The Daleks

The Daleks were created by a mad scientist named Davros, out of the people of his own planet, Kaled. He experimented with expunging all emotions, especially those relating to finer feelings towards others. As the people of Kaled were mutated into small green, gelatinous creatures, they were encased in a pepper-pot shaped shell made of "dalekanium". The result was a race of vicious, zenophobic cyborgs, bent on destroying or enslaving the universe, particularly the Time Lords of Gallifrey. An average Dalek is between five and six feet tall, with a single stalk, rather like a sink plunger, which acts as an eyepiece, on a rotating dome head. The body is covered with bumps which are variously motion sensors or are part of a self-destruct system. The Dalek is armed with a gunstalk which can contain a flme-thrower, a projectile weapon or a deadly raygun. Early Daleks were easily defeated by stairs, but later models were fitted with an anti-gravity devise enabling the Dalek to "float", even able to fly through space.

Daleks have no discernable gender, all having the same basic design and voice. However, there were always a group of Daleks who were more intelligent and who directed their campaigns. Davros led the Daleks for a time, until he was destroyed by the Doctor, the Daleks eternal foe. Eventually an Emperor Dalek evolved to replace their lost leader. The Emperor, being more farsighted than it's fellows, created the Cult of Skaro; a band of individualist Daleks who have their own names and discover more creative ways of subdueing their enemies.

The entire Dalek race was deemed to have been wiped out, along with the Time Lords, in the great Time War. Of the people of Gallifrey, only the Doctor survivied, and of the Daleks, a small band were able to escape through a time shift. This group, under the leadership of the now dereanged Emperor, set about rebuilding their species by using material from humans of Earth. They controlled the Earth's development through taking over it's television and communications networks. The result was a stunted human race, mesmerised by endless game shows, where the only reward was to be transported to a Dalek ship, there to be disintergrated. The best of the humans were made over into Daleks. This incorporation of human material brought about their downfall, when the Doctor and his companion, Rose Tyler, with Captain Jack Harkness, were dragged into the games. Rose, as a conduit for the power of the Tardis, attempted to destroy the Daleks by reducing them to dust.

Once again, some of the Daleks were able to escape using a time shift. They reappeared on Earth through a Genesis Arc, when they became embroiled in a battle with the Cybermen, who were also attempting to invade and conquer the planet. The Cybermen offered to join with them, but the Daleks, being zenophobic even towards other cyborg races, refused. The Doctor and Rose were able to trap both races inside the Void. The Cult of Skaro escaped, transporting themselves to New York of the Depression years. There, they took over the Empire State Building, forcing humans to work for them to create a lightening rod out of dalekanium. They also experimented with recreating more Daleks. Dalek Sec, leader of the Cult, became convinced that the inginuity and capacity for violence in humans should be harnessed. He joined with a human, creating a new creature with the ambition and creativity of humans, with the will to survive and conquer of the Daleks. However, the remaining three members, Daleks Jast, Thay and Caan, disagree and turn on their leader. Once again, the Doctor and his companion, Martha Jones, destroy the Daleks.

However, Dalek Caan is able to escape in one last temporal shift. So, will the Daleks be back? Probably!