History Characters / DoctorWhoDalek

!The Daleks
[[quoteright:168:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/TimeWarDalek_3333.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Peter Hawkins (1963–67); David Graham (1963–66); Roy Skelton (1967, 1973, 1975–83, 1985–88);[[note]]Did not appear in "Frontier in Space"[[/note]] Oliver Gilbert and Peter Messaline (1972); Michael Wisher (1973–74); David Gooderson (1979); Brian Miller (1984, 1988); Royce Mills (1984–88); Geoffrey Sax (1996); Creator/NicholasBriggs (2005–present)
%%Despite being credited on-screen as a "Dalek Voice", John Leeson in "Remembrance of the Daleks" voiced a human operating a Battle Computer, according to the TARDIS Data Core.

-->"[[AC:EXTERMINATE!]]"

Mutants. Cyborgs. Aliens. Xenophobia personified. In short; the Daleks. A species of genetically engineered creatures native to the planet Skaro, whose general purpose for existence is to "EXTERMINATE!" all non-Dalek forms of life in the universe. Created by a MadScientist named Davros, the Daleks' physical form is shriveled and weak, but they make up for that by having each individual travel in a distinctive set of mobile armour, which looks rather like a pepper pot, which makes them ''even more terrifying.'' ''The'' first villainous alien race introduced in the franchise (in ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks the second episode]]'', in fact), they are the most endearingly and enduringly popular, and are considered to be the Doctor's collective [[ArchEnemy archenemy]].
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[[folder:In General]]
!!Tropes associated with the television continuity
* AbsoluteXenophobe: "[[AC:There is only one kind of life that matters. Dalek life.]]"
** They're so xenophobic that even a small amount of non-Dalek material in their flesh drives them mad and/or suicidal. As cloning and/or genetic manipulation seems to be their primary means of reproduction, even being ''created'' from altered non-Dalek or non-Kaled cells is unacceptable for them. "Impure" Daleks will ''eagerly'' line up for disintegration to preserve the species' purity.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar How does a Dalek say]] "You are different from me"?
--->'''EXTERMINATE!'''
* AchillesHeel: The eye-stalk. "My vision is impaired! I cannot see!"
* AgeWithoutYouth: [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]] reveals Daleks can't die naturally, but they do age, the body breaking down, rotting, decaying; when a Dalek reaches this point, they're consigned to the tunnels beneath Dalek cities without their armour. [[AndIMustScream There's a reason the Dalek word for "graveyard" is the same as the one for "sewer".]]
* AlwaysABiggerFish: The Doctor, who they refer to as "The Predator of the Daleks".
-->'''Eleventh Doctor:''' [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E13TheWeddingOfRiverSong Imagine you were dying.]] Imagine you were afraid and a long way from home and in terrible pain. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, you looked up and saw the face of the Devil himself... ''Hello Dalek!''\\
'''Dalek:''' [[AC: Emergency! Emergency! Weapon System Disabled! Emergency Protocols Have Been Breached! ''[[MadnessMantra Emergency, Emergency, Emergency!]]'']]
** Rose could also count, considering [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays what she did]] to the Dalek Emperor and an entire army with just a wave of the hand.
--->'''Rose:''' [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday If you um... escaped the Time War don't you wanna know what happened. What happened to the Emperor?]]\\
'''Dalek Sec:''' ''[{{beat}}]'' [[AC:The Emperor ''survived?!'']]\\
'''Rose:''' [[BadassBoast Till he met me.]] Cause if these are gonna be my last words than you're gonna listen. I met the Emperor and I took the Time Vortex and I pulled it into his head and turned him into dust. Did you get that? The God of all Daleks — and I destroyed him!
** River Song could also qualify. She had that one Dalek begging for mercy as soon as it learned her name.
* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Averted with Dalek Sec, Oswin Oswald, Rusty, and to a lesser extent Dalek Caan, who are or become good, but they are generally the exception that proves the rule. Also, none of them changed on their own. The overwhelming majority are genocidal death machines. {{Justified|Trope}} because they're genetically and mentally conditioned from birth to feel nothing but seething contempt for non-Dalek life, and fanatical obedience to the Dalek race.
* ArchEnemy: The species as a whole is this for the Doctor. Specifically, only the Eighth Doctor has never directly opposed them in the TV series[[note]]If you include the Expanded Universe, the Eighth has actually faced the Daleks ''more'' than any other Doctor[[/note]][[note]]And, they also technically killed the Eighth Doctor, as they caused a ship he was on to crash, although they didn't know he was on it[[/note]], largely due to having only two appearances, and even then, they make a voice-only cameo at the beginning of the TV movie. They're ''that'' ubiquitous.
* AttackItsWeakPoint: The eyestalk. Hitting it with enough power will kill the Dalek, and blinding it will cause the creature to panic. Became much less of a WeaksauceWeakness in the revival; their forcefield protects it (the Doctor claims concentrating fire on it could work, but this appears to have mixed results), and trying to blind it with paint only worked for a second. River managed to kill one with a blast to the eyestalk, but this particular Dalek was already in such poor shape that it needed several minutes to recharge between shots.
* AxeCrazy: Every single Dalek is a psychopathic KnightTemplar OmnicidalManiac. Even the "sane" ones realise what they are and tend to GoMadFromTheRevelation.
* BadassArmy: Nine times out of ten, they surpass the humans in military capacity if the Doctor doesn't interfere.
* BadFuture: According to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]], they would've eventually succeeded in their goal of destroying all non-Dalek life. Luckily the Fourth Doctor's meddling in their birth fixed all of that.
* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: The only thing they find beautiful is pure hatred.
* BerserkButton: The Doctor eventually becomes this for them. Notably, the lone Dalek in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek "Dalek"]] stayed completely silent for 50 years, not saying a word to its human captors. But as soon as a man introduces himself to it as "The Doctor", the Dalek ''loses'' it.
-->'''Dalek:''' [[AC:DOC-TOR? ''The'' Doctor? EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! '''EXTERMINATE!''']]
* BigBad: Archenemies of the Doctor and everything else. Quite fond of the EvilPlan in the revival, to the point where, during Creator/RussellTDavies' era, it was a surprise ''not'' to find them the masterminds behind the season's ApocalypseHow. They're the main antagonists of the 2005 and 2008 series.
* BigBadEnsemble: Of the 2006 series, with the Cybus Cybermen.
* BondVillainStupidity: All enemies of the Doctor suffer this to some extent, but the Daleks compound it with WrongGenreSavvy.
* BreakoutVillain: They very nearly never appeared at all, but are now at least as iconic as the TARDIS.
* BrokenRecord: Groups of Daleks are prone to chanting in unison, usually boasts or extermination threats.
* CanonDiscontinuity: Several bits of the Daleks' stories are continually discarded for one reason or another. This ranges from [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase the time the producers tried to make them comic relief]] to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E1DestinyOfTheDaleks that time the guy who made them forgot that they weren't robots]].
* CantUseStairs: A RunningGag for many years. Later stories established the Daleks as capable of flight, once the special effects were up to portraying it. [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]] was the first to show this, with the first episode cliffhanger being the Doctor fleeing up the stairs thinking he was safe from the Dalek chasing him, only for it to start levitating up the stairs after him. It happened again in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek "Dalek"]], the revived series episode that re-introduced the Daleks, where Rose told folks the pursuing Dalek wouldn't be able to follow them up the stairs. The Dalek announced "EL-E-VATE!" and began levitating up them. This was put in after the episode's writer, Robert Shearman, asked his girlfriend why she thought the Daleks made rather pathetic villains in the original show, and she told him how easy they were to foil.
* CatchPhrase:
** "EX-TER-MI-NATE!"
** "EX-PLAIN! EX-PLAIN!",
** "I OBEY!"
** "MY VISION IS IMPAIRED! I CANNOT SEE!"
** The phrase "Seek, Locate, Destroy." has become a distinct catchphrase over the years.
** "WE ARE THE SU-PER-I-OR BEINGS!"
* CharacterisationMarchesOn: The original Daleks were vastly different from what they would become. They hated the Thals completely, but were willing to keep the Doctor and his companions alive, even feed them. They required radiation and a constant supply of electricity to survive. That said, their first story takes place in the Daleks' past, before they had achieved space flight; it might simply have been a case of both their [[TechnologyMarchesOn technology]] and society marching on in-universe. The BBC website for the classic series explains that these Daleks were Davros's early prototypes, and all the other Daleks were out in space building their empire.
* ColdBloodedTorture: In the novel ''Prisoner of the Daleks'', it is revealed that the Daleks adjust their death ray to the level required to kill their target... and then ''dial it down a notch'', so the victim suffers a moment of excruciating agony before they die.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience:
** More than one serial in the old series had a Black Dalek in a position of authority over the others.
** In the 1980s, the Daleks split into two factions: the Imperial Daleks had cream casings with gold highlights, while the Rebel Daleks were a more traditional grey and black.
** In the new series, the New Paradigm Daleks have a rainbow of casing colours. Supposedly it denotes their functions, but it's never come up at all in an actual episode.
* TheComicallySerious: Despite them being xenophobic murderers, the fact that they have few emotions, including zero sense of humour, occasionally makes them this.
* ConservationOfNinjutsu: [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek One Dalek?]] You're so screwed. [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth A full]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd Dalek]] [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor Empire?]] They're so screwed. Though it should be pointed out, they do cause quite a bit of collateral damage before they go down. Just not to the main cast of the episodes.
* CreepyHighPitchedVoice: The average Dalek screams every single word with a shrill monotone. This tips viewers off to the Daleks' inhuman natures immediately, if that wasn't given away by the salt shaker-shaped tanks they live in or by their delightful catchphrase, "[[AC:Exterminate]]".
* CreepyMonotone: Averted. It sounds more like they're trying to choke back their disgust with all other life.
-->'''Tenth Doctor:''' Technology using the one thing a Dalek can't do. Touch. [[AndIMustScream Sealed inside your casing. Not feeling anything ever, from birth to death, locked inside a cold metal cage. Completely alone. That explains your voice.]] No wonder you ''scream''.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: That DeathRay they use? It doesn't just kill you. You die in agony.
* CyberCyclops: The New Paradigm Daleks even had pupils, making the eyestalk look almost organic.
* DeflectorShields: The revival gave them personal force-fields that can melt bullets before they even hit home. Even guns capable of destroying the [[ImmuneToBullets bulletproof]] Cybus Cybermen have no effect on them.
* DemotedToExtra:
** In the Classic Series, once Davros appeared the Daleks were demoted to being his mooks.
** In the Creator/StevenMoffat era, they are just a MonsterOfTheWeek instead of being the BigBad, [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope until]] the Eleventh Doctor's GrandFinale, [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor where]] they become the FinalBoss]].
* {{Determinator}}: They ''never'' give up. You have to admire a species that manages to survive even after being made extinct. ''Repeatedly.'' And for never turning a blind eye to their mortal enemy, the Doctor, who has been responsible for several of those mass extinctions. An enemy who became a warrior to fight them personally when they declared war on his people — a race so advanced they could dismantle reality if they wanted to. And ended that very same war by turning their numbers against them. What did the Daleks do? Enter a ''second war'' with the Doctor alongside his worst foes when he was on the verge of rescuing his own people. And even then continued to do battle for ''centuries'' after ''everyone else gave up'' and they had tried to kill him so much he finally began to die of ''old age''.
** During the Time War, the Time Lords threw literally everything they could think of at the Daleks — superweapons, [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]], altering time itself — and not a single one of these attempts stopped them.
* TheDreaded: In a universe full of any number of beasties, psychopaths and ''gods'', the Daleks are consistently shown to be the #1 fear of those who've fought them, the Doctor included.
** In turn, the Doctor is this to the Daleks. There is a reason they call him things like [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Predator, the Bringer of Darkness]], and ''[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the Oncoming Storm]]''.
* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: They took three stories to achieve their classic appearance. The Dalek props in the first story, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks The Daleks]]", lack the vertical panels attached to the "shoulder" section of their casings. In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]", they have clunky looking satellite-style disc aerials on the backs of their casings, conceived [[AllThereInTheManual by the designers]] as a wireless power supply (the original Daleks had been unable to leave their city as they drew electrical life-support power from the floors). "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase The Chase]]" added the final vertical panels, conceived as solar panels for power collection.
* EliteMook: The Special Weapons Dalek — though all other Daleks treated it with contempt.
* EnemyCivilWar:
** Twice on TV: first in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS4E9TheEvilOfTheDaleks "The Evil of the Daleks"]] when the Doctor infected a group of Daleks with the Human Factor, and second in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOfTheDaleks "Resurrection of the Daleks"]], [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]] in which Davros creates upgraded Imperial Daleks, conditioned to be personally loyal to him as their emperor. It led to a war with the baseline Daleks.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Averted with Daleks, who have a tendency to spin around in circles before they blow up.
* EvilIsHammy: DAAALEKS ARE-SUPERIOR-HAMS-TO-THEM-AAALL!
* EvilSoundsDeep: Not the rank and file, with their famously shrill and screechy tones, but high ranking Daleks sometimes have low, booming voices. Case in point, the 2005 Emperor and 2008 Supreme.
* EyeOnAStalk: A mechanical example; defeating them often revolves around [[GoForTheEye attacking it]].
* FantasticRacism: They harbour a deep hatred of any species that isn't them, viewing them as inferior life forms that must be exterminated.
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: When facing their own defeat or perhaps simply wishing to gain an advantage, the Daleks often count on their foes being a GoodSamaritan and always cry [[SchmuckBait "Have pity!"]] or beg for help in order to bite back and destroy their enemies when they have the chance. {{Averted}} when one tries it on River Song. After making it beg three times, she kills it.
* FeelingOppressedByTheirExistence: They feel this way about every single non-Dalek in the universe, and occasionally by Daleks of "inferior" designs also.
* FlyingSaucer: The standard make of their starships going back quite some time.
* ForeverWar: They are the result of a thousand year war between the Thals and their ancestors, and have been waging war [[OmnicidalManiac against the rest of the universe]] since their inception.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: In Doylist terms, though not Watsonian. In their first appearance, they were confined to a single city and trying to survive. Then they acquired space and later time travel, [[TheDreaded becoming one of the most powerful and feared races of all time]].
* GoldColoredSuperiority: The rank structure of the Daleks places Golden Daleks high in the hierarchy.
* GoneHorriblyWrong: The original purpose of the Daleks was to provide a casing for the final Kaled mutation. Davros took this concept and turned it into something else.
* HumanResources: They're not above converting other lifeforms into Daleks if they need the numbers ([[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]]) or the subject is too useful to pass up ([[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E1AsylumOfTheDaleks "Asylum of the Daleks"]]). Or if Davros feels like making a point — he had this done to eight billion humans in the audio "Terra Firma", just to twist a knife in the Doctor.
* ImmuneToBullets: They're (mostly) vapourized by a forcefield before they can make contact. And even without their shields, bullets in the revived show never have any effect on them.
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Inverted in the revived series. Unique among ''Doctor Who'' villains, the Daleks NEVER miss, even when shooting at the Doctor himself. Ascended into ImprobableAimingSkills in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks "Victory of the Daleks"]], where we see one shoot down airplanes.
** It's also an AA Defence Designer's wet dream. Projectiles that travel at the speed of light that destroy the target on contact, targeted by a supercomputer and firing at aircraft designed before stealth was even considered. If we wanted, we could build a system almost as effective in the current day for use against WWII fighters.
* InLoveWithYourCarnage:
** They built the Dalek Asylum to contain Daleks that were too violent and insane even for ''them'' to control, but refuse to destroy them because they find such pure hatred to be beautiful. It has an entire wing containing the Daleks that have gone insane in battles with the Doctor, which are judged to be so dangerous and unstable they must be kept separate for the protection of the ''[[UpToEleven other]]'' prisoners.
** It's suggested that this might be the reason why they've never been able to finish off the Doctor.
* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: According to a documentary, actors are instructed to play the Daleks like this, the idea being that subconsciously the Dalek race as a whole are extremely troubled by the knowledge that they are really just mutants in tanks, feeling that they therefore are being dwarfed by other, more "legitimate" species. To make up for the resulting existential angst, they (over)compensate by deciding they must be better simply by virtue of them being Daleks.
* JokerImmunity: No matter how hard the Doctor tries, he can never manage to destroy the Daleks for good. They always end up resurfacing to face him again. Basically they're [[PopularityPower too iconic to kill off]].
** They've been completely wiped out countless times, and every time one group of them manages to defy odds and survive to revive the species again. At this point, being completely destroyed only to return later is as much part of their character as their voices or their casings.
** The Daleks have even acknowledged this in-universe: when the Doctor has said they're on the path to destruction if they don't change their ways, the Daleks point out that their species always survives.
** Even their own planet, Skaro, has come back after being explicitly destroyed. For bonus points, the Seventh Doctor destroyed it with the Hand of Omega, but much later went there to pick up the Master's ashes in the movie. ([[CaptainObvious He has a time machine.]])
* KingMook: The Dalek Emperor is usually a Dalek mutant in gigantic casing.
* LackOfEmpathy: It's kind of a requirement when your ambition is to wipe out everything that isn't you. They understand "pity" and "mercy" only as something to demand from enemies when they're vulnerable, and the idea of empathizing with other life-forms is one of the few things that scares them besides the Doctor. That said, the fact they even ''have'' any concept of mercy is a plot-point in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]]; it turns out they get it from Davros, as they get so much else.
* LargeHam: "EXTERMINATE!" This is especially when voiced by Creator/NicholasBriggs.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia:
** Inflicted on all of them in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E1AsylumOfTheDaleks "Asylum of the Daleks"]]. It was undone when they "harvested" the memories Tasha Lem had of the Doctor after converting her into a Dalek puppet in [[Recap/DoctorWho2013CSTheTimeOfTheDoctor "The Time of the Doctor"]]. Whether this restored their memories or replaced them isn't entirely clear.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek "Into the Dalek"]] reveals that the Dalekanium transport shell does this to all the Daleks on purpose, suppressing any memories that might lead the Daleks away from the "purity" that Davros had envisioned for them all the way back in "Genesis of the Daleks".
* {{Leitmotif}}:
** The appropriately titled [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR9MOS5r-RY "The Daleks"]] from the revival.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeWQr3scW-s "The Dark and Endless Dalek Night"]] lies in wait for when the OhCrap level hits critical mass.
* LittleGreenManInACan: Or as the Seventh Doctor put it, "little green ''blobs'' in bonded polycarbide armour."
* LowCultureHighTech: Much like their [[ANaziByAnyOtherName real life inspiration]], and a great part of what makes them so scary. They are one of the most advanced races in the 'verse, even making regular use of TimeTravel, but all they ever conceive of doing with their spaceships is find new places to raze.
* TheMan: The Dalek Emperor is this in the Series 1 finale, running not only the New Dalek Empire, but also secretly running the Human Empire from behind the scenes, initially through the Editor and the Jagrafess, and later the Game Station and the [[ArcWords Bad Wolf corporation]].
* MassOhCrap: Not infrequent with them. After all, the Doctor is the only thing in the universe that can inspire in them anything other than hatred or contempt. ''[[HorrifyingTheHorror They're afraid of him.]]''
* MasterRace: As one Dalek says in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks "Victory of the Daleks"]], the fundamental basis and belief of their entire culture. "DALEKS ARE SUPREME!"
* MeatMoss: Thanks to AgeWithoutYouth, this is the ultimate fate of any Dalek that isn't killed in battle. They degrade into slime, still fully-conscious, and are left to line the walls of Dalek sewers.
* MindRape: [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek "Into the Dalek"]] reveals that Dalek tech does this to them on purpose, to reinforce the notion of their OmnicidalManiac status. Any memory that might lead to a moral or existential epiphany is forcibly suppressed.
* MoralityDial: As revealed in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek "Into the Dalek"]], each Dalek's internal [=CPU=] constantly purges any information that could induce even the slightest amount of compassion or empathy.
* ANaziByAnyOtherName: The [[SignificantAnagram Kaleds]], ancestors of the Daleks, wear [[PuttingOnTheReich black military uniforms very close to the standard Nazi uniform]], complete with faux-Iron Crosses at the neck, use what appear to be Luger pistols, and give Roman salutes with heel clicking. They're very fond of shouting a lot, violent threats and talk about racial purity. They get painted as Nazis [[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]. This is not surprising, since the Daleks themselves were one of the few Nazi-esque villains who were explicitly meant to be substantively Nazi-like, as opposed to just generic Nazi symbolism to make sure the dimwitted know when to boo. It was nicely {{lampshaded}} in the 2008 episode [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]], where Martha teleports to Germany to play her part in activating the Osterhagen Key, and Daleks can be heard shouting in German, "[[AC:Exterminieren!]]" Possibly even more so in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" (1965)]], where the Daleks refer to the destruction of the human race as "the Final Solution" and greet each other by jerking their plungers upwards.
** Bonus for the Thals stating that the Kaleds used to be [[UsefulNotes/DichterAndDenker thinkers and scientists]] before the whole Skarosian mutual extermination war got started and the fanatics took over the place. It is to be noted, however, that [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]] itself adds a bit of Cold War subtext as well.
** Their original enemies, the pacifist Thals, [[{{Irony}} were the Aryans the Nazis valued.]] The Daleks, on the other hand, [[TorturedMonster are the exact opposite of what Hitler would've wanted to be.]]
* NiceJobFixingItVillain:
** Part of the reason the Doctor wouldn't destroy the Daleks while they were being developed in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]], for all the times they've done this.
--->'''The Doctor:''' I know that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years, I know also that from their evil must come something good.
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek "Into the Dalek"]], the Doctor admits that it was his first encounter with Daleks that changed his less-altruistic first incarnation into the force for good he would later be known for.
--->'''The Doctor:''' The Doctor is not the Daleks.
* NighInvulnerability: They started out as ''tanks'', and since the revival they have forcefields that make them immune to nearly everything except their own weapons, only because there aren't ''any'' defences against them. Earlier stories had their eyestalks, but that's a very small target (and the forcefield covers that now, too).
** EnergyWeapons of sufficient power seem to do the job; the modified defabricator blows them clean open, and the lightning guns from parallel Earth/Pete's World were at least able to disable them for a while once the Doctor modified them. Other Pete's World weapons seemed specifically designed to kill them.
* NinjaZombiePirateRobot: Mutant Alien Cyborg Nazi.
* NoIndoorVoice: Even in normal conversation (or what passes as such for a Dalek), their voices are loud, harsh, and screeching.
* {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s: The only fitting fate for all non-Dalek life is death.
* OnceASeason: They have appeared in some form at least once a year since the revival, including cameo appearances in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E16TheWatersOfMars "The Waters of Mars"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E13TheWeddingOfRiverSong "The Wedding of River Song"]]. In Classic Who, after 1965 the Daleks turned up less frequently, but this still somewhat applies as every Doctor faced them at least once (the notable exception is the Eighth Doctor. The Daleks did appear in [[Recap/DoctorWhoTVMTheTVMovie the TV movie]], but he didn't interact with them, though fortunately Big Finish more than makes up for it).
* OneManArmy: In the revived series, if only a few individual Daleks appear, they're usually almost unbeatable and killing even one of them becomes a huge task. Special mention to the Special Weapons Dalek, which was able to win the battle in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]] single handedly, and it was against other Daleks.
* TheParanoiac: An entire species of paranoid xenocidal maniacs. Genetically programmed to feel hatred for all forms of non-Dalek life, they live in pressured pepperpot tanks both for mobility and because they are utterly terrified of being somehow infected by interacting with other lifeforms. They have a highly rigid command structure and are perfectly willing to die for the cause of racial purity, with their ultimate aim being the eradication of all other life everywhere so that the Dalek race will be protected from contamination from their supposed biological inferiors.
* RoarBeforeBeating: "EX-TER-MI-NATE!"
* ScaryDogmaticAliens: They're Nazis [[AC:In Space!]], with the odd religious fundamentalist overtone, such as in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E13ThePartingOfTheWays "The Parting of the Ways"]].
** Witness Hitler-style salutes in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]" and remember that story was aired only 20 years after the end of the UsefulNotes/SecondWorldWar.
* SignificantAnagram: The Daleks were originally engineered from a race called the Kaleds.
* SpikesOfVillainy: Not on their cases, but ''on their DNA''.
* StarfishAliens: The Daleks inside their metal casings look like slimy, tentacled, sea creatures with one eye.
* StarfishRobots: The metal casings themselves are meant to house their creepy and mutated bodies.
* TheStarscream: They have repeatedly turned against and overthrown their creator, Davros, only to come crawling back when they are weak, because he is smarter than them. Though not smart enough to have realized that when he created a race that thinks they are superior to ''everyone'', that would include him. {{Subverted}} in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "The Stolen Earth"]]; the Daleks don't even ''pretend'' to respect him this time, and are keeping him as a "pet".
** As of the 12th Doctor's era, Davros has come to expect this, fondly remarking, "You know how children are." The Doctor notes later on in the episode, after having stolen Davros's chair, that he stole it precisely because Davros has survived so long amongst several billion psychotic "mini-tanks" with ChronicBackstabbingDisorder.
* StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: Their DeathRay weapon, justified depending on how much power is used in it. It varies from being enough to kill a human or a Cybus Cyberman, to blasting a hole in a bomb shelter blast door, to ''vaporising'' other Daleks.
* SuperSoldier: They have one, the Special Weapons Dalek, which has a different casing from its fellows, and is far stronger, capable of incinerating three Daleks in one shot. Apparently, [[AllThereInTheManual according to the novelisation]] of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]], it's crazier than the average Dalek, due to the radiation its weapon produces. Daleks being Daleks, they think it's an abomination and have to be told not to kill it.
* TalkingLightbulb: Their "ear-lamps" flash in time with their speech.
* TechnologyMarchesOn: In-universe. One of the few species besides humanity that is depicted in different stages of their development — when we first saw them, before they reached space flight, they were dependent on external power sources. They had remedied this with disk-like accessories in the 22nd century, and engineered their casings to not even need these further ahead. They also achieved time travel at some point and multiple wars and conflicts in their history/the future are known. At some point, they also experimented with making themselves completely mechanical. Later in the classic series, and most of the new one, we mostly encounter those far future Daleks occasionally ending up back on present!Earth.
* TooDumbToLive: They have an unfortunate habit of becoming this, particularly when their "[[AC:vision is impaired!!!]]" Naturally, as they are unable to see, they will begin shooting wildly, in one case causing the Dalek ''to destroy itself'' when in a hall of mirrors in [[Recap/DoctorWho20thASTheFiveDoctors "The Five Doctors"]], and making for very annoying gameplay in the 2010 Adventure Game, ''City of the Daleks''. Apparently their vision isn't the only thing that is impaired when they are damaged... Lampshaded in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "The Stolen Earth"]]. A Dalek's "eye" is blinded, but the Dalek remedies it and says "[[AC:My vision is not impaired.]]"
* TookALevelInBadAss: They've taken ''several'' throughout the years. First, being able to leave the confines of their city, then conquering Earth, then developing time-travel. It got to the point the Time Lords started to get concerned about them, sending the Doctor to try and interfere with their origins. When they returned in 2005, they take another huge leap forward, when it's revealed they started a war with the Time Lords, and not only managed to hold their own, but very nearly won. And that's before we see them on-screen. The Ninth Doctor is utterly terrified to be locked in a room with a Dalek, and with good reason. Oh, and now, they can [[OhCrap fly]].
** Their increase in threat level is most apparent when you see how the characters approach them: Back in the classic series, two strong men (or just one Ace) with a blunt object could usually ambush and incapacitate one. In the new series, you need at least a futuristic raygun to even ''stand a chance'', and in large numbers, only a major plot event[=/=]DeusExMachina can stop them.
** This extends to the scale of their plans as well. While they have been {{Absolute Xenophobe}}s since their early years, this mostly extended to conquering planets and enslaving inferior races. In the Revival Series, they are full-on {{Omnicidal Maniac}}s who attempt to destroy ''all of reality'' at one point and nearly succeed.
* TorturedMonster: A deformed, irradiated mutant locked inside an unfeeling metal cage from birth to death... and programmed to be utterly revolted by everything outside that cage. The prospect of deviating from Dalek purity even slightly is enough to turn them suicidal.
* ToServeMan: [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek "Into the Dalek"]] reveals that Daleks feed on a protein goop processed from the carcasses of their victims.
* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: They do this very often, mainly because Davros has no sense of pattern recognition.
* UnskilledButStrong: Compared to several other threats that have opposed the Doctor, the Daleks are not the sharpest tools in the shed. Then again, when they have weapons strong enough to bust through nearly any resistance their foes may put up, and enough defenses to NoSell nearly any enemy attack, they don't often feel the need to think and strategize, as merely blasting the enemy into oblivion is often enough to do the job. In contrast to several examples of this trope, the Daleks never grow out of this mindset and their solution to every defeat they have faced is simply to increase the strength of their weaponry and armor from what it was previously. Also in contrast to said examples, simply enacting this approach has enabled them to remain a relevant and competent threat over their decades long history on the show.
* UnwillingRoboticisation:
** The Robo-Men (not to be confused with the Cybermen), the Daleks' low-level police/enforcers during their 22th century invasion of Earth.
** The new series reveals that the Daleks still use robotized humanoid servants around the 51st century, in the form of their Dalek Puppets. These are significantly insidious in that they can function as {{Manchurian Agent}}s, acting like they did while alive, until an eyestalk unexpectedly bursts from their forehead...
* VillainDecay: Thought to have happened after Davros appeared, where the Daleks were reduced to Mooks. They seemed to re-establish themselves slightly at the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]], and finally in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]] a faction are fighting Davros.
** Largely undone in the revival series. The titular Dalek in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek "Dalek"]] wiped out the whole of the underground base on its own. [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E1AsylumOfTheDaleks "Asylum of the Daleks"]] shows that they can convert human beings into unwitting meat puppets, or even full on Dalek conversions. And [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek "Into the Dalek"]] shows the inner workings of the outer shell, and the horror of just what Daleks do to themselves on a daily basis just to maintain their "purity".
** ZigZagged in the Moffat years. Under Davies they eventually became TooPowerfulToLive to the point where them merely being ''alive'' was a threat to the universe (and beyond), yet due to JokerImmunity they would always come back regardless. When Moffat took over, the policy changed and they now show up as MonsterOfTheWeek, also preferring to try and use or kill The Doctor but no longer trying to destroy the universe, even trying to ''save'' it at some points (albeit only so they don't die too). Their technology and threat level is greater than ever, but they do not put it into practice.
* WeaksauceWeakness: Stairs used to be this for them. ''Used'' to.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: More often than not, the Daleks simply default to blasting their enemies with their gunsticks until it stops moving. See UnskilledButStrong.
* WorthyOpponent: The Doctor. They hate him with a passion that burns with all the hate they can muster, but they also respect him so much that their equipment will accept his word that an individual is a Dalek, even if their DNA is too degraded to register as a proper one.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E1AsylumOfTheDaleks "Asylum of the Daleks"]] suggests that their respect for the degree of hatred he feels for them [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim inhibits them from killing him]], although the Dalek in question may just have been messing with the Doctor's head.
* WrongGenreSavvy: The Daleks are well aware the Doctor always has something up his sleeve, and they also know he's good at not getting killed, so being able to kill him effortlessly, they reason, is never going to happen, so they let the Doctor talk/screw around with the Sonic Screwdriver in the hopes they can anticipate whatever backup plans he had to screw them over, then they figure he can be killed. Often enough, [[IndyPloy there was never a plan to begin with]].
* XRaySparks: The special effect used for their DeathRay since 1988.
[[/folder]]

!Related Topics
!!Progenitors
[[folder:Kaleds]]
!!Kaleds
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/p00y0bvz.jpg]]

A species of humanoid aliens and the ancestors of the Daleks, who use to inhabit the planet Skaro. They got into a thousand year war with the Thals that nearly decimated both species. The Kaleds were beginning to mutate due to chemical weapons, and the Daleks were originally designed as a travel machine for the final mutation. Originally they died from a nuclear bomb, but the Fourth Doctor's meddling in their timeline meant the majority were killed by a Thal rocket and the early Daleks. Davros is currently the only living Kaled.
----
* AbusivePrecursors: The Daleks inherited their racist beliefs and a ruined Skaro from them.
-->'''General Ravon:''' OUR BATTLE CRY WILL BE TOTAL '''EXTERMINATION''' OF THE THALS!
* BizarreAlienBiology: On the outside, Kaleds look human. On the inside, they're different enough that a Kaled scientist is utterly baffled when looking at med-scans of the Fourth Doctor and Harry.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: They were overtly based on Nazis, intended genocide on their Thal rivals, and used chemical and biological weapons to the point that Skaro was virtually uninhabitable. But even they were appalled by Daleks, a creature genetically engineered to have no sense of right and wrong.
* FantasticRacism: They '''''hated''''' the Thals to point they wanted to commit genocide; the Thals returned the feeling. They also look down on anybody mutated.
-->'''Nyder:''' We must keep the Kaled race pure. Imperfects are rejected.
* ForeverWar: They were engaged in a mutually self-destructive war with the Thals; we never find out why they're at war with each other, only that both sides saw the total destruction of each other as the only viable way for peace.
* HopelessWar: Regardless of which side won, there wasn't much victory to be had. Skaro was a burnt out irradiated mess, and resources and technology were so limited that soldiers were practically down to fighting with bows and arrows. On top of that, the entire Kaled population was crammed into one city, so they didn't really have the numbers to keep going anyway.
* HumanoidAlien: They look like humans with brown or dark hair; the Thals have blonde hair.
* {{Hypocrite}} They look down on mutants and are big believers in racial purity, and yet their chief scientist Davros was crippled and mutated into something only vaguely human(-looking) and it did nothing to lower his standing in Kaled society.
* IgnorantOfTheirOwnIgnorance: Thanks to Davros's word being the be-all-and-end-all of Kaled science, they believed that there were only seven galaxies, and that of them Skaro was the only planet capable of supporting life.
-->'''Fourth Doctor:''' But it's a known fact that there are more than seven galaxies.\\
'''Ronson:''' ''[humouring him]'' ... Quite.
* KillEmAll: When the Doctor convinced the Kaled leadership to investigate Davros, Davros gave the Thals the means to destroy the last Kaled city. Then he had the Daleks wipe out any remaining Kaleds who weren't loyal to him, only for the Daleks to go on to kill the rest of the Kaleds for good measure.
* NoodleIncident: We never find out ''why'' the Kaleds and Thals are engaged in war. It makes the conflict even scarier.
* NotSoDifferent: The Kaleds were militant fascistic xenophobes, fighting a war against the Thals, who were also militant fascistic xenophobes... the only real difference was that Kaleds wore black military uniforms and the Thals wore green jumpsuits.
* PunchClockVillain: Despite their racist society, there were a handful of Kaleds who weren't totally evil, only doing their duty in war and desperately wanted peace. It didn't save them from the Daleks or Davros.
* PuttingOnTheReich: Kaled culture is very similar to Nazi Germany, right down to an unhealthy obsession with keeping their race pure.
* {{RetCon}}: Originally the ancestors of the Daleks were called Dals. The BBC website for the Classic Series clarifies this was a slur that became the official name due to incomplete Thal records.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: They only had a major role in one Fourth Doctor story (and a cameo in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]]) but they are essential to the ''Doctor Who'' mythos, because without them there would be no Daleks.
[[/folder]]

!!Leadership
[[folder:The Dalek Emperors]]
!!The Dalek Emperors
[[quoteright:361:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/0486178e178f114db01fe917091ea104.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:361: Top left (1967), top right (1988), bottom (2005)]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Roy Skeleton (1967), Terry Molloy (1988), Creator/NicholasBriggs (2005)

->'''Dalek Emperor:''' So, you are the Doctor.\\
'''The Second Doctor:''' We meet at last. I wondered if we ever would.

The de facto head of the Dalek Empire, although they are usually stuck on Skaro and thus rarely encounter the Doctor. There have been several of them throughout the show's history. The first one we see was met by the Second Doctor on Skaro, who then proceeded to destroy his empire. A new one appeared during Seven's tenure, although he was actually Davros. During the Time War, the last Emperor was thought to have been killed, only for Nine to later discover (to his horror) that he had survived the final battle.
----
!!Tropes associated with the television continuity:
* BigBad: In Series 1 of the revival.
* CanonImmigrant: First appeared in comic books — the 1988 version was modelled on the design used by the comics.
* DeadlyDecadentCourt: Expanded Universe materials suggest that Emperors regularly get deposed by upstarts and [[TheStarscream Starscreams]].
* DeadpanSnarker: "[[AC:Hail the Doctor, the [[HeWhoFightsMonsters Great Exterminator]].]]"
* EvilSoundsDeep: Dalek Emperors are recognized by their very deep voices, similar to the New Series Dalek Supremes, as opposed to the high-pitched mooks.
* AGodAmI: The 2005 Emperor believed himself to be a god, having made new Dalek life from "[[HumanResources the dirt]]".
* GodEmperor: The 2005 Emperor, until Rose/Bad Wolf disproved this by vaporizing him.
* GreaterScopeVillain: To the Dalek Empire as a whole, up until Series 1 of the Revival.
* KingMook: The Emperors are in essence just very large Daleks.
* LegacyCharacter: They're all different characters, but since they're, you know, ''Daleks'', that really doesn't change things.
* LightIsNotGood: Some of them have a white colouring to denote their leadership status.
* TheMan: The revival's Emperor is basically this to humanity. He's the head of a centuries-long conspiracy, not even his intermediaries know who they're really working for, he keeps humans under control through corrupt news and [[BreadAndCircuses lethal reality TV]], and he made his army out of the poor and displaced.
* NonstandardCharacterDesign: They look nothing like your average Dalek. The first was stuck on Skaro plugged into the walls, the second was more mobile but had a round head, the third was in an enlarged Dalek casing combined with a glass tank so you can see the mutant inside.
* OrcusOnHisThrone: They rarely leave Skaro, just giving orders to the others. This is justified since most of them aren't very mobile.
* PuppetKing: Creator/RussellTDavies dubbed them "Puppet Emperors", since no matter who's in charge, the Dalek Empire remains the same, since any leader who exhibits non-Dalek behaviour (like Dalek Sec) is immediately removed from power.
* VoiceOfTheLegion
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Davros]]
!!Davros
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/davros_julian_bleach_series_9_white.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see him as a child]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2018_01_16_at_142901.png[[/labelnote]]]]

->'''Played by:''' Michael Wisher (1975); David Gooderson (1979); Terry Molloy (1984–88); Julian Bleach (2008; 2015)

-->''"Today the Kaled race is ended, consumed in a fire of war but, from its ashes will rise a new race, the supreme creature, the ultimate conquerer of the universe, the '''Dalek!!!'''"''

The creator of the Daleks, a Kaled from the war-torn planet of Skaro. Davros was the Kaleds' greatest scientist, and he was indispensable to his people. Horribly crippled in an accident, his brain power and intellect remained intact, which allowed to maintain his position in a culture where imperfects were "rejected".

Davros originally created the Daleks as nothing more than a travel machine and protecting case for his people for their eventual fate; helpless blobs as the result of chemical weapons used in the war. But darker thoughts entered Davros's mind as he begin to tamper with their emotions to eradicate all feeling save aggression...

His genius is matched only by his insanity. His current actor Julian Bleach has described him as a cross between UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler and Creator/StephenHawking. Davros has cheated death many, many times; nothing can stop this genocidal maniac from coming back over and over again.

Davros's relationship with the Doctor is one of begrudging mutual respect for the other's genius. Along with [[Characters/DoctorWhoMasters the Master]], Davros is one of the strongest contenders for the title of the Doctor's ArchEnemy.
----
!!Tropes associated with the television continuity
* AesopAmnesia: His defining trait in the Classic Series was his refusal to recognize that no matter what, the Daleks will always betray him in the end. But by the time of the Twelfth Doctor's era he has finally learned and accepted that while he may have created the Daleks, this does not mean that he controls them.
-->'''Davros:''' ''[fondly]'' You know what children are like...
* AndIMustScream: Was frozen for 90 years, remaining conscious every second.
* ArchEnemy:
** As the creator of the Doctor's most hated enemies and the second most recurring villain, Davros is up there with the Master.
** The Twelfth Doctor refers to Davros as his arch-enemy in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]]. Missy, the Master's female incarnation, [[ImStandingRightHere who is standing next to the Doctor when he says it, takes some offence to the remark]].
* AnArmAndALeg: His arm gets shot off by Bostock in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]].
* ArtEvolution: Throughout the show's history, Davros's appearance has changed subtly but noticeably as the years go by. In the Fourth Doctor Era, Davros's skin was a sickly green. Beginning with [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOfTheDaleks "Resurrection of the Daleks"]], his skin became orange and his face looked melted. In the revival, his skin is still orange, but more wrinkled.
* AxeCrazy: He lacks the mobility for much direct violence, but the sheer glee he takes in building doomsday weapons and causing massacres says a lot.
* BackFromTheDead: He's killed by the Daleks in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis"]] and succumbs to the Movellan virus in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOfTheDaleks "Resurrection"]], yet manages to survive both times.
* BadassNormal: While "normal" is not the best word that could be used to describe someone like Davros, his genius is on-par with the Doctor's despite coming from a planet that was only barely above Earth's technology when he was born. At their height, his creations — the Daleks — ''nearly destroyed'' [[SufficientlyAdvancedAliens the Time Lords]], who were top dogs of the universe during that time.
* BaitTheDog: He seemed like he was legitimately going to reform in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]] as he was dying, but in truth used it to sucker the Twelfth Doctor into both reviving him and creating Dalek/Time Lord hybrids using his regeneration energy. The Doctor saw through it, and OutGambitted him.
* BaldOfEvil: He's got no hair, and is evil as they come.
* BigBad: Of Series 4 of the revival. Although the Daleks are keeping him prisoner, he's the one pushing and guiding them to make the Reality Bomb. He returns to this role in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]].
* BrainInAJar: He appears to have been reduced to this in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]]. As it turns out however, it's just a decoy.
* BreakingSpeech: Fond of these, especially in the new series. He has broken the Tenth and Twelfth Doctors just by talking.
-->'''Davros:''' The man who abhors violence, [[DoesNotLikeGuns never carrying a gun]], but this is the truth, Doctor: you take ordinary people and you fashion them into weapons... behold your Children of Time, transformed into murderers. I made the Daleks, Doctor, you made ''this''.\\
'''The Doctor:''' I'm trying to help.\\
'''Davros:''' Already I have seen them sacrificed today, for their beloved Doctor. The Earth woman who fell opening the Sub Wave Network.\\
'''The Doctor:''' Who was that?\\
'''Rose:''' Harriet Jones. [[HeroicSacrifice She gave her life to get you here]].\\
'''Davros:''' How many more? Just think, how many have died in your name? The Doctor, the man who keeps running, never looking back because he dare not, out of shame. This is my final victory, Doctor. I have shown you yourself.
* BreakoutVillain: He made such an impression in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]" that all the remaining Dalek stories in the original series are basically Davros ones to some degree.
* TheChessmaster: Watch [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]] — for the whole 6 episodes, he is not so much as momentarily inconvenienced by any of the events of the serial until the very end.
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He has a particularly developed case, which gives the fact that he does not foresee the Daleks' betrayal of him a nice sense of irony.
* ColdHam: When opposing the 12th Doctor, Davros is dying, lacking the energy to be the LargeHam he usually is. It's somehow more disturbing.
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Not that he had much of a soul to begin with.
* DarkLordOnLifeSupport: He gets around in a life-support chair that helps keep him alive. [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]] has this even more so than normal, as he's dying.
* DeadpanSnarker: Especially in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]] and [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]].
* EmperorScientist: Whenever he's actually in charge.
* EnemyCivilWar: During the Sixth Doctor's time, Davros created Daleks that were ''loyal only to him'', the Imperial Daleks (white and gold casing). This led to a civil war between them and the other Daleks (the Renegades), which lasted until [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]], when the Seventh Doctor managed to take out both sides.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]], he's quite upset when the Daleks kill Nyder, and when they move to kill his only other loyal supporters too, he is shocked and tries to think up reasons for why the Daleks ought to let the men live. Though it's downplayed and subverted in that he doesn't seem to care about them afterwards, not even mentioning them.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He truly, honestly believes that the Daleks killing every other lifeform will be a good thing.
* EvilCripple:
** His laboratory was bombed out while he was still inside it. The blast burned away his left arm, entire lower body, and even his [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking taste buds]]. Davros ended up hooked in a life support system with a bionic eye and other mechanical bits in his body. On top of that, he lost his right hand when Bostock shot it to bits in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]] and now has a robot prosthesis. Oh, and ''half his chest cavity has been hollowed out'' to clone Daleks out of his DNA. Davros has been ground up like no other.
** For a long time it was believed that the blast also [[EyelessFace burned away his eyes]], but according to [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]], he still has his original eyes, it's just very, ''very'' hard to tell given how badly his face has been damaged. We also get to see Davros out of the chair... and he stops at the stomach. We see his spine.
* EvilIsHammy: He screams ''a lot'', which is probably a reason his creations do as well.
* EvilIsPetty: In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks Revelation of the Daleks]]", he orders the murder of the Tranquil Repose DJ simply for annoying him.
* EvilOverlord: Again, when the Daleks happen to listen to him.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Julian Bleach gives him a deep rasp similar to [[Characters/StarWarsEmperorPalpatine Sheev Palpatine]].
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Davros realised the Kaleds were beginning to mutate, thanks to the damage done to Skaro by the long war. Then he decided not only to speed up everyone turning into blobby little tentacles, but also felt the need to remove a few unnecessary things like "pity" or "empathy" while he was there.
* FacialHorror[=/=]NightmareFace: That bomb that blew up his lab didn't spare his face, either.
* FalselyReformedVillain: In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS22E6RevelationOfTheDaleks "Revelation of the Daleks"]], he takes to calling himself the Great Healer and offering a solution to galactic famine. Thanks to this, Davros can truly call himself [[IAmAHumanitarian humanitarian]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: For a shriveled up humanoid potato, Davros can be surprisingly charming when it suits him, but usually he's faking it.
* FingerTwitchingRevival
* ForScience: He once admitted he'd gladly wipe out the whole universe just to prove it could be done.
* ForTheEvulz: The Doctor poses him a philosophical question: "If you had a virus that, when released, would kill everyone in the universe, would you release it?" Davros's answer is that yes, he would release it, for no other reason than because he could.
* FreudianExcuse: Throughout the series, it's implied that Davros's violent insanity comes from [[WarIsHell his experiences in the Thousand Year War.]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]] explores this further (see UsedToBeASweetKid). Big Finish debunked it with their miniseries "I, Davros" — yes Davros grew up in a horrible environment (and that's not even taking his BigScrewedUpFamily into account) but he was naturally a sociopath and would've ended up as a MadScientist regardless of his environment.
* FriendlyEnemy:
** One-sided with the Doctor and eventually subverted. On a few occasions, he has put aside his threats and seriously tried to engage the Doctor in talks of science, philosophy etc. Probably because the Doctor is the only man he's met who is on his level, intelligence wise. The Doctor, however, has nothing but loathing and contempt for him throughout his lives, until the Twelfth Doctor, who's moved to show him kindness and compassion by giving a him a little regeneration energy... at which point Davros viciously stabs him in the back, having planned the whole thing from the start to take advantage of him... [[DidYouActuallyThink except Twelve saw it coming a mile away]] and factored it into his plans by directing that same energy into the very angry Daleks discarded in the city's catacombs, who are quick to take revenge on their comrades for throwing them away.
** After some nasty conflicts over the years (including at least one full-blown war with armies involved), the Daleks and Davros now seem to be in this relationship, with the Daleks recognising that they have some obligations to Davros as their creator and letting him hang out with them, and Davros still openly pursuing his own personal objectives but not blatantly trying to enslave the Daleks in the service of them.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: He started off as just a child from the war-torn planet of Skaro, but would eventually become a MadScientist who ended up wiping out his own people and whose creations, the Daleks, would threaten the safety of the universe.
* GeniusCripple: Emphasis on genius. Despite appearances, he's actually a normal [[HumanAliens Kaled]], yet is easily on the Doctor's level when it comes to brainpower.
* GenocideFromTheInside: He helped the Thals commit genocide against the Kaleds when the Doctor persuaded the Kaled government to try to stop the Dalek project.
* GenreBlind: Fails to realize that Daleks are xenophobic towards him along with the rest of creation. And he made them like that.
* AGodAmI: Created the Daleks to put himself "above the gods", and admits he would [[OmnicidalManiac wipe out all life]] to get the same rush.
* GoneHorriblyRight: He wanted the Daleks to be ruthless, xenophobic bastards obsessed with their own supremacy. He succeeded alright, since this led them to kill him [[JokerImmunity for a time]] and refuse to obey him for not being Dalek.
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]] shows Davros has lost his legs and some of his lower body. He is apparently connected to his chair by a mechanically enhanced spine.
* HandicappedBadass: Only has one arm, a bionic eye and the upper half of his body, yet still manages to be one of the Doctor's greatest enemies.
* HellIsThatNoise: His voice modulator is faulty, but oddly off-putting most times. When he screams, however, he sounds just like a Dalek.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: He has a bit of a blind spot when it comes to the Daleks. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOfTheDaleks "Resurrection of the Daleks"]] he seems to be learning and tries to wipe out the Daleks and start again. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks "Remembrance of the Daleks"]] it is implied he was so successful with his new Daleks he has taken over Skaro. However, he falls victim to this again when he tries to use the Hand of Omega and destroys Skaro, in the Seventh Doctor's first use of this trick.
* HopeCrusher: He tries to push the already guilt-stricken Doctor to the DespairEventHorizon in hopes that he can turn him into a man willing to kill Davros's younger self, willing to commit genocide against the Daleks at last... all to prove his own belief that the Doctor and his compassion are wrong and have an ultimate victory over his nemesis.
* HumanResources: Utilized the dead and frozen on Necros for material to his new Imperial Daleks.
* {{Hypocrite}}: In his first appearance, wherein he was prepared to exterminate all creation, but was shocked when the Daleks turned on him. This aspect of his personality has left as he has gotten more and more insane.
* IconicSequelCharacter: One of the most recognisable and iconic villains in all of the ''Whoniverse'', and one of the contenders for the Doctor's ArchEnemy, and he debuted in season 12.
* InSpiteOfANail: At the end of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]], the Doctor ''saves'' Davros as a young child, and tells him the value of mercy... and he still turns out an utter bastard. That one bit of mercy saved Clara's life, though, in spite of what Davros would become. It also goes a way to explaining Daleks like [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek "Rusty"]] and why they need a MoralityDial to stay evil.
* ItsAllAboutMe: He ''really'' does not care about anyone but himself; he was willing to sacrifice all of his own people just to ensure his Dalek project would go through. He's also so self-centred that he keeps forgetting that the Daleks (with exceptions) are not slavishly loyal to him.
* JokerImmunity: Like the Master and the Daleks themselves, Davros is too iconic a villain to kill off for good. Creator/RussellTDavies even [[WordOfGod outright admitted]] that Davros survived the events of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]] because he didn't want to kill off such a classic villain.
-->'''Davros:''' I am very difficult to kill. You should already know that.
* KarmicDeath: [[JokerImmunity Not quite death]], but his defeats are typically ironic.
* LackOfEmpathy: Doesn't care for anyone, including his fellow Kaleds. In fact [[VirtueIsWeakness he thinks empathy is a weakness]], which is why he engineered it out of the Daleks. He even tries to convince the Doctor that, as he puts it, "Compassion is ''wrong''."
* LargeHam: As an {{Expy}} of UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, he's prone to melodramatic speeches and grand gestures.
* LastOfHisKind:
** Not stated as such in-universe, but he ''is'' the last known surviving Kaled. Just don't expect much angst from him about it, because [[WhereIWasBornAndRazed he helped the Thals kill all of the Kaleds]], then used the Daleks to kill most of the Thals.
** In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E2TheWitchsFamiliar "The Witch's Familiar"]], while talking with the Doctor, he says a man should have somewhere to belong, a home, a people, the implication being that he feels the absence of the Kaleds — albeit for his own nationalist, fascist reasons.
--->"A man should have a race, a people, an ''allegiance''. A man should belong."
* MadScientist: Sealing tiny little mutant {{omnicidal maniac}}s into personal tanks can't be anything but mad.
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: In most cases, Davros barely acknowledges the horrible state of his body beyond a clinical analysis. Occasionally, some people even note that Davros has the [[FridgeHorror intelligence and scientific background to fully heal or replace his body]], but [[DisabilitySuperpower uses his constant agony as motivation]].
* ManInAKilt: Well, the first actor was. When he played the character, he wore a kilt underneath the "Dalek wheelchair". Also applies to the "wheelchair" itself, as it's been continually referred to as one during filming. ''And'' he was Scottish during his second appearance for some reason.
* ManipulativeBastard: Manipulates the Doctor into giving him regeneration energy. He is a very good actor.
* MonsterProgenitor: To the Daleks. He's implied to be behind at least several varieties of Daleks, and some other monsters. He's not a Dalek himself, but with his Dalek-esque life-support machine and his OmnicidalManiac tendencies, he's halfway there. And to top it all off, he's the current image for that trope.
* MoodSwinger: He can ramp up from calm discussion of philosophy or his latest plan to screaming megalomaniacal rants in seconds.
* MultiversalConqueror: He fills this role in the series 4 finale, although he wants to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy them]] rather than rule them, leaving only Daleks.
* NotSoDifferent:
** He's tried to pull this on the Doctor a few times, such as in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]].
--->'''Davros:''' The man who abhors violence, never carrying a gun. But this is the truth, Doctor. You take ordinary people, and you fashion them into weapons. Behold your Children of Time transformed into murderers! I made the Daleks, Doctor; you made this.
** He even ventures that the Twelfth Doctor's face is so much like his.
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: From his perspective, he thinks he's doing a service to the Kaleds by replacing them or transforming them into the Daleks, and believes that their OmnicidalManiac tendencies will bring a end to war. In reality he's motivated by [[AGodAmI a god complex]] and [[EvilCannotComprehendGood cannot fathom an actual peaceful solution]].
* ObviouslyEvil: He's a hideously scarred man with a skeletal face, [[EvilIsHammy and a penchant for hamming it up]] while talking about how VirtueIsWeakness. The only reason anyone ever trusts him is because [[ManipulativeBastard he's an expert manipulator]] and people value his vast intellect.
* OmnicidalManiac:
** Especially in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "The Stolen Earth"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]], when he planned "'''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis THE DESTRUCTION!]] [[ChewingTheScenery OF REALITY! ITSELF!!!]]'''"
** This was alluded to back in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks "Genesis of the Daleks"]], where he admitted that, if he could wipe out all life with his own creation, he would, for no other reason than because he could. Explains the Daleks.
--->'''The Doctor:''' Davros, if you had created a virus in your laboratory, something contagious and infectious that killed on contact, a virus that would destroy all other forms of life, would you allow its use?\\
'''Davros:''' It is an interesting conjecture! ''[...]'' To hold in my hand a capsule that contains such ''power'', to know that life and death on such a scale was my choice... To know that the ''tiny pressure'' of my thumb, enough to break the glass, would end ''everything''... Yes, I would do it! That power would set me up above the gods! AND THROUGH THE DALEKS, ''I SHALL HAVE THAT POWER''!
* PetTheDog: The ''only'' being he's ever treated with anything close to kindness that wasn't faked was [[TheDragon Nyder]], and the Daleks killed him a long time ago. He also seems to be genuinely impressed by Dalek Caan breaking into the Time War, and tells the Supreme Dalek to "show respect" after it calls Caan an insane abomination.
* TheQuisling: Gives instructions to the Thals, the race his people the Kaleds have been fighting against for a thousand years, on how to destroy the Kaleds when they threaten to shut down his Dalek project. Then subverted when he sends the Daleks to wipe out the Thals.
* Really700YearsOld: We don't exactly know how old Davros is, but thanks to his built-in life support system and frequent bouts of suspended animation he's clearly lived long beyond the natural limits of a Kaled. By Series 9, however, he's finally dying, so he tricks the Doctor into giving him a new lease on life.
* SoftSpokenSadist: When he's not hamming it up, he's this. Tends to switch between them on the fly. Is mainly this in his Series 9 appearance (justified, since he's dying).
* SuperWheelchair: Based the Daleks' armor on his own bionic eye and life-support chair.
* UnexplainedRecovery:
** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS21E4ResurrectionOfTheDaleks Resurrection of the Daleks]]" ended with him succumbing to the Movellan virus. In his next appearance, he's fine.
** Happens again in the New Series. In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]], he's last seen on an exploding Dalek saucer spitefully rebuffing the Tenth Doctor's offer to save him. Seven years later, in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]], he pops up on Skaro without any explanation.
* TheUnfettered: There is absolutely nothing he's not prepared to do to ensure the survival of the Daleks... or himself.
* UsedToBeASweetKid: The Twelfth Doctor accidentally ended up on Skaro when Davros was still a kid and was in the process of saving him from a mine field until he learned he learned that boy he was trying to save would grow up to be his most hated enemy. And Davros ''remembers'' the encounter.[[note]]Big Finish did an audio drama, ''I, Davros'', which came to the conclusion that Davros is naturally a sociopath and would end up as an evil MadScientist regardless of any outside circumstances.[[/note]] [[spoiler:In the end, the Doctor saves him from the minefield anyway.]]
* VillainousBreakdown: He very quickly lapses into one when his creations betray him. And when the Hand of Omega is activated.
* VillainWithGoodPublicity:
** He was the head of the Kaled Scientific Elite, and later took on the guise of the "Great Healer" on Necros (working hard to avoid creating [[ItMakesSenseInContext "consumer resistance"]]).
** In the Big Finish story "Davros", the eponymous warmonger is idolized by a small but dedicated (and controversial) group of people in the 38th century; a woman named Loraine Baynes, the most prominent of these people, even arranges for him to be revived and placed as a head scientific consultant for an interplanetary corporation. It doesn't end well.
* WhereIWasBornAndRazed: He helped the Thals kill all of the Kaleds, then used the Daleks to kill most of the Thals.
* WorthyOpponent:
** He genuinely respects the intellects of the preserved on Necros and even believes he's honouring them by converting them into Daleks.
** Also most certainly considers the Doctor this. And the Daleks, whenever they're opposed to him.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: Davros tries to play on the Doctor's sympathies by asking to see the sunrise with his own eyes one last time. The Doctor decides to donate a little regeneration energy to help him along, at which point Davros reveals it was an act so he could drain all the regeneration energy to create Dalek/Time Lord hybrids. Unfortunately for him, the Doctor knew what he was up to and knew the MeatMoss Daleks would also be energized, and they hate other Daleks.
* WrongGenreSavvy: In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS17E1DestinyOfTheDaleks Destiny of the Daleks]]", he apparently still thinks it's the Hinchcliffe era, and that the story is another grim Nazi allegory. In the far LighterAndSofter Williams/Adams era, he ends up coming across as an overblown idiot rather than a dangerous villain.
* YouSeeImDying: In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E1TheMagiciansApprentice "The Magician's Apprentice"]], he is dying and wants to see the Doctor.

!!Tropes associated with Big Finish
->'''Voiced by:''' Terry Molloy (2003–present)

Davros first appeared for ADayInTheLimelight in the episode "Davros", and went on to get his own Creator/BigFinish spinoff titled "I, Davros". He also encounters the Doctor in the regular monthly episodes on occasion.
----
* AndIMustScream: He spent ninety years floating in a space capsule, completely alone, with every second feeling like the worst kind of psychological torture.
* {{Asexuality}}: In addition to being MarriedToTheJob. He gets a lot of ShipTease with co-worker Shan, but Davros claims he just isn't actually wired to fancy anybody.
* BastardBastard: [[spoiler:In the first episode of "I, Davros" it is revealed his mother Calcula's husband was sterile when he was conceived and his real father was Counciller Quested.]]
* BodyHorror: One of the flashbacks in the "Davros" episode details the moments after Davros having narrowly survived a Thal attack, but suffered horrific injuries because of it, including having most of his flesh cooked off.
-->'''Davros:''' ... What ... what is that smell?\\
'''Ral:''' ''[hesitantly]'' ... It's ''you'', Davros.
* CreepyMonotone: 16-year-old Davros, heard in "Innocence", almost sounds like a regular inquisitive teenaged boy — but speaks in a detached and scientific way, with very blunted affect. The result is genuinely creepy.
* EnemyMine: He comes to deeply admire the Sixth Doctor, and considers him the closest thing he's got to a friend. Six does not agree. At all.
* FreakyFridayFlip: Gets into one with Six.
* FreudianExcuse: Invoked: his childhood was a bit screwed up, with his mother being pretty much an {{Expy}} of [[Series/IClaudius Livia]]. Still, it's abundantly clear that he would have become a MadScientist no matter what, and that's he's naturally a sociopath.
* JokerImmunity: PlayedForDrama; Six recognises it as yet another way in which he and Davros are NotSoDifferent.
* LargeHam
* LaughingMad: "The Davros Mission" gives us Davros having a laughing fit at the idea that anyone would want to save him. It's terrifying.
* LongGame: In "Terror Firma", it's revealed that [[spoiler:he's been tracking the TARDIS]] ever since [[spoiler:"Storm Warning"]].
* LossOfIdentity: During his encounter with Eight.
* MadDoctor: Leads to one ''hell'' of a WhamLine in "Terror Firma":
-->'''Davros:''' I was able to operate —\\
'''Eighth Doctor:''' My TARDIS?\\
'''Davros:''' Operate [[spoiler:''on'' your TARDIS]].
* MortonsFork: A core element of the "Masters Of War" story is Davros constantly having to choose between two negative outcomes: either give his Daleks some kind of moral compass and compassion and have his entire army be more vulnerable because of it, or create them without morals and inevitably end up betrayed by them. The episode really dives into this idea and explores it from all possible angles.
* MotiveRant: He's infamous for getting in at least one good rant per story. His day in the limelight episode, therefore, begins with one showing his thoughts immediately after receiving his injuries.
* NotSoDifferent: From Six. Davros poses that they might have been friends if they hadn't been enemies. Six does ''not'' agree.
* PsychologicalHorror
* StartOfDarkness: We first get to hear a few flashbacks of his life on Skaro before he became an EvilCripple. After that, the box set "I, Davros" follows his military career starting at age 16, and offers a glimpse into his family circumstances. As it turns out, he was always evil.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Dalek Prime Minister]]
!!The Dalek Prime Minister
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aa12e6c5c9ac07fef95cd4fc074abe5e.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NicholasBriggs (2012)

->'''The Doctor:''' You think hatred is beautiful?\\
'''Dalek Prime Minister:''' Perhaps that is why we have never been able to kill you.

The leader of the New Dalek Paradigm is not an Emperor but a Prime Minister and a Parliament. Resides on the Dalek Parliament Ship. Notable for having much more of a personality than your average Dalek.
----
* DeadpanSnarker: His conversation with Eleven is unusually sardonic for a Dalek.
* FauxAffablyEvil: When he speaks to the Doctor, he's '''oozing''' with false charm, to the point where he's actually able to rattle him. And ''he's enjoying it''.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: He's just a Dalek mutant encased in a simple glass tube, with none of the traditional Dalek casing incorporated into his design.
* OnlySaneMan: He's much more lucid than your average Dalek.
* SoftSpokenSadist: He's not nearly as deep or bombastic as the Emperors or Dalek Supremes were.
[[/folder]]

!!Groups & Secret Societies
[[folder:The Cult of Skaro]]
!!The Cult of Skaro
[[quoteright:289:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cultofskaro1_6566.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Nicholas Briggs (2006–2008)

-->''"[[AC:There are millions of humans and only four of us. If we are supreme, why are we not victorious? The Cult of Skaro was created by the Emperor for this very purpose. To imagine new ways of survival!]]"''

An elite group of four Daleks who act as recurring antagonists throughout the Tenth Doctor's tenure. Believing themselves to be the only survivors of the Last Great Time War, the Cult of Skaro imagine new ways of restoring the Dalek race to its rightful place as the supreme beings of the universe.

They are the only Daleks in existence with names. Led by Dalek Sec, the rest of the Cult consists of Dalek Thay, Dalek Jast and Dalek Caan.
----
* ArmourPiercingQuestion: Sec asks his fellow Daleks one in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E4DaleksInManhattan "Daleks in Manhattan"]] (quoted above): if the Daleks are the supreme beings, ''why'' are they so routinely defeated?
* BadassArmy: They completely slaughter the Cybermen in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday "Doomsday"]].
* BadassBoast: The cult dishes these out every now and again.
-->'''Cyber-Leader:''' [[AC:Daleks, be warned. You have declared war upon the Cybermen.]]\\
'''Sec:''' [[AC:This is not war. This is ''pest control!'']]\\
'''Cyber-Leader:''' [[AC:We have five million Cybermen. How many are you?]]\\
'''Sec:''' [[AC:''Four.'']]\\
'''Cyber-Leader:''' [[AC:You would destroy the Cybermen with four Daleks?]]\\
'''Sec:''' [[AC:We would destroy the Cybermen with ''one'' Dalek! You are superior in only ''one'' respect.]]\\
'''Cyber-Leader:''' [[AC:What is that?]]\\
'''Sec:''' [[AC:You are ''better'' at ''dying!'']]
* TheChessmaster: Dalek Caan is definitely worthy of this title as of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E12TheStolenEarth "The Stolen Earth"]]/[[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]], having orchestrated events to bring about the Daleks' destruction, though he claims to have "only helped" and that what happened [[YouCantFightFate was destined to happen anyway]].
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Dalek Sec, the leader, is black rather than bronze, but the other three Cult members all look just like regular Daleks.
* CharacterDevelopment: Caan gets this in spades. When the Cult are introduced in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E13Doomsday "Doomsday"]], the other three members are constantly voicing their opinion, while Caan speaks once during the entire story. By [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E5EvolutionOfTheDaleks "Evolution of the Daleks"]], Caan is the one who leads the revolution against Sec. ''Then'' he engineers the destruction of the entire Dalek race in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]].
* EliteMooks: They seem to be more durable than normal Daleks, with Thay and Jast absorbing a lot of laser strikes before finally exploding. They are also more intelligent and imaginative than regular Daleks.
* EvilerThanThou: In their debut, they upstage the Cybermen as the main threat even before the Genesis Ark opens.
* ExactWords: Caan's prophecies are heavy on this, allowing him to convince Davros that he's prophesying the ultimate victory of the Daleks over the Doctor, while in fact saying nothing of the sort.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sec is the reflective melancholic despite being the leader, as he is the first to be open-minded to humanity, Caan is choleric as he is the first to rebel and persuade the other two Daleks to follow his lead against Dalek Sec, Thay is sanguine due to being very vocal about his opinions and prone to mistakes such as identifying first to the Cybermen, and Jast is phlegmatic as he is reserved and the last to betray Sec.
* FrontlineGeneral: Sec prefers a more hands-on approach than the Emperor or the cowardly Supreme Dalek in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS25E1RemembranceOfTheDaleks Remembrance of the Daleks]]".
* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Played with. Dalek Caan's attempt to get Davros out of the Time War caused him to see all of time and go mad, but it ''also'' kickstarted a HeelRealization for him to realize the true evil of the Daleks. The wonderful loon goes on to plan an [[TheChessmaster elaborate scheme]] to bring the entire Dalek species back from the dead ''just so he can exterminate them again''.
* GoneHorriblyRight: The Cult of Skaro was designed with an imagination so they could find new ways of keeping the Daleks alive. Dalek Sec's priority of survival ends up with him [[HumanityIsInfectious becoming half-human]] and all but abandoning what makes a Dalek a Dalek.
* HeelFaceTurn:
** Sec becomes half-human and begins to experience emotions other than hatred and fear of the Doctor.
** Caan accidentally ended up in the Last Great Time War after he escaped the Doctor, and saw the evils the Daleks had done. Despite going insane, he manipulated events so that the Doctor and his companions could destroy the Daleks once and for all, tricking even Davros. Cann is the first Dalek to turn on his kind completely by his own will and without help from genetics.
* HeelRealization: After witnessing the Daleks' many atrocities throughout all of time, Dalek Caan (quite like Dalek Sec before him and Rusty after him) realized the evil truth of the Dalek race, spurring him on to bring about their destruction.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Sec becomes one after merging with a human. The result is a Dalek mutant fused with the human head.
* HufflepuffHouse: Thay and Jast are very important Daleks due to being part of the elite Cult of Skaro, but they are nowhere near as relevant to the story arc as Sec and Caan are.
* HumanityIsInfectious: Dalek Sec's merger with a human ends up backfiring as he gains emotions like compassion and appreciation for the human race, coming to doubt the Daleks' nature. The other Daleks don't appreciate this and turn on him.
* {{Hypocrite}}: After two episodes questioning Sec's orders and eventually betraying him, the other three have the nerve to say that ''Daleks do not question orders'' after the human Daleks question their orders.
* TheLeader: Sec is the cult's first leader. Then Caan becomes the leader once Sec is deemed unworthy of command.
* LaughingMad: Caan is the first Dalek to ''giggle''.
* MadOracle: As a result of breaking the time-lock and seeing all of time and space, Caan goes a little loopy.
* NoNameGiven: Averted. They're the only Daleks to have given names, not counting any Daleks given nicknames by the Doctor.
* ObfuscatingInsanity: Caan is much more lucid and on the ball than he pretends to be, and as soon as his deception is revealed, he drops the giggling and gibberish, becoming much clearer and more concise.
* RedemptionEqualsDeath: After playing his role in Davros's failure, Caan makes no effort to save himself as the Crucible is destroyed, presumably dying in the explosion. Earlier, Dalek Sec seems to sacrifice himself by [[TakingTheBullet taking a death beam]] aimed at the Doctor.
* SanitySlippage: An interesting case. Caan evidently became unbalanced after breaching the time-lock and seeing all of time, but at the same time, his attitude towards the Daleks and their murderous ways became far more sane.
* SoleSurvivor: Dalek Caan is the only surviving member of the Cult after the events of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E5EvolutionOfTheDaleks "Evolution of the Daleks"]].
* TheStarscream: Caan, Thay and Jast overthrow Dalek Sec after he becomes a Dalek/Human hybrid and rejects the Daleks' beliefs in favour of peace. It's rather ironic that Caan himself would later experience a similar change of heart regarding the Daleks.
* TalkativeLoon: Caan, post his excursion into the Time War. As [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E13JourneysEnd "Journey's End"]] shows, however, at least some of it is an act, one he drops as soon as his deception is revealed.
* VillainExitStageLeft: "EMERGENCY TEMPORAL SHIFT!"
* WhamLine: When Dalek Sec has the Doctor brought before him instead of having him exterminated, The Doctor begins shouting at him for the deaths he and the others just caused only for Sec to respond with "The deaths were wrong!"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Volatix Cabal]]
!!The Volatix Cabal

An insane caste of Daleks created during the Time War to be capable of creativity and imagination, with horrible side-effects.
----
* ArcVillain: They are the threat behind the ''Eleventh Doctor: Year Two'' arc of the ''ComicBook/DoctorWhoTitan'' comics.
* BodyHorror: Some of them use parts of animals and sentient beings to decorate their casings, and the shapeshifting ones become horrific hybrids of Dalek and whatever they were imitating when they drop the mask.
* CatchPhrase: EXTERMINHATE!
* {{Expy}}: Think the Cult of Skaro, then imagine that they're all completely insane, even by Dalek standards.
* MadDoctor: They are, primarily, a whole culture of them.
* ManchurianAgent: Some of them are capable of shape-shifting into other species, and completely suppressing the knowledge of their true nature and allegiance until they get an opportunity to act.
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: To BodyHorror levels of nastiness.
* NoPlaceForMeThere: They initially intended to kill themselves at the Dalek victory, as they were not worthy of survival beyond that point. [[spoiler:When they discovered that there would be no Dalek victory, they made other plans.]]
* RenegadeSplinterFaction: When they discover that the Daleks aren't going to win the Time War, they decide that they no longer have any loyalties to them.
* {{Sadist}}: Take the usual Dalek hatred and contempt for all other sentient life, and then add '''imagination''' and a '''sense of aesthetics'''.
* TalkativeLoon: They all have tendencies of this to a greater or lesser extent.
* WordSaladHorror: Some of them have horribly jumbled dialogue, that is even more horrific thanks to the work required to get it.
[[/folder]]

!!Commanders
[[folder:The Dalek Time Controller]]
!!The Dalek Time Controller
[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/timecontrol_3025.jpg]]
->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/NicholasBriggs (2009–present)

A Dalek from the far future, which was created with an evolved mind that allowed it to perceive time in a more advanced manner than a standard Dalek. Consequently, the Dalek Time Controller was given the position of strategist for all Dalek time missions. Chronologically (from its perspective) first meets the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC novel ''[[Recap/NewSeriesAdventuresTheDalekGeneration The Dalek Generation]]'' and later encounters the Sixth Doctor, before becoming a main antagonist to the Eighth Doctor. In the Eighth Doctor's opinion, this is the most threatening Dalek of them all. Why? He can take the Dalek race's greatest failures and change them into their greatest ''victories''. See his tropes in the ''New Series Adventures'' [[Characters/NewSeriesAdventures here]].
----
!!Tropes associated with Big Finish:
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: [[spoiler:Resorts to this in order to live, due to its symbiotic connection to Molly O'Sullivan slowly ''killing it''.]]
* ArchEnemy: Seems to become this for the later Eighth Doctor.
* BadassDecay: Acknowledged and justified InUniverse. [[spoiler:The Time Controller is ''literally'' decaying by "Dark Eyes 4", due to the symbiotic connection it developed with Molly O'Sullivan, and is in constant pain from this. Its DNA has also decayed enough that the other Daleks refuse to acknowledge it as a fellow Dalek or a high ranking officer in the Empire. Even its non-organic components are suffering from this, its weapon weakening to the point it requires several direct hits to kill someone. Doesn't stop it from blowing up Dalek after Dalek, though.]]
* BigBad: For the "Dark Eyes" series against the Eighth Doctor. Begins a bit earlier with "Lucie Miller" and "To the Death".
* TheChessmaster: Throughout most of of ''The Dalek Generation''. It goes up against the equally formidable Master in "Dark Eyes 4". [[spoiler: [[OutGambitted The Master wins]].]]
* ConquerorFromTheFuture: Is hurled back thousands of years and decides to perform another Dalek Invasion of Earth.
** Moreover, his origin in aiding the New Dalek Paradigm makes him implicitly a New Series villain thrown back in time to fight the classic Doctors.
* TheCorruption: [[spoiler:By existing outside of time, the Dalek Time Controller remembers events from the timeline in "Dark Eyes". However, the rapidly changing timelines cause it to pick up and retain various bits that, to the Daleks, make it less and less Dalek. By being involved in Molly O'Sullivan's timeline for so long, the Dalek Time Controller ends up being ''symbiotically linked'' to her, weakening it as Molly's own body ages and fails.]]
* CrossThrough: His appearance outside of Six's timeline seriously freaks out Eight. To make things more complicated, he's also the main villain in ''The Dalek Generation'', a novel written by Creator/NicholasBriggs, in which (from his perspective) he meets the Doctor for the first time... and his first Doctor is, via LoopholeAbuse of the story being a BBC Books novel and not a Big Finish audio play, the ''Eleventh'' Doctor whom he meets post Time War (relatively speaking) while working for the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E3VictoryOfTheDaleks New Dalek Paradigm]].
* CruelMercy: In "To the Death", he tells the Eighth Doctor he will be left on Earth as it is sent through time to the Amethyst viruses. Being a Time Lord will enable the Doctor to live long enough to watch the Earth die.
* EnemyMine: In [[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWhoNEDASDarkEyes2E1TheTraitor "The Traitor"]], the Doctor helps him against [[spoiler:the Eminence]]. Earlier he joined [[spoiler:Straxus' future incarnation]] Kotris against the Time Lords.
* {{Expy}}[=/=]EvilCounterpart: Seems to be one for Dalek Caan of the New Series, as like Caan he was flung through time and saw all of eternity and every possibility as well as the whole of Dalek history. Unlike Caan, who was driven insane with horror at the true evil of the Daleks, the Time Controller instead saw exactly how he could mastermind the Daleks' conquest of all eternity.
** Eight even subtly references this by asking how he could see eternity and not find some humility and perspective, before realising how unlikely a Dalek learning from history would be.
** The Dalek Time Controller is also very similar in many respects to River Song, whose time travel also generally doesn't mesh with the Doctor's, meeting each other out of order from their perspectives.
* AGodAmI: In "Dark Eyes 4", he states that he is a '''Time Lord''' Dalek, and that through him, the Daleks will be the new masters of time and space.
* HaveWeMetYet: First meets the 11th Doctor, then the 6th Doctor, then becomes the ArchEnemy of the 8th Doctor.
* JokerImmunity: Even though history being changed in "Dark Eyes" means he shouldn't have survived the events of "To the Death", he shows up again in "Dark Eyes 2".
* LouisCypher: Anyone with an understanding of French could guess [[spoiler:the name Dutemps]] involved it in some way.
* TheOmniscient: One's mind existing outside of time will slowly turn you into this.
* PlagueMaster: Plans to annihilate all life in the universe by reusing the Dalek's plan to pilot Earth as a mobile base and mass infecting it with the deadliest bio weapons in the universe so the Daleks could simply teleport Earth across the universe spreading the plagues in its wake.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: In "Dark Eyes 2" he remembers the events of "Dark Eyes" despite preventing them from happening.
* StableTimeLoop: [[spoiler:Due to becoming increasingly less and less Dalek, by the Dalek Supreme's standards, the Time Controller goes on to greater lengths to ensure that it had its own power base, eventually culminating in becoming the Eminence. However, these actions cause the Dalek Supreme to have another mutant like it to be created and made entirely loyal to the Supreme, starting the loop all over again.]]
* TimeyWimeyBall: Their life is largely this, though he was created to master that. From his perspective the first time he meets the Doctor is in the Post Time-War timeline.
* UnholyMatrimony: With a Dalek duplicate (in human form), cloned from its own cells. [[spoiler: Really, the name Dutemps was a bit of a giveaway]]. Narcissism, thy name is Time Controller.
* WhyDontYaJustShootHim: Justified. Often it won't exterminate the Doctor because doing so would mess up the timeline, or it's simply more productive to leave him alive.
** Averts this with the Master; the moment their alliance ceases to be needed, it attempts to have him killed on the spot. [[spoiler:He saw it coming a mile away.]]
* YouHaveFailedMe: Eventually murders [[spoiler: Straxus]], even though doing so completely resets the timeline. Since the Dalek Time Controller has become TheOmniscient at that point, it doesn't matter to him.
** Does this to several Daleks [[spoiler:when they explicitly deny its official rank and standing]].

!!Tropes associated with ''New Series Adventures'':
The main villain in ''[[Recap/NewSeriesAdventuresTheDalekGeneration The Dalek Generation]]''. The Dalek Litigator represents the others legally in the Sunlight Worlds, where they are considered nice. It's evealed to be the Dalek Time Controller, a villain from ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho''.
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* AmoralAttorney: This by default, as they prosecute the Doctor and have all his assets seized. They don't use much CourtroomAntics though, as 11 pleads guilty and the Litigator's word is highly valued.
* CanonImmigrant: The Dalek Time Controller, who takes the leap from the continuity of Big Finish to that of the ''New Series Adventures''. Bear in mind this was before [[Recap/DoctorWho50thPrequelTheNightOfTheDoctor "The Night of the Doctor"]] made Big Finish canon.
* TheChessmaster: Manipulates the 11th Doctor throughout ''The Dalek Generation'' and throughout history to assist its plan.
* HaveWeMetYet: From its perspective when, the Time Controller meets the 11th Doctor this is the first time he has met the Doctor, even though this is the post-Time War timeline. From the Doctor's perspective he first met them in his 6th incarnation.
* HostileTerraforming: Plans to turn the Sunlight Worlds into copies of Skaro.
* VillainExitStageLeft: When their plan to use the Cradle of the Gods is sabotaged they escape in their ship. This needs to happen so they can face the previous Doctors in Big Finish.
[[/folder]]

!!Individual Daleks
[[folder:"Quasimodo Dalek"]]
!!"Quasimodo Dalek"

A Dalek built by humans with a poor grasp of its natural appearance in "The Dalek Project". Named so because of his weirdly assembled body, with eyestalks for hands, a gunstick where the eyestalk should be, bumps where its slats and ear lights should be, and slats where its bumps should be.
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* MeaningfulName: Given its nickname by the Eleventh Doctor for looking abnormal, after the titular Hunchback of Notre Dame.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Not only is Quasimodo Dalek built all wrong by unwitting humans, it's no surprise that the thing is just as dangerous as any other conventional Dalek when it activates.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rusty]]
!!Rusty
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dalek_inside_rusty_1.jpg]]
-> '''Voiced by:''' Creator/NicholasBriggs (2014; 2017)

-->''"I am '''not''' a good Dalek."''

A stranded Dalek discovered by the crew of the ''Aristotle'', damaged and with an inexplicable desire to see the destruction of his own race.
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* AssassinOutclassin: His tower home is surrounded by the shattered remains of all the Daleks that tried to kill him for being a threat to the Daleks.
* AntiHero: Purely on the side of NominalHero. While his destruction of his fellow Daleks is an unquestionably '''good''' thing, he does so out of pure hatred rather than anything resembling morality.
* BoomerangBigot: Maintains all the hatred and xenophobia of a Dalek, only inverted against his own kind.
* TheBusCameBack: In [[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime "Twice Upon a Time"]].
* TheDreaded: By the Daleks (whose attempts to kill him have failed for ''billions of years'') and the Doctor himself. Being the only "good" Dalek has made him far more dangerous than any other Dalek.
* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Formerly a rank-and-file Dalek, after being damaged and witnessing the birth of a star he begins to see the Daleks as the monsters they are that must be destroyed. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Upon being repaired though, he returns to his original conditioning and goes on a killing spree.]] The Doctor's attempts to redeem him end up backfiring and ends with him becoming an AxCrazy AntiHero waging a one-man war against his own race fueled by hatred.
** As with all Daleks, he still hates the Doctor with a passion and tries to kill him in [[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime "Twice Upon a Time"]]. Combined with his original programmed hostility towards the Doctor and what happened to him because of him, it's likely he despises the Doctor ''more than any Dalek ever has in history''.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: In his [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek introduction]], he decides that all Daleks are monsters and they need to die. By [[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime "Twice Upon a Time"]], he has spent ''billions'' of years hunting and killing other Daleks.
* ImNotAHeroIm: He doesn't like being called a "good Dalek" because he doesn't believe it is true.
* LivingLegend: The Doctor notes that he's become a legend as "the good Dalek that hunts his own kind".
* SociopathicHero: Despite attempts to reform him, Rusty instead hones in on the Doctor's [[ArchEnemy hatred of the Daleks]] to fuel his rampage.
* TimeAbyss: His appearance in [[Recap/DoctorWho2017CSTwiceUponATime "Twice Upon a Time"]] takes place ''billions'' of years after he first met the Doctor in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS34E2IntoTheDalek "Into the Dalek"]].
[[/folder]]

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The creator of the Daleks, a Kaled from the war-torn planet of Skaro. Davros was the Kaleds' greatest scientist, and he was indispensable to his people. Horribly crippled in an accident, his brain power and intelligent remained intact, which allowed to maintain his position in a culture where imperfects were "rejected".

** One-sided with the Doctor and eventually subverted. On a few occasions, he has put aside his threats and seriously tried to engage the Doctor in talks of science, philosophy etc. Probably because the Doctor is the only man he's met who is on his level, intelligence wise. The Doctor, however, has nothing but loathing and contempt for him throughout his lives, until the Twelfth Doctor, who's moved to show him kindness and compassion... at which point Davros viciously stabs him in the back, having planned the whole thing from the start to take advantage of him.