Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)

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Genesis of the Daleks was the fourth and penultimate serial of season 12 of Doctor Who. It introduced Davros, creator of the Daleks, and showed the story of their origins. Davros later played a prominent role in every following Dalek serial up to Remembrance of the Daleks in 1988.

Genesis of the Daleks is also notable for being the second in a run marking the only time in the classic television series that the TARDIS does not appear whatsoever for two consecutive serials.

Also notable is the fact that this is one of the only two Dalek serials in all seven years of Tom Baker's run on the show, the other being 1979's Destiny of the Daleks. This became the start of a practice throughout the classic series where most recurring enemies would see a significant reduction in the amount of encounters between them and the Doctor; the Daleks, to name an example, only starred in one televised serial during each succeeding Doctor's tenure for the remainder of the 1963-1989 run.

In a 1998 poll conducted by Doctor Who Magazine, Genesis of the Daleks was praised by fans as their favourite Doctor Who story of all time. (DWM 265) In 2020, Genesis of the Daleks became part of the Time Lord Victorious multimedia event.

Synopsis

Intercepted while travelling between Earth and the Ark, the Fourth Doctor and his companions are transported to the planet Skaro, thousands of years in the past, on a mission for the Time Lords — to prevent the creation of the Daleks.

Plot

Part one

On a foggy battlefield, men wearing red gas masks, and armed with archaic rifles, advance out of a trench and are brutally cut down by machine gun fire. The enemy squad marches over their fallen bodies.

The Fourth Doctor walks through the cold mist, wondering why he's not on Nerva. Suddenly, a Time Lord messenger appears in front of him. The Doctor realises that they intercepted the transmat beam he and his companions were riding to Nerva, and points out to the Time Lord how dangerous that is. The Doctor is angry that the Time Lords are still interfering in his life, but the Time Lord explains that for the freedom they allow him they will occasionally ask for something in return. The Doctor refuses until he is told his mission involves the Daleks. The Time Lord tells the Doctor that they have foreseen that the Daleks will eventually exterminate all other life in the universe unless they're stopped. They want the Doctor to travel back to the time of their beginning to avert their creation, make them less aggressive, or find some inherent weakness in their makeup. The Doctor agrees — "All right. Just one more time!"— and asks the Time Lord for the coordinates for Skaro, the Dalek homeworld. The Time Lord tells the Doctor that he is already on Skaro, saying "We thought it would save time if we assumed your agreement." The Time Lord gives the Doctor a Time Ring that will return him to the TARDIS when his mission is complete, warning "Be careful not to lose it. That Time Ring is your lifeline." The Time Lord wishes the Doctor good luck and then vanishes, leaving the Doctor calling "Don't just disappear! What about Sarah and Harry?"

Harry Sullivan and Sarah Jane Smith find the Doctor. As they explore the battlefield, they come across bodies equipped with a curious mix of ancient and modern equipment. The Doctor theorises that the war has been going on for a long time, perhaps a thousand years, with technology regressing as resources get more scarce.

In the distance, they see yet another sight — a protective dome large enough to cover an entire city. The trio cross the lines into another trench, where the bodies of the fallen have been propped up to make the place appear more heavily guarded. Suddenly, gas shells drop as a squad of soldiers attacks. Another door bursts open, and black-uniformed soldiers emerge, counterattacking with submachine guns. Having dealt with the enemy, they drag Harry and the Doctor into their bunker, leaving an unconscious Sarah behind among the dead.

The soldiers, all very young men, take the Doctor and Harry to see General Ravon, who is in his early twenties. These are the Kaleds, who are fighting a war with the Thals for dominance of Skaro. Soon, Ravon boasts, they will exterminate the Thals from the face of Skaro. The Doctor notices that "Kaled" is an anagram of something familiar.

The Doctor and Harry disarm Ravon, forcing him at gunpoint to take them back to the surface. However, they encounter Security Commander Nyder, who becomes suspicious and orders his men to open fire. Releasing Ravon, Harry and the Doctor run for and reach the surface, but they are soon captured by the Kaleds once more. Ravon thinks the two are Mutos, the descendants of those mutated by chemical weapons in the first century of the war and cast out into the wastelands to maintain Kaled racial purity. The Doctor tells Nyder they are aliens, but Nyder is sceptical, since the Kaleds' greatest scientist, Davros, has said there is no intelligent life on other planets:"So either he is wrong, or you are lying. And Davros is never wrong about anything." Nyder takes custody of the Doctor and Harry for interrogation.

Sarah has regained consciousness and, unable to enter the bunker, walks into the wastelands, where she is being followed by Mutos. She stumbles across a crumbling structure and peeps through to see an old and crippled man — referred to as Davros — his lower body enclosed in what appears to be a sophisticated mobile chair that resembles the bottom half of a Dalek. The wizened, hairless figure has a withered left arm, and his eyes are both closed over, with a third, blue electronic eye on his forehead blinking as he speaks. His assistant, Gharman, sets up several man-shaped targets, and Davros flicks a switch on his chair. To Sarah's horror, a Dalek — minus its sucker arm — is revealed in a dim glow of light. Davros gives it some simple commands in a grating, half-synthesised voice, "Exterminate!" The Dalek fires its deadly laser weapon, obliterating the targets. Davros is pleased. "Now we can begin..."

Part two

After Gharman and Davros lead the Dalek away, Sarah is taken prisoner by the Mutos. In the Kaled bunker, Nyder orders that the Doctor and Harry be scanned. The scan detects the Time Ring, which is confiscated despite the Doctor's protests. It is placed with their other belongings as they are taken to Senior Researcher Ronson for further questioning.

Two Mutos argue over Sarah's unconscious body. Gerrill notes that she is a "Norm", and Norms are to be killed by Muto law. Sevrin, however, questions why the Mutos should always destroy beauty. Gerrill says if Sevrin doesn't kill the Norm, he will, and pulls out a knife. Sevrin tries to disarm Gerrill, and the pair fight. The fight is interrupted by a patrol of Thal soldiers, who shoot Gerrill when he fails to stop when ordered to, but take Sevrin and Sarah to the Thal Dome as slave labourers.

Ronson, a member of the Scientific Division, examines the results of the scan and is startled to discover that the Doctor and Harry are indeed aliens. Before he can question them further, an alarm rings; Davros is arriving, bringing with him his "Mark III travel machine ", which the Doctor identifies to Ronson as a Dalek. The Dalek has a sucker arm but is minus its gun, which Nyder installs before Davros releases the primitive Dalek to independent control; it swivels around and pauses at the Doctor and Harry, detecting their non-Kaled physiology. It grates that they are "aliens" and must be exterminated, but Ronson switches the Dalek off before it can fire.

Davros is furious that Ronson interceded when his creation showed a natural instinct to destroy. Ronson pleads with Davros that the prisoners might hold valuable information, and Davros relents — but warn Ronson will be punished for insubordination. They will be used when the demonstration resumes, at first light, but Ronson may question them until then. The two are taken to the cells.

In the Thal dome, Sarah discovers that the Thals have placed all their remaining resources into a rocket that they hope will bring them victory in one decisive strike. The slaves are being used to pack the rocket's nose cone with distronic explosives. To reduce the weight, no shielding is provided, which means the slaves will get distronic toxaemia and die after a few hours' exposure.

The Doctor has learned that the bunker they are in is a few miles away from the Kaled dome. Years ago, the Kaled government decided to form a scientific elite for research, but over time the elite became more and more influential. Ronson tells them that Davros has just announced that the Mark III travel machine will now be known as a Dalek, and Ronson asks how the Doctor knew this in advance.

When the Doctor reveals that he is a time traveller, Ronson confides in him that he and a few others believe the direction of Davros' research has turned immoral and evil. The elite discovered that their race was already mutating. Davros believed that this mutation could not be reversed and began experiments to determine the Kaleds' final mutated form, developing these "ultimate creatures" which he will put in travel machines. Ronson believes that, if the government were told about the experiments, they would shut Davros down, but he is unable to get out of the bunker. The Doctor offers to contact the right men if Ronson helps them escape.

The first load over, Sarah and the other slaves return to their cell, exhausted. She tells them they must act before they are too weak from distronic exposure to do anything. She proposes they try to escape through the dome's exit at the top of the rocket. Overpowering their guard, the slaves rush out to the silo and start climbing, as Thal troops fire up at them. But Sarah gets into difficulties, and Sevrin urges her on. Suddenly, she loses her grip and falls, screaming...

Part three

Several are shot, falling to their deaths. Sarah and Sevrin make it to the nose cone of the rocket but are caught before they can escape. Meanwhile, Ronson has helped Harry and the Doctor escape, and they make their way to the Kaled dome. Back in the bunker, Davros orders further improvements to the Dalek shell's systems.

Another scientist, Kavell, tells Ronson that the Doctor and Harry have made contact with the Kaled leadership in the dome. There, the Doctor briefs the Kaled Councillors, including one named Mogran, on future events and how the name of the Daleks will terrorise the universe for generations to come.

Nyder tells Davros that his spies have reported that a secret meeting between Mogran and some Councillors that oppose their work occurred in the dome with the two prisoners present. Davros tells Nyder to find out how they escaped and the details of the meeting; he will deal with Ronson in his own way. Mogran and his Councillors have decided that an independent inquiry will look into Davros's experiments, and until then, all work at the bunker will cease. If the Doctor's allegations are borne out, the project will be shut down. When they leave to tell Davros their decision, Ravon tells Harry and the Doctor that Kaled agents in the Thal dome have reported that a girl led an attempted breakout. The Kaleds know about the rocket but are unconcerned because Davros has reinforced their dome. Ravon agrees to show the Doctor and Harry how to get to the Thal dome.

Davros seems to take Mogran's announcement of the inquiry well, but after they leave, he orders twenty mutants to be placed within the Dalek shells. Nyder protests that they are still unstable, but Davros replies that he will place them under a degree of computer control. He and Nyder are going on a journey.

Harry and the Doctor reach the Thal dome and, while making their way through the corridors, manage to spy on a meeting between some Thals and Davros, with Nyder by his side. The Kaled chief scientist tells the Thals that he is only interested in peace. He adds that the Kaled dome is currently impenetrable but gives them a chemical formula that will weaken the dome enough for the rocket to work. All he asks is that he be allowed to help in the reconstruction of Skaro when the war is over.

Harry and the Doctor continue their search for Sarah. They overpower two guards and steal their radiation suits. Entering the silo, they take care of the guard there and free the slaves. Harry, Sarah and Sevrin leave for the Kaled dome to warn them and advise an immediate offensive, while the Doctor attempts to sabotage the rocket. However, before he can do so, the guard in the silo revives and activates an electric grid, sending an electric surge through the Doctor's body, shocking him into unconsciousness.

Part four

The Doctor awakens in the control room of the Thal dome, where a screen shows the Thal chemical bombardment of the Kaled dome. The Thal leader gives the order to start the rocket countdown. In the bunker, the Kaled scientists watch the bombardment with disbelief; who could have given the Thals the right formula?

The Thal rocket fires and blows up the Kaled dome. The Doctor ruefully observes that he sent Harry and Sarah in there. In the bunker, Davros vows "vengeance", beginning with the "Thal spy" Ronson's death. With an order of "Exterminate!" from Davros, Ronson is blasted down by the Daleks. Davros declares the death of the Kaled race and the rise of the Daleks as the supreme being and ultimate conqueror of the universe.

The Thal leader is jubilant that the war has ended, and orders all prisoners to be freed and charges against them dropped — including the Doctor. The Doctor, however, is melancholy. A Thal woman, Bettan, asks him if he had friends in the dome, and the Doctor replies yes. However, he intends to continue to try to stop the development of Davros's Daleks. Bettan says that Davros is a hero, despite the Doctor telling her that he only betrayed his people because they were about to stop his experiments.

In the bunker, Davros tells Gharman to implement new variations to the Dalek mutants' genetic structure. Gharman notices that this will produce mental defects, making them devoid of conscience, morality or pity. Davros calls them "improvements" and orders Gharman to carry out his orders without question, but Gharman is obviously disturbed by this development.

Under Davros's orders, Daleks enter the Thal dome and begin exterminating people. Bettan runs into the Doctor, and the two flee the dome. The Doctor tells her that she has to form what Thal survivors there are into a fighting force and destroy the Kaled bunker.

As the Doctor makes his way back to the bunker to retrieve the Time Ring, he is attacked by Mutos. However, he is saved by Harry, Sevrin and Sarah. It turns out they never reached the Kaled dome before its destruction, because they came under attack by Mutos halfway across the wastelands at the same time the rocket was launched. Before they return to the bunker, the Doctor asks Sevrin to join Bettan and help her organise the survivors.

In the bunker, Gharman quietly tries to convince Kavell that they have to stop the Daleks. However, they are overheard by Nyder. The Security Commander approaches Gharman and convinces him that he believes Davros has become a megalomaniac and has to be stopped. He arranges to meet Gharman in the detention rooms on the lower level where Davros never goes. There, Gharman gives Nyder the names of those who oppose Davros, which is all that he really wanted. Davros appears, and Nyder knocks Gharman unconscious. At that moment, Sarah, Harry and the Doctor emerge from the ventilation shaft right in front of the two and are captured.

Davros interrogates the Doctor, who tells him why he is here. Davros asks him if the Daleks always win in the future, and the Doctor tells him that they have occasionally been defeated. Davros demands to know what mistakes the Daleks make, intending to correct them, but the Doctor refuses. Davros hooks Sarah and Harry up to his machines and tells the Doctor that if he lies or does not answer his questions, his friends will suffer.

Part five

As Davros increases the power of the torture devices, the Doctor reluctantly answers Davros's questions. Over the course of the next few hours, he gives a litany of the Daleks' defeats and why they were defeated. The first session over, Sarah and Harry are taken to the detention area. Davros asks the Doctor to stay: "Let us talk — not as prisoner and captor, but as men of science. There is so much I wish to know."

The Doctor pleads with Davros to stop the development of the Daleks. The machines are not the problem — the evil creatures inside them are. Davros says that they are merely conditioned to survive, and to do so, they must become the dominant species. When all other life is suppressed, there will be universal peace.

The Doctor asks Davros a hypothetical question: if he had invented a virus that would destroy all other forms of life on contact, would he use it? Davros considers the question and observes that the power to make that choice would elevate him above the gods, and yes, he would do it. Convinced now that Davros is mad, the Doctor seizes his arm and threatens to turn off his life support systems unless he orders the Dalek mutants destroyed. However, Nyder enters and knocks the Doctor out before Davros can give the final order.

Nyder takes the Doctor back to the cells, but in the meantime, Kavell has knocked out a guard and freed Sarah, Harry and Gharman. Harry, dressed as a guard, tries to stop Nyder, but he gets away. Gharman and Kavell go to organise the others against Davros, but the Doctor warns them to be careful: Davros knows what they are planning. The time travellers now have two things to retrieve: the Time Ring and the tape recording with knowledge of the future.

The Daleks in the Thal dome exterminate the last of the Thals still inside and are ordered back to the bunker. Sevrin tells Bettan that there are no more survivors except those who escaped the city. In the bunker, fighting breaks out between Gharman's and Davros's supporters, with Gharman's side gaining the upper hand. To Nyder's surprise, Davros orders him to surrender. Gharman and the rebels meet Davros and deliver their ultimatum: to destroy the Daleks and cease work on the project. Davros agrees, but he wants a meeting of both the military and scientific elite in an hour and a vote to be taken on the issue.

Searching through the lockers, the Doctor finds a chunk of plastic explosive and detonators. There is one option left to him to stop the Daleks: genocide. He enters the incubator room to set up the explosives, intending to destroy the Daleks forever. As Sarah and Harry wait, the Doctor staggers out, with several embryonic Dalek mutants wrapped around his throat, strangling him.

Part six

With Harry and Sarah's help, the Doctor manages to free himself. He throws the Dalek mutants back into the incubator room, then picks up the wires connected to the explosives. All he has to do now is touch the two wires together and that is it; the Daleks will be no more. However, it is at this crucial moment that the full gravity of his situation suddenly falls upon the Doctor's shoulders, and he hesitates, confronted with a moral dilemma. Does he have the right to do this?

Sarah tries her best to talk the Doctor round, reminding him that the Daleks are utterly ruthless machines of hatred and war. If the Doctor does not destroy them untold billions will suffer for it. Yet even so the Doctor still cannot bring himself to do it. He points out that whilst Sarah's statement is true, the Daleks' existence also created some good in the universe. Many worlds and species that would have been enemies otherwise, united because of their common fear of the Daleks. Whilst the Doctor indicates that he knows what will happen if he does not act, it does not change his current situation. Right now the Daleks are still in their infancy. The creatures in that room are innocent beings who have committed no wrong. Their species as a whole is for the most part guiltless, save for the ones that Davros has already activated and sent to the Thal dome. The Doctor points out that if he destroys that room, then he will be committing an act of genocide. Thus, ironically, if he wipes the Daleks out, then he becomes no better than his foremost enemies.

At that moment, Gharman approaches the group and tells them that Davros has agreed to the ultimatum. Hearing this, the Doctor is grateful and relieved for not having to make the final decision. He disconnects the wires, and they go to the meeting. There, as Davros and Gharman speak to the surviving Kaleds, The Doctor spots their confiscated gear upon one of the tables. Moving subtly, he, Sarah and Harry carefully gather it all up. The only thing missing now is the Time Ring, which Sarah finds moments later. Slipping it onto his wrist, the Doctor says that all they need to do now is deal with the tape recording.

Whilst this is happening, Davros and Gharman make their respective cases. Davros goes first stating that everything he has done has been done for the benefit of their kind. With the rest of their species gone, the Daleks are both the Kaleds' future and legacy. When Gharman insists that his genetic modifications have created a totally hostile creature, Davros uses Skaro's history to validate the necessity of these changes. He then tells his detractors that if they feel so strongly about it, he has set up a solution. On the control panel is a large red destruct button. If they press it, the entire bunker, save for the room that they are in will be destroyed. He points out however, that if they do this, then the Kaleds will destroy everything that they have worked for. When no one steps forward, he calls them all cowards.

With that Gharman takes his turn. He declares that Davros is right about the Daleks being the future of their kind, but insists that they should not be a genetically modified creature conditioned to hate everything. Thus, he offers an alternative solution. They restart the project; destroy Davros' modified Daleks and then continue with the operation as planned. Although the Kaleds themselves are doomed, the Daleks can continue to exist. Not as an immoral creature of hatred, but as a creature with a conscience, emotion and the freedom to do both good and evil. Having made their cases, Davros and Gharman tell the others that they will decide the future of their kind. Whilst this is happening, Davros secretly whispers to Nyder, telling him to wait a few minutes then make sure everything is ready.

As the Kaleds deliberate, the Daleks re-enter to the bunker en masse. Bettan's rebels shadow them, following them all the way back to the hidden entrance. They are accompanied by Sevrin, who assures them that with the Kaled dome destroyed this bunker is the only remaining stronghold. Bettan immediately sets to work, telling her rebels to set explosive charges on each of the support beams. If they can do that, the entrance will cave in and the rubble from above will entomb the Daleks forever. Sevrin realises that this would also leave the TARDIS crew trapped as well, but Bettan declares that she has no choice, this is their only opportunity to stop the Daleks. Understanding the situation, Sevrin decides to go deeper into the bunker to try to warn the Doctor and the others, knowing there is a distinct possibility that he might never come out again.

The Doctor, Harry and Sarah capture Nyder.

Back in the control room, the vote takes place. A handful of scientists and security officers, move to Davros' side, but the majority of them stay next to Gharman. As Davros blackmails Kravos into siding with him over the fact he saved the Kaled's life by mending his heart with an instrument that would keep it beating, The Doctor notices Nyder casually walking off. Suspicious, the group follow and head him off in the hallway. A small struggle ensues, during which the Time Ring comes off the Doctor's wrist and drops on the floor. Nyder is soon overpowered and cornered, with the Doctor asking where he's going? The Kaled tries to play innocent, stating that he is getting out while he still can, but the group see through his lie. The Doctor then forces Nyder to take them to where the tape recording is kept. Meanwhile, Sevrin continues to search the bunker, hiding from the Daleks who seem to be heading somewhere.

In Davros' office, Nyder shows the TARDIS crew the safe where the tape is stored. He insists that only Davros knows the combination, but Harry and the Doctor quickly realise this is another attempt at deception. The Time Lord points out that Davros cannot possibly open the safe due to his condition, and thus singles out Nyder as the only one who has to do this. Begrudgingly, Nyder fetches the recording, which the Doctor then destroys with a prototype Dalek gun Sarah finds. Unfortunately, whilst the group is distracted, Nyder uses the opportunity to escape and seal the door, locking them inside the room. The Doctor is not concerned though; they have completed their mission, the tape is destroyed, Davros' power is ended and Gharman will soon destroy the active Daleks. It is only then that they realise that the Time Ring is missing. With the Time Ring gone, the group need to find a way to escape. Unbeknownst to them, time is running out: at the front of the bunker, the Thals are nearing the end of their preparations and it won't be long until they detonate the explosives.

The Doctor and Harry try to work on the door but their efforts come to nothing. Sarah meanwhile tried fiddling with the controls, but instead of opening the door, she manages to access the Kaled video systems, giving the group a view of the main control room. To their surprise, the meeting is still going on. Outvoted and apparently defeated, Davros makes one last plea with the remaining rebels to join his side, but the "victorious" Gharman states that it is over, Davros has lost. However, the chief scientist declares that he has no intention of submitting and that he will not let his life's work be ended by their interference and perceived cowardice. Then, as Gharman declares him insane, Davros activates one of the buttons on his chariot and springs his trap!

The doors open, to reveal the Daleks, who either advance into the room or block all of the remaining exits. With those who are against Davros and the Daleks identified, Davros has the rebels surrounded. At his command, Gharman and his supporters are murdered en masse by their creations. The only one of Davros' followers to object is Kravos, who sympathies still lie with the rebels. He tries to intervene on their behalf, lunging for the controls on Davros' chair. In response, Nyder grabs Kravos and throws him back towards his deceased comrades, where the young Kaled is also gunned down. Thus, in one move, Davros has eliminated the last remaining threat to his power, whilst showing his remaining followers what will happen to anyone that opposes him.

Safe within the office, the TARDIS crew are horrified by what they just witnessed, but are distracted by a commotion at the door. Fortunately, it is Sevrin. Unfortunately, he notifies them as to the Thals intentions. Exiting the office, the Doctor quickly recovers the Time Ring and, following a close encounter with a couple of Daleks, gives the ring to Sarah and tells them to flee. Thanks to Davros' actions, the Doctor realises that he had no other option now, he must finish what he started. As the others flee in one direction, he heads back towards the incubator room, finding his lost hat and coat along the way.

Unfortunately, the situation is not in their favour. As Davros makes plans for his loyalist to continue their work, with the Daleks now acting as their new military, Nyder informs him about the prisoners escape. Furious, Davros orders that a full search be carried out for them, to which the Daleks comply. Even more frighteningly, back at the entrance, the Thals have finished their preparations. Fortunately, Sevrin, Sarah and Harry manage to make it safely out of the bunker. There, despite the Thals' reluctance, they manage to convince Bettan to delay the detonation by a few minutes.

Back at the incubator room, the Doctor manages to resets his own explosives without issue. However, he is unable to connect the wires due to the sudden arrival of a Dalek, which fires upon him, forcing the Time Lord to take cover. He tries to reach for the wires again, but a second shot forces him back. Then as the Dalek advances on him, the Doctor notices the position of the wires and realises that he doesn't need to do anything. As the Dalek glides forward, the Doctor flees. A second later, the Dalek brushes up against the wires, its metal body acting like a conductor and triggering the the detonation. Thus, both the incubator room and the Dalek are destroyed.

At the main entrance, the Doctor's companions and the Thal rebels hear the explosion, but have no way of knowing what has happened. At that moment, one of Thals manages to hack the Kaleds' video system, allowing them to view the main conference room. When Davros orders the Daleks to secure the main entrance, Bettan knows that their time is up. With their enemies on the way, she orders the main doors to be sealed and despite Harry's plea, reluctantly orders that the final preparations be made for detonation.

Back in the conference room, Davros is distracted by a noise from one of the computers. Looking over, he discovers that the Dalek automated production line has been started. However, Davros did not authorise this activation. When he demands to know who is responsible. one of the Daleks says that it gave the order. Davros, not impressed by this act of self-initiative. reminds his creations that they serve only him. He orders that the line be shut down immediately ... but the Daleks make no move to obey. Davros repeats his instructions, but once again his creations do not acknowledge or comply with his instructions.

Furious, Davros orders Nyder to stop the production. His loyal henchman moves to obey, but as he reaches the control panel, the Daleks open fire upon him. As Nyder's body slumps lifelessly to the floor, the Dalek who ordered the activation of the line states that the production will continue. With that, the Daleks advance threateningly upon their creator.

The Daleks refuse to acknowledge Davros as their superior.

Back at the entrance, the Thals have almost finished closing the doors and Bettan finally gives the order to detonate the explosives. A split second before they can press the plunger however, Sarah spots movement; the Doctor has arrived, but he is not alone. With a squadron of Daleks is in hot pursuit, With two Thals holding it open, Harry and Sarah barely manage to help the Doctor squeeze through the gap in the doors, just in time to avoid a fatal shot from a Dalek's ray gun. With everyone accounted for, the Thals slam the doors shut, trapping the Daleks and allowing Bettan to once again give the order.

The plunger is pressed. There is a loud explosion and the rebels crouch down as the earth shakes. The subsequent explosion collapses the corridor, burying it and the oblivious patrol under tons of rubble, trapping the surviving Daleks and their creators inside the bunker.

Noticing the video screens, the Doctor heads over to them, swiftly followed by the others. There they see that the Daleks have turned on Davros and watch as the scientist tries to reason with his creations. He insists that they were created to serve him and that they cannot survive without his help or guidance. However, as the Doctor and Gharman anticipated, Davros' earlier arrogance and instructions have finally come back to haunt him. The Daleks tell Davros flat out that they do not acknowledge any creature as their superior. Despite Davros' declarations, the Dalek leader assures him that contrary to what he thinks, they can maintain themselves under their own power and have the ability to think of new ways to survive without any outside help.

At this point a second Dalek interrupts the conversation, notifying everybody present about the cave-in. The Daleks are unconcerned by this, but back at the entrance Sarah asks about the incubator room. The Doctor confirms its destruction, but declares that unfortunately he has failed to destroy his enemies. In the end, all he managed to do was to hold back the Daleks' progress by a thousand years or so. Before anything more can be said, Harry points back to the video screen. Inside the bunker, the Daleks have also cornered Davros' loyalists. The Dalek leader tells the surviving Kaleds that from this point onwards, the Daleks consider all other species to be both inferior and their enemies — whom they will destroy.

Hearing this, Davros makes a desperate plea on behalf of his men, pointing out that they can use their scientific knowledge to aid and benefit the Daleks. He implores them to show some pity, but unfortunately by his own instruction, the word 'pity' is not in the Daleks' vocabulary banks. Without a moment's hesitation, the Daleks open fire upon the men who created them, turning their parent species into the first victims of their genocidal campaign and leaving Davros the last of his kind. Knowing what is about to happened, the horrified Davros makes one last attempt to reason with his creations. He reminds the Daleks that he created them; they were created to obey him. Advancing slightly, the Dalek leader makes it clear that from now on, the Daleks will obey no-one.

At this point, Davros finally seems to realise that the Doctor (and the others) were right and that the Daleks are beyond reasoning with. Turning around, he reaches for the destruct button, intending to destroy the bunker and his creations. Unfortunately, due to his injuries, he cannot reach the button in time. The Dalek leader sees what he is doing and grates "Exterminate!" There is a flash of light, Davros' scream fades into silence and with that, the Kaleds are apparently no more.

With Davros disposed of, the lead Dalek turns to its kin (and the audience). It proclaims that despite their entombment, their species has survived. This is not the end for the Daleks, merely the beginning. The Daleks will simply bide their time, using the opportunity to prepare themselves and grow stronger. Then, when the time is right, they will break out. On that day, they will fulfil their destiny and become the universe's supreme power.

Having done all they can, the TARDIS crew and the Thal resistance say their goodbyes. Words of thanks and handshakes are exchanged, as the Thals and Sevrin take their leave. Once they have gone, the Doctor, Harry and Sarah gather round and finally activate the Time Ring. As they are whisked away through time and space, Sarah asks the Doctor why he does not seem disappointed that he failed. As they leave Skaro behind them, the Doctor tells his companions that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years, he is certain that out of their evil must come something good...

Cast

Crew

Uncredited crew

References

Cultural references to real world

Daleks

  • Davros uses an agony seat to get information from the Doctor and his companions about Dalek history.
  • The door to the Dalek hatchery has a small window which people can use to peer inside. The Doctor and his companions look through the window, but only they, not the viewers, see what lies within. The Doctor's companions are both disgusted by what they've seen.
  • The Daleks are programmed to wipe out the Thals.
  • Although they obey his orders at first, Davros is eventually exterminated by the Daleks.
  • The prototype Dalek's weapon is tested on man-shaped targets in a bombed out building.
  • The prototype Dalek recognises the Doctor is not Skarosian.

The Doctor's items

Individuals

Skarosian species

  • The Kaleds and the Thals have had a Thousand Year War.
  • The combatants make use of gas masks, radiation detectors and land mines while their cities are protected by domes.
  • The Doctor and his companions examine the body of a Thal soldier, noting the number of years between the soldier's old fashioned rifle and the futuristic weapon, and how most of his uniform is composed of modern, synthetic material and the rest is composed of animal skins.
  • Dead soldiers are propped up in the Kaled trenches.
  • The Kaleds are provided with a "security scan" able to quickly perform blood tests, EEG and other biological surveys.

Food and Beverages

  • After the encounter with the clam, Sarah declares that she'll never eat oysters again.

Story notes

  • Working titles for this story included Genesis of Terror and Daleks: Genesis of Terror.
  • The freeze-frame cliffhanger at the end of part two represents the series' first use of this technique.
  • Some of the Thal guns were previously used by the Drahvins in Galaxy 4.
  • Part of an Ice Warrior costume is seen in one shot, representing one of the mutant creatures produced by Davros in his experiments.
  • The opening scene was rewritten by David Maloney. Terry Nation felt the rewritten scene was too violent for young children; Mary Whitehouse concurred after the story's first broadcast.
  • According to Barry Letts, this story came about due to the fact that, when he was still serving as producer, he asked Terry Nation to write a new Dalek story but the two drafts that Nation submitted were identical to what he had previously written for Planet of the Daleks and Death to the Daleks. So Letts suggested that he could explore "the genesis of the Daleks" thus giving Nation the idea, and the title, for this story.
  • Genesis of the Daleks is the most-repeated Doctor Who story on BBC Television's analogue services, having been re-shown in edited form in 1975 and 1982 (on BBC1) and again in its full form in 1993 and 2000 (both on BBC2). It has also been regularly transmitted on satellite television station UK Gold and was shown on the BBC's digital channel BBC Choice in 1998. In a 1998 poll of readers by Doctor Who Magazine, over 2500 voters placed it top of a poll to find the greatest Doctor Who stories of all time, and it has regularly featured in the top-tens of other similar polls down the years.
  • Elisabeth Sladen is credited as "Sarah Jane" in Radio Times for parts one and three to six.
  • Michael Wisher wore a kilt and knee pads when he was in his Davros costume as he found wearing normal trousers made it difficult to move and steer his Dalek base. To prepare during rehearsals, He acted in a wheelchair with a paper bag over his head that only had slits cut out for his eyes so he would be used to the "disorienting" situation and be able to express himself without using his whole face. Wisher, a heavy smoker, put two holes in the top of the bag so he could smoke underneath it in rehearsals
  • The Radio Times programme listing for the 85-minute compilation repeat broadcast on Saturday 27 December 1975 was accompanied by a black-and-white illustration by Frank Bellamy depicting The Doctor, Daleks and Davros with the accompanying caption "The most important mission The Doctor has ever faced — can he prevent Davros creating his Daleks? A complete Dr. Who adventure today: 3.00 p.m.". (original published text)
  • The Dalek defeats that the Doctor mentions in his interrogation include an invasion in the year 2000 when the Daleks tried to mine the magnetic core of the Earth (presumably a reference to The Dalek Invasion of Earth). The Doctor also mentions a Dalek invasion of Mars (later also noted in the Virgin New Adventures novel GodEngine by Craig Hinton) and an invasion of Venus that was halted in the "Space Year 17,000" by a fleet of ships from the planet Hyperon.
  • John Peel's novelisation of The Evil of the Daleks suggests that the Dalek which exterminates Davros towards the end of this story eventually becomes the Dalek Emperor seen in The Evil of the Daleks. Peel's later novel War of the Daleks also states this.
  • The Daleks and the Time Lords are later involved in a destructive Time War, alluded to in the 2005 series. Executive producer Russell T Davies commented in an episode of Doctor Who Confidential that the origins of the Time War date back to this story, where the Time Lords struck first. Davies also made reference to this attempted genocide as a root of the Time War in a text piece in the Doctor Who Annual 2006. The 2013 comic strip Hunters of the Burning Stone recreates a scene from this story, and the Eleventh Doctor explicitly describes it as him firing "the first shot" in the Time War.
  • In some discussions it is argued that the Doctor was more successful in his mission than he realised. In addition to entombing the Daleks for what he believed to be a thousand years, his intervention may have contributed to Davros surviving the betrayal of his creations. When Davros was later revived, his presence created a schism within the Daleks' ranks and made them less effective as conquerors.
  • This serial marks the final on-screen appearance of the Thals in the classic series. They would make further appearances in spin-off material including The Mutant Phase, War of the Daleks and Brotherhood of the Daleks.
  • The TARDIS does not appear in this story, an occurrence that did not happen again until Midnight in 2008. The only other televised stories in which it does not appear are Mission to the Unknown (which also does not feature The Doctor or any other of the regular cast), Doctor Who and the Silurians, The Mind of Evil, The Dæmons, The Sea Devils, The Sontaran Experiment, The Lie of the Land, The Woman Who Fell to Earth and Ascension of the Cybermen.
  • A Dalek ray is used for its weapon for the first time, though the entire screen is still in negative when it fires.
  • This story marks the only on-screen appearance of Kaleds other than Davros in the Classic era.
  • Writer John Williams, writing in DWM 474, noted that because of the perceived improvement this story had over Terry Nation's previous Dalek scripts for Planet of the Daleks in 1973 and Death to the Daleks in 1974, "some people" assumed that script editor Robert Holmes "must have" written most of this story. Williams claimed that there was "no evidence" that this happened during the scripting of Genesis of the Daleks.
  • This story also exists in the BBC archives as 2 x 50 minute compiled episodes broadcast as part of the Doctor Who and the Monsters repeat season in 1982.
  • This is the final six-part story not to be a season finale. Due to the show's criticisms for its excessively long serials (which often spanned around six parts and became a prominent issue during seasons 7-11), the staff instituted a policy that all non-finale serials in a season would span four parts at most.
  • Roy Skelton was offered the role of Davros, but turned it down as he was busy with Rainbow at the time.
  • Tom Baker named this as one of his favourite serials, while Terry Nation thought it was the best script he wrote for the series.
  • There was a cut scene showing Davros's life-support system indicating that he survived being shot by the Dalek. It was decided to leave his fate ambiguous, though it was agreed he was far too good a villain to be killed off in one story.
  • The Doctor's meeting with the Time Lord originally took place in a lush garden. David Maloney and Philip Hinchcliffe disliked this idea and changed it.
  • The role of a Kaled officer named General Greiner was subsumed by Ravon, while Sevrin was paired with a second Muto named Marrass.
  • Bettan was originally a man. Apart from Sarah, she is the only female character in the story.
  • Terry Nation intended the Mutos to be much more bestial in appearance, their forms usually hidden by their rags.
  • Part five originally had more action in the Dalek incubator room and ended with the Doctor's question of whether he had the right to destroy them.
  • The Thal soldiers were originally supposed to be boys aged 15 or 16 to illustrate the youth of those fighting in the war, but this was later changed to make them appear more mature.
  • Part three originally contained a subplot where Sarah contracts radiation poisoning, recalling a similar story strand in The Daleks.
  • Stephen Yardley walked into the casting department on his lunch break in costume and asked for a job; because of his costume, they assumed he was a tramp from the street.
  • The three active Dalek props used in the serial were originals from the 1960s, and their wear was covered by new paint. Five "dummy" Daleks which could not be operated were also used.
  • Davros was designed by Terry Nation to have created the Daleks in his image, and to also be a "spokesperson" for the Daleks as he felt it was "boring" listening to Daleks giving speeches.
  • Two children visiting Tom Baker at the BBC studios were scared by Michael Wisher in costume; they thought he was a statue at first.
  • Davros attracted the attention of BBC prosthetics designer John Friedlander who agreed to come off another show to make Davros' mask. The latex mask was moulded to Michael Wisher's face by make-up artist Sylvia James. Wisher could even eat while wearing the mask. Regular latex instead of the more mouldable foam latex was used because the latter was too expensive.
  • Philip Hinchcliffe wanted the Daleks to appear more powerful, and intended to achieve this through low angles and lighting. Duncan Brown, who was responsible for studio lighting, used colours and dark lighting to make the Daleks seem as if they were "emerging from the shadows" and to suggest rather than show the world created to viewers.
  • The gas attack in part one was achieved through dry ice and green lighting.
  • During the filming of part two, Peter Miles and Dennis Chinnery had trouble fitting the gun on the Dalek. As a result, the scene had to be filmed in two takes, bridged with a reaction shot of the Doctor.
  • Part two is unusual in that it is one of the very few episodes not to begin with a reprise and also the first to end with a freeze-frame. A stunt double for Elisabeth Sladen was hired for Sarah's fall from the scaffolding, but David Maloney discovered that she would be falling eight feet, while Sladen had fallen ten feet in rehearsals. Maloney ultimately decided to conclude the episode with a freeze-frame ending. Maloney would use the freeze-frame technique again, most notably with The Deadly Assassin.
  • Part three overran its 25-minute limit and rather than edit out material, the cliffhanger was changed from Davros' speech to the Doctor being electrocuted.
  • Elisabeth Sladen recalled that Tom Baker took the "Do I have the right?" scene very seriously, almost "agonising" over the dialogue.
  • Elisabeth Sladen claimed to have got a "reality shiver" the first time she did a scene with Michael Wisher in costume.
  • Terry Nation created Davros when he realised that Dalek dialogue was often very tedious to write and to watch.
  • David Maloney originally wanted David Bailie to play Davros, but he was unavailable.
  • Guy Siner and Hilary Minster would later play Nazis in 'Allo 'Allo!

Influences

  • Dalek creator Terry Nation supposedly based the Daleks and Kaleds on the National Socialist Party, colloquially referred to as the Nazis, and this story abounds with parallels.
    • A madman leads his own race to its destruction. He is supported by security services that ride roughshod over the military and anybody else that gets in their way.
    • The Kaleds salute each other by raising their hands and clicking the heels of their boots together. Oddly, despite paralleling the Nazis, the Kaleds wear black military uniforms that better allude to the "blackshirt" Italian fascist party, rather than the brown uniforms of the Nazis.
    • The Kaleds' leader, Nyder, undoubtedly parallels Heinrich Himmler in both appearance and character. He is cold-hearted and ruthless, and even wears an Iron Cross in earlier episodes before the medal later disappears from his costume (likely deemed too symbolic of Nazism).
    • Much of the action takes place in bunker-like structures.
    • It is possible that the Dalek being referred to as a Mark III Travel Machine is a reference to the Third Reich.
    • Davros himself is a clear allusion to Josef Mengele, who notoriously conducted gruesome experiments on prisoners in concentration camps.
  • The idea of the Daleks being the creation of a scientist was first suggested in the TV Century 21 comic story Genesis of Evil written by David Whitaker, but credited to Terry Nation. The scientist in that strip was named Yarvelling. Curiously, Yarvelling's people were also called "Daleks," although the term more properly describes the travel machines and not the creatures inhabiting them. In 1973, Terry Nation wrote a text story appearing in Radio Times's special publication marking the 10th anniversary of Doctor Who, entitled We are the Daleks!, in which the Daleks were created on Ameron by scientists from Halldon, who had captured and accelerated the evolution of early humans.
  • Nation also cited the film Things to Come as influence on the story.
  • The Doctor's meeting with the Time Lord was inspired by The Seventh Seal.
  • Michael Wisher based Davros's voice on Bertrand Russell. His was inspired by the Mekon from Dan Dare, who had a small body and a large "green, dome-like head" which Philip Hinchcliffe remembered from his childhood.

Ratings

  • Part one - 10.7 million viewers
  • Part two - 10.5 million viewers
  • Part three - 8.5 million viewers
  • Part four - 8.8 million viewers
  • Part five - 9.8 million viewers
  • Part six - 9.1 million viewers

Filming locations

Production errors

If you'd like to talk about narrative problems with this story — like plot holes and things that seem to contradict other stories — please go to this episode's discontinuity discussion.
  • In part one, the Doctor finds corpses propped against the trench to make it appear fully manned. However, some of them are clearly breathing.
  • In part two, when Davros is demonstrating the first Dalek and commenting about voice control, his mouth doesn't move.
  • In part six, some smoke wafts through the door before the Thals have detonated their explosives.
  • In part six, there is faint background noise (possibly the sound of production staff giving stage directions off-camera), when Nyder enters the laboratory to alert Davros about the Doctor and his companions escaping, and when Davros starts ordering the Daleks to find and exterminate them.
  • Near the end, before Davros is "exterminated", one of the dome lights of the Dalek at the front is not working.

Continuity

Home video and audio releases

DVD releases

This story was released as Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks.

Released:

PAL - BBC DVD BBCDVD1813
PAL - BBC DVD ????
NTSC - Warner Video E2503

Contents:

  • Commentary by Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Peter Miles and David Maloney.
  • Genesis of a Classic - A special 62-minute documentary, looking at the making of Genesis of the Daleks with contributions from many of the cast and crew of the story.
  • The Dalek Tapes - A 55-minute feature, which tells the story of Doctor Who's most iconic villains, as well as providing a history of the 'classic series' Dalek stories.
  • Continuity Compilation - A selection of off-air continuity announcements.
  • Blue Peter - An item from 1975 looking at a collection of Doctor Who models built by a viewer.
  • Radio Times Billings - Illustrations, articles and listings from Radio Times (DVD-ROM PC/Mac).
  • Doctor Who Annual 1976 (DVD-ROM)
  • Photo Gallery
  • Production Subtitles

Notes:

  • Region 2 UK cover

    Region 2 UK cover

  • Region 1 US cover

    Region 1 US cover

  • Region 2 UK re-release cover

    Region 2 UK re-release cover

  • Region 4 Australian cover

    Region 4 Australian cover

  • Region 2 Netherlands cover

    Region 2 Netherlands cover

  • Davros Collection Box Set cover region 2

    Davros Collection Box Set cover region 2

  • Davros Collection Box Set cover region 4

    Davros Collection Box Set cover region 4

  • The Davros Box-Set

    The Davros Box-Set

Blu-ray release

Released as part of Doctor Who: The Collection Season 12.

Contents:

  • Commentary by Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Peter Miles and David Maloney.
  • Optional 5.1 Surround Sound - Remastered exclusively for this Blu-ray release.
  • Optional 2018 Production Information Subtitles - Extensive background information on the making of this story.
  • Genesis of a Classic - A special 62-minute documentary, looking at the making of Genesis of the Daleks with contributions from many of the cast and crew of the story.
  • Behind the Sofa: Genesis of the Daleks - Rejoin Tom Baker & friends to watch highlights from this classic adventure.
  • Continuity Announcements - From various screenings of this story.
  • Blue Peter - An item from 1975 looking at a collection of Doctor Who models built by a viewer.
  • Written Archive - Production documents, scripts & Radio Times listings available to view in PDF format.
  • Photo Gallery
  • Live from the TVC Canteen - Keith Miller from The Doctor Who Fan Club interviews key cast and crew during production of Part 3 of this story. Due to the archive nature of this amateur audio recording, quality is variable.
  • Genesis of the Daleks Omnibus - A 90-minute TV-Movie version specially edited by Philip Hinchcliffe and David Maloney for a repeat screening just after Christmas in 1975. Available on Disc 6 to maximise available space.

Released as part of the Time Lord Victorious: Road to the Dark Times Blu-ray on 9 November 2020.

  • Time Lord Victorious: Road To The Dark Times box-set

    Time Lord Victorious: Road To The Dark Times box-set

VHS releases

Released:

UK October 1991
PAL - BBC Video BBCV4643
Australia/New Zealand
PAL - Polygram BBC46432
  • Australian VHS cover

    Australian VHS cover

  • US VHS cover

    US VHS cover

  • VHS UK The Davros Collection boxed set

    VHS UK The Davros Collection boxed set

  • VHS Australian The Davros Collection boxed set

    VHS Australian The Davros Collection boxed set

  • VHS UK cover

    VHS UK cover

Digital releases

Audio releases

The half-page advertisement for the 1979 LP and cassette release of Genesis of the Daleks, as printed in early issues of Doctor Who Weekly as well as other children's comics. Although the record sleeve itself is shown here in black-and-white, certain copies of the advert depicted the sleeve in colour.
  • First Release: October 1979 as an LP and cassette, Genesis of the Daleks, from the BBC, with narration by Tom Baker — told from the Doctor's point of view — written by Derek Goom, who is credited on the sleeve for "Narrative and Record Realisation". This was an edited-down soundtrack from the televised episodes, with additional narration by Baker. It is interesting to note that the Doctor clearly mentions the transmat beam in the dialogue, but the opening narration has him claiming to have arrived on Skaro in the TARDIS. This was the second release of its kind for Doctor Who, the first being a single episode of The Chase — namely the final instalment, "The Planet of Decision". Some 20 years later, BBC Audio would return to the idea of releasing narrated soundtracks of stories no longer existing in visual form.
    • Early issues of Doctor Who Weekly featured a half-page advertisement for the product, which was billed as "A complete Dr. Who adventure! With the voices of Tom Baker, Elizabeth Sladen, Ian Marter & many others!" (original published text)
  • Second Release: As a cassette as Genesis of the Daleks & Slipback, from the BBC Radio Collection; and as Genesis of the Daleks/Exploration Earth, also from the BBC Radio Collection.
  • Excerpts from Dudley Simpson's score, arranged by Heathcliff Blair, were released by Silva Screen in the early 1990s on their compilation CD Pyramids of Mars: Classic Music from the Tom Baker Era (FILMCD 134)
  • A voucher to redeem a free copy of this story from branches of W H Smith or by post, was given away with The Daily Telegraph newspaper on 29 April 2010.
  • 1979 LP release

    1979 LP release

  • 1988 UK cassette release

    1988 UK cassette release

  • 1989 US cassette release

    1989 US cassette release

  • 2001 CD release

    2001 CD release

  • 2010 Daily Telegraph release

    2010 Daily Telegraph release

  • 2011 CD release

    2011 CD release


Novelisation and its audiobook

Genesis of The Daleks novel.jpg
Main article: Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks

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