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The [[Dalek]]s | {{Infobox Conflict | ||
|image = Daleks on Ice.jpg | |||
|image2 = Thal.jpg | |||
|first mention = Frontier in Space (TV story) | |||
|only = Planet of the Daleks (TV story) | |||
|part of = {{il|[[Second Dalek War]]|[[Thal-Dalek War]]}} | |||
|date = [[2540]] | |||
|location = [[Spiridon]] | |||
|side1 = {{il|[[Thal]]s|[[Time Lord]]s<ref>Indirect involvement. While only [[the Doctor]], a [[Renegade Time Lord|renegade]], was directly involved, the [[Time Lord]]s actively agreed to help him reach [[Spiridon]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') a fact that was not lost on the [[Dalek]]s. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Dalek Conquests (audio story)|The Dalek Conquests]]'')</ref>|[[Spiridon (species)|Spiridon]] resistance}} | |||
|side2 = {{il|[[Dalek Empire]]|[[Spiridon (species)|Spiridons]]}} | |||
|leader1 = {{il|[[Miro]]|[[Taron]]|[[Third Doctor]]|[[Wester]]}} | |||
|leader2 = {{il|[[Dalek Supreme (Planet of the Daleks)|Dalek Supreme]]|[[Dalek Section Leader (Planet of the Daleks)|Dalek Section Leader]]}} | |||
|strength1 = {{il|10 [[Thal]]s|[[Jo Grant]]}} | |||
|strength2 = {{il|Over 10,000 [[Dalek]]s|[[Spiridon (species)|Spiridon]] [[slave]]s}} | |||
|result = {{il|Strategic [[Thal]] [[victory]]|[[Dalek]] preparations "delayed"}} | |||
}} | |||
The '''Spiridon campaign''' ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'') was a preliminary stage of the [[Second Dalek War]]. Beginning as an operation by the [[Dalek]]s to awaken an [[army]] in [[hibernation]] ahead of an attempted conquest of [[Mutter's Spiral]], it grew into something of a [[military]] campaign when the Dalek [[base]] on [[Spiridon]] was infiltrated by opposing forces. Among them were the [[Thal]]s, continuing their [[Thal-Dalek War|own struggle against the Daleks]], and the [[Third Doctor]], who had followed the Daleks to the [[planet]] with the assistance of the [[Time Lord]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
== History == | |||
=== Preparations for galactic invasion === | |||
{{Main|Operation Divide and Conquer}} | |||
In the wake of the [[Human-Draconian War]] of [[2520]], the Daleks planned [[Operation Divide and Conquer]], ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Dalek Conquests (audio story)|The Dalek Conquests]]'') a mass deception tactic intended to exploit the volatile [[galaxy|galactic]] [[politics]] to spark a second [[war]] between the [[Earth Empire]] and the [[Draconian Empire]]. With the aid of {{Delgado}}, the plan was put into action. ([[TV]]: ''[[Frontier in Space (TV story)|Frontier in Space]]'') | |||
As part of the preparations, the Daleks quietly occupied the planet [[Spiridon]], the seat of the [[Spiridon (species)|native Spiridons]]' civilisation that had since fallen into ruin. Though the Spiridons had [[Evolution|evolved]] to master a natural [[invisibility]] to protect themselves from their [[world]]'s hostile wildlife, it did not save them from the Daleks, who saturated the [[jungle]]s with killer rays. Unable to hide or resist, the Spiridons [[surrender]]ed and submitting to co-operating with the Daleks, though a few tried to rebel against the occupation. The [[slave]]s were kept visible with [[purple]] [[fur]] [[robe]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
The Daleks repurposed an old Spiridon [[temple]] for use the entrance to a subterranean command centre and sent an [[army]] of [[10000 (number)|10,000]] Daleks into underground [[hibernation]] until the time came to begin the invasion. | |||
[[File:Invisible Dalek.jpg|thumb|left|An [[Invisibility|invisible]] [[Dalek]] revealed by [[paint]]. Early results were unstable. This Dalek fell victim to [[light wave sickness]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'')]] | |||
In addition, this army was to be treated with invisibility techniques adapted from those naturally practiced by the [[Spiridon (species)|Spiridons]]. The initial experiments were not fully successful and more work was needed. While the Daleks discovered an anti-reflecting [[Light wave sickness|light wave]], it required a lot of [[energy]] to sustain. Some of the Daleks either reverted back to visibility after a short time or succumbed to light wave sickness. | |||
The [[Third Doctor]] later assessed that Operation Divide and Conquer was intended to make the Daleks' galactic conquest easier, but the size of the army on Spiridon indicated that the Daleks intended to invade regardless of whether or not the deception was successful. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
=== Infiltration of Spiridon === | |||
==== Thal expedition ==== | |||
[[File:Taron.jpg|thumb|[[Taron]], the expedition [[doctor]] who succeeded [[Miro]]'s successor as [[Thal]] [[commander]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'')]] | |||
By intercepting coded Dalek transmissions, the [[Thal]]s discovered that the Daleks were operating on Spiridon and a small expedition led by [[Miro]] travelled to the planet to deal with them. Due to incomplete intelligence and Dalek secrecy, the Thals believed the Daleks numbered no more than twelve, having occupied Spiridon as a scientific group primarily to study invisibility techniques. Miro's expedition was formed of him and six other Thals who volunteered for the mission, armed with various [[weapon]]s and [[explosive]]s, but upon arrival on Spiridon, the ship crashed, [[communication]]s failed and Miro was killed, though the site was still useful to the Thals as a [[base]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
Although [[Vaber]] was Miro's second-in-command, the expedition [[doctor]], [[Taron]], technically [[Rank|outranked]] him. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks]]'') As next in seniority, Taron took command and adopted a highly-cautious approach. Early on, Taron, [[Vaber]] and [[Codal]] were separated from their other three [[team]]mates, who were presumed [[Death|dead]] and never found. Vaber opined that Taron had made "a fine mess" of the expedition. Taron had formed a plan for attacking the Daleks but the losses his party suffered forced him to abandon it and he completely forbid taking unjustified risks. | |||
After the expedition's arrival, the other Thals broke more of the Dalek code and realised their intelligence failures. The code revealed that a force of 10,000 Daleks was hidden somewhere on the planet. Because of the communications failure, [[Latep]], [[Rebec]] and [[Marat]] flew to Spiridon to warn and reinforce the remnants of the original party. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
==== The Doctor's appeal to the Time Lords ==== | |||
[[File:Annual meeting.jpg|thumb|[[Third Doctor|The Doctor]]'s discovery of a [[Galaxy|galactic]] [[Operation Divide and Conquer|Dalek conspiracy]] precipitated his mission to [[Spiridon]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Frontier in Space (TV story)|Frontier in Space]]'')]] | |||
Concurrently with the early Thal expedition, the [[Third Doctor]] and [[Jo Grant]] had uncovered the truth behind [[Operation Divide and Conquer]]. The Doctor took part in a joint expedition with [[Earth]] and [[Draconian]] [[government]] officials to the [[Ogron|Ogrons]]' [[The Planet|homeworld]], where the Daleks captured them. Leaving the [[prisoner]]s in the Master's custody, the Daleks departed to "return to our base and prepare the army of the Daleks." Breaking out of captivity, [[General]] [[John Williams]] and [[Draconian prince|the Prince]] of [[Draconia]] fled [[home]] to warn their people about the Dalek [[conspiracy]], but the Doctor was [[Injury|injured]] by the Master during his escape. He and Jo made it back to [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] and sent an [[Telepathic circuits|urgent message]] to the [[Time Lord]]s, ([[TV]]: ''[[Frontier in Space (TV story)|Frontier in Space]]'') asking for their aid in following the Dalek ship off the planet. The Time Lords obliged, directing the TARDIS to Spiridon. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
==== First Thal attack ==== | |||
The Doctor's injuries left him unconscious and confined to the TARDIS. [[TARDIS log|Recording a log of events]], Jo went off alone in search of help and encountered Taron's remaining Thals in their downed ship. The Thals agreed to help the Doctor but Jo was then [[Fungoid infection|infected]] with [[Fungus|fungal]] [[spore]]s from a [[sponge-plant]] and taken into hiding by [[Wester]], one of the Spiridons resisting the Daleks. The Doctor, meanwhile, recovered as he was located by Taron's party and they filled each other in on their respective missions against the Daleks. The initial link-up was brief, however; the Doctor was captured by the Daleks as they found and destroyed the Thal ship. The Doctor retrieved the lost TARDIS log but was unaware Jo was no longer onboard the ship. Codal too was captured by Spiridon slaves. | |||
[[File:Carted in.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Dalek]]s' heavily-[[guard]]ed [[base]] was still vulnerable to infiltration by various means. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'')]] | |||
Taron and Vaber hid their explosives away in a cache. Vaber nearly [[Mutiny|mutinied]] but Taron talked him down. Thereafter, they were joined by their reinforcements, who crashed on the planet but survived, and warned the others of the true strength of the Daleks. They infiltrated the Dalek base through the ventilation systems, hoping to cause a cave-in with some of the explosives, but the charges failed. Simultaneously, Jo entered the city with Wester's help by hiding herself in one of the baskets being moved by the slaves, and managed to eavesdrop on the Dalek control centre. The Doctor and Codal also escaped their cell when the Doctor modified the TARDIS log to interfered with the control systems of a Dalek on [[guard]]. | |||
Detecting the prison break, the Daleks made sure to lure the escapees to level zero. There, the Doctor and Codal linked up with the rest of the Thals, though Marat was killed helping the others to escape. The Doctor caught a glimpse of the army before he and his [[Alliance|allies]] ascended a [[ventilation shaft]] to the surface ahead of a Dalek patrol and reunited with Jo. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
==== Second Thal attack ==== | |||
[[File:Boys and their toys.jpg|thumb|The [[bacteria]] experiments. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'')]] | |||
Displeased with the progress, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks]]'') [[Dalek Supreme Command]] decreed that the Daleks must prepare a [[Bacterium|bacteriological]] [[virus]] to destroy all living tissue on Spiridon. Daleks and Spiridon slave workers would be given [[immunity]] while the virus killed any intruders if they were not captured before its release. With fugitive at large, the [[Dalek Section Leader]] issued a state of emergency and suspended all normal operations. | |||
The Thals considered their attack a failure was considered a failure, with Vaber running off in defiance of Taron, only to be killed by the Daleks. Yet the Doctor urged a second attack intended to freeze the army with molten ice from redirected [[icecano]] eruptions, ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') based on useful information learned from the first attack. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
Dalek patrols moved to intercept the Thals in the [[Plain of Stones]] but they were ambushed and deactivated in a [[molten ice pool]]. The Thals then re-entered the city using Spiridon robes and a Dalek [[casing]] as [[disguise]]s. While they launched a two-pronged attack, Wester launched a third, [[Self-sacrifice|sacrificing]] himself to release the virus prematurely. The Daleks had not yet completed the immunisation process and the [[Dalek Scientific Division|Dalek Scientists]] had to seal themselves in the [[laboratory]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
==== "Attack force is totally immobilised" ==== | |||
[[File:Spiridon Supreme Dalek.jpg|thumb|left|The mission was so important to [[Dalek Supreme Command]] that the [[Dalek Supreme (Planet of the Daleks)|Dalek Supreme]] took personal charge, even [[Death sentence|executing]] the [[Dalek Section Leader (Planet of the Daleks)|Section Leader]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'')]] | |||
During the ongoing hunt for the Thal agents, the [[Dalek Supreme (Planet of the Daleks)|Dalek Supreme]] arrived on Spiridon to take personal command of the operation. The Dalek was the head of the [[Dalek Council|Supreme Council]] and second-in-command to the [[Dalek Emperor (The Dalek Conquests)|Dalek Emperor]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks]]'') Supreme Command identified the Doctor and ordered him to be captured for [[interrogation]], but the Dalek Supreme was infuriated by the Section Leader's persistent [[failure]] and [[extermination|exterminated]] him. | |||
Beneath the control centre, the Thals detonated a bomb over the catwalk in the [[cave]]rn holding the army as it began to stir. Upon the next eruption of an icecano, the cavern was flooded with molten ice, ensuring the army remained inert. ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') All remaining Daleks of the initial expeditionary force were dispatched to capture the invaders, and were either caught in the explosion or trapped by the ice. This left the Dalek Supreme and his to aides as the only three Daleks still free in the base. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
The Doctor and the Thals made their escape as molten ice flooded the rest of the base. The Dalek Supreme ordered that the facility be abandoned and all instruments set to [[self-destruct]]. Taron and his party made their back to Skaro by hijacking the [[Dalek flying saucer|Dalek Supreme's ship]]. Stranded on Spiridon, the Dalek Supreme called for a rescue ship to be sent by Supreme Command and decreed that preparations would begin immediately to free the buried army. He declared, "We have been delayed, not [[defeat]]ed. The Daleks are never defeated!" ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') Even so, the Dalek Supreme acknowledged that the day had been one of "total catastrophe". ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks (novelisation)|Doctor Who and the Planet of the Daleks]]'') | |||
=== Aftermath and legacy === | |||
[[File:Fronzen Daleks.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Dalek]] [[army]] re-interred beneath the molten [[ice]], ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') where it stayed trapped for [[decade]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Whoniverse (novel)|The Whoniverse]]'')]] | |||
The Doctor informed the Thals that upon their return home, they would be celebrated as heroes. He warned them not to romanticise the tale by making war sound like a fun and exciting [[game]], reminding them to talk about the losses and [[fear]], lest the Thals come to relish the idea of war ([[TV]]: ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'') like their [[ancestor]]s had. ([[TV]]: ''[[Genesis of the Daleks (TV story)|Genesis of the Daleks]]'') | |||
From the Doctor's perspective, after leaving Spiridon, he and Jo ended up in another [[Dalek Wars|Dalek War]], requiring them to halt the awakening of another Dalek army. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Conquest of Far (audio story)|The Conquest of Far]]'') Shortly after, they arrived on [[Catastrophea]] (Kastopheria), and became embroiled in another [[human]]-[[Draconian]] relations crisis prior to the 2520 war. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Catastrophea (novel)|Catastrophea]]'') | |||
The failure of both Operation Divide and Conquer and the Spiridon campaign meant that the Daleks did not enter the Second Dalek War on their own terms. Nevertheless, the [[First Dalek Incursion]], at the start of the war, was a ferocious event, with numerous planets destroyed. The war lasted "over forty [[year]]s" beyond the Incursion and [[Earth Central]] eventually became desperate enough to hire [[bounty hunter]]s and [[criminal]]s, although the Daleks were ultimately defeated. Towards the end of the [[war]], they had upgraded the casings of their [[military]] forces to a [[Bronze Dalek|bronze "protective armour"]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Prisoner of the Daleks (novel)|Prisoner of the Daleks]]'') | |||
Shortly after the war ended, ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Chase (novelisation)|The Chase]]'', ''[[Deceit (novel)|Deceit]]'') the Daleks made further ventures into [[biological warfare]]. During the [[Third Dalek War]], they launched [[plague missile]]s at the [[Outer World]]s of the Earth Empire, causing a deadly outbreak of [[space plague]] which led to the [[Exxilon Gambit]], ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Secret Lives of Monsters (short story)|The Secret Lives of Monsters]]'') a dash by humanity and the Daleks to acquire a rare [[mineral]], [[parrinium]], which acted a cure. ([[TV]]: ''[[Death to the Daleks (TV story)|Death to the Daleks]]'') As was noted by [[Njeri Ngugi]], the [[historian]] who authored ''[[The Children of Davros]]'', Dalek use of biological weapons such as in the Spiridon campaign bred a dangerous complacency. Future Daleks failed to consider their own vulnerability to biological attack, which presented the [[Movellan]]s with the opportunity to devastate the [[Dalek Empire]] with the [[Movellan virus]] at the end of the [[Dalek-Movellan War]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'') | |||
[[File:Spidiron DALEKS DAVROS.jpg|thumb|Much of the [[Spiridon]] [[army]] was [[Imperial Dalek|converted]] by [[Davros]] in [[Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War|his bid to usurp]] the title of [[Dalek Emperor]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Emperor of the Daleks! (comic story)|Emperor of the Daleks!]]'')]] | |||
The Dalek army on Spiridon was never recovered for the duration of the Second Dalek War, and in fact remained trapped in the ice for [[decade]]s. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Whoniverse (novel)|The Whoniverse]]'') The [[Sixth Doctor]], as part of a long game, later directed [[Davros]] to Spiridon, where he began converting much of the army to be [[Imperial Dalek|loyal to him]] so that he could [[Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War|take the fight]] to the [[Emperor Dalek (Nemesis of the Daleks)|Emperor Dalek]]. Davros increased the Dalek strength from 10,000 to 4,000,000. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[Emperor of the Daleks! (comic story)|Emperor of the Daleks!]]'') During the [[Second Great Dalek Occupation]], the Daleks of the [[Seriphia Galaxy]] attempted to pick up where their predecessors left off by creating an invisible army, but the [[Seventh Doctor]] infected them with light wave sickness and destroyed them. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[Return of the Daleks (audio story)|Return of the Daleks]]'') | |||
During the [[Shoreditch Incident]] near the end of the [[Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War]], the Seventh Doctor constructed a device to interfere with Dalek control systems, based on the device he previously used on Spiridon. ([[TV]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (TV story)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'') When he attacked the [[Imperial Dalek]]s with the device, one of them immediately recognised the [[technology]] from Spiridon, and knew it was the work of [[the Doctor]], right before it was blown up. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'') | |||
The Doctor's warning to the Thals about not romanticising war did not become a lesson that all Thals took to heart. During the [[battle]] against the Dalek [[Eighth Fleet]] on [[Terakis]], the Thals under [[Delani]]'s command demonstrated warmongering tendencies by deploying a planet buster bomb, wiping out the Eighth Fleet as well as the natives of Terakis. Delani was prepared to make more such decisions, and was branded a [[war crime|war criminal]] by the crew of the ''[[Quetzel]]''. Delani was ultimately killed by one of his subordinates, [[Ayaka]], who could no longer bring herself to follow his orders. Ayaka was a [[descendant]] of Rebec, and [[name]]d [[Rebec (War of the Daleks)|her daughter]] after her. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[War of the Daleks (novel)|War of the Daleks]]'') | |||
Another [[History|historical]] account, ''[[The Dalek Conquests (audio story)|The Dalek Conquests]]'', also suggested that the Time Lords' act of sending the Doctor after the Daleks contributed to the eventual outbreak of the [[Last Great Time War]]. ([[AUDIO]]: ''[[The Dalek Conquests (audio story)|The Dalek Conquests]]'') | |||
Some of the Daleks who survived encounters with the Doctor on Spiridon were [[Insanity|driven mad]] and ended up in [[intensive care]] in the [[Dalek Asylum]]. ([[TV]]: ''[[Asylum of the Daleks (TV story)|Asylum of the Daleks]]'') | |||
== Footnotes == | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
== Behind the scenes == | |||
* ''[[Planet of the Daleks (TV story)|Planet of the Daleks]]'', ''[[Emperor of the Daleks! (comic story)|Emperor of the Daleks!]]'' and ''[[Return of the Daleks (audio story)|Return of the Daleks]]'' all deal with Dalek operations on Spiridon, so the "Spiridon campaign" could reasonably refer to either one of them. In [[Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)|the novelisation]] of ''[[Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation)|Remembrance of the Daleks]]'', from which the name "Spiridon campaign" originates, the Daleks are said to have been experimenting with biological weapons, corresponding with the mission from ''Planet''. | |||
[[Category:Dalek conflicts]] | [[Category:Dalek conflicts]] | ||
[[Category:Thal conflicts]] | |||
[[Category:Second Dalek War]] | [[Category:Second Dalek War]] | ||
[[Category:Conflicts involving the Doctor]] | |||
