M is for Mark III Travel Machines – The name that Davros used to describe his prototype Daleks (Genesis of the Daleks).
N is for Neutron Bomb – A nuclear weapon that was used in the neutronic war on Skaro that led to the creation of the Daleks. A single neutron bomb could wipe out an area of 500 square miles, destroying all organic matter, but leaving building and machinery intact (The Daleks).
O is for Octus – Issue 213 of Marvel UK’s Transformers comic introduced a new Decepticon leader known as Octus. Although he was never seen to transform in the comic strip, he had very familiar bumps on his legs. Artist Lee Sullivan has since revealed that Octus transformed into a Mark III Travel Machine. Sullivan himself drew many a Dalek in Doctor Who Magazine comic strips such as Nemesis of the Daleks and Children of the Revolution.
P is for Polycarbide (bonded) – Dalek casings are made from bonded polycarbide (Remembrance of the Daleks) and Dalekanium alloy (Daleks in Manhattan). The term Dalekanium originated in the 1964 Dalek Book and was eventually adopted into the series.
Q is for Questions – Daleks do not question. Ever (Evil of the Daleks).
R is for the Reality Bomb – Davros’s ultimate – and craziest – victory. The Reality Bomb broke down the electric field that holds atoms together, and Davros planned to dissolve every form of matter in the entire universe. Sheltering within the Cruciform, the Daleks would survive the cataclysm, becoming the only surviving life form (Journey’s End).
S is for Static Electricity – Daleks were originally powered by static electricity, distributed through the metallic floors of their city on Skaro (The Daleks). When they began to conquer the galaxy, their juice was supplied via a disc mounted on the back of their casing (The Dalek Invasion of Earth). Later paradigms of Daleks were powered by the Kaled mutant’s own psychokinetic power (Death to the Daleks).
T is for Temporal Shift – Personal time machines built into the casings of the Cult of Skaro. Only used in emergencies, the temporal shift could transport the individual Daleks to another place and time but usually depleted their power cells.
U is for Universe – The Daleks will not rest until they have conquered or destroyed all of creation. The Time Lords foresaw a time when the Daleks will have destroyed all other life forms and become the dominant creatures in the universe.
V is for VEPS – According to Terry Nation’s Dalek annuals of the 1960s, a vep is a Dalek measure of artificial light. The higher the vep, the quicker plants grow. In a similar way a rel was a measure of hydroelectricity. In later accounts, rels became a measure of time (Doomsday, Evolution of the Daleks, Journey’s End).
W is for Water – Daleks are more than capable of taking a dip. At the end of the first episode of The Dalek Invasion of Earth, a Dalek rose from the murky waters of the Thames. It’s not just the wet stuff either. The Chase showed that Daleks can hide under sand dunes, but groan like billy-o when rising to the surface. Well, that sand must get everywhere.
X is for X-ray – In the earliest days of Doctor Who, a Dalek’s death ray turned the entire picture negative. During the 1970s, advances in special effects meant the negative effect was limited to the victim itself, but from Remembrance of the Daleks, being shot by a Dalek meant that you lit up like a glowing X-ray, your skeleton on show for all to see.
Y is for Yarvelling – The creator of the Daleks – if you believe Genesis of Evil, a comic strip that ran in TV Century 21, that is. The blue-skinned scientist developed the mutant machine Daleks to survive the events of the neutron war on Skaro. His role in Dalek history was wiped away when Genesis of the Daleks revealed that Davros in fact was the mastermind behind the Daleks’ creation. However, in 2006, Big Finish Productions’ I, Davros mini-series revealed that Davros’s half-sister was named Yarvell.
Z is for Zeg – A Dalek inventor who accidentally created Metalert, a reinforced form of Dalekanium and went on to challenge the Emperor Dalek (TV Century 21 comic, Duel of the Daleks).
ARMED AND DANGEROUS
‘What you going to do? Sucker me to death?’
Simmons, Dalek
Don’t be fooled – that’s no ordinary sink plunger. The Dalek’s manipulator arm is a versatile and dangerous tool. Sometimes, however, it needs replacing for something a little handier.
Plunger – The first element of a Dalek we ever saw. Useful for waving in terrified teacher’s faces, operating Dalek controls and pliable enough to crack the combination of electronic door locks (Dalek). Can also be used to suffocate or crush a person’s skull (Dalek), scan brainwaves (Doomsday) or assess intelligence (Daleks in Manhattan). At times telescopic, the plunger unit can be removed from a deactivated Dalek and used to manipulate Dalek machinery (Remembrance of the Daleks).
Perceptor – A seismic detector used to track and locate time machines such as the TARDIS. Can also detect other life forms (The Chase).
Electrode Unit – An attachment similar to a radar dish that can override electronic locks without physical contact (The Chase).
Pyroflame Thrower – Used to burn through dense vegetation (The Daleks’ Master Plan).
Scoop – Used to transfer Dalek mutants into new casings (The Power of the Daleks).
Cutting tool – To cut through metal doors (Planet of the Daleks). Earlier Daleks used a long, thin tool mounted with two spheres and a protective screen (The Daleks), whereas after the Time War, the Emperor’s Assault Daleks were fitted with vicious-looking clawed cutting tools (The Parting of the Ways).
Percussive weapon – On worlds where the use of energy weapons is not possible, such as Exxilon, the Daleks replace their usual gunsticks with percussive projectile-firing weapons (Death to the Daleks). Other weapon attachments include the larger, extra gun sticks sported by selected Emperor Guard Daleks, replacing the sucker arm (The Parting of the Ways).
Syringe – Used by the Cult of Skaro to administer chemicals such as chromatin solution (Daleks in Manhattan).
Vault attachment – Guard Daleks on board the Crucible have special eight-pronged attachments for operating complex equipment found in Davros’s Vault (The Stolen Earth / Journey’s End).
Pincers – In the two Amicus Dr. Who films of the 1960s, some Daleks are fitted with pincers instead of plungers (Dr. Who and the Daleks, Daleks – Invasion Earth 2150 A.D.).
DALEK SERVANTS
Daleks may be the supreme beings in the universe but sometimes they need a little help. They’ve created many a slave in their time, with varying levels of success…
Humans conditioned into mindless drones by use of cybernetic implants. Weaknesses: Not the brightest plungers in the pack, plus a tendency to go insane, smash their heads against walls or drown themselves when the conditioning wears off.