 | |
| Davros | |
| Continuity: | Doctor Who |
| Type: | Scientist |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Kaled |
| Location: | Skaro |
| First: | Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks (Part 1) |
| Actor: | Michael Wisher David Gooderson Terry Molloy Julian Bleach |
Davros was an antagonist featured in several story-ars in the Doctor Who franchise. He was introduced in the 1975 serial "Genesis of the Daleks" where he was played by actor Michael Wisher. Although the character appeared to have died in the sixth and final chapter of the serial, he managed to turn up in another Dalek-centric storyline, "Destiny of the Daleks", this time played by David Gooderson. In the 1984 story, "Resurrection of the Daleks", Davros was played by Terry Molloy. Molloy reprised the role of Davros in 1988 in "Remembrance of the Daleks". The character was re-introduced in the 2005 Doctor Who revival series, facing off against the Tenth Doctor, played by David Tennant in season four. This time Davros was played by Julian Bleach and appeared in "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End". The character was also the focus of his own series of Doctor Who audio books called "I, Davros" by Big Finish Productions. Terry Molloy provided the voice for Davros in all four audio books.
Biography[]
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Davros.
Davros was a scientist and a member of the Kaled race of the planet Skaro. During the time of the Thousand Year War, Davros served in the Elite Military Corps, fighting up against the sworn enemy of the Kaleds, the Thals. During the war, Davros was severely wounded in battle, losing the ability to walk as well as all motor function in his right arm. To survive, his body was placed into an elaborate life support system. His legs were housed within a cylindrical metal casing, which allowed him limited mobility. The apparatus could be moved about and controlled via a panel display mounted at the top of system within Davros' reach. A support lattice extended upward from the anterior of the chair and was attached to Davros' spine and cranium.
No longer able to serve in the military, Davros turned his keen intellect towards science. Within short order, he became the leader of the Elite Scientific Corps of the Kaled people. Under Davros' guidance, the power of the Scientific Elite soon exceeded that of the military and they became the strongest arm of the entire Kaled administrative structure. Davros' position allowed him to conduct his research unimpeded by the bureaucracy. He began conducting experiments on genetically created life forms, attempting to cultivate an organism that could not only survive the radioactive wasteland that Skaro had become, but grow stronger, evolving into the ultimate killing machine. Davros believed that this evolutionary state represented the final fate of the Kaled people. These abominations - the pinnacle of Davros' work - came to be known as Daleks.
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Davros addresses the Kaled leaders.
Towards the end of the Thousand Year War, the Gallifreyan Time Lord known as the Doctor came to Skaro with his companions Sarah Jane Smith and Harry Sullivan. Under the instruction of another Time Lord, the Doctor was to prevent the further development of the Daleks, who were destined to become the most destructive, conquering alien species the universe has ever known. Sarah was separated from the others and the Doctor and Harry were captured by Davros' men. The Doctor pleaded with Davros to halt production on the Daleks, but quickly discovered that his words were only bolstering Davros' confidence, urging him even further in his mad schemes. The Doctor and Harry escaped from the science bunker and petitioned the Kaled leaders to exert their authority and put an end to Davros' plans. The administrators gave little weight to the Doctor's warnings, but still, they informed Davros that they were suspending his work on the Dalek project until the end of the war.
Davros decided that the only way he could continue his project unfettered was by appealing to his foes. With his personal aide Nyder always at his side, Davros went to the headquarters of the Kaleds' sworn enemies, the Thals and spoke with their administrators. Pretending to betray his own people, Davros told the Thal government that he tired of this centuries-long war and only wanted to see both sides come to a final peace. He felt that the only way to mitigate this was through the destruction of the Kaleds. He gave the Thals data that could be used to weaken the protective dome covering the Kaled city. Once the dome was destroyed, a Thal victory was virtually assured. The Thals took Davros at his word and implemented his designs.
The strategy worked and the Kaled dome was destroyed. Davros used this as leverage to put his Daleks into operation, not as life support units, but as soldiers. To achieve this however, Davros need to make a significant alteration in the creatures' genetic programming. He ordered his scientists to remove the section of the Dalek brain that governed moral consciousness so that they would be free of any emotional conflict that could arise. The members of the Scientific Elite Corps, who had always been loyal to Davros, now began to question his command, particularly in light of turning these creatures into un-sympathizing, mindless murderers. The head of the Science Corps, Gharman, orchestrated a rebellion and attempted to stop Davros' schemes.
The plot ultimately failed however and Davros succeeded in creating the army that he wanted. He sent several squadrons of Daleks to the Thal city with orders to wipe out everything in sight. He then rounded up members of the Kaled resistance, including all department heads and had them executed. The Daleks, now believing themselves to be the ultimate creatures in the universe turned on their creator. They fired their energy weapons at Davros, seemingly killing him, but succeeded only in incapacitating his life support systems. [1]