Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/Dalek

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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.

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• 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?

There were no 21st century Dalek invasions back then, as this was long before the Doctor's actions in his Tenth incarnation lead the Daleks to invading Earth in the above stories. There common ground for Doctor Who is that, as mentioned by the Doctor himself and Steven Moffat, time is in flux, it can be changed. The Doctor's endless time traveling can rewrite various events, or add things. His chasing of the Daleks throughout time would lead to them invading Earth in the mentioned stories. When 'Dalek' aired, it was long before time was rewritten to include the invasions. In short, it is retcon on the timeline, which is already in flux.

Also, the virus the Doctor gives Mickey at the end of World War Three may have erased all mentions of Dalek invasions pre-revival and before 2012.

• 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, it's Doctor Who and the Doctor and the Daleks are time travelers, meaning history may have been changed to include invasions that were not there prior to them making it happen.

• 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.

there were more timelords in later episodes that survived.

• 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.

The Daleks hovering system still hasn't recovered and also the Dalek has been in a dark closet for over 10 years and so probably can't see that well and if you can't see that well you would slowly to avoid crashing.