More actions
Kaleds were one of the near-human races which originally inhabited the planet Skaro. They were the ancestors of the Dalek race.
Biology
The Kaleds looked identical to humans and Thals, except that unlike the Thals, they had dark rather than blonde hair and had brown eyes. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)
Internally, Kaleds could be distinguished from both humans and Thals. Blood tests showed that humans and Gallifreyans were biologically very dissimilar to them, apart from external appearance. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks) Kaleds had purplish tissue and their ribs were more widely spaced than those of a human. (DW: The Stolen Earth) They had thicker lungs than the Thals and they also had a copper based blood which means that it was greenish in color. The Kaled heart is grey in colour. (BFD: Corruption)
Culture
During the Thousand Year War, the Kaleds lived in a totalitarian government in which the military was very powerful. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks) They were led by the Supremo. (BFD: Purity) Beneath him were the Scientific Elite and the Military Elite, who lived in special bunkers. Most of the common people lived in the Kaled Dome. The Kaleds affected by radiation, the Mutos, were banished and sent out into the wastelands to survive. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks) This has caused many rumours about the wasteland. Children saw the area as a hive of cannibals and monsters. The military believed it was full of deserters and wounded Kaleds and Thals. This was proven to be true as when Davros and his team fled a Thal factory, they were attacked by Mutos from the wastelands. (BFD: Purity)
The Kaleds believed in racial purity, which is why they banished the Mutos. They also believed they were the only species in their galaxy and probably the universe, which most likely is the reason why they became such xenophobes when they discovered other sentient life outside of Skaro. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)
The Kaled God of war was a horned, demonic entity which is thought to have been inspired by the Beast. (DW: The Satan Pit) The Kaleds had a form of television, with Captain Croag and the Highland Rangers being an example of a program. Calcula also mentioned that they showed children footage of battles in classrooms to persuade children to join the military, which she thought was "too sanitized". (BFD: Corruption)
History
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!)
Originally, the Kaleds and the Thals lived together in peace. (BFD: Purity) Due to unknown circumstances, the Kaleds and Thals engaged in the Thousand Year War. Though they originally used advanced technology, towards the end of the war they were forced to use technology that was more primitive. By the end of the conflict, both Thals and Kaleds sheltered in domed cities overlooking a wasteland brimming with sand and radiation.
Near the end of the war, Davros started to study the effects from the radiation on the native life on Skaro. He eventually concluded that the preferable result of these mutations would be the Daleks. In order to achieve this eventual outcome, he gave the means to destroy the Kaled city to the Thals. In "retaliation" for the destruction of the base, Davros ordered the creation of the first Dalek army, which he sent to destroy the Thals. Though the other Kaleds objected to this decision, Davros’ Daleks killed them as well. Eventually, the Daleks rebelled against Davros and were then trapped under the Kaled bunker by the Doctor. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks)
For the Kaled's later history as Daleks, see Dalek history