Theory:Timeline - Daleks

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This page lists appearances of the Daleks in the order in which they experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. This timeline is based in part on the observations of The Discontinuity Guide.

Limiting factors

Dalek timeline theory in The Discontinuity Guide

In one timeline, Davros created the Daleks, who actually, not just apparently, exterminated him. In this timeline, the Daleks develop full time travel and, except for a brief civil war during the events of The Evil of the Daleks conquer as a united force.

In the second timeline, created by the Fourth Doctor's intervention in Genesis of the Daleks, Davros appears to die, but, in truth survives in a dormant state. The Daleks revive him in Destiny of the Daleks. Later, his survival provokes the Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War, which weakens the Daleks, who never develop full time travel during it and never become a serious threat to the Time Lords. The Seventh Doctor destroys Skaro and perhaps all of the Daleks at the end of Remembrance of the Daleks.

Therefore, while Davros existed in both timelines, Dalek stories set prior to Genesis of the Daleks, and those set after, take place in different continuities.

In the real world, Davros had never appeared on-screen because up until Genesis of the Daleks, Terry Nation had not invented the character. Various accounts had given different accounts of the creation of the Daleks, which conflicted to a greater or lesser degree from one another. The character of Davros achieved such popularity that various production teams brought him back in later stories.

The BBC supported the Discontinuity Guide's theory by including it on the Classic Series section of its website. (See "External links")

Reconciling the two timelines

The 2011 reference guide The Dalek Handbook claims that a new timeline is established after the Doctor's intervention in Genesis of the Daleks. However, it is not made clear how much of the timeline is altered. Other material suggests that not all events in Dalek history were changed - the 22nd century Dalek invasion, first encountered by the First Doctor in TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth, is later encountered by the Sixth Doctor in AUDIO: Masters of Earth, implying this event was largely unchanged between the timelines, if any change was made at all. Stories featuring later Doctors do not necessarily belong only to the second timeline.

TV: Frontier in Space (set before the Doctor's intervention) shows the origin of the Second Dalek War, a conflict which plays a large part in PROSE: Prisoner of the Daleks (set after the Doctor's intervention). The Third Doctor is also show an Imperial Dalek casing in PROSE: The Scales of Injustice, indicating both timelines could be combined or that "crossing" from one to the other was possible.

Other factors to consider

The Daleks have diverged at times, and so multiple timelines may be compatible. Around the 21st century, there are Daleks around the edges of the Mutter's Spiral and on Skaro, just starting to think about putting their own empire together. (PROSE: Alien Bodies) Various Dalek groups also separate to different corners of the universe to prevent the spread of the Movellan virus. (TV: Resurrection of the Daleks)

The only dates for some stories are based on comments that different characters make, so their accuracy may be debatable as well.

Series basics

Broadly speaking, on top of the two timelines, the Last Great Time War splits Dalek history into before Doctor Who's 2005 revival and after, with no Daleks from before the Time War able to interact or cross paths with those after.

How the Time War era and beyond can be reconciled with the Dalek timeline theory, which pre-dates the Time War's introduction, is unclear, as the Time War features both a living Davros, as well as a cohesive Dalek fleet led by the Dalek Emperor that possessed enough control over time travel to fight the Time Lords.

Timeline

Timeline 1

The Daleks are created and exterminate Davros. End of the Thousand Year War.
500 years after the Thousand-Year War, and generations before Planet of the Daleks. A Dalek with this design is featured in The Space Museum.
The Daleks gain Space travel; the other TV21 comics happen around this time.
The Daleks elect to search for Earth
The Daleks are attacking Earth colonies.
The Invasion has begun; the Daleks also attack Mars.
The Daleks' Master Plan, GodEngine, Lucifer Rising and The Mutant Phase date the actual invasion to c.1957. Only Masters of Earth takes the calendar date of 1964 as the date of The Dalek Invasion of Earth at face value and this explicitly contradicts a TV story(The Daleks' Master Plan).
The Daleks have invaded Earth before and have "discovered the secret of time travel", allowing them to travel back in time to 21st century Earth to do so again
Sara is alive.
Sara is alive.
Sara Kingdom dies during Master Plan.
The novelisation places this story over 1,000 years after Masterplan.
The Daleks recognise the Second Doctor and their capsule is bigger on inside, hinting that time travel is involved.
Set an unspecified amount of time after Evil.
These events cause the timeline change in Genesis

Timeline 2

Davros is thought exterminated, but actually enters suspended animation.
The Daleks are attacking Earth colonies.
The invasion of Earth has begun.
Occurs during 22nd century but is contradicted by Lucie Miller/To the Death.
All set during the 26th century and during a version of the Second Dalek War.
Towards the end of the war.
These Daleks have travelled back in time to destroy humanity before the Dalek Wars
takes places after a version of The Daleks' Master Plan
"Thousands of years" after the Daleks were created, Davros is awakened and later put in suspended animation. Neverland mentions the year in relation to the Dalek-Movellan War.
Dalek Duplicates mentioned. They first appeared in Resurrection.
90 years after the events of Destiny, Davros is taken out of suspended animation to cure the Movellan virus.
Between Resurrection and Revelation. TransAllied, Inc(TAI) was formed back in the 38th century.
Occur during flight from Necros.
Davros crashes on Lethe but is recovered.
Leads into Rememberance
Davros is leading a force of Imperial Daleks
The Seventh Doctor mocks the Dalek Supreme for being "a thousand years" from Skaro, which would make the local time for the Daleks c.2963 since the story is set in 1963. Destiny and Davros force the story to be much later. However, there are two things to consider: 1) that the Doctor is speaking inaccurately, implying the Daleks are a long way from their native time but not exactly 1,000 years, and 2) that it is possible for Skaro to be destroyed in 2963 if it is in fact Antalin. (PROSE: War of the Daleks)
Sometime after Skaro's Destruction. It is unclear whether this story, War of the Daleks (novel) and Terror Firma (audio story) can all be reconciled together.
The Daleks are rebuilding and Skaro apparently wasn't destroyed.
Sometime after Remembrance. Davros is mentally unstable and becomes an Emperor Dalek. He might have forgotten the events of War of the Daleks (novel).
The Special Weapons Dalek is used, so after civil war. The stories are labelled as preludes to Dalek Empire
Takes place during Time
Attack takes place during this story

Takes place during the Daleks initial invasion

Takes place during Alby's search for Suz
Clearly happens here due to the presence of Kalendorf.

Set in the 45th century

Set in 53rd century
The Time Controller vows to destroy the Time Lords, prefiguring a version of the Last Great Time War.
The Daleks are being led by the Supreme Dalek, suggesting that this period is at the post Empire point.

The Time War

The Gallifreyan city of Arcadia falls to the Daleks.
Set shortly after Arcadia has fallen. The War Doctor survives the Last Great Time War, and with the help of his other twelve incarnations, destroys the fleet of Daleks concentrating fire on Gallifrey on the final day of the Time War.

Post-Time War

At some point, three separate groups of Daleks survive the Time War independently. Two of the three are effective dead-ends of the timeline.
A Dalek that crash landed on 20th century Earth.
The Dalek Emperor, who ended up in the Sol system circa the year 199,900.
The Cult of Skaro and many prisoners within the Genesis Ark, who escaped into the Void. At the end of Doomsday, the Cult emergency temporal shift, leading into further stories. Tardisode 13 is set during the Battle of Canary Wharf.
The Cult has recently escaped Canary Wharf. At the end of Evolution of the Daleks, Dalek Caan again temporal shifts into the Time War.
Caan is an insane oracle after rescuing Davros from the Time War. The Dalek appearing in Adelaide's flashback is from when the 26 planets appeared in the Earth's sky.
Continues The Beast Below's cliffhanger. Surviving Daleks, seemingly made from Davros' cells from The Stolen Earth / Journey's End, awake the New Dalek Paradigm.
The Daleks' memories of the Doctor are wiped by Oswin Oswald.
The Daleks regain their memories of the Doctor through Tasha Lem.

Unplaced

Timeline 1

These stories involve the Doctor from before the events of Genesis of the Daleks relative to his timeline, and are likely to be set here.


Timeline 2

Post-Time War

Unclear

Either no incarnation of the Doctor, an unclear incarnation, or multiple incarnations pre- and post-Genesis appear in these stories.

aHistory Timeline

This pre-Time War timeline is from the third edition of aHistory. Most of the dates given here are speculative.

External links

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