The Dalekreed (short story)
The Dalekreed was a short prose story original to The Dalek World, a Dalek annual of 1965. It recounted that a plaque had been recovered from a downed Dalek craft, on which the titular "Dalek creed" (or "Dalekreed", as the portmanteau went) was engraved, before reproducing the text of said creed.
Summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
An engraved Dalekenium plate is found near the wreckage of a Dalek spaceship, making clear the aims and beliefs of the Daleks. It is reproduced in print in an effort to send out a warning to the governments of the univere of how dangerous the Daleks truly are.
As shown in said reproduction, the Dalek creed consists of six "articles of faith": that the Daleks are the supreme beings of the universe, that a Dalek must not hesitate to lay down its life to further the Dalek cause, that it must destroy all enemies without question, that there exists no power in the universe greater than the Daleks', that the Supreme Dalek is infallible and therefore to be obeyed at all times, and finally that the Dalek "will succeed".
The plaque also contains five "commandments", which the first letter of each corresponding to the first letters of the word "Dalek": "Destroy without pity", "Attack without fear", "Live without conscience", "Eliminate without worry," "Kill, kill, kill, kill"; and finally the thrice-repeated mantra "THE DALEKS ARE SUPREME".
Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
- As the first unfettered boiling-down of the Daleks' ideology and aim, it is published to serve as a warning to "the Governments of the Universe".
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- A singular Supreme Dalek is the supreme power that rank-and-file Dalek soldiers must obey without questions. (TV: The Chase)
- The Dalek Prime Strategist recited the five commandments to fully awaken an army of 10,000 Daleks. (WC: The Sentinel of the Fifth Galaxy)
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Like other stories in The Dalek World, The Dalekreed was presented with an in-universe framing: the narrator is recounting the history of the Dalek plate and publishing the contents thereof in the hope that they will serve as a warning to the governments of the universe of how serious a threat the Daleks must be taken to be.
