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[[file:PDVD_001.jpg|thumb|Pre-Time War Dalek eyepiece ]]
{{Infobox Object
The '''Dalek '''eyestalk, also called the '''eyepiece''' or similar names, was the part of the [[Dalek]] which enabled the [[Kaled mutant]] inside to see. Containing a wide-angle lens, the eyepiece could magnify images so that the Dalek could see across great distances and also track a person's footsteps. ([[DW]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'')The eyepiece was the most vulnerable part of the Dalek. When it was taken out or covered, the Dalek no longer remained a threat. After the eyepiece is destroyed, its head would spin around uncontrollably and the Dalek's weapon would be fired in a blind panic, usually accompanied by the frantic screaming of "My vision is impaired— I cannot see!"
|image      = Doctor Dalek Eyestalk.jpg
[[file:Dalek_vision1.jpg|thumb|left|Dalek Vision - Parting of the Ways]]
|aka        = Eyepiece
|type        = [[vision|Visual processor]]
|made by    = [[Dalek]]s
|used by    = [[Dalek]]s
|origin      = [[Skaro]]
|first      = The Daleks (TV story)
|appearances = {{appears|Dalek}}
}}
The '''Dalek eyestalk''', also called the '''eyepiece''', '''eye antenna''' ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Trodos Ambush (comic story)|The Trodos Ambush]]'') '''tele-eye''', ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Daleks Are Foiled (comic story)|The Daleks Are Foiled]]'') '''eye-stick''', ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Mission to the Unknown (novelisation)|Mission to the Unknown]]'') '''optical stalk''', ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Guilt (audio story)|Guilt]]'') '''sensory antenna''' or '''eyeball unit''', ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Shadowmind (novel)|Shadowmind]]'') was the part of the [[Dalek]] which enabled the [[Dalek mutant]] to receive visual input from outside its [[casing]].


However, post-[[Last Great Time War|Time War]] Daleks overcame this exploitable weakness. For example, a Dalek was shot in the eyestalk by [[Wilfred Mott|Wilf]] with a paintball gun. The paint was immediately melted off and the Dalek was heard to say "My vision is not impaired." ([[DW]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth]]'') After the Daleks harnessed background radiation as a power source during the [[Last Great Time War]], they developed a shield for their casings that would melt bullets, making the eyepiece more protected and harder to take out, although it was possible. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways]]'').
The eyestalk was adorned with multiple [[insulator disc]]s whose purpose was to protect the [[eye lens]] from deadly [[radiation]]. ([[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]]'')
[[file:Normal_4x16_The_Waters_of_Mars_353.jpg|thumb|right|Standard Dalek eyepiece]]
To escape from the Dalek base, [[Fourth Doctor|the Doctor]] threw his hat onto a Dalek's eyestick and the Dalek began firing and destroying the command center, almost hitting [[Davros]] in the process until the Doctor destroyed it. ([[DW]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'').
[[file:DalekEye.jpg|thumb|left|Dalek Vision - Victory of the Daleks]]
To escape from Davros' base in [[Tranquil Repose]], [[Sixth Doctor|the Doctor]] took out a Dalek's eyepiece and [[Peri]] attached a grenade to its casing, destroying the Dalek. ([[DW]]: ''[[Revelation of the Daleks]]'')
During the [[Shoreditch Incident]], [[Ace]] fired an ATR (Anti-Tank Rocket) at an [[Imperial Dalek]] and was shocked at the damage. She responded by saying "I aimed for the eyepiece." While inside a Dalek [[Dalek Shuttle|shuttle craft]], [[Seventh Doctor|the Doctor]] placed his hat on a Dalek's eyepiece to confuse it. ([[DW]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'')


[[FIle:Progenitor Dalek Eyepiece.PNG|thumb|right|Progenitor Dalek Eyepiece|252px]]
The eyestalk was attached to a [[pivot]]. In the case of later [[bronze Dalek]]s and their contemporaries, the pivot was surrounded by a [[cowl]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Prisoner of the Daleks (novel)|Prisoner of the Daleks]]'')
The viewpoint from the eyepiece varied over time, from a simple telescope-like view ([[DW]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'') to an infrared scanner ([[DW]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks]]'') to a bright green (or white, in the case of [[Imperial Daleks]]) lens, with Kaled script readouts displayed in the top and bottom left corners. ([[DW]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks]]'') By the time of the Last Great Time War, the eyestalks all contained blue glowing lenses, with a targeting aid "on-screen" at all times. ([[DW]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'')


The Daleks produced by the [[Progenitor]] had radically redesigned eyepieces with black rings on the stick, fins on the cone, and the lens being organic rather than robotic. The viewpoint from this eyepiece is similar except for an opaque orange perimeter with honeycomb circuitry and protruding organic veins. ([[DW]]: ''[[Victory of the Daleks]]'')
The [[Twelfth Doctor]] openly mocked the singular eyestalk, asking [[Davros]] how his "boys" took it when everyone else had two [[eye]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Witch's Familiar (TV story)|The Witch's Familiar]]'')


[[Eleventh Doctor|The Doctor]] came up with a plan to blind all the Daleks in the Supreme Council Chamber in [[Kaalann]]. To create the device to put the plan into action, he sent Amy to look for a Dalek eye stalk. ([[VG]]: [[City of the Daleks|''City of the Daleks'']])
== Development ==
[[Davros' prototype|Davros' early prototype]] sported an eyestalk. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Davros Genesis (short story)|Davros Genesis]]'')


[[Eleventh Doctor|The Doctor]] kept a Time War Dalek eyepiece in the Tardis drawing room. ([[VG]]: ''[[TARDIS (The Adventure Games)|TARDIS]]'')
== Exceptions ==
[[Category:Daleks]]
The [[Special Weapons Dalek]] notably had neither an [[eyepiece]] nor [[luminosity discharger]]s. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'') instead it watched through the glass circle below its dome which would illuminate when it spoke. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]''/''[[The Witch's Familiar (TV story)|The Witch's Familiar]]'')
 
The spherical dome of [[Davros]]' [[Emperor Dalek]] casing of the [[Imperial Dalek]]s also did not have an eyepiece; in its place was an [[energy relay]] which appeared as a silver [[hexagon]] with [[black]] outlines. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'')
 
== Design ==
The Dalek eyestalk was mounted on the [[Dalek]]'s [[dome]] via the [[lens attachment]], the front of which sported the [[eye lens]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dalek Generation (novel)|The Dalek Generation]]'') which enabled the Dalek to see its surroundings. It was the only vulnerable part of the Dalek. ([[TV]]: ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]]'') Components included [[visual scanner]]s ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Birth of a Legend (short story)|Birth of a Legend]]'') and a [[visual circuit]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'')
 
The [[Time Lord]]s observed that the [[silver Dalek]]s following the early [[Dalek War Machine]]s, as well as being fitted with [[solar slat]]s, boasted improvements to the visual systems in the form of a recalibrated eyepiece lens with re-engineered optic discs. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)|Dalek Combat Training Manual]]'')
 
[[File:SOTD2 Textless.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Fifth Doctor]] seen through a [[Last Great Time War|Time War]]-era eyestalk ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Shadow of the Daleks 2]]'')]]
Before the [[Last Great Time War]], the eye lens of the Dalek eyestalk appeared as a white circle with a black "pupil" in the middle. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'') Daleks of the Time War and beyond, most prominently, the [[bronze Dalek]]s, had eyepieces, the lens of which appeared as a flashing [[blue]] light. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'') If a Dalek's vision was impaired or otherwise inactive, the light would be absent, with only black in its place. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'')
 
The [[biomechanoid control system]] of the [[Renegade Dalek]]s' [[battle computer]] featured a [[helmet]] which resembled a black Dalek dome with an eyepiece. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'')
 
Uniquely, the [[Black Dalek]] [[Overseer (Planet of the Ogrons)|overseer]] had a eyepiece whose lens flashed [[red]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Planet of the Ogrons (audio story)|Planet of the Ogrons]]'')
 
Eyepieces were retained in the wildly different casings of the [[Volatix Cabal]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Organ Grinder (comic story)|The Organ Grinder]]'')
 
On the reconstructed Skaro, older [[silver Dalek]]s had eyepieces refitted with lenses matching those of their bronze counterparts. [[Renegade Dalek (The Magician's Apprentice)|A]] [[grey Dalek|grey]] [[Renegade Dalek]], however, retained its lens. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'')
 
The Daleks of the [[New Dalek Paradigm]] produced by the [[Progenitor]] had radically redesigned eyepieces with black rings on the stick, fins on the cone, and the lens being organic rather than robotic, much like a real organic eye. The viewpoint from this eyepiece was similar, except for an opaque orange perimeter with honeycomb circuitry and protruding organic veins. ([[TV]]: ''[[Victory of the Daleks (TV story)|Victory of the Daleks]]'') If the eyepiece were to be removed from the casing, the orange light would deactivate. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'') The introduction of organic materials into the eye was meant to enhance its sensitivity. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Dalek Combat Training Manual (reference book)|Dalek Combat Training Manual]]'')
 
The [[robot]]ic [[Proto-Dalek]]s, which were constructed by the [[British]] and [[German]]s as part of the [[Dalek Project]] during the [[First World War]], had eyepieces which were much bulkier and [[camera]]-like. In contrast to the [[German Proto-Dalek]]s, the [[British Proto-Dalek]]s had thick and cylindrical eyepieces. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Dalek Project (comic story)|The Dalek Project]]'')
 
== Abilities ==
With a wide-angle lens, the eyepiece could magnify images so that the Dalek could see across great distances and also track a person's footsteps. ([[TV]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'') The eyepiece was the most vulnerable part of the Dalek. Dalek eyestalks from a post-[[Last Great Time War]] era were capable of even greater forms of magnification, with various scales displayed in-vision.
 
[[File:Dalekinvasion_603.jpg|thumb|22nd century Dalek vision ([[TV]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'')]]
The viewpoint from the eyepiece varied over time, from a simple telescope-like view ([[TV]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'') which nevertheless allowed the Daleks to see in [[infrared]] ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Legacy of the Daleks (novel)|Legacy of the Daleks]]'') to an infrared scanner ([[TV]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'') to a bright green (or white, in the case of [[Imperial Dalek]]s) lens, with [[Kaled]] script readouts displayed in the top and bottom left corners with target cross hairs allowing the Dalek to line up its targets. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'') By the time of the Last Great Time War, the eyestalks all contained blue glowing lenses, with a targeting aid "on-screen" at all times, and a magnification ability - one Dalek used this mode to zoom in on [[Rose Tyler]]'s face. ([[TV]]: ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'')
 
[[Rusty (Into the Dalek)|Rusty]]'s eyestalk displayed the ability to project interactive holograms. ([[TV]]: ''[[Twice Upon a Time (TV story)|Twice Upon a Time]]'')
 
[[Reconnaissance Dalek|One Dalek]] of the [[reconnaissance scout]] caste, who had been the first Dalek scout to reach [[Earth]] or close enough, had its casing destroyed shortly after arrival and rebuilt a custom-made armour for itself after being buried for centuries. This unique armour's eyepiece showed a green-tined view and was able to perform an X-ray scan on the spot, a function which the Dalek used in order to confirm the existence of the Doctor's [[binary vascular system]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Resolution (TV story)|Resolution]]'')
 
== Weaknesses ==
[[File:Dalek vision1.jpg|thumb|left|Dalek vision with magnification scales. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'')]]
If the eyepiece was destroyed or if the lens was covered, the now-[[blind]] Dalek became a reduced threat. Daleks would behave erratically under these circumstances as the creature inside the casing was unable to deal with any danger because it was unable to see them. They would move around uncontrollably and fire their [[Dalek gun|weapons]] in a blind panic, usually accompanied by the frantic screaming of "My vision is impaired! I cannot see!". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Daleks (TV story)|The Daleks]]'', ''[[The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story)|The Daleks' Master Plan]]'', ''[[Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)|Resurrection of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Revelation of the Daleks (TV story)|Revelation of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'', ''[[The Witch's Familiar (TV story)|The Witch's Familiar]]'')
 
Whilst on [[Skaro]], in order to escape from the Dalek base, the [[Fourth Doctor]] threw his hat onto a Dalek's eyestalk. The Dalek began firing incandescently in a panic, guided by Davros though it had trouble obeying the orders because it was too panicked to concentrate on the Doctor, and almost hitting [[Davros]] in the process until the Doctor destroyed it. ([[TV]]: ''[[Destiny of the Daleks (TV story)|Destiny of the Daleks]]'') The [[Second Doctor]] previously used the same tactic against [[Dalek 4 (The Trodos Ambush)|Dalek 4]] on [[Trodos]], allowing him to penetrate its inner hearing system with [[The Doctor's recorder|his recorder]] and render it berserk. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Trodos Ambush (comic story)|The Trodos Ambush]]'')
 
During the [[Shoreditch Incident]], [[Ace]] fired an ATR ([[Anti-tank rocket]]) at an [[Imperial Dalek]]'s eyestalk. The ATR destroyed the top half of the Dalek, and the [[Seventh Doctor]] was shocked at the damage. Ace responded by saying "I aimed for the eyepiece". She later used a [[baseball bat]] enhanced by the [[Hand of Omega]] to sever a Dalek's eyepiece. While inside a Dalek [[Dalek shuttle|shuttle craft]], the Doctor merely placed his hat on a Dalek's eyepiece to confuse it while he "shorted it out". ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'')
 
However, post-[[Last Great Time War]] Daleks mostly overcame this exploitable weakness. Their shielding could resist most bullets, although [[bastic bullet]]s were still somewhat effective in blinding a Dalek. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Parting of the Ways (TV story)|The Parting of the Ways]]'') They could also melt any hindrance, as [[Wilfred Mott]] discovered when he shot a Dalek eyestalk with a paintball gun. The paint was immediately melted off after a moment and the Dalek was heard to say "My vision is ''not'' impaired". ([[TV]]: ''[[The Stolen Earth (TV story)|The Stolen Earth]]'')
 
The Daleks of the [[New Dalek Paradigm]] had the ability to repair their vision if their eyestalk was damaged, so the weakness could only be exploited as a temporary distraction. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Big Bang (TV story)|The Big Bang]]'', [[GAME]]: ''[[The Eternity Clock (video game)|The Eternity Clock]]'') However, repairs could not be made if the eyestalk was severed from the main casing or if the damage was too great. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Only Good Dalek (comic story)|The Only Good Dalek]]'', ''[[The Dalek Project (comic story)|The Dalek Project]]'')
 
The eyestalk had little in the way of peripheral vision, making it rather simple to hide from Daleks, even in open areas. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Dalek Invasion of Earth (TV story)|The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]'', ''[[Daleks in Manhattan (TV story)|Daleks in Manhattan]]'', [[GAME]]: ''[[City of the Daleks (video game)|City of the Daleks]]'')
 
The ''[[Dalek Survival Guide]]'' theorised that, based on some accounts that the Daleks could not see [[red]], that very early-model eyestealks could only see in black and white. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Dalek Survival Guide (novel)|Dalek Survival Guide]]'')
 
During the [[Last Great Time War]], [[Case (Consequences)|Case]], connected to the Dalek [[pathweb]], was able to use the network to selectively remove herself and the [[War Doctor]] from the eyestalk feeds of the [[Dalek Time Strategist (The Shadow Vortex)|Dalek Time Strategist]] and its personal guard. She later exploited her connection to the pathweb to shut down their eyestalks. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Memnos (audio story)|Memnos]]'')
 
== Other uses ==
[[File:Second Doctor looking through eye antenna.jpg|thumb|left|Inside a Dalek casing, the [[Second Doctor]] lines up his [[eye]] to see through the eye antenna. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Doctor Strikes Back (comic story)|The Doctor Strikes Back]]'')]]
Dalek eyestalks were worth a considerable amount during the [[Second Dalek War]] of the [[26th century]]. They were collected by [[Dalek Killer]]s and bounty hunters and were worth 20 decacredits after they were returned to the [[Earth Empire|Earth forces]] to confirm a kill. Some people like [[Jon Bowman]] and his crew on-board the ''[[Wayfarer]]'' did this for a living. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Love and War (novel)|Love and War]]'', ''[[Prisoner of the Daleks (novel)|Prisoner of the Daleks]]'') Outside of times of war, eyestalks still had value and could attest to someone's character since killing a Dalek was no small feat. [[The Doctor]] in his [[Eleventh Doctor|eleventh incarnation]] once salvaged the eyestalk of a [[Supreme Dalek (The Wedding of River Song)|damaged Supreme Dalek]] to use as bartering leverage with [[Gantok]] to learn more about [[the Silence]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Wedding of River Song (TV story)|The Wedding of River Song]]'') On another occasion, the Doctor used an eyestalk to display proof of his courage and comradeship to gain the trust of one of the many [[fleet]]s [[Siege of Trenzalore|besieging]] [[Trenzalore]], before realising he had landed on a [[Dalek flying saucer|Dalek ship]] who immediately attacked him. ([[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'') He kept the eyestalk of a Dalek from the [[Last Great Time War|Time War]] in the [[TARDIS drawing room]]. ([[GAME]]: ''[[TARDIS (video game)|TARDIS]]'', ''[[The Gunpowder Plot (video game)|The Gunpowder Plot]]'')
 
[[File:Supreme Eyestalk Lamp.jpg|thumb|A Dalek Supreme with a luminosity discharger in its eyestalk. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'')]]
A [[Dalek Supreme (Planet of the Daleks)|Dalek Supreme]] sent to [[26th century]] [[Spiridon]] had the unusual feature of a lamp in its eyestalk lens. It held the same communications function as a regular Dalek's luminosity dischargers on the sides of its head, lighting up when it spoke. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') [[Dalek Supreme (The Genocide Machine)|Another Dalek]], the immediate subordinate to the [[Dalek Emperor (The Genocide Machine)|Emperor]] that was part of the mission on [[Kar-Charrat]] to obtain information, had the same eyestalk like the member of the [[Dalek Council|Supreme Council]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Genocide Machine (audio story)|The Genocide Machine]]'')
 
While on [[Skaro]], the Eleventh Doctor sent [[Amy Pond]] to salvage a Dalek eyestalk, which he needed to create the [[Dalek Vision Disruptor]] to blind the rest of the Daleks. The [[Visualiser]] resembled a giant Dalek eyestalk. ([[GAME]]: ''[[City of the Daleks (video game)|City of the Daleks]]'')
 
The Daleks' [[humanoid]] [[Dalek puppet|puppets]] also had eyestalks, which emerged from their foreheads. ([[TV]]: ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]'', [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dalek Generation (novel)|The Dalek Generation]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Time of the Doctor (TV story)|The Time of the Doctor]]'', [[TV]]: ''[[The Magician's Apprentice (TV story)|The Magician's Apprentice]]'')
 
The [[robot]]ic Dalek that the Doctor dubbed [[Quasimodo Dalek]] had two eyestalks, both in place of its [[Dalek gun|gunstick]] and [[manipulator arm]]. A gunstick was attached where the eyestalk should have been. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[The Dalek Project (comic story)|The Dalek Project]]'')
 
[[Rusty (Into the Dalek)|Rusty]]'s eyestalk was used by the [[Twelfth Doctor]], [[Clara Oswald|Clara]], and a team from the [[Combined Galactic Resistance]] as an entry into the Dalek once they were [[miniaturisation|miniaturised]] in order to undertake their mission to uncover why the Dalek became good. ([[TV]]: ''[[Into the Dalek (TV story)|Into the Dalek]]'')
 
== Other references ==
By one account, the [[Great Black Eye]] was a "[[sphere|spherical]] [[black]] [[eye]], its [[iris]] a [[white]] [[disk]]." ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Sometime Never... (novel)|Sometime Never...]]'')
 
== Behind the scenes ==
* Daleks seen in the animated comedy sketch series {{wi|2DTV}} were depicted with [[human]]-style [[blue]] eyes, a quirk which would also be used in ''[[The Daft Dimension]]'' comics of ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]''.
* In the [[video game]] ''[[The Last Dalek (video game)|The Last Dalek]]'', based on the events of ''[[Dalek (TV story)|Dalek]]'', the [[Metaltron]] acquires [[Inter-Spectral Vision]] which allows it to detect [[cloak]]ed humans and [[mine]]s.
* Both ''[[The Monsters Are Coming!]]'' and ''[[Doctor Who at the Proms (2010)|Doctor Who at the Proms]]'' feature a [[Supreme Dalek (New Dalek Paradigm)|New Paradigm Supreme Dalek]] with an eye lens glowing red rather than the usual gold.
 
[[Category:Dalek physiology]]
[[Category:Vision]]
[[Category:Eyepiece|*]]

Latest revision as of 19:47, 30 March 2024

The Dalek eyestalk, also called the eyepiece, eye antenna (COMIC: The Trodos Ambush) tele-eye, (COMIC: The Daleks Are Foiled) eye-stick, (PROSE: Mission to the Unknown) optical stalk, (AUDIO: Guilt) sensory antenna or eyeball unit, (PROSE: Shadowmind) was the part of the Dalek which enabled the Dalek mutant to receive visual input from outside its casing.

The eyestalk was adorned with multiple insulator discs whose purpose was to protect the eye lens from deadly radiation. (PROSE: Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe)

The eyestalk was attached to a pivot. In the case of later bronze Daleks and their contemporaries, the pivot was surrounded by a cowl. (PROSE: Prisoner of the Daleks)

The Twelfth Doctor openly mocked the singular eyestalk, asking Davros how his "boys" took it when everyone else had two eyes. (TV: The Witch's Familiar)

Development[[edit] | [edit source]]

Davros' early prototype sported an eyestalk. (PROSE: Davros Genesis)

Exceptions[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Special Weapons Dalek notably had neither an eyepiece nor luminosity dischargers. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks) instead it watched through the glass circle below its dome which would illuminate when it spoke. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar)

The spherical dome of Davros' Emperor Dalek casing of the Imperial Daleks also did not have an eyepiece; in its place was an energy relay which appeared as a silver hexagon with black outlines. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

Design[[edit] | [edit source]]

The Dalek eyestalk was mounted on the Dalek's dome via the lens attachment, the front of which sported the eye lens, (PROSE: The Dalek Generation) which enabled the Dalek to see its surroundings. It was the only vulnerable part of the Dalek. (TV: Resurrection of the Daleks) Components included visual scanners (PROSE: Birth of a Legend) and a visual circuit. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks)

The Time Lords observed that the silver Daleks following the early Dalek War Machines, as well as being fitted with solar slats, boasted improvements to the visual systems in the form of a recalibrated eyepiece lens with re-engineered optic discs. (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual)

The Fifth Doctor seen through a Time War-era eyestalk (AUDIO: Shadow of the Daleks 2)

Before the Last Great Time War, the eye lens of the Dalek eyestalk appeared as a white circle with a black "pupil" in the middle. (TV: The Daleks) Daleks of the Time War and beyond, most prominently, the bronze Daleks, had eyepieces, the lens of which appeared as a flashing blue light. (TV: Dalek) If a Dalek's vision was impaired or otherwise inactive, the light would be absent, with only black in its place. (TV: The Parting of the Ways)

The biomechanoid control system of the Renegade Daleks' battle computer featured a helmet which resembled a black Dalek dome with an eyepiece. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

Uniquely, the Black Dalek overseer had a eyepiece whose lens flashed red. (AUDIO: Planet of the Ogrons)

Eyepieces were retained in the wildly different casings of the Volatix Cabal. (COMIC: The Organ Grinder)

On the reconstructed Skaro, older silver Daleks had eyepieces refitted with lenses matching those of their bronze counterparts. A grey Renegade Dalek, however, retained its lens. (TV: The Magician's Apprentice)

The Daleks of the New Dalek Paradigm produced by the Progenitor had radically redesigned eyepieces with black rings on the stick, fins on the cone, and the lens being organic rather than robotic, much like a real organic eye. The viewpoint from this eyepiece was similar, except for an opaque orange perimeter with honeycomb circuitry and protruding organic veins. (TV: Victory of the Daleks) If the eyepiece were to be removed from the casing, the orange light would deactivate. (TV: The Wedding of River Song) The introduction of organic materials into the eye was meant to enhance its sensitivity. (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual)

The robotic Proto-Daleks, which were constructed by the British and Germans as part of the Dalek Project during the First World War, had eyepieces which were much bulkier and camera-like. In contrast to the German Proto-Daleks, the British Proto-Daleks had thick and cylindrical eyepieces. (COMIC: The Dalek Project)

Abilities[[edit] | [edit source]]

With a wide-angle lens, the eyepiece could magnify images so that the Dalek could see across great distances and also track a person's footsteps. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) The eyepiece was the most vulnerable part of the Dalek. Dalek eyestalks from a post-Last Great Time War era were capable of even greater forms of magnification, with various scales displayed in-vision.

22nd century Dalek vision (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)

The viewpoint from the eyepiece varied over time, from a simple telescope-like view (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth) which nevertheless allowed the Daleks to see in infrared (PROSE: Legacy of the Daleks) to an infrared scanner (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) to a bright green (or white, in the case of Imperial Daleks) lens, with Kaled script readouts displayed in the top and bottom left corners with target cross hairs allowing the Dalek to line up its targets. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks) By the time of the Last Great Time War, the eyestalks all contained blue glowing lenses, with a targeting aid "on-screen" at all times, and a magnification ability - one Dalek used this mode to zoom in on Rose Tyler's face. (TV: Dalek)

Rusty's eyestalk displayed the ability to project interactive holograms. (TV: Twice Upon a Time)

One Dalek of the reconnaissance scout caste, who had been the first Dalek scout to reach Earth or close enough, had its casing destroyed shortly after arrival and rebuilt a custom-made armour for itself after being buried for centuries. This unique armour's eyepiece showed a green-tined view and was able to perform an X-ray scan on the spot, a function which the Dalek used in order to confirm the existence of the Doctor's binary vascular system. (TV: Resolution)

Weaknesses[[edit] | [edit source]]

Dalek vision with magnification scales. (TV: The Parting of the Ways)

If the eyepiece was destroyed or if the lens was covered, the now-blind Dalek became a reduced threat. Daleks would behave erratically under these circumstances as the creature inside the casing was unable to deal with any danger because it was unable to see them. They would move around uncontrollably and fire their weapons in a blind panic, usually accompanied by the frantic screaming of "My vision is impaired! I cannot see!". (TV: The Daleks, The Daleks' Master Plan, Resurrection of the Daleks, Revelation of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks, The Parting of the Ways, The Witch's Familiar)

Whilst on Skaro, in order to escape from the Dalek base, the Fourth Doctor threw his hat onto a Dalek's eyestalk. The Dalek began firing incandescently in a panic, guided by Davros though it had trouble obeying the orders because it was too panicked to concentrate on the Doctor, and almost hitting Davros in the process until the Doctor destroyed it. (TV: Destiny of the Daleks) The Second Doctor previously used the same tactic against Dalek 4 on Trodos, allowing him to penetrate its inner hearing system with his recorder and render it berserk. (COMIC: The Trodos Ambush)

During the Shoreditch Incident, Ace fired an ATR (Anti-tank rocket) at an Imperial Dalek's eyestalk. The ATR destroyed the top half of the Dalek, and the Seventh Doctor was shocked at the damage. Ace responded by saying "I aimed for the eyepiece". She later used a baseball bat enhanced by the Hand of Omega to sever a Dalek's eyepiece. While inside a Dalek shuttle craft, the Doctor merely placed his hat on a Dalek's eyepiece to confuse it while he "shorted it out". (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks)

However, post-Last Great Time War Daleks mostly overcame this exploitable weakness. Their shielding could resist most bullets, although bastic bullets were still somewhat effective in blinding a Dalek. (TV: The Parting of the Ways) They could also melt any hindrance, as Wilfred Mott discovered when he shot a Dalek eyestalk with a paintball gun. The paint was immediately melted off after a moment and the Dalek was heard to say "My vision is not impaired". (TV: The Stolen Earth)

The Daleks of the New Dalek Paradigm had the ability to repair their vision if their eyestalk was damaged, so the weakness could only be exploited as a temporary distraction. (TV: The Big Bang, GAME: The Eternity Clock) However, repairs could not be made if the eyestalk was severed from the main casing or if the damage was too great. (COMIC: The Only Good Dalek, The Dalek Project)

The eyestalk had little in the way of peripheral vision, making it rather simple to hide from Daleks, even in open areas. (TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth, Daleks in Manhattan, GAME: City of the Daleks)

The Dalek Survival Guide theorised that, based on some accounts that the Daleks could not see red, that very early-model eyestealks could only see in black and white. (PROSE: Dalek Survival Guide)

During the Last Great Time War, Case, connected to the Dalek pathweb, was able to use the network to selectively remove herself and the War Doctor from the eyestalk feeds of the Dalek Time Strategist and its personal guard. She later exploited her connection to the pathweb to shut down their eyestalks. (AUDIO: Memnos)

Other uses[[edit] | [edit source]]

Inside a Dalek casing, the Second Doctor lines up his eye to see through the eye antenna. (COMIC: The Doctor Strikes Back)

Dalek eyestalks were worth a considerable amount during the Second Dalek War of the 26th century. They were collected by Dalek Killers and bounty hunters and were worth 20 decacredits after they were returned to the Earth forces to confirm a kill. Some people like Jon Bowman and his crew on-board the Wayfarer did this for a living. (PROSE: Love and War, Prisoner of the Daleks) Outside of times of war, eyestalks still had value and could attest to someone's character since killing a Dalek was no small feat. The Doctor in his eleventh incarnation once salvaged the eyestalk of a damaged Supreme Dalek to use as bartering leverage with Gantok to learn more about the Silence. (TV: The Wedding of River Song) On another occasion, the Doctor used an eyestalk to display proof of his courage and comradeship to gain the trust of one of the many fleets besieging Trenzalore, before realising he had landed on a Dalek ship who immediately attacked him. (TV: The Time of the Doctor) He kept the eyestalk of a Dalek from the Time War in the TARDIS drawing room. (GAME: TARDIS, The Gunpowder Plot)

A Dalek Supreme with a luminosity discharger in its eyestalk. (TV: Planet of the Daleks)

A Dalek Supreme sent to 26th century Spiridon had the unusual feature of a lamp in its eyestalk lens. It held the same communications function as a regular Dalek's luminosity dischargers on the sides of its head, lighting up when it spoke. (TV: Planet of the Daleks) Another Dalek, the immediate subordinate to the Emperor that was part of the mission on Kar-Charrat to obtain information, had the same eyestalk like the member of the Supreme Council. (AUDIO: The Genocide Machine)

While on Skaro, the Eleventh Doctor sent Amy Pond to salvage a Dalek eyestalk, which he needed to create the Dalek Vision Disruptor to blind the rest of the Daleks. The Visualiser resembled a giant Dalek eyestalk. (GAME: City of the Daleks)

The Daleks' humanoid puppets also had eyestalks, which emerged from their foreheads. (TV: Asylum of the Daleks, PROSE: The Dalek Generation, TV: The Time of the Doctor, TV: The Magician's Apprentice)

The robotic Dalek that the Doctor dubbed Quasimodo Dalek had two eyestalks, both in place of its gunstick and manipulator arm. A gunstick was attached where the eyestalk should have been. (COMIC: The Dalek Project)

Rusty's eyestalk was used by the Twelfth Doctor, Clara, and a team from the Combined Galactic Resistance as an entry into the Dalek once they were miniaturised in order to undertake their mission to uncover why the Dalek became good. (TV: Into the Dalek)

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

By one account, the Great Black Eye was a "spherical black eye, its iris a white disk." (PROSE: Sometime Never...)

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