Skaro
Skaro was the war-torn homeworld of the Kaleds and the Thals and later of the Daleks.
Astronomical data
Skaro was a planet of similar atmosphere, climate and gravity to Earth, though it was plagued by sulphuric rain. (VG: City of the Daleks) It was the twelfth planet from its sun. (DW: The Daleks) Skaro's nearest neighbor was a planet called Alvega. (TV21: The Amaryll Challenge)
Landscape
The main features of Skaro were shrouded in some doubt. According to one account, it had but a single continent which was divided into east and west halves of almost equal size. (DW: The Daleks) Another account described Skaro as having two continents, Davius and Dalazar, which were separated from each other by the Ocean of Ooze. Davius was populated by the Thals, while the humanoid Daleks resided on Dalazar. (TV21: Genesis of Evil)
A jungle or forest abounded on part of Skaro. Following an exchange of neutron bombs, the forest home of the Thals petrified. (DW: The Daleks) Other parts appeared to simply be wastelands devoid of plants or animals. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)
- This may have happened as a result of the Thousand Year War between the Thals and Kaleds and/or the later wars between Daleks and Thals.
There were less radiated plateaus where the Thals lived. (DW: The Daleks)
Hydrothermal activity was indicated by the presence of place names like "Geyser Swamp". However all bodies of liquid may not have been composed of water. At least one river was known to be comprised of sulphuric acid, and the geysers in Geyser Swamp were actually spewing mercury, rather than steam. (TV21: Duel of the Daleks) Likewise, the Island of Gushing Gold jetted molten gold into the air. (REF: The Dalek Pocketbook and Space Travellers Guide)
The planet was known to have polar ice caps, though it was unclear whether these were actually comprised of frozen water. The mountains at one of the poles were known as the Polar Mountains. (TV21: Legacy of Yesteryear)
Known geographic features
Continents/regions
Mountains
Rivers, lakes, and oceans
- Ocean of Ooze
- Geyser Swamp
- Drammakin Lake/Lake of Mutations
- Bottomless Sea
- Sea of Acid
- Sea of Rust
- Serpent Sea
- River of Whirling Waters
Islands
Settlements
- Darrien province
- Kaled Dome
- Dalek City/Kaalann
Native life
All Skarosian life had DNA, (BFD: Corruption) which was elemental type 467-989. (DW: Daleks in Manhattan) Though Skaro was rich in life, due to the Thousand Year War most of it went extinct. (BFD: Corruption) Some of the survivors include the Varga plants (DW: Mission to the Unknown), Magnedons (DW: The Daleks) and Slythers (DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth). The Lake of Mutations was home to a variety of life-forms, including the terrorkon. (DW: The Daleks, TV21: The Terrorkon Harvest) At least one area of the planet was inhabited by large dinosaur-like creatures. (TVA: The Planet of the Daleks)
Several sentient species evolved on Skaro, including the Dals, Tharons, Kaleds and Thals. By the time of the Thousand Year War, the Tharons and Dals had gone extinct. (BFD: Purity) The Mutos were the mutated Kaled and Thal members of the war. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)
History
Pre-War history
Though Thals used the same name for their world, in the Kaled language, Skaro means home. (EDA: War of the Daleks)
10 million years prior to the Thousand Year War, the Kaleds diverged from the Thals. (BFD: Corruption) One account states that both the Kaleds and the Thals were descended from Humans transplanted from Earth to Skaro as an experiment by the Halldons. (RT: We are the Daleks!)
Creation of the Daleks
- Main article: Creation of the Daleks
According to one account, by the time of the creation of the cyborgs known as the Daleks, the Kaleds and the Thals fought the Thousand Year War over the wasteland adjacent to the Kaled Dome. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)
Technology had devolved in this time. A Scientific Elite now governed the Kaleds. By this phase of the war, biological and nuclear weapons had begun to cause mutations known as mutos. The Kaled scientists saw this as the end of their species in its "pure" form. The Kaled chief scientist, Davros, decided to accelerate the mutations on purpose to determine their "ultimate form" and placed the results in travel machines. These creatures then became the successors to the Kaleds, the Daleks.
The Doctor, transported to this time period by the Time Lords to prevent a possible future where the Daleks would rule the universe, played a part in entombing the Daleks in the Kaled bunker. The Daleks still survived and promised to re-emerge. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)
Despite the predominance of this account about the creation of the Daleks, others were recorded. (TV21: The Dalek Chronicles, RT: We are the Daleks!)
The aftermath
Centuries or thousands of years passed. Radiation levels had dropped, though they still presented a danger to Human (and Gallifreyan) life.
The Thals evolved into a handsome people, believing they were now of intellectual and physical perfection. They lived a simple pastoral and pacifist lifestyle. The Thals never ventured into the Dalek City near to the petrified forest or showed any curiosity about it. Because of their dependence on static electricity to move about, the Daleks stayed within the city.
The Doctor had landed the TARDIS here, with his other companions, to Skaro, not knowing the planet's dangers. By an irony, the Daleks' discovery of the Doctor and his companions, who came from off-world, caused them to wonder about and to fear the existence of other sentient life on Skaro.
Ian Chesterton taught the Thals to use violence in self-defense, in order to protect themselves against the xenophobic Daleks who threatened them.
The Daleks came to know, during this time, that they needed high radiation to live. With levels subsiding and their lives threatened, the Daleks proposed to set off another neutron bomb. A combined effort of the Doctor and his companions and the Thals, turned off electricity in the Dalek City, making the Daleks powerless. (DW: The Daleks)
Spaceflight era and after
- In an alternative 22nd century, the Daleks had conquered Earth after a World War III had occurred there in the 20th century. The Daleks transported Earth's mineral wealth back to Skaro. (DW: Day of the Daleks)
- During the 26th century it seemed that the Thals had reclaimed Skaro from the Daleks. (DW: Planet of the Daleks)
- In another era, the Dalek City, the Emperor Dalek ruled a Dalek Empire which spanned both time and space. (DW: The Evil of the Daleks)
- The Master's execution took place on Skaro and the Doctor made arrangements to go there to pick up the remains. (DW: Doctor Who) The fact that the Doctor could do this indicated a somewhat less hostile attitude of the Time Lords towards the Daleks under President Romana. (NA: Lungbarrow)
- These events may have taken place in the relative past of Skaro's timeline before its destruction, as the Doctor does not comment on the fact that, in his personal timeline, he had already destroyed Skaro.
- At some point in the future, the Daleks made a home on New Skaro, though it is unclear whether Skaro was under Thal control or destroyed, or possibly "lost". (NA: Birthright)
Supposed destruction of Skaro
Skaro was apparently destroyed when, as planned by the Doctor, the Hand of Omega caused its sun to go supernova. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks)
Survival of Skaro
The Dalek Prime later claimed that Skaro had not in fact been destroyed. The Daleks, during their invasion of Earth in the 22nd century, had discovered records that showed Skaro's destruction. An attempt to change history was unsuccessful.
- This refers to the Daleks' invasion of the alternative 22nd century Earth. (DW: Day of the Daleks)
The Daleks decided to terraform the planet Antalin to resemble Skaro as a decoy and manipulated Davros and the Doctor into ensuring that Antalin was destroyed in place of the original Skaro. (EDA: War of the Daleks)
- The Dalek Prime's explanation is very convoluted and possibly untrue. It is entirely possible that Skaro had in fact been destroyed, and the Dalek Prime invented this story in order to maintain the Daleks' threat.
However, Skaro was later devastated during the Last Great Time War (DW: Daleks in Manhattan).
After the new Progenitor Daleks escaped, they travelled to Skaro and rebuilt the Dalek Emperor, their city of Kaalann and later their whole Empire. The Doctor discovered that the New Dalek Empire had invaded Earth in 1963. He went to the rebuilt city of Kaalann and discovered that the Daleks had found the Eye of Time, a Time Lord device that helped them alter Earth's timeline. Using the Eye, the Doctor was able to travel to Kaalann when it was ruined and before the Daleks arrived. He managed to sabotage the Daleks' vision, allowing him to deactivate the Eye. The timeline returned to normal and the New Dalek Empire and their invasion of Earth was erased. Skaro was also reverted to a ruined state, as it was before the Daleks arrived. (VG: City of the Daleks)
Minor references
- The Doctor once stated "A foe that cannot be killed, that would put the fear of Skaro into you". (NSA: The Resurrection Casket)
Behind the scenes
Continuity controversy
John Peel's explanation in War of the Daleks that the Doctor did not really destroy Skaro at the end of Remembrance of the Daleks, and that, instead a planet called Antalin was destroyed, has not been met with great approval among Doctor Who fans.
