User:Blue Rook

Not so much a fan of Doctor Who as I am a fan of the Daleks.

On Daleks, hamsters, and villains in general

Why would I have this level of interest in a race of awful space monsters from a show I have mediocre interest in? Always call a spade "a spade": Daleks are simply squid-snot inside 1960's murder caskets that were created with a real world budget of £250. But they are amusing and I can't take my eyes off them. So I've given it some thought, and it is probably on account of two very different things: their physical appearance, and, their nature as the ultimate antagonist of the show.

When it comes to physical appearance, they are very stubby, expressionless, and their arms appear rather inflexible. Now my favorite pets during childhood were hamsters; although they resemble Daleks not-at-all, when you pick them up, they do share an overall stubbiness, a blank stare, and goofy little front paws that stick out... all of which I found endlessly amusing back then.2
Next there is the Daleks' nature as perhaps the ultimate antagonist of the show. When it comes to fiction, I naturally prefer to learn about the villains on account of the fact that my brain automatically plays devil's advocate. To save time, I try to limit myself to the most influential villains of any fictional universe (the other example being the top-most masterminds in 24). I do not believe that any other antagonists (the Master, the Cybermen, or anyone else) has done more to influence the Doctor and his universe than the Daleks.