Another first behind the scenes was the first use of {{w|Pro Tools}} to edit a Big Finish story, namely by Nick Briggs, who provided the post-production and music/sound design for ''The Genocide Machine''. The small 8-track device he previously used to edit Big Finish broke down mid-production, and he was forced to upgrade. | Another first behind the scenes was the first use of {{w|Pro Tools}} to edit a Big Finish story, namely by Nick Briggs, who provided the post-production and music/sound design for ''The Genocide Machine''. The small 8-track device he previously used to edit Big Finish broke down mid-production, and he was forced to upgrade. | ||
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== Plot == | == Plot == | ||
While doing some sorting in the TARDIS library, Ace finds some books from the library at Kar-Charrat, which is widely regarded as one of the wonders of the universe, and is said to hold all the knowledge of every civilised world. | === Part one === | ||
While doing some sorting in [[TARDIS library|the TARDIS library]], [[Ace]] finds some books from the library at [[Kar-Charrat]], which is widely regarded as one of the [[Wonders of the Universe|wonders of the universe]], and is said to hold all the knowledge of every civilised world. It's a fanciful claim, but [[Seventh Doctor|the Doctor]] takes it seriously enough; and he determines to return the books and own up to having unintentionally removed them—it's not a lending library, after all. Meanwhile, on Kar-Charrat an expedition of four individuals led by [[Bev Tarrant]] is exploring a [[ziggurat]] of more than a thousand years in age, hidden in the rain forest and the perpetual rain. The expedition — actually a mission of theft, aiming to steal the entire ziggurat — is cut down by a mysterious assailant. As Bev, the only survivor, crawls away, odd voices note that her now-dead partner Rappell no longer needs his body—but someone else does. | |||
The Doctor and Ace arrive, but the library appears to be in ruins. The Doctor explains that this is Time Lord technology at work; he was here with others at the time of construction. The Time Lords created not only a defensive grid, but also a time barrier that projects an impenetrable illusion of the way the library will look more than three thousand years in the future. Only one who is time-sensitive—like the Time Lords—or specially identified in the system can pass through it. He brings Ace through, and introduces her to the head librarian, Elgin, and his assistant Cataloguer, Prink. The return of the books prompts a momentary scandal; but Elgin relents, and shows them around. | The Doctor and Ace arrive, but the library appears to be in ruins. The Doctor explains that this is [[Time Lord]] technology at work; he was here with others at the time of construction. The Time Lords created not only a defensive grid, but also a time barrier that projects an impenetrable illusion of the way the library will look more than three thousand years in the future. Only one who is time-sensitive—like the Time Lords—or specially identified in the system can pass through it. He brings Ace through, and introduces her to the head librarian, [[Elgin (The Genocide Machine)|Elgin]], and his assistant Cataloguer, [[Prink]]. The return of the books prompts a momentary scandal; but Elgin relents, and shows them around. | ||
The library has a new achievement. It now contains a | The library has a new achievement. It now contains a "wetworks", a huge array of water tanks that use the fluids as a complex form of memory storage. In this way, they have vastly increased their information capacity. The information can be retrieved via direct download to the brain. Elgin mentions that no one has access to the library—it is for storing information, not sharing it. This frustrates Ace, and she leaves to return to [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]]. Elgin tells the Doctor that the non-sharing policy has prompted a response from numerous races—including a semi-robotic race called the [[Dalek]]s. | ||
Outside the time barrier, Ace meets the wounded Bev | Outside the time barrier, Ace meets the wounded Bev; as she is taking her to the library to be cured, the duo are captured by the Daleks. | ||
=== Part two === | |||
Unknown to Bev, Ace is copied into a [[Ace (Dalek duplicate)|human-form Dalek operative]]. As Ace has been given a security tag for the library, the duplicate is able to return and infiltrate the library. At the same time, an alarmed Doctor begins to interrogate Elgin, and discovers that the Daleks did attack once, but failed to penetrate the defences. Worried about Ace, the Doctor takes Elgin out to find her, deeming the situation unsafe in case the Daleks are still around. He finds her—or rather, the duplicate—and Tarrant, and has them taken to the library's [[medical bay]]. He then has Elgin take him to the nearby ziggurat, which has piqued his curiosity. | |||
Near the ziggurat, they find the remains of Tarrant's crew, with some oddities about their corpses. Elgin tells him some unsettling stories about supposed phantoms in the jungle, dating from earliest colonisation. They then find that the ziggurat has been opened from the inside. Putting things together, the Doctor realises it's not an ancient artefact, but rather, a Dalek hibernation unit — and its inhabitants have now awoken! He finds a cloning chamber in the corner, and realises that the Ace he sent to the medical bay is a Dalek operative. | |||
The Doctor and Elgin try to return to the TARDIS, but are intercepted and captured by the Dalek Supreme. They are returned to the library; the Daleks explain that they plan to create a Dalek that can contain the data store, creating a mobile repository of information that can be used to conquer first the galaxy, then the universe. For this, they require a Time Lord brain. The | Meanwhile, "Ace" has lowered the defence grid, and the Supreme Dalek orders its ship in orbit to send in attack troops. | ||
=== Part three === | |||
The Dalek's plan, it seems, is to seize control of the wetworks facility and its store of data. They kill everyone in the library except a few key individuals; they save Tarrant for use in luring out the Doctor if necessary, and send the real Ace to join her at the library. They require the Doctor for his Time Lord brain; without him, their download of the data in the wetworks will take far longer, delaying their invasion—in fact, a test run without the Doctor sends the test Dalek into madness. | |||
The Doctor and Elgin try to return to the TARDIS, but are intercepted and captured by the Dalek Supreme. They are returned to the library; the Daleks explain that they plan to create a Dalek that can contain the data store, creating a mobile repository of information that can be used to conquer first the galaxy, then the universe. For this, they require a Time Lord brain. The ziggurat — and others like it around the region of space — was a trap set to spring at first detection of a time capsule of any type. | |||
The Doctor is plugged into the system, and the experiment succeeds—the second test Dalek acquires the data. However, the strain appears to kill the Doctor. The Dalek Supreme returns to his ship to destroy the library. | The Doctor is plugged into the system, and the experiment succeeds—the second test Dalek acquires the data. However, the strain appears to kill the Doctor. The Dalek Supreme returns to his ship to destroy the library. | ||
Ace and Tarrant are intercepted by the body of | Ace and Tarrant are intercepted by the body of Tarrant's partner, Rappell, which is now animated by something. The entity says that it is a native of Kar-Charrat; its species is water-based, not just living in the water, but composed of water, which is what allows it to inhabit the body. It and its kind are fighting for survival, as the wetworks represents imprisonment and death to them. Meanwhile, they have saved the Doctor, by temporarily uploading his mind into the wetworks. They explain everything to him, and return him to his body, on condition that he keeps his promise to save them. | ||
Meanwhile, Daleks are dying mysteriously. The test Dalek, due to its newfound knowledge, deduces the truth about the natives, who are the source of the Kar-Charrat phantom stories. It realises that the natives can infiltrate Dalek casings and drown the mutants inside. It insists the natives are non-hostile except in self-defence; but the Supreme Dalek | === Part four === | ||
Meanwhile, Daleks are dying mysteriously. The test Dalek, due to its newfound knowledge, deduces the truth about the natives, who are the source of the Kar-Charrat phantom stories. It realises that the natives can infiltrate Dalek casings and drown the mutants inside. It insists the natives are non-hostile except in self-defence; but the Supreme Dalek can't accept this, and orders their extermination. The Dalek Supreme reports to the Dalek Emperor on Skaro, and is ordered to continue the plan, including the destruction of the planet. | |||
Back in his body, the Doctor castigates Elgin for the genocide that the wetworks poses to the natives. He then gathers Elgin, Prink, Ace, and Tarrant and takes them to the TARDIS, planning to destroy the wetworks and free the natives. Along the way, the duplicate Ace arrives and captures Elgin, prompting Prink to attack her. She kills Prink, but is killed in turn by the natives. | Back in his body, the Doctor castigates Elgin for the genocide that the wetworks poses to the natives. He then gathers Elgin, Prink, Ace, and Tarrant and takes them to the TARDIS, planning to destroy the wetworks and free the natives. Along the way, the duplicate Ace arrives and captures Elgin, prompting Prink to attack her. She kills Prink, but is killed in turn by the natives. | ||
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== Cast == | == Cast == | ||
* [[Seventh Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Sylvester McCoy]] | * [[Seventh Doctor|The Doctor]] - [[Sylvester McCoy]] | ||
* [[Ace]] - [[Sophie Aldred]] | * [[Ace]]{{note|Aldred also plays [[Ace (Dalek duplicate)|Ace's Dalek duplicate]].}} - [[Sophie Aldred]] | ||
* [[Bev Tarrant]] - [[Louise Faulkner]] | * [[Bev Tarrant]] - [[Louise Faulkner]] | ||
* [[Elgin (The Genocide Machine)|Chief Librarian Elgin]] - [[Bruce Montague]] | * [[Elgin (The Genocide Machine)|Chief Librarian Elgin]] - [[Bruce Montague]] | ||
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* The [[Dalek]]s - [[Alistair Lock]] and [[Nicholas Briggs]] | * The [[Dalek]]s - [[Alistair Lock]] and [[Nicholas Briggs]] | ||
== | == Crew == | ||
* Ace wanders around the [[TARDIS library]]. She finds a book from [[Kar-Charrat]]. | * Cover Art - [[Clayton Hickman]] | ||
* Music, Sound Design & Director - [[Nicholas Briggs]] | |||
* Executive Producer - [[Jacqueline Rayner]] | |||
* Producers - [[Jason Haigh-Ellery]] and [[Gary Russell]] | |||
* Writer - [[Mike Tucker]] | |||
* Daleks created by [[Terry Nation]] | |||
== Worldbuilding == | |||
* Ace wanders around the [[TARDIS library]]. She finds a book from [[Kar-Charrat]], from the [[Alpha Centauri system|Alpha Centauri]] collection. | |||
=== Daleks === | === Daleks === | ||
* The Daleks were kept in [[suspended animation|cryogenic hibernation]] in what was thought to have been a [[Dalek ziggurat|ziggurat]] on the planet. | * The Daleks were kept in [[suspended animation|cryogenic hibernation]] in what was thought to have been a [[Dalek ziggurat|ziggurat]] on the planet. | ||
* According to [[Bev Tarrant]], the Daleks' ziggurat is at least 1,270 years old. | * According to [[Bev Tarrant]], the Daleks' ziggurat is at least 1,270 years old. | ||
* A [[Special Weapons Dalek]], the [[Dalek Supreme]] and the [[Dalek Emperor (The Genocide Machine)|Dalek Emperor]] are all present or are in contact during the course of events. | * A [[Special Weapons Dalek]], the [[Dalek Supreme (The Genocide Machine)|Dalek Supreme]] and the [[Dalek Emperor (The Genocide Machine)|Dalek Emperor]] are all present or are in contact during the course of events. | ||
* The Daleks count in [[rel]]s. | * The Daleks count in [[rel]]s. | ||
=== Technology === | === Technology === | ||
* The Doctor's | * [[The Doctor's mind]] is used as a buffer to control data transfer from the wetworks facility to the Dalek test subject. | ||
* The Doctor blows up the [[wetworks facility]], freeing the captive natives. | * The Doctor blows up the [[wetworks facility]], freeing the captive natives. | ||
=== Time technology === | === Time technology === | ||
* The Kar-Charrat Library is hidden behind a [[temporal barrier]]. | * The Kar-Charrat Library is hidden behind a [[temporal barrier]]. | ||
== Gallery == | |||
<gallery position="center" captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true" widths="250"> | |||
The Genocide Machine cover.jpg|Original cover art | |||
Lee Sullivan BF 7 3Genocide Machine.JPG|Art by [[Lee Sullivan]] from [[DWM 290]]. | |||
The Genocide Machine DWM preview clean.jpg|Textless version of the DWM preview. | |||
</gallery> | |||
== Notes == | == Notes == | ||
[[File:The Genocide Machine | * [[File:007 The Genocide Machine credits.jpg|thumb|CD booklet credits.]]This is Big Finish's first [[Dalek]] audio drama, marked as "[[Dalek Empire (audio series)|Dalek Empire]] - Part One", voiced for the first time by [[Nicholas Briggs]], who continues the role to the present day in Big Finish audios and in the revived television series. [[Alistair Lock]] also provides Dalek voices in the story. | ||
* This audio was featured in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' [[DWM 290|issue 290]] with an accompanying illustration by [[Lee Sullivan]]. | * This audio was featured in ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' [[DWM 290|issue 290]] with an accompanying illustration by [[Lee Sullivan]]. | ||
* This audio drama was recorded on [[13 November (production)|13]] and [[14 November (production)|14 November]] [[1999 (production)|1999]] at [[The Nu Groove Studios|Nu Groove Studios]].<ref name=":1">https://web.archive.org/web/20240726195907/https://www.bigfinish.com/releases/v/doctor-who-the-genocide-machine-625</ref> | |||
* This audio drama was recorded on [[13 November (production)|13]] and [[14 November (production)|14 November]] [[1999 (production)|1999]]. | * The first two editions of ''[[AHistory]]'' dates this story to 4256, as this was the date given by the Big Finish website; however, the third edition redates it to circa 5256, since in ''[[The Judas Gift (audio story)|The Judas Gift]]'' (set in 2607), Bev Tarrant says she's from "three thousand years in the future". | ||
* The first two editions of ''[[ | * This story is set between [[Survival (TV story)|''Survival'']] and the [[Doctor Who (TV story)|1996 TV Movie]], and after [[The Fearmonger (audio story)|''The Fearmonger'']].<ref name=":1" /> | ||
* This story was originally titled ''Wetworks.''<ref>[https://x.com/bigfinish/status/1814252654756778430 https://twitter.com/bigfinish/status/1814252654756778430]</ref><ref>[https://x.com/bigfinish/status/1814253518095524350 https://twitter.com/bigfinish/status/1814253518095524350]</ref> | |||
== Continuity == | == Continuity == | ||
* [[Ace]] recognises the [[Dalek]]s. ([[TV]]: | * [[Ace]] recognises the [[Dalek]]s. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks}}) | ||
* The Doctor hopes Ace ignored his rules of not transporting [[Nitro-9]]. ([[TV]]: | * The Doctor hopes Ace ignored his [[the Doctor's rules|rules]] of not transporting [[Nitro-9]]. ([[TV]]: {{cs|Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks}}) | ||
* This is the first appearance of art thief Bev Tarrant. She would later feature in [[AUDIO]]: | * This is the first appearance of the art thief [[Bev Tarrant]]. She would later feature in [[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Dust Breeding (audio story)|Dust Breeding}} and the [[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Big Finish ''Bernice Summerfield'' series]], eventually (and somewhat ironically) running and protecting the [[Braxiatel Collection]], one of the largest collections of art in the universe. | ||
* The Dalek mission to the Kar-Charrat library would have important ramifications following the Dalek invasion of [[Mutter's Spiral]]. ([[AUDIO]]: | * The Dalek mission to the Kar-Charrat library would have important ramifications following the Dalek invasion of [[Mutter's Spiral]]. ([[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Invasion of the Daleks (audio story)|Invasion of the Daleks}}, {{cs|Project Infinity (audio story)|Project Infinity}}) | ||
* A [[Dalek Supreme]] of the same design as the one seen in [[TV]]: | * A [[Dalek Supreme (The Genocide Machine)|Dalek Supreme]] of the same design as [[Dalek Supreme (Planet of the Daleks)|the one]] seen in [[TV]]: {{cs|Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks}} makes an appearance. It is subordinate to the [[Dalek Emperor (The Genocide Machine)|Dalek Emperor]]. | ||
* Bev mentions [[Coralee]]. The Doctor and Ace visited Coralee in [[PROSE]]: | * Bev mentions [[Coralee]]. The Doctor and Ace visited Coralee in [[PROSE]]: {{cs|Storm Harvest (novel)|Storm Harvest}}. [[Flinkstab]] murdered a dancing girl on Coralee in [[AUDIO]]: {{cs|Square One (Gallifrey audio story)|Square One}}. | ||
* The Doctor picked up [[Bernice Summerfield|Benny's]] | * The Doctor picked up [[Bernice Summerfield|Benny]]'s [[diaries]] from the Kar-Charrat Library, and sent them to her on the Collection. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|A la Recherche du Temps Perdu (short story)|A la Recherche du Temps Perdu}}) | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
{{bigfinish|releases/v/the-genocide-machine-625}} | {{bigfinish|releases/v/the-genocide-machine-625}} | ||
{{dwrefguide|who_bf07.htm|The Genocide Machine}} | {{dwrefguide|who_bf07.htm|The Genocide Machine}} | ||
{{tetrap|7/genocide.html|The Genocide Machine}} | |||
{{BFA monthly}} | |||
== Footnotes == | |||
<references /> | |||
=== Notes === | |||
{{notelist}}{{BFA monthly}} | |||
{{BFDE}} | {{BFDE}} | ||
{{Dalek audio stories}} | {{Dalek audio stories}} | ||
{{TitleSort}} | {{TitleSort}} | ||
[[Category:Dalek audio stories]] | [[Category:Dalek audio stories]] | ||
[[Category:Audio stories that use Delia Derbyshire's 2nd theme]] | [[Category:Audio stories that use Delia Derbyshire's 2nd theme]] | ||
Latest revision as of 23:11, 17 November 2024
The Genocide Machine was the seventh story in Big Finish's monthly range. It was written by Mike Tucker and featured Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor, Sophie Aldred as Ace and introduced Louise Faulkner as Bev Tarrant.
It was the first serial in the Dalek Empire arc, which continued in the Sixth Doctor audio The Apocalypse Element and the Fifth Doctor audio The Mutant Phase before concluding in the Eighth Doctor audio The Time of the Daleks.
The story introduced the character of Bev Tarrant who would go on to be a main character in the Bernice Summerfield audio range.
Behind the scenes, this story was notable, not just as the first Big Finish production to feature the Daleks, but as Nicholas Briggs' first time voicing them in an official Doctor Who production. He previously voiced the Daleks for the Audio Visuals in the 1980s. Briggs later went on to voice the Daleks throughout the BBC Wales series of Doctor Who, as Russell T Davies was a Big Finish subscriber and discovered him that way.
Another first behind the scenes was the first use of Pro Tools to edit a Big Finish story, namely by Nick Briggs, who provided the post-production and music/sound design for The Genocide Machine. The small 8-track device he previously used to edit Big Finish broke down mid-production, and he was forced to upgrade.
Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
The library on Kar-Charrat is one of the wonders of the Universe. It is also hidden from all but a few select species. The Doctor and Ace discover that the librarians have found a new way of storing data — a wetworks facility — but the machine has attracted unwanted attention, and the Doctor soon finds himself pitted against his oldest and deadliest enemies — the Daleks!
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
Part one[[edit] | [edit source]]
While doing some sorting in the TARDIS library, Ace finds some books from the library at Kar-Charrat, which is widely regarded as one of the wonders of the universe, and is said to hold all the knowledge of every civilised world. It's a fanciful claim, but the Doctor takes it seriously enough; and he determines to return the books and own up to having unintentionally removed them—it's not a lending library, after all. Meanwhile, on Kar-Charrat an expedition of four individuals led by Bev Tarrant is exploring a ziggurat of more than a thousand years in age, hidden in the rain forest and the perpetual rain. The expedition — actually a mission of theft, aiming to steal the entire ziggurat — is cut down by a mysterious assailant. As Bev, the only survivor, crawls away, odd voices note that her now-dead partner Rappell no longer needs his body—but someone else does.
The Doctor and Ace arrive, but the library appears to be in ruins. The Doctor explains that this is Time Lord technology at work; he was here with others at the time of construction. The Time Lords created not only a defensive grid, but also a time barrier that projects an impenetrable illusion of the way the library will look more than three thousand years in the future. Only one who is time-sensitive—like the Time Lords—or specially identified in the system can pass through it. He brings Ace through, and introduces her to the head librarian, Elgin, and his assistant Cataloguer, Prink. The return of the books prompts a momentary scandal; but Elgin relents, and shows them around.
The library has a new achievement. It now contains a "wetworks", a huge array of water tanks that use the fluids as a complex form of memory storage. In this way, they have vastly increased their information capacity. The information can be retrieved via direct download to the brain. Elgin mentions that no one has access to the library—it is for storing information, not sharing it. This frustrates Ace, and she leaves to return to the TARDIS. Elgin tells the Doctor that the non-sharing policy has prompted a response from numerous races—including a semi-robotic race called the Daleks.
Outside the time barrier, Ace meets the wounded Bev; as she is taking her to the library to be cured, the duo are captured by the Daleks.
Part two[[edit] | [edit source]]
Unknown to Bev, Ace is copied into a human-form Dalek operative. As Ace has been given a security tag for the library, the duplicate is able to return and infiltrate the library. At the same time, an alarmed Doctor begins to interrogate Elgin, and discovers that the Daleks did attack once, but failed to penetrate the defences. Worried about Ace, the Doctor takes Elgin out to find her, deeming the situation unsafe in case the Daleks are still around. He finds her—or rather, the duplicate—and Tarrant, and has them taken to the library's medical bay. He then has Elgin take him to the nearby ziggurat, which has piqued his curiosity.
Near the ziggurat, they find the remains of Tarrant's crew, with some oddities about their corpses. Elgin tells him some unsettling stories about supposed phantoms in the jungle, dating from earliest colonisation. They then find that the ziggurat has been opened from the inside. Putting things together, the Doctor realises it's not an ancient artefact, but rather, a Dalek hibernation unit — and its inhabitants have now awoken! He finds a cloning chamber in the corner, and realises that the Ace he sent to the medical bay is a Dalek operative.
Meanwhile, "Ace" has lowered the defence grid, and the Supreme Dalek orders its ship in orbit to send in attack troops.
Part three[[edit] | [edit source]]
The Dalek's plan, it seems, is to seize control of the wetworks facility and its store of data. They kill everyone in the library except a few key individuals; they save Tarrant for use in luring out the Doctor if necessary, and send the real Ace to join her at the library. They require the Doctor for his Time Lord brain; without him, their download of the data in the wetworks will take far longer, delaying their invasion—in fact, a test run without the Doctor sends the test Dalek into madness.
The Doctor and Elgin try to return to the TARDIS, but are intercepted and captured by the Dalek Supreme. They are returned to the library; the Daleks explain that they plan to create a Dalek that can contain the data store, creating a mobile repository of information that can be used to conquer first the galaxy, then the universe. For this, they require a Time Lord brain. The ziggurat — and others like it around the region of space — was a trap set to spring at first detection of a time capsule of any type.
The Doctor is plugged into the system, and the experiment succeeds—the second test Dalek acquires the data. However, the strain appears to kill the Doctor. The Dalek Supreme returns to his ship to destroy the library.
Ace and Tarrant are intercepted by the body of Tarrant's partner, Rappell, which is now animated by something. The entity says that it is a native of Kar-Charrat; its species is water-based, not just living in the water, but composed of water, which is what allows it to inhabit the body. It and its kind are fighting for survival, as the wetworks represents imprisonment and death to them. Meanwhile, they have saved the Doctor, by temporarily uploading his mind into the wetworks. They explain everything to him, and return him to his body, on condition that he keeps his promise to save them.
Part four[[edit] | [edit source]]
Meanwhile, Daleks are dying mysteriously. The test Dalek, due to its newfound knowledge, deduces the truth about the natives, who are the source of the Kar-Charrat phantom stories. It realises that the natives can infiltrate Dalek casings and drown the mutants inside. It insists the natives are non-hostile except in self-defence; but the Supreme Dalek can't accept this, and orders their extermination. The Dalek Supreme reports to the Dalek Emperor on Skaro, and is ordered to continue the plan, including the destruction of the planet.
Back in his body, the Doctor castigates Elgin for the genocide that the wetworks poses to the natives. He then gathers Elgin, Prink, Ace, and Tarrant and takes them to the TARDIS, planning to destroy the wetworks and free the natives. Along the way, the duplicate Ace arrives and captures Elgin, prompting Prink to attack her. She kills Prink, but is killed in turn by the natives.
Inside the library, Ace bluffs her way past the Daleks by pretending to be the duplicate. The Dalek Supreme orders the destruction of the library, but is attacked by the test Dalek, who now sees no purpose in the destruction. During the conflict, Ace plants Nitro-9 explosives on the wetworks, and the Doctor sets up a final download which will remove the data load from the natives in the system. As the explosives detonate—and the Doctor and Ace escape in the TARDIS—the natives drown the remaining Daleks; after a final report to the Emperor, the Dalek Supreme self-destructs.
The library is now the ruin it always appeared to be. Elgin, repentant of his mistake, chooses to stay and await the next visit from the Time Lords, hoping to recover some of the lost knowledge from the ruins. Tarrant returns to her own ship. The Doctor and Ace depart the planet in the TARDIS; but they know that the Daleks have only been set back, not deterred.
Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]
Crew[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Cover Art - Clayton Hickman
- Music, Sound Design & Director - Nicholas Briggs
- Executive Producer - Jacqueline Rayner
- Producers - Jason Haigh-Ellery and Gary Russell
- Writer - Mike Tucker
- Daleks created by Terry Nation
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Ace wanders around the TARDIS library. She finds a book from Kar-Charrat, from the Alpha Centauri collection.
Daleks[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Daleks were kept in cryogenic hibernation in what was thought to have been a ziggurat on the planet.
- According to Bev Tarrant, the Daleks' ziggurat is at least 1,270 years old.
- A Special Weapons Dalek, the Dalek Supreme and the Dalek Emperor are all present or are in contact during the course of events.
- The Daleks count in rels.
Technology[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Doctor's mind is used as a buffer to control data transfer from the wetworks facility to the Dalek test subject.
- The Doctor blows up the wetworks facility, freeing the captive natives.
Time technology[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Kar-Charrat Library is hidden behind a temporal barrier.
Gallery[[edit] | [edit source]]
Original cover art
Art by Lee Sullivan from DWM 290.
Textless version of the DWM preview.
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- This is Big Finish's first Dalek audio drama, marked as "Dalek Empire - Part One", voiced for the first time by Nicholas Briggs, who continues the role to the present day in Big Finish audios and in the revived television series. Alistair Lock also provides Dalek voices in the story.
- This audio was featured in Doctor Who Magazine issue 290 with an accompanying illustration by Lee Sullivan.
- This audio drama was recorded on 13 and 14 November 1999 at Nu Groove Studios.[1]
- The first two editions of AHistory dates this story to 4256, as this was the date given by the Big Finish website; however, the third edition redates it to circa 5256, since in The Judas Gift (set in 2607), Bev Tarrant says she's from "three thousand years in the future".
- This story is set between Survival and the 1996 TV Movie, and after The Fearmonger.[1]
- This story was originally titled Wetworks.[2][3]
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Ace recognises the Daleks. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)","Remembrance of the Daleks"])
- The Doctor hopes Ace ignored his rules of not transporting Nitro-9. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)","Remembrance of the Daleks"])
- This is the first appearance of the art thief Bev Tarrant. She would later feature in AUDIO: Dust Breeding [+]Loading...["Dust Breeding (audio story)","Dust Breeding"] and the Big Finish Bernice Summerfield series, eventually (and somewhat ironically) running and protecting the Braxiatel Collection, one of the largest collections of art in the universe.
- The Dalek mission to the Kar-Charrat library would have important ramifications following the Dalek invasion of Mutter's Spiral. (AUDIO: Invasion of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Invasion of the Daleks (audio story)","Invasion of the Daleks"], Project Infinity [+]Loading...["Project Infinity (audio story)","Project Infinity"])
- A Dalek Supreme of the same design as the one seen in TV: Planet of the Daleks [+]Loading...["Planet of the Daleks (TV story)","Planet of the Daleks"] makes an appearance. It is subordinate to the Dalek Emperor.
- Bev mentions Coralee. The Doctor and Ace visited Coralee in PROSE: Storm Harvest [+]Loading...["Storm Harvest (novel)","Storm Harvest"]. Flinkstab murdered a dancing girl on Coralee in AUDIO: Square One [+]Loading...["Square One (Gallifrey audio story)","Square One"].
- The Doctor picked up Benny's diaries from the Kar-Charrat Library, and sent them to her on the Collection. (PROSE: A la Recherche du Temps Perdu [+]Loading...["A la Recherche du Temps Perdu (short story)","A la Recherche du Temps Perdu"])
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- ↑ Aldred also plays Ace's Dalek duplicate.