The Dalek Emperor is the supreme ruler of the Dalek Empire:commanding the Dalek race and the planet Skaro.
At least four different incarnations of the Emperor Dalek (a.k.a. Dalek Emperor) are believed to have existed, counting Davros.
History
Dalek Prime
One of the first Daleks, who exterminated Davros and proclaimed the Daleks' future victory over the universe (DW: Genesis of the Daleks), assumed the role of Dalek Prime (later Emperor) and would continue to act as the Emperor throughout Dalek history. (EDA: War of the Daleks)
- During the time that Davros himself assumed the position of Emperor, this may mean that two Emperor Daleks existed at the same time, opposing each other.
The Golden Emperor
After the neutronic war that devastated Skaro, the mutants had survived in the casings. The only humanoid Dalek survivors of the war, Yarvelling and the warlord Zolfian encountered a Dalek that persuaded them to build more Dalek casings for their mutated descendants. Before the last two humanoid Daleks died, a special casing was built for the Emperor to reflect its new rank, made of Flidor gold, quartz and Arkellis flower sap. The Golden Emperor[1] was slightly shorter than the other Daleks, with a disproportionately large spheroid head section and in gold rather than grey. (TV21: Genesis of Evil)
The Emperor within the Dalek City
The next known incarnation of the Emperor remained in was an enormous immobile conical shell plugged into a corner of the control room in the Dalek City on Skaro and connected to the wall by tubes. It spoke in an echoing voice. (DW: The Evil of the Daleks)
This Emperor was apparently destroyed by a civil war between Humanised Daleks and un-altered Daleks. However, a light was seen still blinking on its casing at the end, indicating some kind of activity. (DW: The Evil of the Daleks)
It is possible that this Emperor is Davros with his Dalek mind in new casing. (BFA: Terror Firma)
Davros as Emperor
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Davros was made into the Emperor of the Imperial Dalek faction of the Daleks. He was encased in a customised Dalek casing with a dome top which could open and close, his body below his head and shoulders covered in a mass of tubing and cables, implying that he had greatly deteriorated physically. He was last seen heading for an escape pod just before his ship was destroyed in the wake of the supernova (set off by the Hand of Omega) that consumed Skaro. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks) Later, Davros' increasingly unstable mind was obliterated by a totally Dalek personality, that of the Emperor. This new Emperor then took command of Davros's Daleks and departed. (BFA: Terror Firma)
- By the time that the Doctor met Davros after the Last Great Time War, Davros' old personality had regained control. Alternatively, he may never have had a new personality take control, as Terror Firma is of questionable canonicity in regards to the TV series, like all Doctor Who spin-off material.
Emperor of the Dalek Empire
When the Daleks launched an invasion of the Milky Way from the Seriphia Galaxy, a Dalek Emperor was at the head. While it successfully conquered much of the galaxy, its real goal was Project Infinity: it intended to summon Daleks from another reality. When those Daleks turned out to be appalled by genocide, the Emperor was captured by the Earth Alliance (BFDE: "Death to the Daleks!") (BFDE: Project Infinity) but transmitted its consciousness into a huamn, Susan Mendes, to continue the war. (BFDE: Dalek War: Chapter One) It went on to erase her consciousness and intended to use her form to con the galaxy into lowering its guard; however, a psychic trap caused the remnants of Mendes to awaken and trigger the destruction of all Dalek technology, killing the Emperor and devastating the Empire. (BFDE: Dalek War: Chapter Four)
Emperors during the Last Great Time War
I reached into the dirt and made new life. I am the God of all Daleks!!!
It appears two Emperors existed during the Time War. One resided in Kaalann on Skaro. When Skaro was devastated, he was destroyed and the Daleks fled the planet. (VG: City of the Daleks) However, another Emperor came to power and led the Dalek battle fleet in their final attack on Gallifrey. He was believed to be destroyed at the end of the war. (DW: The Parting of the Ways) During the war, one of these Dalek Emperors faced the Master and took control of the Cruciform, (DW: The Sound of Drums) and one formed the Cult of Skaro, a group above and beyond the Emperor, to "think as the enemy thinks" and "imagine" new ways to find victory. (DW: Doomsday)
It is possible there was only one Emperor and he had escaped the fall of Kaalann, leaving just the rusted shell behind. It's also possible the Doctor was refering to Evil of the Daleks.
Unknown to anyone, the Emperor's ship had barely survived the war, falling through time. Afterwards, it went into seclusion and went on to rebuild a new race of Daleks. This Emperor was a Dalek mutant floating in a transparent tank of liquid, topped by a giant-sized Dalek dome, complete with eyestalk, and flanked by panels of armour dotted by Dalek "bumps" with a ring-shaped "throne" on the bottom. Because this Emperor had recreated the Dalek race, it saw itself as a god, and had transformed its Daleks from fascists to religious fanatics worshipping it. The Emperor was apparently atomized along with the rest of the Daleks by Rose after she had absorbed the energies of the time vortex and became the Bad Wolf entity temporal paradox in 200,100. (DW: The Parting of the Ways)
The Doctor later called this Emperor a mere scavenger, in comparison to the power of a Dalek Empire at its height. (DW: Journey's End)
The New Emperor
When the new Progenitor Daleks went back to the ruined Skaro, they created a new Emperor Dalek, reusing the shell of the old one. His blue colouring suggests he is a Strategist Dalek, or has ties to that role. This Emperor was able to instantly recognise the Doctor upon meeting him. When The Doctor and Amy Pond travelled back in time to when Skaro was devastated and before the new Daleks arrived with the Eye of Time, they managed to erase the Daleks' alterations and Kaalann was left abandoned. The new Emperor may have never been created as a result. (VG: City of the Daleks)
Behind the Scenes
Other Dalek Emperors
- A Dalek Emperor, described similarly to the Emperor in The Evil of the Daleks, appears in the Telos novella The Dalek Factor by Simon Clark. It is referred to as "an" Emperor, implying there was more than one at that time.