The Drone or Standard Dalek design was the most common Dalek model.
Terminology
While commonly used, most of these names are largely conjectural.
Externals
Top section
- Indicator lights ("eye bulbs"). These light up in time with the Dalek as it speaks.
- Apocryphal information: Energy Dispensers used to discharge excess energy from the Dalek. (also known as luminosity dischargers)
- Dome
- Apocryphal information: Houses two-way universal Translator.
- Eyestalk (confirmed name)
- Apocryphal information: Discs act as Insulators to protect the eye itself from cosmic rays.
- Grill
- Apocryphal: Super-sensitive Recording Screens, picking up and recording visual and auditory feeds.
Middle section
- Mid-section ("mid-riff")
- Apocryphal information: Contains War Computer containing tactics and data on hazardous situations, from which the Dalek can draw within seconds.
- Belts ("collars")
- Apocryphal information: Diagnostic Bands, the vibrations of which can be used to determine technical faults.
- Slats. Vertical slats present in many Daleks. Later Dalek casings lack these.
- Apocryphal: Function as solar panels.
- Circular sockets for replaceable manipulator arms ("plunger") and gunstick (known name). One manipulator arm and one gunstick was by far the most common configuration. No standard Dalek yet seen has had more than one gunstick fitted at any one time.
Lower section
- Skirt. The conical section below the mid-section
- Skirt balls ("orbs"). These were the hemispheric globes located on the sides. Also used as a self-destruct mechanism. (DW: Dalek)
- Apocryphal: Sense Globes, picking up information relevant to environment.
- Bumper ("base")
Variations
Pre-Time War
- The original Daleks created by Davros who had grey slivery and black hemispheres on his MERC (Mind Enhanced Roving Chair). Davros described them as his Mark III Travel Machine. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)
- Later there were silver Daleks without slats and light-coloured skirt balls. The Daleks on Skaro which depended on static electricity from the floors of the Dalek City had no slats (DW: The Daleks). The Daleks seen in England during the 22nd century Dalek invasion had radio dishes mounted on their backs for external power (DW: The Dalek Invasion of Earth). The Daleks later had horizontal slats. (DW: The Chase onwards)
- Later, the Daleks readopted the grey colour sceme (DW: Day of the Daleks). The Renegade Daleks retained this scheme during the Imperial-Renegade War while Davros' Imperial Daleks had a seperate colour sceme (although these were effectively a different variant of Dalek). (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks)
After and during the Time War
During the Last Great Time War, the new Standard Dalek basic design had no major alterations except for an expanded base and an overall heavier, more solid look. The Daleks also had an all-over metallic brass finish. The ear-bulbs were much larger and cylindrical and both the eyestalk and indicator lights glowed blue.
This Dalek design was also more advanced, with a swivelling mid-section that allowed the Dalek a 360-degree field of fire and a force field that disintegrated bullets before they struck it.
It was also able to regenerate itself by means of absorbing electrical power and the DNA of a time traveller. The manipulator arm was also able to crush a man's skull in addition to the technology interfacing abilities shown by earlier models (DW: Dalek).
At least the Cult of Skaro could also remotely interface with technology without using the manipulator arm and extract information from brainwaves using manipulator arms, killing the person from whose mind brainwaves had been extracted. (DW: Doomsday)
The Daleks which escaped the destruction of the Crucible camoflaged themselves as 'Ironsides' which were supposedly created by Edwin Bracewell. These Daleks were khaki-green coloured. Following the restoration of the Dalek race, the standard Daleks are a bright red colour. (DW: Victory of the Daleks)