For the universe's most deadly adversary, they sure do have a lot of avid supporters, and writing the dreaded Daleks off as mere "robots" whilst in the company of a Doctor Who fanatic is another surefire way of getting all up in their Whovian grill. After all, everybody knows that the Daleks are mutated cyborg hybrids encased in an external metal shell of bulletproof Dalekanium (right?), and you'll be wishing you had your very own layer of protective armour after you've embarked on these uncharted waters. As a word of warning, the history of the Daleks is long (very long), so ensure you've got a good few hours to kill before igniting the flame of this particular disagreement. Your Whovian friend will consequently insist on explaining the mythology of the Daleks in painstakingly excruciating detail, from their initial inception on their home planet Skaro to their most recent appearances, plus every Earth-invading escapade in between. And be warned, there sure is a lot of them! Still, you can always try amusing yourself throughout their rehearsed rant by raising important questions such as, "But surely they can't all be bad?" and "Why don't you just creep up from behind and push them over?", though don't expect the answers to be anything other than in-depth. If the escalating drama results in your friend whipping out a toilet plunger and threatening to exterminate you and your entire family, it's probably time to call it a day.
Dan Butler is the Doctor Who Editor at WhatCulture.com. When he isn't writing his own articles or editing other people's, he can be found trawling the internet for gifs of Steven Moffat laughing. Contact him via dan.butler@whatculture.co.uk.
