The Power of the Daleks
Encyclopedia
The Power of the Daleks is a serial in the British
science fiction television series Doctor Who
, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 5 November to 10 December 1966. It is Patrick Troughton
's first full story as the Doctor.
have just watched the First Doctor
collapse to the floor of the TARDIS
and have witnessed his change of appearance
. Polly is convinced that the man is the Doctor, but Ben believes the man is an impostor. The TARDIS brings the newly regenerated Doctor, Ben and Polly to the planet Vulcan where, on arrival, the Doctor witnesses the murder of the examiner, a man sent from Earth to check on the human colony located on the planet. After checking the body the Doctor discovers a badge that gives him access to all the areas of the human colony, no questions asked.
A security team led by Bragen escorts the Doctor, Ben and Polly back to the colony. The examiner was summoned by Quinn, deputy governor to investigate a group of rebels. The governor regards the problem with the rebels as insignificant.
Meanwhile, Lesterson, the colony’s scientist, has discovered a crashed Dalek space capsule. The Doctor goes to investigate the capsule and after having a quick look inside he says that’s enough for one night and goes off to bed.
Later that night, Ben and Polly see the Doctor heading towards Lesterson’s laboratory and go inside the Dalek capsule. They follow, and he opens an inner compartment to find two Daleks inside. He deduces that the third Dalek is missing from the capsule. Polly, who, along with Ben, had joined the Doctor in the capsule, spots a small mutant crawling across the floor which disappears into a small opening. Polly screams.
The Doctor, Ben and Polly leave the capsule to find Lesterson, who immediately starts questioning them on why they are in his lab. The Doctor says that his badge (the examiner’s badge) says that he can go anywhere in the colony. The Doctor questions Lesterson on where he has put the third Dalek. He is afraid that Lesterson might be trying to reactivate it.
Once the Doctor, Ben and Polly have left, Lesterson opens a secret compartment where he has hidden the third Dalek. He gets his helpers Resno and Janley to help try and reactivate the Dalek. He is successful, but in the process the Dalek shoots Resno dead. Janley assures Lesterson that Resno will be fine, although she knows he is dead. At that point Lesterson removes the gun stick from the Dalek.
Meanwhile, Quinn has been accused of sabotaging the communication console and summoning the examiner. Quinn is put on trial and the governor gives Bragen Quinn’s old job. The Doctor, Ben and Polly attend Quinn’s trial, during which Lesterson arrives with the reactivated Dalek, who claims to be the colony’s servant. The Dalek recognises the Doctor and from that point on Ben believes he really is the Doctor.
Lesterson also reactivates the other two Daleks and removes the gun sticks from them. They also claim to be the colony’s servants.
The Doctor notices that there are more than three Daleks in the colony and warns that they are breeding. When told that machines can't breed the Doctor answers that Daleks are not machines.
The Doctor, Polly and Ben are imprisoned. The Doctor is seen rolling pieces of fruit along the floor causing Polly to state that this is the sort of behaviour that makes them wonder if he really is the Doctor. It turns out that the Doctor is checking if the fruit contains a bugging device. They manage to escape when the doctor generates the correct tone to open the prison cell by making a partly filled wine glass chime.
One night Lesterson goes inside the Dalek capsule and discovers that Daleks are being manufactured there. He sees an inert mutant being placed on a stand then suddenly coming to life. It is then lifted off the stand by a Dalek and placed into a Dalek base and the top fitted to the base.
After a long fight between the humans and the Daleks, during which Governor Hensell is killed by Bragen, The Doctor destroys the Daleks by turning their own power source against them. It turns out that Bragen sabotaged the communication console and killed the real examiner. Quinn has the charges against him dropped and Bragen is shot by Valmar after attempting to kill Quinn. Quinn is made governor and the Doctor, Ben and Polly return to the TARDIS. An inert Dalek stands next to the TARDIS. Ben kicks it and exclaims that they won't be having any trouble with Daleks from now on. The TARDIS then sets off on another adventure. As the TARDIS dematerialises the eyestalk of a nearby Dalek corpse rises upwards...
's archives in the early 1970s. A number of clips survive in various other programmes, mainly focusing upon the Dalek. In addition some footage filmed off-air with a cine camera exists, showing brief moments of the new Doctor's first moves in the TARDIS.
, was published by Virgin Books
in July 1993. Although still published under the Target Books
banner, this was the first novelisation to be published under the new format introduced by Virgin for the Virgin New Adventures
/Virgin Missing Adventures
series. The most notable difference is the increased page count.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television series Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 5 November to 10 December 1966. It is Patrick Troughton
Patrick Troughton
Patrick George Troughton was an English actor most widely known for his roles in fantasy, science fiction and horror films, particularly in his role as the second incarnation of the Doctor in the long-running British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which he played from 1966 to 1969,...
's first full story as the Doctor.
Plot
Ben and PollyPolly (Doctor Who)
Polly is a fictional character played by Anneke Wills in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A young woman from the year 1966, she was a companion of the First and Second Doctors and a regular in the programme from 1966 to 1967.-Character history:Polly first...
have just watched the First Doctor
First Doctor
The First Doctor is the initial incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by the actor William Hartnell from 1963 to 1966. Hartnell reprised the role in the tenth anniversary story The Three Doctors in 1973 - albeit in a...
collapse to the floor of the TARDIS
TARDIS
The TARDISGenerally, TARDIS is written in all upper case letters—this convention was popularised by the Target novelisations of the 1970s...
and have witnessed his change of appearance
Regeneration (Doctor Who)
Regeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
. Polly is convinced that the man is the Doctor, but Ben believes the man is an impostor. The TARDIS brings the newly regenerated Doctor, Ben and Polly to the planet Vulcan where, on arrival, the Doctor witnesses the murder of the examiner, a man sent from Earth to check on the human colony located on the planet. After checking the body the Doctor discovers a badge that gives him access to all the areas of the human colony, no questions asked.
A security team led by Bragen escorts the Doctor, Ben and Polly back to the colony. The examiner was summoned by Quinn, deputy governor to investigate a group of rebels. The governor regards the problem with the rebels as insignificant.
Meanwhile, Lesterson, the colony’s scientist, has discovered a crashed Dalek space capsule. The Doctor goes to investigate the capsule and after having a quick look inside he says that’s enough for one night and goes off to bed.
Later that night, Ben and Polly see the Doctor heading towards Lesterson’s laboratory and go inside the Dalek capsule. They follow, and he opens an inner compartment to find two Daleks inside. He deduces that the third Dalek is missing from the capsule. Polly, who, along with Ben, had joined the Doctor in the capsule, spots a small mutant crawling across the floor which disappears into a small opening. Polly screams.
The Doctor, Ben and Polly leave the capsule to find Lesterson, who immediately starts questioning them on why they are in his lab. The Doctor says that his badge (the examiner’s badge) says that he can go anywhere in the colony. The Doctor questions Lesterson on where he has put the third Dalek. He is afraid that Lesterson might be trying to reactivate it.
Once the Doctor, Ben and Polly have left, Lesterson opens a secret compartment where he has hidden the third Dalek. He gets his helpers Resno and Janley to help try and reactivate the Dalek. He is successful, but in the process the Dalek shoots Resno dead. Janley assures Lesterson that Resno will be fine, although she knows he is dead. At that point Lesterson removes the gun stick from the Dalek.
Meanwhile, Quinn has been accused of sabotaging the communication console and summoning the examiner. Quinn is put on trial and the governor gives Bragen Quinn’s old job. The Doctor, Ben and Polly attend Quinn’s trial, during which Lesterson arrives with the reactivated Dalek, who claims to be the colony’s servant. The Dalek recognises the Doctor and from that point on Ben believes he really is the Doctor.
Lesterson also reactivates the other two Daleks and removes the gun sticks from them. They also claim to be the colony’s servants.
The Doctor notices that there are more than three Daleks in the colony and warns that they are breeding. When told that machines can't breed the Doctor answers that Daleks are not machines.
The Doctor, Polly and Ben are imprisoned. The Doctor is seen rolling pieces of fruit along the floor causing Polly to state that this is the sort of behaviour that makes them wonder if he really is the Doctor. It turns out that the Doctor is checking if the fruit contains a bugging device. They manage to escape when the doctor generates the correct tone to open the prison cell by making a partly filled wine glass chime.
One night Lesterson goes inside the Dalek capsule and discovers that Daleks are being manufactured there. He sees an inert mutant being placed on a stand then suddenly coming to life. It is then lifted off the stand by a Dalek and placed into a Dalek base and the top fitted to the base.
After a long fight between the humans and the Daleks, during which Governor Hensell is killed by Bragen, The Doctor destroys the Daleks by turning their own power source against them. It turns out that Bragen sabotaged the communication console and killed the real examiner. Quinn has the charges against him dropped and Bragen is shot by Valmar after attempting to kill Quinn. Quinn is made governor and the Doctor, Ben and Polly return to the TARDIS. An inert Dalek stands next to the TARDIS. Ben kicks it and exclaims that they won't be having any trouble with Daleks from now on. The TARDIS then sets off on another adventure. As the TARDIS dematerialises the eyestalk of a nearby Dalek corpse rises upwards...
Continuity
- The process of regenerationRegeneration (Doctor Who)Regeneration, in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, is a biological ability exhibited by Time Lords, a race of fictional humanoids originating on the planet Gallifrey. This process allows a Time Lord who is old or mortally wounded to undergo a transformation into a new...
goes unnamed in this serial. This change of actors was retrospectively labelled "regeneration" following use of the term by the production team of Planet of the SpidersPlanet of the SpidersPlanet of the Spiders is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from May 4 to June 8, 1974. It was Jon Pertwee's last serial as the Doctor and marks the first, uncredited appearance of Tom Baker in the role. It also marks...
. - The planet Vulcan was theorised in the 19th century, as located within the Solar SystemSolar SystemThe Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
, closer to the sunSunThe Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
than MercuryMercury (planet)Mercury is the innermost and smallest planet in the Solar System, orbiting the Sun once every 87.969 Earth days. The orbit of Mercury has the highest eccentricity of all the Solar System planets, and it has the smallest axial tilt. It completes three rotations about its axis for every two orbits...
, to explain the perihelion shift of Mercury in Newton's nonrelativistic theory of gravitation; its existence was unnecessary as the relativistic gravitation theory of Einstein, general relativityGeneral relativityGeneral relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
explained the shift without the pull of an extra inner planet. This theory suffered a renewed burst of popularity in the 1960s. David Whitaker first listed it as a planet of the Solar System in the 1964 spin-off The Dalek Book. In 1966 Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
creator Gene RoddenberryGene RoddenberryEugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...
gave the name of Mr. Spock's homeworld and race as VulcanVulcan (Star Trek)Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
, but placed it in another star system. Some fictional tie-ins, including Lance ParkinLance ParkinLance Parkin is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular Doctor Who and Emmerdale...
's A History of the Universe timeline, speculate that Vulcan is a rogue planet that entered the Solar System, so as to reconcile this story with others that do not mention the planet as existing. - In Episode Two the Doctor refers to Marco Polo as a friend, having met him in the First Doctor story Marco PoloMarco Polo (Doctor Who)-CD and DVD releases:*In 2003, a three-CD set of the audio soundtrack was released, as part of Doctor Who's 40th anniversary. This CD set is unique in containing a map of Cathay as represented during the period of the Doctor's visit to China, and also explaining historical inaccuracies...
. - The Dalek pod seen here is later revealed to have been sent to this location by the Eighth DoctorEighth DoctorThe Eighth Doctor is the eighth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He was portrayed by Paul McGann...
after ejecting it from a ThalThalThal may refer to:* Thal, Styria, a town near Graz, Styria, Austria* Thal, Lower Austria, a town in the Dunkelsteinerwald, Lower Austria, Austria* Thal Desert, a large sand desert in Punjab, Pakistan...
ship in War of the DaleksWar of the DaleksWar of the Daleks is an original novel written by John Peel, published in 1997, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam. This novel was the first appearance of the Daleks in an original Doctor Who novel; they had not...
.
Production
- Working titles for this story included The Destiny of Doctor Who and Servants of Masters.
Cast notes
- Anneke Wills was on holiday and therefore absent from episode four. Similarly, Michael Craze was absent for episode five.
- Bernard Archard returned in Pyramids of MarsPyramids of MarsPyramids of Mars is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 25 October to 15 November 1975.-Synopsis:...
. - Peter Bathurst returned The Claws of AxosThe Claws of Axos-Writing:In late 1969, script editor Terrance Dicks contacted new writing duo Bob Baker and Dave Martin after reading a draft script they had sent around the BBC for another production, A Man's Life. After offering the duo a seven-part story in November 1969 for Doctor Whos eighth season, Baker and...
. - Robert James returned in The Masque of MandragoraThe Masque of MandragoraThe Masque of Mandragora is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 4 September to 25 September 1976. It opened Season 14 of the series.-Synopsis:...
. - Edward Kelsey had previously appeared in The RomansThe Romans (Doctor Who)The Romans is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from January 16 to February 6, 1965. The story is set during the era of the Roman Empire in the reign of Nero.-Plot:...
and would return in The Creature from the PitThe Creature from the PitThe Creature from the Pit is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 27 October to 17 November 1979.-Synopsis:On the planet Chloris, metal is scarce....
.
Missing episodes
All six episodes were wiped from the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's archives in the early 1970s. A number of clips survive in various other programmes, mainly focusing upon the Dalek. In addition some footage filmed off-air with a cine camera exists, showing brief moments of the new Doctor's first moves in the TARDIS.
In print
A novelisation of this serial, written by John PeelJohn Peel (writer)
John Peel is a British writer, best known for his books connected to several television series. He has written under several pseudonyms, including John Vincent and Nicholas Adams. He lives in Long Island, New York and his wife is a U.S...
, was published by Virgin Books
Virgin Books
Virgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
in July 1993. Although still published under the Target Books
Target Books
Target Books was a British publishing imprint, established in 1973 by Universal-Tandem Publishing Co Ltd, a paperback publishing company. The imprint was established as a children's imprint to complement the adult Tandem imprint, and became well known for their highly successful range of...
banner, this was the first novelisation to be published under the new format introduced by Virgin for the Virgin New Adventures
Virgin New Adventures
The Virgin New Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who...
/Virgin Missing Adventures
Virgin Missing Adventures
The Virgin Missing Adventures were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which had been cancelled in 1989, featuring stories set between televised episodes of the programme. The novels were published from 1994 to 1997, and...
series. The most notable difference is the increased page count.
DVD and CD releases
- The audio soundtrack survives. The BBC has given it three commercial releases: first, on cassette release with narration by Tom BakerTom BakerThomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
; second, on CD with narration by Anneke WillsAnneke WillsAnneke Wills is an English actress, best-known for her role as the Doctor Who's companion Polly in the long-running BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Biography:...
; third, on MP3-CD for the 'Doctor Who: Reconstructed' range, again narrated by Anneke Wills. This release also includes a bonus slideshow for PC users, merging the soundtrack with tele-snapsTele-snapsTele-snaps were off-screen photographs of British television broadcasts, taken and sold commercially by John Cura . From 1947 until 1968, Cura ran a business selling the 250,000-plus tele-snaps he took...
. - The Anneke Wills-narrated soundtrack was also released in a collector's tin called Doctor Who: Daleks, along with the soundtrack to The Evil of the DaleksThe Evil of the DaleksThe Evil of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which originally aired in seven weekly parts from 20 May to 1 July 1967. This serial marked the debut of Deborah Watling as the Doctor's new companion, Victoria Waterfield.Evil was initially intended to...
and a bonus disc featuring My Life as a Dalek, a story presented by Mark GatissMark GatissMark Gatiss is an English actor, screenwriter and novelist. He is best known as a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen, and has both written for and acted in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock....
discussing the history of the Daleks. - In 2004, all known surviving clips were released on the Lost in Time DVD. Following the DVD's release, two further short clips—along with a higher-quality version of one of the extant scenes—were discovered in a 1966 episode of the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
science series Tomorrow's WorldTomorrow's WorldTomorrow's World was a long-running BBC television series, showcasing new developments in the world of science and technology. First aired on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003.- Content :...
. The clips only came to light on 11 September 2005, when the relevant section was broadcast as part of an edition of the clip-based nostalgia show Sunday Past Times on BBC TwoBBC TwoBBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
. These clips were subsequently included in the documentaries "The Dalek Tapes", on the Genesis of the DaleksGenesis of the DaleksGenesis of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who that was originally broadcast in six weekly parts from 8 March to 12 April 1975. It marks the first appearance of Davros, the creator of the Daleks.-Plot:...
DVD release, and "Now Get out of That", on the Terror of the Vervoids disc in the The Trial of a Time Lord box set.
External links
- Photonovel of The Power of the Daleks on the BBC website
- Loose Cannon reconstruction of The Power of the Daleks