Every hero needs a villain. Superman has Lex Luthor; Batman has The Joker. The X-Men have traditionally had Magneto. The hero and the villain balance each other out. They create a conflict that keeps the viewers, readers and listeners coming back for more. In a way, these characters are nothing without each other. That sounds a little weird, but it's true. Some villains become just as popular as their enemy.
Others become cultural icons.
With their salt and pepper shaker-shaped tank-like outer shells, eye stalks, plungers and guns, the Daleks are the most feared and hated creatures in the "Doctor Who" universe. Their appearance, along with their cries of "EX-TERM-IN-ATE!" have scared British viewers for nearly fifty years.
Within the universe, they are a race of mutants from the planet Skaro, created after centuries of war. Their creator, the mad scientist and evil genius Davros, wanted to use them to conquer the universe. Time and time again, however, they've been stopped by a time-traveling Time Lord with a blue police box named The Doctor.
The Daleks first arrived on the scene in the second "Doctor Who" serial, "The Daleks". Heck of a debut. Their origins as mutants have been kept, but over the years, there have been quite a few changes to their backstory. They've appeared in nearly 100 serials and episodes, by far the most appearances of any of "Doctor Who's" staggering list of villains and monsters.
Their ideology is one of pure hate. These blobs of flesh hate all other species so much that they cannot stand anything that is not Dalek. It's an ideology based on racial purity that has seen the Daleks even have civil wars over what is a "pure" Dalek. Indeed, they have been compared to the worst that humanity has ever given birth to, the Nazis. They have little individuality. They only exist to be given and take orders. They shout their words, garbled by electronic equipment, which gives them their distinctive voices.
The Daleks and The Doctor have been fighting so much that a mutual fear and hatred has built up between the two. Just the sight of a Dalek can make the Doctor's blood boil while an image of The Doctor can make Daleks recoil. Early on, The Doctor was loath to kill them, but after the Time War, just the sight of them makes him angry.
Dalek tanks are built for battle. They have one arm that resembles a plunger, but is used to manipulate objects, fry a person's head and extract information from their brains at the same time. Their laser gun can kill with one shot. Once a punchline about their inability to go upstairs, they can now elevate and fly. Any attempts to shot them fail as they have force fields that protect them. Their only weakness is their eyestalk.
The Dalek creature inside is a pathetic Octopus-like blob of flesh and tentacles. Yet they are still dangerous and can strangle an opponent if taken out of their capsules. However, they are a pathetic life form that almost seems worthy of pity rather than fear.
Indeed, their hatred of other species and their view of their own superiority may come from their own self-loathing. They might know they're pathetic life forms clinging to life inside a metal cage while other species walk around freely and openly. Their jealousy causes them to hate all other life forms and they lie to themselves about their own superiority. They cannot escape the ever-living hell that has been created for them. The only way they can is to claim superiority.
Still, they are a deadly foe. They will continue to scare the daylights out of everyone they come across, both in-universe and out-of-universe. And "Who" fans won't have it any other way.
"TERM-IN-ATE TRANS-MISSI-ON!"
No comments:
Post a Comment