So, how did Davros look before "Genesis..."?

[Redfern]

The question is fairly straight forward, how did Davros look before the incidents depicted in "Genesis of the Daleks", before he was "plugged" into his life-support chariot? Actually, going from on-screen information alone, nothing is stated how he came to be. But until it is contradicted by a future episode, the BBC states he suffered nearly fatal injuries during a Thal bombardment, injuries that cost him his legs, his left arm, several vital organs and his eyes. But whatever the cause, how did he look before his body reflected the monster within?

This is just meant to be a fun exercise; one person's thoughts will be equally valid to those of another. And while visual depictions are certainly not required (written will be fine), drawings, PhotoShops, etc. are most certainly welcome.

Given that the face depicted in the various stories is so exaggerated from that of the human (er, Kaled) norm, and we've had three major designs, it's hard to extrapolate a set of specific features. But I've actually tried, insane as the task may be. I once commissioned a person skilled in ZBrush to create a Michael Wisher based Davros derived from a base human mesh sold by DAZ. As an experiment, I started to "dial back" that final shape, edging towards the default neutral features. About halfway, I had a rather interesting face of a world weary man in his mid to late 50s, someone who might hail from eastern Europe, possessing distincrtive cheekbones and a naturally furrowed brow. Sorry, as I am at the office, I don't have a render handy to post, but I hope to provide one after I return home.

I do wonder if Davros in his youth might have had a scalp thick with hair. Why? A gesture Julian Bleach introduced to the character. At least once if not additional times, we saw Davros bring his hand to his scalp. Something about the way he did it made me think he was unconsciously trying to run his (now cybernetic) fingers through an unruly "mop" of course hair that had long since fallen from his head. Of course, I could be reading too much into the gesture, but it added to the scene.

Okay, gang...your thoughts.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Rarewolf]

You should listen to Big Finish's I,Davros mini-series. You hear him as a child in the first episode, first get interested in science, then follow him on the way to meglomania. Before his accident.

IIRC a flashback scene was considered (even scripted?) but dropped for return in the TV series.

 

[Redfern]

Oh, I bought that 4 part audio drama based upon my enjoyment of the earlier presentation that spawned it, simply titled "Davros". Yes, both of those stories adhere to the Thal bombardment origin of crippled Kaled scientist.

So, I'm guessing you picture the unscarred Davros as Terry Molley without the elaborate mask?

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[C.E. Evans]

He was a total stud. He had every girl's phone number.

 

[Guy Gardener]

They did have a problem with "mutos".

Maybe there wasn't a zero tolerance policy on mutation.

It's just if you happen to also be poor.

I can imagine parents of mutos saying 'fuck this" and trying again for a normal kid or just giving up. but if most muto babies are through out side the city as food for the last generation of mutos, well there's a whole lot of nutrition issues though sprout from canabalism.

Besides, as long as a muto is sterilized, there shouldn't be any problem in letting him or her mingle with regular baseline kaleds.

Would Davros mutation account for his intellect?

Remember how easily they scanned Harry and the Doctors biology during their interrogation?

They do want to know who is a muto, even if they let some of them wander about.

Is it the "chariot" completely, or do kaleads have INCREDIBLY long life spans?

I could imagine that with actual Daleks that it's resurrection technology, more so than stasis, and then they redownload a a new, or the same "personality" into the meat into the cockpit of the Dalek.

When you were watching a Christmas carol last year, you have to think "Oh My! thjis would have worked fabulously on Davros!" Which is when you begin to wonder exactly why this hadn't been a Davros episode?

Maybe next year "The Kaled who stole Christmas"?

 

[Rarewolf]

Is it the "chariot" completely, or do kaleads have INCREDIBLY long life spans?

Don't forget he was on minimal life support - near suspended animation between Genesis and Destiny, then Cyrogenically frozen between Destiny and Resurrection. It isn't until after then he really ages, or has any freedom.

And half of that freedom is spend on his own in escape pods!

 

[Guy Gardener]

Wasn't there 10,000 years between Genesis and Destiny?

 

[The Wormhole]

A flashback scene set on Skaro showing Davros pre-injury was scripted for Journey's End, but ulitmately not filmed, though the script portion can be read in The Writer's Tale. The intention was to just use Julian Bleach without make-up, so I guess that's what Davros looked like.

 

[Redfern]

Okay, here's the image I promised yesterday.

As I stated before, JoeQuick created a "morph" in ZBrush for the DAZ Michael 3 figure. When set to full strength, it pretty captures the details John Friedlander sculpted into the mask Michael Wisher in "Genesis of the Daleks". You can see an example here...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v413/Redfern/JQ-Davros-5.jpg

Dailed back to half strength and given normal cranial proportions, I got what I have displayed above. Because the brows were heavily morphed, any eyebrow patterns are equally expanded, giving him "Groucho Marx" brows. Hmm, I don't know; it kinda' suits him. I decided to given him piercing blue eyes for an especially baleful glare.

Of course, even with these features, there's all sort of room for variation, skin tone, facial hair, eye color, style and tone of hair (if any), etc.

As I said, just a speculative exercise.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Mr Awe]

Very nice! It fits in very well with what we've seen onscreen!!

Mr Awe

 

[Redfern]

Thank you, Mr.Awe.

I'm not sure the features of the Terry Molloy mask would translate as well "dialed back" as that one was sculpted to depict "empty" eye sockets. But then again, I could be wrong. Since I don't have a morph for those details, I can't say for certain.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[The Wormhole]

Got to admit, that is pretty cool.

 

[Redfern]

And thank you as well, Wormhole!

It would be interesting to present a "pre injury" story, but it would be problematic to work in the Doctor as we get the clear indication in "Genesis..." that both meet each other for the first time. I mean, Baker's Doctor derisively asks, "Who is this 'Davros'?" so we know for certain it is his first time. And Davros certainly doesn't react with, "So, Doctor, you may not know me...yet, but I, however, do know you!" Well, Smith's Doctor, or a future incarnation could encounter Davros earlier in the Kaled's life, but he'd have to keep his mouth shut, not revealing himself, and the Doctor has too great an ego to let that slide.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Photoman15]

I'd guess like this:

 

[BlastHardcheese]

I always imagined the younger Davros (especially in the I-Davros audiobook) looked like Terry Molloy in a Nazi-esque uniform and slicked back hair.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

He was a total stud. He had every girl's phone number.

Not really.

Spoiler: the Big Finish audio "Davros"

According to "Davros," he only seemed to have eyes for one particular female Kaled scientist. And even then, he ultimately had her executed for sedition so that he could take all of the credit for the Dalek project.

If you've never heard "Davros," I highly recommend it. It's a heartbreaking tragedy, made all the more odd because every time you almost feel sorry for him or see some glimmer of humanity, he immediately squashes it. He is thoroughly evil and wants no sympathy from anyone. And yet, as irredeemable as he is, you can't help but see that he's a natural product of his environment. He grew up in the midst of unimaginable suffering during the neutron war between the Kaleds & the Thals. Everyone was always dying all around him and a state of total war and desperate survival was all he ever knew. In that world, his sense of "normal" became so warped that the Daleks were an inevitable extension of a fundamental belief that endless war is the only "right" way for things to be.

However, I'm not so sure about the idea of an infallible equation that can perfectly predict the stock market. Even if such an equation were possible, acquiring all of the relevant data for the variables would be impossible. However, ignoring that implausibility, it is quite chilling how casually Davros is willing to wield this economic weapon, which is the first step to destroying the current interstellar market system and creating a permanent wartime economy.

It would be interesting to present a "pre injury" story, but it would be problematic to work in the Doctor as we get the clear indication in "Genesis..." that both meet each other for the first time. I mean, Baker's Doctor derisively asks, "Who is this 'Davros'?" so we know for certain it is his first time. And Davros certainly doesn't react with, "So, Doctor, you may not know me...yet, but I, however, do know you!" Well, Smith's Doctor, or a future incarnation could encounter Davros earlier in the Kaled's life, but he'd have to keep his mouth shut, not revealing himself, and the Doctor has too great an ego to let that slide.

Time can be rewritten. Even if "Genesis of the Daleks" was the first time that Davros met the Doctor in the original timeline, I suppose it's still possible that Davros could re-meet him for the first time in an amended timeline in a future episode.

Personally, I would be more interested in a new episode which takes place a bit earlier, prior to the beginning of the Kaled-Thal Neutron War. The Doctor tries to prevent the start of the war and ends up accelerating it instead.

 

[C.E. Evans]

He was a total stud. He had every girl's phone number.

Not really.

Spoiler: the Big Finish audio "Davros"

According to "Davros," he only seemed to have eyes for one particular female Kaled scientist. And even then, he ultimately had her executed for sedition so that he could take all of the credit for the Dalek project.

If you've never heard "Davros," I highly recommend it. It's a heartbreaking tragedy, made all the more odd because every time you almost feel sorry for him or see some glimmer of humanity, he immediately squashes it. He is thoroughly evil and wants no sympathy from anyone. And yet, as irredeemable as he is, you can't help but see that he's a natural product of his environment. He grew up in the midst of unimaginable suffering during the neutron war between the Kaleds & the Thals. Everyone was always dying all around him and a state of total war and desperate survival was all he ever knew. In that world, his sense of "normal" became so warped that the Daleks were an inevitable extension of a fundamental belief that endless war is the only "right" way for things to be.

However, I'm not so sure about the idea of an infallible equation that can perfectly predict the stock market. Even if such an equation were possible, acquiring all of the relevant data for the variables would be impossible. However, ignoring that implausibility, it is quite chilling how casually Davros is willing to wield this economic weapon, which is the first step to destroying the current interstellar market system and creating a permanent wartime economy.

Pass...

 

[Rarewolf]

Personally, I would be more interested in a new episode which takes place a bit earlier, prior to the beginning of the Kaled-Thal Neutron War. The Doctor tries to prevent the start of the war and ends up accelerating it instead.

I've thought for years that would be a great way to end it, one day. Perhaps have the Doctor's death as the catalysis.