Dalek hierarchy

Due to their highly militaristic culture, the Daleks operate under what is nominally a rigid hierarchy; there are often variations to it, however, depending on era and circumstance.

Overview

Command structure

Figurehead

• Dalek Emperor - the overall leader of the Dalek Empire.
• Davros - the creator of the Daleks who served as leader of the Imperial Daleks.
• The Mentor - the creator and leader of a faction of Daleks from another universe.

Council

• Cult of Skaro - A council of elite Daleks created to think of imaginative strategies, previous to or during the Last Great Time War (DW: Doomsday onwards)
• Dalek Council - A governing body under the Emperor. (REF: Doctor Who: Aliens and Enemies) In some instances, they appear to rule the Daleks in the permanent or temporary absence of an Emperor. (DW: The Daleks, Planet of the Daleks)
• Emperor's Personal Guard

Commanders

• Dalek Supreme - High-ranking generals, commanding major operations or planetary occupations. These are usually black. In the early days of the Daleks, the Supreme was the direct second-in-command to the Emperor. (The Dalek Chronicles) During the Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War, the Renegade Dalek faction was led by a Supreme instead of an Emperor; and in the New Dalek Empire, a Supreme Dalek took command. (DW: The Stolen Earth)
• Dalek Supreme Controller - Red-coloured Daleks, second to the Supreme. (BFDE: "Death to the Daleks!")
• Dalek Scientific Division - high-ranking, their needs override all other orders and concerns. (BFA: Return of the Daleks)
• Dalek Saucer Commander
• Blue Dalek - equivalent of non-commissioned officers (EDA: War of the Daleks)

Low Ranking Daleks

• Standard Dalek
• Special Weapons Dalek - designed solely for combat, lacking the abilities of the standard Dalek.
• Marsh Dalek - designed solely for swamp combat.
• Spider Dalek
• Marine Dalek
• Dalek-Humans - Humans altered with the Dalek Factor or Dalek DNA

Non-Daleks - Servants, Mercenaries and Slaves

• Humans and Near-Humans - slaves and mercenaries, includes:

• Robomen - slaves under heavy mind control
• Dalek Troopers - mercenaries, initially (DW: Resurrection of the Daleks)

• Robots - servants, includes:

• Robot Dr Who - a robotic duplicate sent to kill the original (DW: The Chase)
• Movellans - robotic servants (according to EDA: War of the Daleks)

• Ogrons - mercenaries
• Exxilons - slaves (DW: Death to the Daleks)
• Werelox - mercenaries (DWM: Doctor Who and the Dogs of Doom)
• The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe, itself served by the Editor. (DW: The Long Game)
• Pig slaves - slaves (DW: Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks)

Visual distinctions

Daleks often showed their rank via colours. In one version, gold Daleks are the highest, followed by black, red, blue and grey. (EDA: War of the Daleks)

For a time, the majority of Daleks were silvery with blue "bumps", with Saucer Commanders being partially black and Black Daleks/Dalek Supremes being full commanders. (DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth)

During the Last Great Time War and in the New Dalek Empire, almost the entirety of Daleks shown were of the same colour; the Supreme Dalek in the latter was marked out by being red, while Dalek Sec of the Cult of Skaro was black.