- "The Time Lord gave me three options. And there's only one still open... genocide."
- ―The Doctor
| "Genesis of the Daleks" | |
|---|---|
| Series Doctor Who Season 12, Episode 15 | |
| |
| Air date | April 5th, 1975 |
| Writers | Terry Nation |
| Director | David Maloney |
| Producers | Philip Hinchcliffe |
| Starring | Tom Baker; Elisabeth Sladen; Ian Marter; Michael Wisher; |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous "Genesis of the Daleks (Part 4)" |
Next "Genesis of the Daleks (Part 6)" |
"Genesis of the Daleks (Part 5)" is the fifth chapter in the "Genesis of the Daleks" serial, which ran through episodes 11-16 in series 12 of the television series Doctor Who. The episodes originally aired in six parts on BBC1 from March 8th to April 12th, 1975. The serial was directed by David Maloney and written by veteran Doctor Who screenplay writer Terry Nation. In this episode, Gharman leads a revolt against Davros and the Scientific Elite. The Doctor, Harry and Sarah escape from Davros' interrogation chamber and the Doctor decides to make a bold and decisive strike against the Daleks. Bettan and Sevrin lead the Thal soldiers across the war-torn wasteland, barely evading the notice of the patrolling Daleks.
Synopsis[]
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Davros continues to torture Harry Sullivan and Sarah Jane Smith in the hopes that it will convince the Doctor to tell him everything he needs to know about possible weaknesses in the Dalek design. The Doctor relents and goes through his history with the Daleks and reveals all of the methods that have been used to defeat the Daleks in the past. Davros is pleased and Harry and Sarah are taken away. Nyder takes the data tapes, leaving Davros alone with the Doctor.
Harry and Sarah are placed in the same cell where Davros is holding the turncoat, Gharman. Gharman tells them about the resistance he was forming against Davros, but cannot understand why Davros hasn't ferreted out the traitors and executed them.
Back in the lab, the Doctor and Davros discuss the philosophical merits of the Daleks. Davros believes that by removing the creatures' moral center, they would be uncompromising, allowing them to completely dominate any race they came upon. It is his assertion that only through complete control can true peace be achieved. The Doctor posits a hypothetical query to Davros: If he were capable of creating a virus that could wipe out an entire species, would he do it? Davros ponders the concept for a brief moment and grows excited by the notion of having such power. While Davros ruminates over the possibilities, the Doctor takes advantage of the distraction and grabs him. He orders Davros to destroy the Daleks, but Nyder walks into the room and clubs the Doctor from behind. Davros then issues a command to all Dalek units to disengage from their current operations and return to the Kaled bunker.
Gharman's colleague, Kavell, goes to the detention area and knocks out the guard. He frees Gharman, Harry and Sarah and Harry disguises himself in the Kaled security uniform. Nyder brings the Doctor down to the cell, but when he sees the resistance members, he turns and runs away. Gharman and Kavell arm themselves and prepare to pursue him. Before they leave, the Doctor warns them that Davros is up to something. He is fully prepared for whatever actions the resistance members may take. The Doctor tells Harry and Sarah that they need to recover the Time Ring if they ever hope to return home, but they must also recover the data tapes that Nyder recorded or else the Daleks will become invincible.
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Gharman and Kavell regroup with several more sympathizers and engage Davros' loyalists. One of them kills a guard, which angers Gharman who wanted a bloodless revolution. Kavell informs him that 80% of the Scientific Elite are now on their side. They round up most of the soldiers under Davros' command. It appears as if the resistance is on the verge of winning.
Nyder gives Davros an update on the rebellion. Davros wants all of the highest ranking officers to surrender to the resistance leaders. Nyder is shocked to hear this. He cannot understand why Davros would give up without even a fight, but Davros has no intention of surrendering. He merely wishes to project the illusion of giving in to their demands.
Meanwhile, the Doctor, Sarah and Harry find an armory. While rummaging through a storage locker, they come upon a stockpile of explosives and detonators. Realizing that their situation is becoming desperate, the Doctor intends on using the explosives to destroy the Dalek incubation chamber, ending their threat forever.
Gharman and the others take Davros' control room by force, but Davros and Nyder offer no resistance. Gharman issues his ultimatum. Davros is to cease all work on the Dalek project or else he will be arrested and a new democratically elected Scientific Elite will be put into place. Before conceding to Gharman's demands, Davros asks for a meeting of all of the highest ranking members of both the Military and Scientific Elite. Gharman agrees and the schedule the meeting to take place in one hour.
The Doctor, Harry and Sarah find the Dalek incubation chamber. The Doctor goes in alone, carrying with him a supply of explosives. He finds several beakers containing Dalek embryos. One of the embryos however, escapes from its container and attacks the Doctor, wrapping itself about his throat.
Cast[]
Principal Cast[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Tom Baker | The Doctor |
| Elisabeth Sladen | Sarah Jane Smith |
| Ian Marter | Harry Sullivan |
| Michael Wisher | Davros |
Guest Stars[]
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Peter Miles | Nyder |
| Stephen Yardley | Sevrin |
| Harriet Philpin | Bettan |
| Dennis Chinnery | Gharman |
| Tom Georgeson | Kavell |
| Peter Mantle | Kaled guard |
| John Scott Martin | Dalek operator |
| Cy Town | Dalek operator |
| Keith Ashley | Dalek operator |
| Roy Skelton | Dalek voice |
| Alan Chuntz | Elite guard |
| Jim Dowdall | Elite guard |
| Harry Van Engel | Kaled scientist |
| Terry Walsh | Kaled scientist |
Notes & Trivia[]
- Episode was included in the Doctor Who: Genesis of the Daleks DVD collection.
- Includes a recap of the climax to Part Four.
See also[]
Media
The World of Doctor Who
Doctor Who miscellaneous
External Links[]
| "Genesis of the Daleks" This is the fourth multi-part storyline from series twelve of Doctor Who and is divided into six chapters. Chapters
Characters
The Doctor • Sarah Jane Smith • Harry Sullivan • Davros • Nyder • Ronson • Gharman • Bettan • Sevrin • Daleks |
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