Genesis of the Daleks: Part One
- Episode aired Mar 8, 1975
- TV-G
- 24m
The Doctor and his companions are sent to the planet Skaro by the Time Lords to prevent the creation of the Daleks.The Doctor and his companions are sent to the planet Skaro by the Time Lords to prevent the creation of the Daleks.The Doctor and his companions are sent to the planet Skaro by the Time Lords to prevent the creation of the Daleks.
- Thal Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Thal Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Kaled Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Kaled Boy
- (uncredited)
- Kaled Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Kaled Soldier in Ravon's HQ
- (uncredited)
- Thal Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Thal Soldier
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Terry Nation
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- Donald Wilson(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFirst appearance in the series of Davros, the mad scientist and creator of the Daleks.
- GoofsThe big rocky wall visibly shifts when Sarah leans against it at the end.
- Quotes
Time Lord: Ah. Welcome Doctor.
The Doctor: What's going on? Don't you realise how dangerous it is to intercept a transmat beam?
Time Lord: Oh, come Doctor, not with our techniques. We Time Lords transcended such simple mechanical devices when the universe was less than half its present size.
The Doctor: Look, whatever I've done for you in the past, I've more than made up for. I will not tolerate this continual interference in my life.
Time Lord: Continual? We pride ourselves we seldom interfere in the affairs of others.
The Doctor: Except mine.
Time Lord: You, Doctor, are a special case. You enjoy the freedom we allow you. In return, occasionally, not continually, we ask you to do something for us.
The Doctor: I won't do it. Whatever it is, I refuse.
Time Lord: Daleks.
The Doctor: Daleks? Tell me more.
Time Lord: We foresee a time when they will have destroyed all other lifeforms and become the dominant creature in the universe.
The Doctor: That's possible. Tell on.
Time Lord: We'd like you to return to Skaro at a point in time before the Daleks evolved.
The Doctor: Do you mean avert their creation?
Time Lord: Or affect their genetic development so that they evolve into less aggressive creatures.
The Doctor: Hmm. That's feasible.
Time Lord: Alternatively, if you learn enough about their very beginnings, you might discover some inherent weakness.
The Doctor: All right, just one more time.
Time Lord: You'll do it?
The Doctor: Yes. If you'll let me have the space time coordinates, I'll set the Tardis for Skaro.
Time Lord: There's no need for that, Doctor.
The Doctor: Hmm?
Time Lord: You're here. This is Skaro.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Queer as Folk: Constant Craving (1999)
The Daleks were always reminiscent of the Nazis, but while Nation's previous Dalek stories used this as subtext, it is made exceptionally blunt here and that's not a criticism. It's always surprised me, sort of, that "Genesis" had such a big mainstream fanbase (it and "The Five Doctors", I believe, have outsold and by far any other Doctor Who DVD release). I suppose it is very memorable, but it's also not REALLY what "Doctor Who" feels like much of the time. It lays on mythology and history rather heavily, is surprisingly violent and gruesome (the new show would never have anything approaching some of this in it, and if it did it would probably be ruined by hackneyed dramatics), and has a pretty dark, ominous tone, with only a few scenes of the sort of humor present in a lot of previous Who stories. While its popularity is more than understandable, it is a little odd to me that it is often referred to as the definitive Who story (unless you view "Doctor Who" as "The Dalek Show", a view Russell T. Davies has seemed rather eager to uphold).
Of course I have little to add to what has already been said many times about this story. Its reputation is well-deserved, its scale believable thanks to good direction even though there is nothing in the way of location shooting or elaborate sets, the writing consistently tight and smart. For the Who fan "Genesis" represents a stylish, relatively well thought-out revisionist take on the Dalek's history. The lack of consistency in the 'canon' of Who is understandable given how it was made (and the fact that before the late seventies/early eighties and even then and after they were making it for one-time viewing, basically, other than reruns home video was not really a part of the equation), but given that Terry Nation wrote most of the previous Dalek stories one can hardly see this as anything but a revision of past history, one which is 'explained' by some fans rather well. I prefer not to talk about 'canon' though and just assess the stories on their own merit.
The actors are all convincing and the story is consistently involving, moving from scene to scene with conviction and a fast (but not speedy) pace. It's rather heavy stuff, as previously mentioned, and quite intelligent in its handling of its themes, for "Doctor Who" anyway, and without the pretension and mawkish sentimentality which would inevitably be par for the course these days (though another Dalek story lends itself better to bitching about RTDWho, imagine the Doctor saying goodbye to Susan in "The Dalek Invasion of Earth" done in RTD's era... blech). Admittedly this could be an episode or even two shorter but it is such a legendary and well-done story all around that it's hard to knock it, and I really love Davros in this.
- ametaphysicalshark
- May 16, 2009