Series 10 trailer

[Professor Zoom]

I am not enthused by the trailer. I have not been happy with the last few seasons of Doctor Who. When I heard the word "Daleks", I was, like, why? This enemy is played out.

I do sort of wonder if there is a contractual obligation. Besides being a fan favorite, maybe if they don't use the Daleks for a certain period, they would have to renegotiate for the rights to use them again.

Who knows.

Personally, i don't mind. The Daleks have been a successful villain, over all, for 50 years. Some great stories, some shitty ones.

 

[Lakenheath 72]

According to Steven Moffat, there is no contractual obligation for the Daleks to appear in every season.

"You certainly don’t wheel the Daleks out because you’ve got a contractual obligation to provide Daleks. I think Doctor Who is great when there are Daleks in it [and] I don’t think you should go too long without Daleks. For a child, a year between Dalek stories is an eternity – I remember as a kid saying ‘Why haven’t they done the Daleks for ages? It’s been four or five weeks!'” - Steven Moffat, 2014

http://www.doctorwhotv.co.uk/moffat-daleks-are-not-a-contractual-obligation-68881.htm

I politely disagree with Moffat. With a few exceptions, like The Genesis of the Daleks, which was fantastic, most of the Dalek stories have been good or mediocre, leaning more to the latter. In the last story, which featured them, the dynamic between the Doctor and Davros was what made it a good episode, not the Daleks themselves.

I am so looking forward to a new leader at the helm.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I don't remember the sources, but it's been regularly disputed that there is no such contractual obligation to utilize the Daleks every season.

Edit: I've been beaten to the punch!

 

[The Wormhole]

There's got to be some sort of obligation to constantly use the Daleks, as we have yet to truly go a year without the Daleks period. Even 2016 had Daleks in Pearl Mackie's introduction video, and one could argue we got a "new" Dalek production with the Power of the Daleks animated reconstruction.

But getting back to what I was saying, not a single Dalek-free year since the show's return, with episodes like Waters of Mars and The Wedding of River Song providing meaningless Dalek cameos which served no purpose at all except being the only Dalek appearances of the year. Indeed, TWORS especially stands out, since prior to season 6 Moffat was promising no Daleks for the year in interviews, then after the episode aired when asked for an explanation on the matter his response was "I thought there wouldn't be any Daleks this year." Sounds to me like he was arm-twisted into showing the Daleks against his wishes.

Indeed, I've noticed, season 6 aside, Moffat almost always has his Dalek episodes very early in the season, the longest wait aside from season 6 was season 5 where they were in the third episode. From season 7 onwards they've always been in either the first or second episode (or both in season 9). The earliest RTD ever had the Daleks in a season was season 3, the fourth episode. Kind of seems to me like Moffat is trying to get the (obligatory) Dalek episode done and out of the way at his earliest convenience so he can get someone off his back. Curiously, RTD did confirm in The Writer's Tale that the BBC was always trying to pressure him into using the Daleks in a premiere, which Moffat has done twice.

Maybe it isn't a contractual obligation, but there is definitely some sort of obligation to use the Daleks every year, at this point it's damn near difficult to pretend otherwise.

 

[kirk55555]

I kind of assume its the people in charge of the BBC that would make Doctor Who use Daleks every year, if anyone was. They're profitable and well known, I could easily see people who are higher up in the BBC food chain making sure there is always a Dalek episode/appearance, regardless of what the people running the show actually want.

 

[Mr Awe]

I do sort of wonder if there is a contractual obligation. Besides being a fan favorite, maybe if they don't use the Daleks for a certain period, they would have to renegotiate for the rights to use them again.

Who knows.

Personally, i don't mind. The Daleks have been a successful villain, over all, for 50 years. Some great stories, some shitty ones.

The Daleks coming back every year isn't the problem itself. The problem is that they just haven't had great stories for them. They should wait until they have a great story for the Daleks before they bring them back. It must be hard to write for the faceless and mostly personality free foes. The Daleks are more a force of nature than a true villain. When writing a Dalek story that doesn't feature Davros, it's more the reaction of the good guys to a force of nature that has to be interesting rather the Daleks as force of nature being interesting. No wonder the Nation estate wanted to include Davros all the time!

Although, Power of the Daleks has shown that it's possible to make the Daleks a bit interesting themselves. Although, the script smartly included plenty of human drama to keep things interesting!

Mr Awe

 

[Solid Snack]

Problem is a lot of the Dalek episodes have sort of been retreads here and there-"Victory" is pretty much a shorter Power of the Daleks with a World War II setting "Into the Dalek" is fairly similar to "Dalek" in a few ways, "Magician's Apprentice" pretty much deals with some of the stuff from "Genesis" and "Rememberance", with a bit of the spot-the-dalek and Clara in a Dalek from "Asylum".

Not that RTD didn't do this a bit as well-"Daleks in Manhatten" is pretty similar in a few ways to "Evil of the Daleks", and "The Stolen Earth" has a fair amount of "Dalek Invasion of Earth" stuff going on (moving planets, "We are the masters of Earth etc.).

Even the older Dalek stories kind of ran out of ideas here and there; Dalek's Masterplan is pretty much a more serious "The Chase", "Planet of the Daleks" has quite a few similarities to the original Dalek stories, and all JNT stories were pretty much Dalek vs. Dalek stuff....

 

[Blamo]

The problem with the Daleks in the Moffat era is that they're portrayed as the worst villains ever.

Now, we know they're going to be defeated and the Doctor is going to survive. That's the truth for nearly every villain/monster in Doctor Who. Problem is, that's all they do now. They show up, then get defeated. Most of the time they don't even kill anyone.

Dalek vs Victory of the Dalek? In "Dalek" one tank-like Dalek uses it's cunning to revive itself and then slaughters almost everyone in the base. In "Victory of the Daleks" no one dies except two Daleks and the new toy-like Daleks are scared off by modified spitfires.

Parting of the Ways vs Big Bang? In POTW the Daleks slag Earth and kill almost everyone on the station. In the Big Bang a toy-like Daleks rattles around, screeching exterminate, kills no one amd then begs River for mercy.

Doomsday vs Asylum of the Daleks? In Doomsday four Daleks have no trouble mopping the floor with Torchwood troops and Cybusmen. In Asylum of the Daleks they do nothing except ask the Doctor for help and then get their minds wiped.

Day of the Doctor - They kill no one on screen and instead accidentally kill themselves.

Time of the Doctor - We're told they killed people off screen. Tasha Lem regains her humanity through magic mind voodoo. The Daleks fly a huge mothership over the Doctor, screech exterminate for ages, kill no one (that's really a massive feat) and then die.

Into the Dalek - Finally, a semi good one. Except the Dalek then turns "good".

Series 9 opener - They kill no one, are totally impotent while the Doctor sits in Davros' chair and then die when their *sigh* sewers revolt.

 

[The Wormhole]

^^The problem seems more related to Moffat's reluctance to kill characters in his episodes.

 

[diankra]

The Dalek defeats in the original run were frequently a bit lacking.

 

[Solid Snack]

Victory of the Daleks had a few more human casulties if I recall correctly-the fighter and Churchill's two men who get exterminated.

The older Dalek episodes with the highest body count are probably "Power", as we've recently seen, "Genesis" where they pretty much kill most of the Thals and Kaled scientists; and of course "Ressurection" (Although some of this was because of Lytton's men) which so sickens Tegan she leaves...otherwise I don't think they were that big a threat classic-wise either.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I would say enslaving mankind in The Dalek Invasion of Earth is a pretty big threat. I don't remember the death count but slavery is in many ways worse.

 

[diankra]

Point is, they've always been talked up, and the more invincible they are, the more improbable their defeat becomes. Even in the RTD era: in Parting of the Ways it takes a God-like power to stop them, by Journey's End you can hit a few switches and then play dodgems with them.
Back in the day, DIoE only works if there was only one saucer on Earth, and every Dalek on Earth received power from the transmitter at the mine.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Yeah, Power of the Daleks works on the same conceit regarding their need for static electricity.

 

[Green Lantern]

I think overall, Moffat struggles with Daleks. Other than Victory of the Daleks which was written my Mark Gatiss, Moffat had written every episode featuring the Daleks. I liked the Magician's Apprentice/Witches Familiar but it was mostly Davros which made that good for me. I reckon the same status quo as they had back in the first couple of series of the show would be much welcomed, I.E most people around Daleks getting killed, a single Dalek being able to take on an army etc. I think a fresher perspective on Daleks are needed, but a fresher perspective on the show overall is probably needed too.

 

[diankra]

Well, other than Dalek and the Manhattan story, RTD wrote every Dalek story of his era (and Moffat didn't write Into the Dalek, so pretty much evens).

 

[The Wormhole]

(and Moffat didn't write Into the Dalek,

Although he is credited as a co-writer, I take it he didn't do much "heavy lifting" on that script? Would that be the same with the other episodes he's credited as a co-writer on in seasons 8 and 9?

 

[Allyn Gibson]

New trailer, "A Time for Heroes."

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[The Nth Doctor]

The "First time you meet him...second...third..." tag line makes it sound like The Doctor picks up and then drops off Bill. I really hope in wrong because I'm really tired of that kind of companion relationship instead he of just traveling with The Doctor non-stop.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

It could be that Bill meets the Doctor several times throughout her first episode, and her impression of the Doctor changes across each meeting, and afterwards she has a "traditional" relationship with the Doctor. I think Moffat should do that, as we haven't had that kind of companion in six years, not since Amy and Rory's departure in "The God Complex."

My takeaway from this teaser is that Bill sounds like exactly John from Sherlock -- an adrenaline junkie. I could have seen Moftis making the same trailer for Sherlock back in the day, only with Sherlock and John instead of the Doctor and Bill.