The Daleks

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Template:Doctorwhobox The Daleks (also known as The Mutants, among other titles, see below) is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in 7 weekly parts from December 21, 1963 to February 1, 1964.

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Synopsis

The First Doctor, Barbara, Ian and Susan land on the jungle planet Skaro. They meet the two races on the planet - the beautiful, humanoid Thals, and the malicious race known as Daleks. The Daleks are mutant creatures, unable to survive without being encased in their metallic fighting machines. When the TARDIS crew loses an important part of the TARDIS in the Dalek city, they must convice the pacifistic Thals to help them.

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Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Image:The Daleks.jpg The TARDIS lands in a petrified jungle. The crew explores, unaware the planet is radioactive. They see a distant city that looks deserted. The Doctor wants to explore, but Ian and Barbara want to leave. On the way to the ship, Susan is frightened by an unseen presence.

Noises are heard outside the TARDIS, but the scanner shows nothing. Unobtrusively, the Doctor takes a part from the console and hides it. He starts the take-off procedure, but there’s a loud boom and the engine stops. The Doctor says the fluid link needs mercury. As there is none onboard, they must search the city.

The next morning they find a box outside, holding vials filled with an amber liquid. The Doctor has Susan put the box in the ship for safekeeping. They travel to the mysterious city. There are no stairs, only metal ramps; the doorways are squat rounded arches. Barbara manages to open a door, revealing a corridor.

Barbara is cut off from the group by shutters closing off her return path. She is soon trapped in a small cubicle that begins to descend. Barbara's lift stops and she emerges. A panel opens behind her. From it emerges a mechanical arm. Barbara sees the creature bearing down on her and recoils in horror.

Ian, Susan and the Doctor find a room full of machines. The Doctor sees a Geiger counter, which reveals they’ve been exposed to radiation. Susan says the TARDIS can take them anywhere to be cured. Ian reminds her the ship isn’t working. The Doctor admits he tampered with the fluid link. Ian says they can’t leave until they've found Barbara, and holds the fluid link hostage.

They enter a room where a swarm of metal machine creatures surround them. Ian tries to run, but a creature shoots Ian in the legs paralysing him for some time. The three are taken to a cell, where they are reunited with Barbara. Ian tells her they have radiation sickness. Unless they get treatment, they will die.

The creatures – called Daleks - question the Doctor. The Daleks and the Thals once fought a neutronic war. The Daleks have learned that some Thals survived, but none have been seen. The Daleks believe the Thals have mutated. They accuse the Doctor of entering the city to steal drugs. The Doctor denies it, but realizes the box in the TARDIS has the drugs they need. The Daleks reveal they can’t leave the city. One of the travelers must retrieve the drugs while the others remain as hostages.

The Doctor returns and tells what he’s learned from the Daleks, then collapses. Susan is the only one who can retrieve the drugs. After a terrifying trip, Susan reaches the TARDIS. She retrieves the drugs, but then realizes that she will have to make the equally frightening return trip. She hesitantly opens the door.

Susan exits the ship and sees a tall, handsome, blonde man. He is a Thal named Alydon; he was the one who frightened Susan in the jungle and who left the drugs. Susan tells of their capture by the Daleks. The Thals didn’t know that the Daleks were still alive. Alydon gives Susan more drugs, which she hides on herself.

Susan returns to the city. The Daleks are sure she contacted the Thals, and believe this may bring the Thals to them. Susan gives the drugs to the TARDIS crew, and they recover. Susan tells them the Thals are near starvation. The Thals hope to broker a treaty for food with the Daleks. Without it, the Thals will die.

The Daleks secretly spy on the prisoners. They fear the Thals will attack the city. The Daleks give food and water to the prisoners, and tell them they will help the Thals. The travelers realize they’ve been overheard.

Alydon tells the Thals and their leader Temmosus about Susan and the Daleks. Temmosus wonders if the old hatreds survive or will they be able to make peace? Alydon says Susan has taken a message to the Daleks. They await a message from Susan. If it’s unsigned, or no message comes at all, they should assume that the Daleks are hostile.

Susan transcribes the Daleks’ offer of aid to the Thals. In exchange, they want the Thals to help recultivate the land. Susan signs her name to the message. The Daleks realize this is a signal to the Thals and are pleased. It’s clear the Daleks' motives are not honorable.

Susan tells her friends what she’s learned. The travelers plan an escape. The Doctor and Ian stage a fight. Susan leaps on Ian's shoulders, and removes the security camera. The Doctor deduces that the Daleks are powered by static electricity, which is why they can only move on metal floors. Ian examines the cloak Alydon gave Susan. It appears to be an insulator, ideal for stopping a Dalek dead.

A Thal brings Susan's message of aid to Ganatus. As a sign of good faith, the Daleks will leave a supply of food tomorrow in the entrance hall of the main building.

Later, the TARDIS crew attack and deactivate a Dalek. Ian climbs into the casing, planning to pass himself off as a Dalek. Ian fits, but he can’t make the thing move. The Doctor will have to push. Barbara and Susan take their places in front and they set out.

Ian works out how to move the Dalek casing. When the travelers meet a Dalek, Ian tells him the prisoners are wanted for questioning. The Dalek lets them pass. The Doctor jams the door. Ian tries to get out of the casing, but the clamps are stuck.

The Dalek reports the prisoner transfer, but is told no orders were given. He triggers an alarm. The Daleks begin burning through the door. The group tries to move Ian, but the floor has been magnetized and he is immobilized. Ian tells the others to get away. The Daleks burn through, but Ian manages to escape before they enter.

The travelers see the Thals below, heading to a Dalek ambush. They try to warn the Thals, but the room is soundproof. They escape and head to street level. Ian sends the others to the ship while he goes to the Thals.

The Thals reach the food. Temmosus ask the Daleks for peace, but gets no response. As the Thals take the food, the Daleks move in. Ian shouts a warning, but it’s too late. The Daleks kill Temmosus and many Thals. Ian escapes and meets Alydon. They join forces to get out of the city.

The Thal survivors, along with the travelers, regroup by the TARDIS. Dyoni, a young Thal woman, shows the Doctor their records, which go back over half a million years of the history of this planet, Skaro. The Doctor hopes to use their star charts to locate their place in the universe.

Alydon is chosen leader. He wonders why the Daleks hate the Thals. Ian thinks the Daleks are xenophobic, which would mean they would be after the Thals forever. But the Thals are pacifists and won’t fight. Ian thinks they are condemning their race to extinction, but Alydon refuses to discuss the matter further.

The Doctor learns that the Thals and the Dals were once humanoid. Radiation caused both to mutate. The Thals came full circle as humanoids, but the Dals mutated into the Daleks. Ian wants the Thals to fight, but knows it's pointless. Leaving, Ian reaches for the fluid link, but realizes the Daleks took it when they were captured. They must return to the city.

The Daleks have duplicated the Thal drug and are testing it. They have extended the power of their scopes to spy on the TARDIS crew and the Thals. It’s clear to the Daleks that these two groups will soon attack.

Barbara asks Ian to convince the Thals to fight, but he is reluctant to do so. If the Thals fight it must be their own decision. Ian tries to warn of the danger of the Daleks, but Alydon won't listen. Only when Ian threatens to take Dyoni to the city does Alydon react; he hits Ian, knocking him to the ground. It seems the lives of his people are enough to fight for after all.

The Daleks learn the Thal drug is fatal to them because they’ve become used to radiation. If the Daleks are to survive, they’ll need to increase the radiation levels.

The Thals agree to help the TARDIS crew. One group will cross the swamp, then go around the lake to the mountains, where they can enter the city unseen. The other group, led by the Doctor, will sabotage the Daleks’ surveillance equipment. It takes most of the day for the Thals to cross the swamp. The group makes camp on the banks of the lake. Ian sees a multi-tentacled creature rise up from the water.

At dawn, a young Thal named Elyon reports that a series of pipes rise out of the lake, go up the mountain and disappear inside. The pipes are the Daleks' water source, and go to the city. This should make their trip easier. Elyon sets to filling the water bags. Before he can begin, the water begins to bubble and hiss. The Thals hear Elyon's scream and race to the lakeside.

Ian, Ganatus, Barbara and Kristas reach the lake and find the water bags but no sign of Elyon. Antodus is stunned by the loss. Ganatus tries to reassure him and they head to the mountain. At the mountain, Barbara finds a narrow fissure. Ganatus ties a rope to his belt and sets off to explore it. He finds a drop of about 30 feet. Part way down the rope slips and Ganatus falls. He’s stunned but recovers quickly. Ganatus sees tunnels that may lead out.

The Doctor’s group uses mirrors to reflect sunlight into the Daleks’ cameras. The Dalek scopes have detected activity at the Thal camp, but can’t see anything due to the assault. Fearing an attack, the Daleks turn their instruments on the city entrance instead of the jungle.

Ian's party has found a tunnel. Antodus is sure they’ll die and wants to go back. Ganatus tries to calm him, but Antodus insists they leave the others to die. They struggle and Ganatus strikes his brother. When part of the roof gives way, Ganatus pulls his brother to safety, and tells Ian it was Antodus who saved them. Antodus says nothing, but is chastised by his brother's behavior. Ganatus reports the way out is blocked.

The Doctor, Susan, and Alydon reach the main antenna. At its base are two control boxes. The Doctor smashes the control rods inside the first box. The Doctor is worried their attacks might alert the Daleks and sends Alydon back to his people. The Doctor drains the static electricity from the control boxes. Susan worries they've stayed in one place too long. Her fears are proved right when Daleks surrounds them.

The tunnel that Ian found opens onto a ledge on the side of a cliff. He nearly walks over the edge into a chasm. The ledge continues several feet over. Ian and Ganatus realize the only way they can go is to jump across the gap.

The Daleks take the Doctor and Susan to the control room and accuse them of sabotage. The Doctor reminds the Daleks of their treachery. He asks them to help the Thals. The Daleks reveal that they will release radiation into the atmosphere tomorrow, killing the Thals and leaving them masters of Skaros.

Ian, Ganatus, Barbara and Kristas jump the chasm, leaving Antodus frozen with fear. Ian orders Antodus to tie a rope around his waist, and Antodus dazedly complies. When he tries to jump, he lands short and falls in the chasm. Ian is barely able to hold onto the rope supporting Antodus, and is slowly dragged toward the edge.

Ganatus arrives to help Ian and Antodus. Antodus realizes he must sacrifice his life to save the others, and cuts the rope. Ian and Ganatus tumble backward. Ian hauls the rope up and shows Ganatus the frayed end.

The Doctor and Susan are imprisoned in the Dalek control room. They try to reason with the Daleks, but the Daleks won’t listen. The radiation they need to live would kill the Thals. Only one race can live and it will be the Daleks.

In the caves, Kristas reports that their way is blocked by a rock fall. Ganatus is ready to give up; the deaths weigh heavily on him. When their artificial lights die out, they see light coming in from outside. Ian finds a hole that he enlarges. Through it he can see they've made it to the city.

Alydon thinks the Doctor and Susan have been captured, and decides to attack. Unbeknownst to the Thals, the Daleks are preparing to release radiation into the atmosphere.

The Thals, Barbara and Ian race to the Dalek control room. They fight the Daleks to prevent the radiation release. As the countdown reaches 4, there is an explosion and the countdown ceases. The lights dim and the Daleks stop. Only one still speaks, ordering the Doctor to stop the power drain or else the Daleks will die. The Doctor says he could not, even if he wanted to. The Dalek's voice fades and its arms drop.

Alydon is disgusted by the deaths, but is glad the war with the Daleks is over. Ian recovers the fluid link. They can now leave Skaro. Barbara and Susan tell Alydon the Thals can use the Daleks' artificial sunlight to grow food. The group returns to the Thal camp with the Dalek equipment. The Doctor envies the Thals' opportunity to rebuild a world, but declines to stay and help. He is too old to be a pioneer again, but believes the Thals will succeed. The Doctor says he might come back and visit Alydon's grandchildren.

The travelers bid farewell and enter the ship. The Thals watch as the TARDIS fades away. Dyoni is stunned, kneeling to examine the ground where the TARDIS had been.

In the TARDIS, Susan, Ian, and Barbara watch as the Doctor works the controls. Suddenly an explosion rocks the console room. The travelers are knocked to the floor.

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Cast

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Alternative titles

During production the story went through a number of working titles such as The Survivors and Beyond the Sun, before settling down as The Mutants. This title was used in most BBC paperwork using titles for over a decade.

However in 1972 a later Doctor Who story called The Mutants was produced (with the same director). Some feel that referring to two stories by the same title is confusing. Others have argued that such occurrences of repeated names are by no means uncommon and that disambiguation is not hard.

Two titles emerged as alternatives. The Dead Planet emerged after a Radio Times special inadvertently called all the early stories by the title of the first episode. This title was used in many licensed guides and magazines up until 1980, when it was displaced by The Daleks, a title deriving from the story's book and film adaptations and with no basis in contemporary usage. This title has largely stuck, and was used for the VHS and DVD releases in 2001 and 2006. However some still use The Mutants, often disambiguating it by the use of the production code (B), as opposed to (NNN) for the 1972 story.

One compromise has been to not refer to the story by a title but to instead write "the first Dalek story" or "Serial B". See also Doctor Who story title controversy.

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Notes

  1. The seven episodes of the serial had individual titles. They were, respectively, "The Dead Planet", "The Survivors", "The Escape", "The Ambush", "The Expedition", "The Ordeal" and "The Rescue".
  2. The TARDIS can supposedly go anywhere in time and space - this episode is the first indication of its tendency to malfunction, when The Doctor has to try to fix their position by taking a reading of the stars.
  3. This is also the first story when the Daleks make an appearance. Writer Terry Nation once claimed that he came up with the name after seeing a set of encyclopedias with one volume spanning the section of the alphabet from Dal - Lek. However, he later admitted that this was simply a good story for the sake of the press, and that in fact he had just made up the name.
  4. Arguably the most famous of the 1960s Doctor Who serials, The Daleks was one of many sets of Doctor Who episodes slated for destruction by the BBC in the 1970s. However, in 1978, Ian Levine came across them at the BBC just hours before all remaining copies of the story were to be destroyed and managed to rescue them.
  5. The designer originally assigned to this serial was Ridley Scott, later a famed film director. However, a problem with Scott's schedule meant that he was replaced by Raymond Cusick, who was thus given the task of realising the Dalek creatures.
  6. This story begins the running gag of The Doctor mis-saying Ian's name. He calls him "Chesterfield" in "The Dead Planet" (episode 1) and "Chesserman" in "The Expedition" (episode 5), with Ian making a sly remark the second time.
  7. This was the first Doctor Who serial to be adapted as a novel. Written by David Whitaker, it was first published in November 1964 by Frederick Muller as Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks, which was shortened to Doctor Who and the Daleks when Target Books republished it in May 1973. Although it was considered to be No. 16 in the Target Books Doctor Who Library, this was due to the numbering initially being based on the stories' alphabetical order. In fact, it was the very first novelisation published under the Target imprint (the books would continue for the next 20 years). Whittaker's book differs from most later novelisations in that it is written in the first person and from the point of view of a companion (Ian Chesterton in this case). It also ignores the events of the preceding serial An Unearthly Child, except for a modified retelling of the first episode (to explain how Ian and Barbara joined the Doctor). For some reason, Susan Foreman is renamed Susan English for the novelisation, which has led to some reference books erroneously listing the character by this name.
  8. According to text commentary on the 2005 DVD release, the first episode, "The Dead Planet", was recorded twice. The first version was affected by a technical fault that captured backstage voices. The remount was done two weeks before it was broadcast, and Susan's outfit was changed in the second version. The only surviving footage of the first version is the recap at the start of the second episode, "The Survivors" showing Barbara menaced by a Dalek; the corresponding scene at the end of "The Dead Planet" was recreated when the episode was remounted.
  9. The second episode, "The Survivors", was taped on November 22, 1963. Minutes before taping started, the cast and crew learned of the assassination of John F. Kennedy but it was decided to continue with the shooting. The next day, the first episode of Doctor Who was broadcast.
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External links

no:The Daleks

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