Resurrection of the Daleks (TV story)

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Without Davros, we have no future!Supreme Dalek



Synopsis

to be added

Plot

In a deserted urban street, a group of panicked ragged fugitives in futuristic uniforms try to run from two policemen. The policemen shoot the fugitives with machine guns, whereupon both the policemen and the corpses glow and vanish.

Elsewhere, the Doctor's TARDIS has gotten caught in a time corridor. The Doctor manages to free it and it then materialises in present day London, in some docklands, within sight of Tower Bridge not far from the shooting of the fugitives. They poke their noses into some nearby warehouses, and find a survivor of the massacre, a middle-aged man named Stien.

Far in the future, Daleks attack a space station. Their aim is to rescue their creator, Davros, who has been held there in suspended animation since his capture by humans. They want him to help them find an antidote to the Movellan virus.

In addition, the Daleks have constructed android duplicates and installed some of them in key positions of authority on Earth. They now intend to send duplicates of the Doctor and his companions to Gallifrey in order to assassinate the High Council of the Time Lords.

These plans ultimately fail, however, as one of their duplicate humans, Stien, rebels and destroys the space station. Davros is unable to find a cure for the virus but has an escape pod ready in case of problems.

Commander Lytton, an alien mercenary working for the Daleks, escapes to Earth. Tegan, sickened by all the killing she has seen, decides to remain on her home planet.

Cast

Crew

References

Story Notes

  • This story had the working titles of: Warhead, The Return, The Resurrection
  • Although recorded as four separate episodes it was broadcast as two 45 minute episodes in order to free up transmission slots for the broadcast of the Winter Olympics.
  • An article by Russell T Davies in the Doctor Who Annual 2006 suggested that the Dalek Supreme's attempt to assassinate the High Council was one of the initial clashes in the Last Great Time War mentioned in the 2005 series.
  • Eric Saward was unsatisfied with the story, saying in a DVD commentary that it was too frantic, with too many ideas. The main plot was the Daleks releasing Davros in order that he might find a cure for the Movellan virus. There were several other sub-plots: the creation of duplicates to invade the Earth; the capture of the Doctor in order to create a clone that would assassinate the Time Lords' High Council; Davros's scheme to create a new race of Daleks. None of these are dealt with at any length, and they distract from the central plot.
  • John Nathan-Turner hated the Dalek-like helmets of Lytton's troops, but did not have the time to change them.
  • Michael Wisher (who had played the original Davros in DW: Genesis of the Daleks) was unavailable to reprise his role as Davros due to theatrical work so he was replaced by actor Terry Molloy.
  • A clip of the battling Daleks was used in the first episode of the TV series "James May's 20th Century". This clip was used to illustrate an item about lasers.

Ratings

  • Part 1 - 7.3 million viewers
  • Part 2 - 8.0 million viewers

Myths

  • It was due to the success of the double-length episode format of this story that the BBC decided to adopt the same format for the whole of the following season. (It had already been decided before this that season twenty-two would consist of thirteen episodes of approximately forty-five minutes each).

Filming Locations

Discontinuity, Plot Holes, Errors

  • The gun-carrying at one point near-murderous Doctor of this episode seems wildly out of character.
  • Why do the Daleks allow Turlough to wander freely? This is not necessary in order to use him as bait.
  • Near the end of episode 2, three Daleks go into the time corridor and four come out.
  • Many of the airings of the third and fourth episodes seen on PBS stations in the US lacked sound effects; actors pointed lasers at each other noiselessly, and the final explosion was silent. Ironically, this could be seen as more realistic These are called non-diogetic sounds, if the characters heard the sound of the lasers or the explosions then it would be an error.
  • Davros, although aware of the Movellan War, is surprised and fascinated by the problem of the impasse. Yet in Destiny of the Daleks he was aware of the problem and even actively worked on solving it. He still finds the situation fascinating.
  • Despite having spent his time in suspended animation he has been able to make his mind control device and has learnt enough about Time Lords to deduce that they're 'all soft'. Davros' primary contact with Time Lords has been the Doctor. To the creator of the Daleks, anyone who shows compassion or mercy is soft. Taking the Doctor to represent Time Lords, he would undoubtedly consider them soft. The Daleks, based on their knowledge of and interaction with Time Lords, would undoubtedly agree.
  • Davros appears to distrust the Daleks, and declares that they will not abuse him again. Yet in Destiny they were slave-like in their obedience.
  • Who are the prisoners who escape at the start? Duplicates? The originals of duplicates?
  • Why use duplicates as soldiers, rather than to infiltrate?
  • Why are the cylinders of Movellan virus left on 1984 Earth, a planet that the Daleks want to invade? It's a bit like the Allies hiding an atom bomb in Berlin.
  • When Tegan handles a cylinder she remarks on how light is. But later it takes two Dalek agents to lift one. It's not a matter of weight, it's a need to be very careful as the contents of the cylinder will kill their employers.
  • How do the Daleks have duplicates of Tegan and Turlough? The 1984 earth soldiers appear to be duplicated in an extraordinarily short time. And why do the Daleks make such a fuss to keep the Doctor alive to clone him, when they can clone dead people as well? Davros needed him alive to copy his memories, which he explicitly mentions wanting to do.
  • How are the Daleks able to view what's going on inside the station from their own ship?
  • Why does Davros immediately assume correctly that Lytton and his troopers are working for the Daleks after they unfreeze him? The Daleks are likely the only creatures in the universe that would want Davros free. The obviously Dalek-inspired design of Lytton's headgear probably also helped convince Davros that his creations were behind the attack.
  • Why do the duplicated Earth soldiers attack Davros's Daleks with weapons they know will not harm them? It was the only thing they could do in the situation. They hadn't been given any other weapons, as doing so would have aroused suspicions about them (and the Daleks accidentally did so anyway by giving Archer a duplicate gun belt)
  • When the Doctor is captured by the Daleks he asks where Davros is. But he does not know that the Dalek ship is docked onto the prison ship where Davros was held, let alone that he has been released. He says that he assumes that Davros is about somewhere, he doesn't actually know that the Dalek ship is docked onto the prison ship.
  • The Dalek plan to infiltrate Earth with their duplicates is one of the weak points of the multi-layered and confusing plot. The Dalek plan is never really explained. At the end of the story the Dalek Supreme tells the Doctor that the duplicates have infiltrated Earth. The Doctor explains to Tegan and Turlough that these duplicates will become unstable like Stein. Does this mean they will die, or that they will lose their Dalek conditioning? In the meantime, could they not they create chaos on Earth? At the end, Turlough suggests they inform Earth's authorities, and the Doctor agrees, so that is what they most likely done after leaving Tegan.
  • The Dalek that is pushed out the window at the beginning of episode 2 bears little resemblance to the Dalek in the combat scene just before. It's a different colour, and its eye stalk is ridiculously short, to name just the most obvious discrepancies.
  • When the Daleks discover the Doctor they mean to exterminate him. Lytton appears and tells them that the Supreme Dalek wants him alive. One of the Daleks electronically confers with the Dalek Supreme and confirms this. Why would the Dalek Supreme give this command to Lytton, who is not entirely trustworthy, but not to the party of Daleks sent to the Doctor? The Daleks could be arguing among themselves over just such an order when they first appear; as possible evidence for this, they have plenty of time to shoot the Doctor, but don't. Their first instinct would certainly be to exterminate him.
  • Later, when the survivors of the ship's crew are killed in the self-destruct chamber, a Daleks tells Lytton it must inform the Dalek Supreme. But it physically leaves. Actually, the camera just switches to focus on Lytton. You can actually hear the Dalek electronically communicating with the Supreme Dalek in the background. It just doesn't appear in the shot itself.
  • Why does Davros look so different to when we last saw him in Destiny of the Daleks? The new mask was created with a 'sagging' effect to simulate the years spent in cryo-stasis
  • Leela doesn't appear on the scanner

Continuity

Timeline

For the Doctor:

For Davros:

DVD, Video, and Other Releases

DVD Releases

6p-dvd.jpg
6p-dvd2.jpg

Released as Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks, the UK DVD release came with an additional rubber case that went over the top of the standard packaging.

Released:

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1100
NTSC - Warner Video E1759

Contents:

Rear Credits:

Notes:

Video Releases

4e-video3.jpg

Released as Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks.

Released:

  • First Release:
PAL - BBC Video BBCV5143
NTSC - Warner Video E1261

Notes: Presented in the non-broadcast (original edit) four part format.

  • Second Release:
PAL - BBC Video BBCV7253

Notes: W.H. Smith exclusive as part of the The Davros Collection box set.

Novelisation

External Links

Template:Season 21