Strategist Dalek (Asylum of the Daleks)
A Strategist Dalek was part of the Parliament of the Daleks.
Biography
Within the Parliament, the role of this Dalek Strategist (TV: Asylum of the Daleks) and its fellow Strategists was to channel the mental capacities of the thousands of Dalek governors and then present them as options to the Dalek Prime Minister, who could then instruct the Supreme Dalek. The Parliament's deliberations were highly classified, its sessions barely even recorded on the Dalek pathweb. However, as with administrations the galaxy over, there were leaks, both deliberate and accidental. (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual, Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe)
The Strategist Dalek was present aboard their ship, the Nacrana Va Hateen, during the Asylum Incident, when the Parliament made a request to the Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams to save the Daleks from the Dalek Asylum. Just as the Parliament was about to destroy the Asylum, Oswin Oswald removed any memory of the Doctor from the Daleks' Pathweb from the centre of the Asylum, causing the Strategist Dalek, along with all other members of the Parliament, to forget the Doctor entirely. (TV: Asylum of the Daleks) After regaining their memory of the Doctor during the Siege of Trenzalore, the Parliament and their ship were destroyed at the end of the Siege. (PROSE: Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe)
Behind the scenes
Prop
Compared to the initial Strategist Dalek seen in Victory of the Daleks, this Dalek model was modified from the original design to sport a deeper, more metallic shade of blue, the biological eyepiece was made more obvious and the hunchback look was toned down.
Sylvester McCoy uses the new Strategist Dalek prop to secure a part in the 50th Anniversary Special in The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.
In the years following its appearance on television, this prop was retained and placed on display by the BBC.[1] In 2019, the Strategist Dalek served as the instrument of a Halloween prank; placed at the BBC reception, the Dalek approached and exclaimed "Exterminate!" at unsuspecting visitors whose reactions were filmed by hidden cameras.[2] The Strategist Dalek was later auctioned for Children in Need in November 2022.[3]
Merchandise
- A figurine of this Dalek was released with the eleventh "Rare Dalek" issue of Doctor Who: Figurine Collection.
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A different-looking Strategist Dalek appeared as the apparent head, or at least spokesman, of the Parliament of the Daleks in the comedic 2015 webcast The Universal Song Contest.
