Time to Regenerate the Daleks?
Guest contributor Chris Taylor wonders if it’s time for a new look.
They’re back! Yes, that’s right – the infamous pepper pots will be returning soon in series 8, no doubt causing more exterminating mayhem! It appears from the launch trailer that their outward appearance is unchanged from their reintroduction back in 2005, in series 1’s Dalek. Since then, the Daleks, excluding the Dalek Emperor and red Supreme Dalek, have kept the same shell design and, with the exception of the Ironside Daleks, the Imperial Guard Daleks and Dalek Sec, the same bronze colour scheme. This type of Dalek has come to be known as the “Time War” Dalek, and has been the main design of Dalek on our screens for the past nine yea…
Oh, wait… What about Victory of the Daleks? You know – that episode back in 2010 from series 5? The one where the last few Time War Daleks were trying to save the Dalek race from extinction, and then ended up getting exterminated by the new “Paradigm” Daleks because they were considered to be “inferior”? Yeah… Well, the whole concept of that episode seems to have been totally disregarded. You might be thinking now that this article is building up to be an unpopular opinion of Victory of the Daleks. I swear it’s not. Rather it’s a brief, opinion based look at why it’s time the Daleks are properly “regenerated”.
As I stated above, the 2005 – present, bronze Daleks are known as Time War Daleks – created by Davros to fight in the Last Great Time War. For eight years we were waiting for the moment when we would finally be able to stop imagining and actually see the Daleks in action against the Time Lords. And finally, in the 50th anniversary special – The Day of the Doctor –, we did. I believe that this episode brought closure to the actual conflict of the Time War and shifted the focus to its aftermath – the search for Gallifrey. As Doctor Who moves on from the Time War, I believe it’s time the Daleks also move on and receive a change of appearance – to lose that Time-War-reminder design. In my opinion, there are two methods of going about doing this:
1. The Dalek Paradigm
We take a trip back in time to just over four years ago and make use, full-time, of what was supposed to be a complete Dalek overhaul. I believe that this would be the best option for “regenerating” the Daleks, as there are many possibilities and opportunities for Dalek stories that each time would feel and have a different and fresh approach. The five types of Dalek that make up the Paradigm each have a different function: Red = Drone, Blue = Strategist, Orange = Scientist, Yellow = Eternal and White = Supreme. To this day, none of these functions have been explored, and we don’t even know the meaning behind the “Eternal”.
A brilliant idea suggested by Victory of the Daleks writer Mark Gatiss (in War Games – Victory of the Daleks’ Doctor Who Confidential episode) is that there could be episodes that features only a single type of Paradigm Dalek, therefore each episode, whilst essentially featuring the same monster, would have a very different type of threat and, as I mentioned before, keeps the Doctor’s greatest enemies feeling fresh.
2. A completely new Dalek design
As was so often the case with classic Doctor Who, in every story except The Daleks’ Master Plan and The Power of the Daleks, whether it be a paint job or a complete shell redesign, the Daleks had a different appearance. In 2010 everything was changing: the showrunner/head writer, the incarnation of the Doctor, the companion, the TARDIS interior/exterior, the sonic screwdriver etc. As Steven Moffat stated in War Games: “It’s all new Doctor Who. What’s the other thing we haven’t changed? Let’s change the Daleks too.” It only seems fitting that with so many of the main features of Doctor Who changing that the Doctor’s greatest enemies should too.
The appearance of the Time War Daleks was an essential bridging, in terms of continuity, of Russell T Davies’ era to Steven Moffat’s era. Having them then exterminated brought closure to Russell T Davies’ era. So when they miraculously returned in Asylum of the Daleks, in their thousands, it’s understandable that I was a little bit angered and a little bit confused. Oh, and ever since Asylum of the Daleks it’s like the Paradigm Daleks don’t even exist – the Time War Daleks have had more screen time! I believe that giving the Daleks a completely new design, and calling it a day with the Paradigm Daleks, isn’t the best method of “regenerating” the Daleks. Of course it would be the fresher option –knowing we’re getting a completely new design would probably make more people excited rather than knowing we’re going to be getting a strictly Paradigm-only episode. However, choosing this method would feel like a waste of what potentially could have been brilliant and heavily varied Dalek stories.
Overall
I believe it’s time that the Paradigm Daleks should take centre stage and exterminate their “inferior” Time War associates from the entirety of time and space, once and for all. Or, the Daleks get redesigned, making them feel fresh and a clear product of Peter Capaldi’s era. It seems like an appropriate opportunity, with this new era about to begin, for a Victory of the Daleks 2.0 and an attempt to make a significant change to the Daleks, rather just continuing to reuse a nearly decade old prop. Since 2010’s Victory of the Daleks, the Cybermen were redesigned for Nightmare in Silver and the TARDIS interior was redesigned for The Snowmen, so I don’t believe it’s a budget-related issue holding the Doctor Who team back.
I know that it’s been a lifelong dream of Capaldi’s to face the Daleks, and therefore their appearance in series 8 is more likely down to him rather than the initial plans of Moffat and the rest of the writers, therefore possibly leaving not enough time to consider redesigning the Daleks. However, once Capaldi’s faced the bronze, Time War Daleks, bridging a familiar feature of now Matt Smith’s era to his own, then there’s no reason as to why the Daleks couldn’t return with an all new appearance in the future.
Thanks for reading!
