The Dalek civil war trilogy or "Rs of the Daleks"

[Whofan]

Resurrection, Revelation, and Remembrance of the Daleks were three different serials spread over four years and three Doctors, but each sort of had a common theme-Davros returning and trying to correct his near-fatal error of making the Daleks think they were superior to him. In Ressurection, under the cover of curing a virus, he manages to brainwash several Daleks; in Revelation he uses dead/frozen bodies to create Daleks loyal to him (and also makes a profit on the side by a sort of Soylent Green style use for the other bodies), and by Rememberance he seems to have suceeded in taking over the Dalek empire, driving the old Daleks from Skaro. All throughout this the 'old' Daleks don't tolerate these new Daleks, as they are not the 'pure' Daleks. Hence "War to the Death" as Ace puts it.


What happened between "Remembrance" and the Time War is not quite clear (Although a few novels/audios have been made), but we can probably assume the 'real' Daleks took control of the empire back and kept Davros on a short leash once they recovered him.


The three serials seem to differ quite a bit-"Ressurection" is a very dark, violent and somewhat depressing story. Revelation is more campy and weird, but is excellently directed by Graeme Harper. "Remembrance" is more of a nostalgia trip, as it sees the Doctor returning to 1963 to Susan's school and also to the junkyard (Although he had visited Totter's lane-but in a different time period-in Attack of the Cybermen).


It's not quite clear where the Daleks would go from season 26 had the original series continued, as season 27's initial ideas were mainly to revisit the Ice Warriors and Cybermen, as well as possibly regenerate Sylvestor McCoy. Cancelled "The Dark Dimension" TV movie would've used at least one, souped-up Dalek (Which some fans have actually constructed), and of course there's the legendary Amblim "Spider Daleks" and the high-pitched Daleks from the Mcgann TV movie.

 

[JRoss]

According to RTD, the Doctor's actions at the end of Remembrance of the Daleks was a part of the Time War. He wrote, IIRC, that the Fourth Doctor officially started it in Genesis of the Daleks, but that the the climax of RotD was "the first shot." I imagine that means an end to some sort of cold war.

 

[Stevil2001]

^ That would also fit with the statement in "Daleks in Manhattan" that Skaro was destroyed during the Time War.

Anyway, Remembrance is the best of the bunch, and I also enjoy Resurrection a lot; it's probably the only story where Saward's grimness really works. Revelation has too much stuff the Doctor has nothing to do with, and Peri is at her whiniest. I always get bored.

The best thing about the trilogy, though, is that Big Finish gave us Davros to plug the gaps between Resurrection and Revelation.

 

[DWF]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Revelation has too much stuff the Doctor has nothing to do with, and Peri is at her whiniest.

In a way, Steve, I think that's the intent of Revelation.

Saward liked Colin Baker personally (he came to see Baker as his only friend in the production), but he hated that JNT had hired Baker (whom Saward saw as a character actor at best) to play the dramatic lead. Peri, too, was problematic; JNT wanted an American companion to appeal to the American audience.

Revelation really feels like Saward giving JNT the finger. All the things that JNT wanted for Doctor Who are sidelined in favor of the things that Saward is interested in. Grim and gritty mercenaries? Check. People running around and shooting things? Check. A Robert Holmes-like narrative structure? Check. The Doctor and Peri? Kept off-stage as much as possible, then their worst aspects are played up to the hilt when they're on-stage so they become caricatures of themselves.

It's no wonder that the Doctor and Peri are superfluous to the plot; they basically wander into the middle of someone else's story, and when it's done they really didn't do anything of importance. They're the Rosencrantz and Guildernstern of Revelation of the Daleks, basically.

Still, I like Revelation of the Daleks. I think it's more focused than Saward's other Dalek story, Resurrection.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

Skaro's sun went supernova thanks to the Hand of Omega. Planets can survive supernovae. As long as the expanding sun didn't consume it, Skaro would have continued to orbit the resulting white dwarf star. With a bunch of very angry Daleks wanting to get back at the Time Lord that tried to snuff out their star.

The Doctor's intent was to destroy Skaro. It's entirely possible, though, that in trying to destroy Skaro's sun he basically jammed a stick into a hornet's nest.

 

[DWF]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

Skaro's sun went supernova thanks to the Hand of Omega. Planets can survive supernovae. As long as the expanding sun didn't consume it, Skaro would have continued to orbit the resulting white dwarf star. With a bunch of very angry Daleks wanting to get back at the Time Lord that tried to snuff out their star.

The Doctor's intent was to destroy Skaro. It's entirely possible, though, that in trying to destroy Skaro's sun he basically jammed a stick into a hornet's nest.

I'm sure that a supernova would've any planet capable of supporting humanoid life. But that still doesn't explain Skaro's presence in the TV movie.

 

[Hartzilla2007]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

Skaro's sun went supernova thanks to the Hand of Omega. Planets can survive supernovae. As long as the expanding sun didn't consume it, Skaro would have continued to orbit the resulting white dwarf star. With a bunch of very angry Daleks wanting to get back at the Time Lord that tried to snuff out their star.

The Doctor's intent was to destroy Skaro. It's entirely possible, though, that in trying to destroy Skaro's sun he basically jammed a stick into a hornet's nest.

Well, except in Rememberance one of the Imperial Daleks on Davros's ship reports that Skaro was vaporized in the nova.

 

[Stevil2001]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

Earth was destroyed in The Ark and it still appeared in The Gunfighters, so try and figure that one out.

Revelation has too much stuff the Doctor has nothing to do with, and Peri is at her whiniest.

In a way, Steve, I think that's the intent of Revelation.

[...]

Still, I like Revelation of the Daleks. I think it's more focused than Saward's other Dalek story, Resurrection.

Oh, I don't doubt that that's the point, but it makes for some tedious watching. I think Resurrection is more successful in balancing Saward's sensibilities with the Doctor Who ethos, which is probably why I like it more. Plus Janet Fielding in that miniskirt.

 

[Candlelight]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

At the risk of bringing up that dodgy novel, it was said that the Hand of Omega destroyed the wrong world.

Can't remember which novel though.

 

[DWF]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

Earth was destroyed in The Ark and it still appeared in The Gunfighters, so try and figure that one out.

Funny but the Daleks of the past wouldn't kill the Master from the future it'd mess up their own time line.

 

[Stevil2001]

How? If the Master comes across their planet, and they kill him, what would it mess up? A lot less than if they actually succeeded in killing the Doctor, that's for sure, but they try to do it all the time.

 

[DWF]

How? If the Master comes across their planet, and they kill him, what would it mess up? A lot less than if they actually succeeded in killing the Doctor, that's for sure, but they try to do it all the time.

The Daleks and the Master were allies in Frontier In Space for one thing and for another there was a novel that brought Skaro back before the events in the TV movie. And in any event they failed to kill off the Master as well as the Doctor.

 

[Tom]

I also wonder that the 'Skaro Degredations" are, as mention by the Doctor in 'The End of Time". Also Skaro in the movie could be 'new Skaro' for all we know, many possibilties there.

 

[Stevil2001]

How? If the Master comes across their planet, and they kill him, what would it mess up? A lot less than if they actually succeeded in killing the Doctor, that's for sure, but they try to do it all the time.

The Daleks and the Master were allies in Frontier In Space for one thing and for another there was a novel that brought Skaro back before the events in the TV movie. And in any event they failed to kill off the Master as well as the Doctor.

I don't see what Frontier in Space has to do with anything. It happened long before the TV movie in the Master's timeline; how would exterminating the Master mess up their history? If anything, it's probably the reason they wanted to exterminate the Master.

 

[The Badger]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

At the risk of bringing up that dodgy novel, it was said that the Hand of Omega destroyed the wrong world.

Can't remember which novel though.

War Of The Daleks, by John Peel (not the DJ, the other one).

Awful, awful book.

 

[Jimmy_C]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

They're time travelers. The Doctor fetched the remains of the Master at an earlier point in their history.

 

[DWF]

Skaro was destroyed in Rememberance and it still appeared in the TV movie, os try and figure that one out.

They're time travelers. The Doctor fetched the remains of the Master at an earlier point in their history.

Yes but as the Doctor ponted out in Rememberance Of The Daleks they have the power to destroy the earth from orbit but even they wouldn't do that. Putting the Master on trial made no sense to me anyway, normally they'd just kill people whenever they wanted to. They wouldn't kill even the Master if had a use in the future, otherwise they'd gotten rid of him a long time ago.

 

[Whofan]

I find it interesting that the Master was 'so scared' of the Daleks in the master trilogy....not surprising as they killed him once!

 

[Chaos Descending]

Planets can survive supernovae.

Says who?