Special Weapons Dalek
The Special Weapons Dalek was a heavily-armoured Dalek with enhanced defensive capacities and even greater offensive capacities.
History
After detecting the Sixth Doctor on Skaro, the Daleks later known as the Renegades sent the Special Weapons Dalek to exterminate him. Later, the then-Dalek Emperor sent the Special Weapons Dalek to Spiridon to deal with Davros's Daleks there. (DWM: Emperor of the Daleks!)
The Imperial Daleks employed the Special Weapons Dalek against the Renegades during the Shoreditch Incident. After it had done its work, it returned to the Imperial Dalek Mothership via the Imperial Dalek Shuttle. When the shockwave from the destruction of Skaro hit, it was most likely destroyed along with the other Imperial Daleks on board the craft. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks)
Following their encounter with Davros, the Renegade Daleks also began using a special weapons Dalek variant in their campaigns. (EDA: War of the Daleks)
At least one Special Weapons Dalek was among the insane Daleks contained in the Dalek Asylum planet. It was inactive as with the other Daleks there. The planet was obliterated by the Parliament of the Daleks, destroying the Special Weapons Dalek and all other others in the Asylum. (DW: Asylum of the Daleks)
By the 53rd century, the Daleks had entire platoons of Special Weapon Daleks. (DWM: Fire and Brimstone)
Characteristics
Unlike a conventional Dalek, the Special Weapons Dalek had no manipulator arm or eye-stalk. Instead, it had an enormous energy cannon mounted on the front of the armoured casing in place of the usual small gunstick and several red squares around the dome in place of the usual eye-stalk.
The Special Weapons Dalek's firepower was so great that one shot completely vaporised two conventional Renegade Daleks, leaving only a pair of burn marks, and the armour was sufficient to deflect conventional Dalek energy weapons without suffering any apparent harm.
Initially, the Special Weapons Dalek had a conventional grey livery, marred by dark green stains. (DWM: Emperor of the Daleks!). Later, like other Imperial Daleks, its livery was white with gold bumps, but with sections of metallic grey armour covering most of the upper portion with much battle scoring. It never spoke and it is unknown whether it could do so.
Other information
It has been stated that the enormous power source required for its weapon resulted in high levels of radiation being released and altering the structure of the Dalek's brain, resulting in insanity. It was only used in extreme situations and was unofficially known among the Daleks as the Abomination. (DWN: Remembrance of the Daleks)`this could account for why there was at least one in the asylum
Behind the scenes
- Special Weapons Daleks would have been featured in the aborted 30th anniversary film The Dark Dimension.
- There were supposed to be two variants of SW Daleks. However, the second design was scrapped, and was never used.
One of a kind?
Whether or not the Special Weapons Dalek in Remembrance of the Daleks is unique, or one of many is without definitive proof. The novelisation of Remembrance of the Daleks implies the existence of only one Special Weapons Dalek, giving it a personal history and the name "Abomination". In something of a contradiction, Emperor of the Daleks! and Remembrance show a Special Weapons Dalek fighting for the Renegade and Imperial factions respectively. Finally, Fire and Brimstone shows an entire army of Special Weapons Dalek, either disproving the myth or showing the eventual mass production of the type.
From a production perspective, the only televised stories to feature a Special Weapons Dalek, Remembrance and Asylum, were restricted to using one simply due to there being only one prop of the type.
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