This isnt a thread saying we haven't seen much of the daleks, because we all know they appear more than regularly, but it's the substance of those appearances that I feel has been missing for a while. Namely I feel they've lost the sense of being a real presence in episodes as a threat. Daleks in the last few years have mainly appeared in cameo's or in the background. Into the dalek was a good episode, but even then it was about the doctor exploring what makes a dalek tick than actually presenting the daleks as a threat. The last time the daleks appeared as an actual threat with a plan to destroy the world/universe was in the stolen earth/journeys end, over 6 years ago and the last time they even did anything which was a situation where the doctor needed to stop them was victory of the daleks which was over 4 years ago now. since then they've been around, but sort of diluted, just there, but not really the menacing ultimate villains they should be.

I feel they are around in body, but haven't really been around in spirit for a while.It's more like they are comfortable window dressing these days. If they feel the need to show them every year, they should at least make there screen time count. If there appearances continue as they have they risk becoming a Joke.

Would really like to see an episode where they 'reclaim their mantle' so to speak with a big menacing plan which the doctor has to stop, or it could even be just a story with a handful of daleks witha dangerous plan. Just something where they get to be an actual serious threat. An inclusion of davros would always be welcome too.

I agree to some extent...they've not hatched a plan of their own making in a very long time now. Asylum of the Daleks was a welcome and refreshing change of pace to them and an enjoyable episode, but the whole "save us" slant was very atypical of the Daleks in general and so it's not a good example of their menace, even if the episode stands up well in its own regard.

They were indeed window dressing for The Day of the Doctor, and they were something of a spare part during The Time of the Doctor - there as part of a greater design, and becoming the default villain by the end without really earning it. Then Into the Dalek was another poor example of their menacing side with a "good Dalek" element. Their whole inclusion felt very comfortable and worn in. It was clear that they were a bit of a safe choice, helping to establish a new Doctor within the show whilst not being too taxing.

I'd happily see the Daleks in Series 9, again in a single episode story as I don't feel they warrant two-parters again any time soon. I think to maximise their return power their return should be left as late in Series 9 as possible (to contrast with an early Series 8 appearance...really splitting up their appearances), maybe somewhere around episode 9 or 10.
I still feel that they could explore the roles of the Paradigm daleks, somewhat. I'd love an Eternity of the Daleks story, or something, perhaps exploring why the Eternal is called that. The story would surely have to involve a plot of theirs, rather than having the show feel that it is going through the motions where they are concerned.

I'd happily see another Davros story at some stage, though not yet. With The Master back in Series 8, it already somewhat feels we're going on a cycle of endless returns for the same villains over and over again. I want something new, given the room to truly shine by itself without the shadow of former villains parading back into the show time and time again. Between Series 7 and Series 8 we have seen return appearances for the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Master, the Zygons, the Ice Warriors, the Great Intelligence, the Weeping Angels and so on. For all its weaknesses, Series 6 at least mostly stuck to new creations and I think I'd be happy for Series 9 to do something similar, perhaps allowing the 'returning' aspects to be good characters like Captain Jack and River Song, or McGann.

I know it won't happen, but I'd actually like the Daleks to be rested for a bit. For them to be a real menace, they need to not keep popping up so much. Otherwise it only means that they're getting defeated on a regular basis.

For the Daleks to be a threat, they need to be something that crops up unexpectedly and puts the Doctor on the back foot. He needs to be under threat and needs to get his plan perfect, otherwise he knows the Daleks might actually beat him.

Constantly having them show up and get defeated devalues them as the ultimate threat - and the Whoniverse definitely considers them the greatest threat of them all. So lets go a series or two without a peep from them and then lets have an "Army of Ghosts" style unexpected appearance that can catch us all off-guard and lead in to a big Dalek story.

We've seen the Daleks so many times and more recently in a hey here's the Daleks cause their the big bad wolfs but they are really just there for show in a attempt to raise the stakes kind of way, which ultimately makes them less interesting. We don't really have stories about them rather they feature in stories, the hard heavies that turn up. I think they should be rested as should every other race we've met, its a big universe lets see new races that will bring a fresh threat rather than a well worn one.

I think the biggest problem with the Daleks has been how easy it has been to defeat them. Think back to "Dalek", where a single Dalek, could according to the Doctor, take over or even destrroy the entire planet. Then, Daleks were virtually indestructable, had incredible firepower and were a formidable foe. Now they seem almost pathetic in how easy it seems to be to defeat them. Rather than have another epsode with vast fleets of Daleks I would rather have an episode with only perhaps one or two, almost working "behind the scenes" for some ultimate plan.

These two points are along the lines of what I was getting at in my opening post. There's a big difference between seeing them pop up quickly, or a side piece to something more important going on, or seeing them asking for help, than them actually being the fearsome menaces with a plan the way they should be


I agree to an extent. As you say, in Dalek, that single Dalek seems almost impossible to defeat, but since then we've seen people often just shoot one bolt out of a laser gun and them instantly explode. If I remember rightly there's even a scene in day of the doctor where the doctor flies the TARDIS through a wall and two of them just fall apart from being hit.

That being said I do understand the difficulty for writers. Dalek was meant as an introduction to the Daleks for those who were new to the show and a re introduction for older viewers, so it had a duty to make sure that the most famous villains in who history made an impact in the new generation. Now though, if every single Dalek took that long to defeat, you'd have to have a story half a series long for the doctor to deal with an entire fleet, which is obviously impractical and not going to happen. I think ideally they should find a middle ground where it isn't quite as hard to kill them as it was in dalek, but at the same time they should still make it clear they aren't easy to kill. They should never just explode from one shot of a gun.

I'd be happy to see them rested for a series just so a bit less money goes to the Terry Nation estate.I cant stand it when people get all dictatorial over creations they had no part in creating.

Into the Dalek almost got it, for me. In the first time in years, we had people being exterminated left, right and centre by a single Dalek - then again by a group of them (with glorious chanting of SEEK, LOCATE, DESTROY to very classic musical tones).

I think it also made a degree of sense that the Combined Galactic Resistance had some Dalek busting weapons, though one or two went down very easily. Then again, wasn't Jack able to convert a defabricator in to one with relative ease in Series 1?

Hopefully they're on the right track. As we've seen, there is a struggle with large Dalek invasions as it's very easy to hand wave / lever pull / button press your way out of it.

I'm hoping for a Dalek/Davros on Skaro finale at some point.

I think most of this is dealt with if you consider that both sides are constantly improving. So, if one side has developed a one-shot-100%-definite-kill-a-dalek weapon, then shortly afterwards the Daleks will develop better shields to counter that.

IIRC, Dalek was set in the present or near future with only conventional Earth weapons of the time to combat it. In Into the Dalek, set in the distant future, the humans had far better weaponry capable of destroying a Dalek with one shot. Next time around those weapons would likely not be so effective. (Though it was odd that Rusty was able to destroy other Daleks so easily. Perhaps it knew the resonant frequency of the Dalek shields. ).

Clara is a threat - she is a dalek in one of her lifetimes.

I thought the shells of Daleks were constructed out of Dalekanium a virtually impervious, indestructable alloy. ?

If I was a cat I would be shaking on my paws after watching Big Fat Anniversary Quiz

I watched this again today - gotta say it was way better than when I first watched it. Don't get me wrong, I did like it originally but watching it again today, with no baggage and not judging Capaldi as this new actor playing my favourite TV character, you know what, it's really, really good.

I think, for someone new, or an occasional viewer of the show, this episode is a real education wrt to the horror that is the daleks. They are evil and this episode showed it in great contrast by showing us a good one - the killing rampage was pretty dark, the protein pool inside it, the horror and disdain in Capaldi when he's first introduced to it. Awesoem stuff.

Saw that at the end!

I'd like the Daleks back again.......but not invading Earth (AGAIN! ) That's not due until 2150 AD anyway
How about the Doctor and whoever, landing on a distant planet that has been invaded by them - and helping the native aliens to defeat them?

You get some great Capaldi delivery in it, too. With his flickers of hope later on that he could have turn a Dalek good.

Dalek mutants are born hating. This is what stokes the fire, extinguishes even the tiniest glimmer of kindness or compassion. Imagine the worst possible thing in the universe – then don’t bother, because you’re looking at it right now. This is evil refined as engineering.

What makes the Daleks so threatening is how people react to them. The 9th and 11th Doctors cried for help when they were locked in a room with a Dalek.

The people aboard Satellite 5 denying there existence as if they were an old folk tale, then the panic as they encroach on them. Then there's that one guy still in denial: "You can't exist, you can't."

Mercilessly gunning down anyone with cold disregard for life. Gathering up people in the street and burning down that families house with everyone screaming for help.

The reason we can believe these BEMs (Bug-eyed Monsters) are the most evil creatures in the galaxy is because the people on screen believe it too.

I agree this is part of it, but at the same time there has to be an element of show not tell. Imagine you'd only been watching since 2011 for example, you'd have heard a lot of propaganda about how scary and feared the daleks are, but you wouldn't have really had the chance to see it for yourself, because they haven't had an invasion/main threat story in all that time. In your own post you cited the burning of that families house in the stolen earth/journeys end (can't remember which part it was in), which is just one of many examples of why an invasion story gives them a real chance to 'show off' in terms of how they can terrorise people.

Just having the doctor or other characters saying 'daleks are scary' or acting that way is never going to be enough on it's own. It has to be shown here and there also. They can't trade on the legend alone forever.

I like this idea. GIves you a new take on a dalek invasion story, but one where they still get to show how fearsome they are, and fulfills what feels like the long overdue desire of many of us to see an actual alien planet with an alien race and their society. Would be great to see.

You're right, they're both important.
That's another thing Series One did really well. Especially Dalek and The Parting of the Ways with their brutal body counts.

Yes absolutely, its looooong overdue and featuring the Daleks like this would be the best way to make them a threat again as they could actually do some damage on another planet.

It would be interesting if they filmed an extra episode in secret. Might explain the 12 episode count.

Honestly though, just a short episode would do me. Something like Night of the Doctor.

In this age when every bit of public filming is scrutinised and every tiniest spoiler is mass publicised as soon as it is known, it would great if they could manage to pull of a completely secret episode.

It would be very difficult, but maybe if it was entirely studio filmed they could pull it off.

It would be pretty cool for example if either the daleks were thought not to be in the series at all, and then, what we thought was the finale ends and suddenly there's the reveal trailer of next weeks completely unpublicised dalek episode. Either that or we are told it is a one part dalek episode an then after part one ends incomplete, it is then revealed it's only part 1 of 2. the second idea would be easier to pull off because if a supposedly 1 part episode was actually 2, then any filming for it could all be passed as filming for the one episode.

That post was supposed to got in the "Nu-Who is 10 years old, this year!" thread. Must of messed up my tabs

It wouldn't hurt to have a couple of stories where the Daleks win. Win a battle, destroy a planet, perform an act of genocide, wipe out the humans and the Doctor has to turn and run... and lose to them. Then they'll be a threat again.