"Metaltron"
"Metaltron" was the name given by Henry Van Statten to a bronze Dalek soldier that fought in the Last Great Time War, and survived after falling through time to the Ascension Islands on Earth. Damaged, it passed through several collectors of alien technology, eventually becoming a living specimen in van Statten's Cage in 2012.
Biography
Before the end of the Time War, this Dalek fell through time and landed on the Ascension Islands circa 1962. Insane and screaming, it passed through several personal collections in the 20th and 21st centuries. By 2012, it was in the possession of billionaire Henry van Statten, who kept it in the Vault. Having no other name for it, van Statten called it a "Metaltron". The "Metaltron" was kept locked in the Cage, restrained by tensile steel chains attached to stabilising pillars. He instructed another of his staff, Simmons, to make it talk. The last person to touch it without any gloves "burst into flames", according to what Simmons said. Although tortured, all it did was scream. With the intention of reaching other Daleks, it sent out a distress signal which was detected by the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler. Initially unaware of the source of the distress signal, the Doctor came to face-to-face with it. (TV: Dalek)
Having thought all of the Daleks destroyed (TV: The Day of the Doctor), he was shocked to find one alive. It moved its gun to exterminate the Doctor, but had insufficient power to do so. After a hostile and bitter conversation between them about the end of the Time War, the Doctor tried to destroy the Dalek, pulling a lever which sent electricity through its casing. He was stopped by van Statten, who ordered two guards to "get him out", pulling the Doctor out the room. Simmons managed to turn the electricity off before the Dalek was destroyed. Henry van Statten was pleased to know what the "Metaltron" was really called.
Upon meeting Rose, who had not witnessed the exchange between the Dalek and the Doctor, it seemed to be a harmless victim. Rose, in an attempt to comfort it, touched the right part of the Dalek's dome (to the left of the eye stalk, from Rose's perspective). As she did so, it absorbed artron energy and DNA from her. It used this to regenerate itself and escape the Vault. It then downloaded all the data available on the Internet and killed Simmons, Bywater, De Maggio, and numerous others. It pursued both Rose and Adam Mitchell through the GeoComTex facility and killed 200 of van Statten's security.
However, the "Metaltron" found itself ultimately unable to kill Rose. The human DNA that it had absorbed from Rose had brought with it emotions. Although it nearly killed van Statten, Rose convinced it to spare him. Rose took the Dalek to the roof, where it blasted a hole in the ceiling and opened its battle armour to feel the sunlight. The Doctor then appeared, armed with an alien energy weapon, with the intent to kill the Dalek. Upon seeing it feel and realising how close to becoming a Dalek he was becoming when Rose asked 'What the hell are you changing into', the Doctor lowered the weapon.
Overcome by emotions and considering its life 'sickness, the "Metaltron" asked Rose to order it to self-destruct,. She refused at first, but eventually gave the order to end its misery, and it destroyed itself. (TV: Dalek)
Legacy
This was the first time the Doctor had found a survivor of the Time War. Although he believed that this was the last Dalek, he would soon discover others. The Dalek Emperor himself survived, when his heavily-damaged flagship was flung through time before the time-lock occurred. (TV: The Parting of the Ways) Likewise, the four-member Cult of Skaro survived aboard their Void Ship, having in their possession a prison vessel loaded with millions of Daleks (TV: Army of Ghosts/Doomsday)
Rose would later recall her restoration of the "Metaltron" Dalek with her touch when the Cult of Skaro demanded that she open the Genesis Ark. She explained to Mickey Smith that the Dalek was broken and dying but when she touched it she brought it back to life, as the Daleks had evolved to use as a power supply the background radiation one "soaked up" from travelling through time in the TARDIS. (TV: Doomsday)
UNIT was aware of the "Metaltron", classed as Code D, but lost track of it once it was relocated to the Vault. (AUDIO: The Dalek Transaction)
Personality
While it was a prisoner, the "Metaltron" refused to speak despite Simmon's tortures.
When it saw the Ninth Doctor, it tried to kill him due to him being 'an enemy of the Daleks' but failed because its gun had been damaged. The Dalek demanded orders, ironically using orders itself in an attempt to receive them. However, it also begged for pity when the Doctor attempted to destroy it.
When it absorbed Rose's DNA, it became emotionally conflicted.... developing fear, mercy, and doubt. It began to question what it was. Eventually, it began to see its own life as 'sickness'.
It also began to show a soft spot for Rose for being the first person who showed it kindness. Although it wanted revenge on Van Statten for all the torture it went through,m it let him go on Rose's request. It asked Rose to order it to self destruct which she reluctantly did to end its misery. Before it done so, it asked if she was frightened, hinting compassion for her and admitted it was frightened too.
After hearing that this Dalek had burned in his crater for days, the Doctor believes it went insane. (TV: Dalek)
Behind the scenes
Prop
The first Dalek seen in the revived Doctor Who television series, Metaltron was depicted by a prop which was created specially for use in Dalek. The prop which originally portrayed Metaltron would be reused on several occasions, first returning among the Emperor Dalek's army in Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways.[1]
Most notably, the prop was painted black and used to depict Dalek Sec in Army of Ghosts/Doomsday and Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks.[2][3]
Invalid sources
- This Dalek also acts as the player character in the online game The Last Dalek. It presents an alternate version of the events of Dalek. In the game, the Dalek fights through the Vault, faces van Statten's forces and eventually the Doctor, who is exterminated by the Dalek. The game is completed when the Dalek finds and destroys the Doctor's TARDIS.
Other matters
- In The Day of the Doctor, as Gallifrey vanishes and the Dalek fleet is destroyed, one Dalek seems to survive as it spins off from the explosion. Although this would be consistent with the general backstory of the "Metaltron", there is no clear indication that it is the same Dalek.
- Rusty, a Dalek captured by the Combined Galactic Resistance was similar to "Metaltron" in the sense that it is presented as a potentially moral Dalek. In the end, Rusty reformed, became good, and began operating alongside the Combined Galactic Resistance against the Daleks in the time of the New Dalek Paradigm.
- Metaltron was adapted from a Dalek in the audio story Jubilee, on which Dalek was based.
- He was the first televised Dalek to see the evilness of Dalek-kind.
