Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/Dalek

Why didn't the millions of daleks in the stolen earth and journey's end save this dalek it says it was beaming out a distress signal for a while surely they would have heard it when they were flying all over the globe, even if they didn't want to rescue it because it may have been different they would still have wanted to kill it.

You are exploring the Discontinuity Index, a place where any details or rumours about unreleased stories are forbidden.
Please discuss only those whole stories which have already been released, and obey our spoiler policy.

This page is for discussing the ways in which Dalek doesn't fit well with other DWU narratives. You can also talk about the plot holes that render its own, internal narrative confusing.

Remember, this is a forum, so civil discussion is encouraged. However, please do not sign your posts. Also, keep all posts about the same continuity error under the same bullet point. You can add a new point by typing:

* This is point one.
::This is a counter-argument to point one.
:::This is a counter-argument to the counter-argument above
* This is point two.
::Explanation of point two.
::Further discussion and query of point two.

... and so on. 

• Why is the Dalek of this story so mind numbingly stupid. The Daleks in Power of the Daleks and Victory of the Daleks where powerless too [the daleks in power at one point didn't even have guns] but they were smart enough to manipulate those around them, lesterson, winston churchil [both of whom were smarter and less corruptable than van statten] This Dalek should have been able to easily manipulate van statten, it could have offered him technology and stories about aliens [even if they were false] and could have then made use of van stattens technology when it got the chance, rather than just sit there silently, it was hardly the master manipulators of power of the Daleks who were able to manipulate both an intelligent , kind scientist and evil rebel or the daleks in victory who were able to manipulate one of the greatest military minds of all time and even the doctor, all van statten [ a foolish arrogant egotistical man who frequently makes mistakes] wanted to know was who the dalek was and it still couldnt manipulate him, deeply stupid unscary Dalek

This Dalek admits in the episode it was waiting for orders. So it didn't need to manipulate. The Daleks in Power needed to because they needed the facilities to reproduce. The Daleks in Victory had to because they needed the Doctor to confess to the Progenitor that they were Daleks.

Since when however have Daleks been so dependent on orders as robert shearmen makes out in this and other stroies. The daleks in power and victory didn't recieve any orders they just thought up that scheme on their own. Caan was the last of his kind and he went back in time, not just that the Daleks have overthrown their masters. Davros was overthrown many times, and in some spinoff material daleks have overthrown their dalek masters too, various spinoff material set between rev and remberance of the daleks has some daleks wanting to have davros rule them, they therefore defied their dalek master. They are conditioned to destroy all other life forms not just obey orders.

This Dalek clearly states that he was a soldier and that it was waiting for orders. Just because other Daleks don't need orders doesn't mean this one doesn't either. It also decides to follow the primary order, to Exterminate. And The Cult of Skaro were designed to ensure the survival of the Daleks which is why they were experimenting in Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks.

• The map of the US shown on van Statten's monitor is missing the upper peninsula of Michigan.

This is 2012, perhaps in the future the upper peninsula of Michigan has been destroyed, eroded, etc.

• The Dalek can find no trace of his race on the Internet. Has no one noticed the events of DW: Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks, Remembrance of the Daleks, Army of Ghosts /Doomsday or The Stolen Earth / Journey's End?

The Dalek is more likely looking for present information regarding Daleks on earth, in which case he is likely the only one in 2012 itself. In addition, dialogue within various Torchwood episodes, as well as Remembrance of the Daleks suggests that information about certain events was repressed from public knowledge. Stolen earth and journey's end were just because there are probably no daleks on earth in 2012 dosent mean there would be no useful info on the internet for this dalek. Also if it had access to the internet it could get access to secret files about extraterrestrials, [it is in van stattens vault] and could therefore find out info from unit and torchwood about , the cult of skaro, stealing of the earth and davros and indeed the daleks from doomsday

These events could have been removed from history by the Cracks in Time.

• How can van Statten (who seems to own the President) not know what a Dalek is, even though they stole and attacked the Earth 3 years earlier in The Stolen Earth and Journey's End?

Again, History may have been changed. Also, there is as yet no indication that any Dalek "remains" survived the Medusa Cascade incident for study. And the episode establishes van Statten as a megalomaniac - he may have simply made up the name Metaltron because he liked it better than Dalek; he says he'd rather find out the Metaltron's real name, but he could have been testing the Doctor. Note he doesn't make a big deal of it once the Dalek's name is revealed. In addition, later stories (but earlier events) establish that some Daleks have names (Dalek Caan, for instance); who is to say van Statten wasn't looking for this information? ' '' Amy Pond in DW:Victory of the Daleks does not know of the Daleks' existence which leads one to believe the memory may have been wiped from the minds of all humans.

These events could have been removed from history by the Cracks in Time.

• The Dalek begs the Doctor for pity. It was established in DW: Genesis of the Daleks and other stories that the Daleks cannot feel pity, having no concept of it.

In this episode, however, the Dalek is knowledgeable about emotions to manipulate them without actually having any itself, hence why it was able to trick Rose into touching it. Plus a major point of the episode is how the Dalek takes on human characteristics after Rose touches it.

• How is the doctor the absolute last of the time lords only one in all of creation, many time lords fled gallifrey seen in countless classic stories it is unbelievable that every single one of these time lords would be hunted down, especially if the daleks were focusing all their energy into a massive war. It is unbelievable that so many Daleks would survive, this Dalek, the emperor, the cult and millions in the genesis ark, but only two time lords would survive.
• Rose states that in 2012 she would be 26. yet she has to be 19 in 2005 to be 26. she should actually be 25 in 2012.

Her birthday has not necessarily passed in 2005. In Aliens of London, it says she disappeared in March. Her birthday is more likely to be after March than before. Also, the Doctor does not specify a date, so it could be an assumption. Rose may not be that good at maths - she said in DW: Rose that one of the only things she was good at was gymnastics, stating, "I got the bronze".

• If the Daleks can hover around the city and even space with ease (DW: Doomsday/DW: The Stolen Earth/DW: The Parting of the Ways), why is this one slowly getting around hovering? Since it also wants to get past the bulk head as fast as possible.

It's possible that this particular Dalek was of an older model, or that it was not 100% repaired when touched by Rose. Also, this Dalek hadn't hovered, or even moved in over 40 years, so it would likely been slower than others.