Doctor Who: EVERY Version Of The Daleks Explained

Of all the Doctor’s enemies, the Daleks have, by far, plagued him the most.

They’ve also had an unrivalled number of redesigns and variants, with the basic outline remaining the same but the casing designs and colour schemes constantly updating.

Then there are the more specialised Daleks, with their own specific ranks and capabilities. Many of these have followed the iconic “plunger and gunstick” template, but some have had bespoke appendages, or even none at all!

Countless other Dalek variants have appeared in expanded media – perhaps most famously, the Time Controller, with its striking diagonal neck rings. However, this list will only be dealing with the ones seen onscreen. Likewise, we’ll only be talking about television versions of the Supreme and Emperor Daleks.

From Skaro Daleks to human Daleks, Davros’ Daleks to the New Dalek Paradigm and Reconnaissance Scouts to Executioners, this is the ultimate guide to the universe’s deadliest creatures.

The earliest Daleks were native to Skaro, mutated from one of the planet's original indigenous species, the Kaleds, after a long and bitter war with fellow Skaro natives the Thals.

The whole purpose of the Dalek casing was to function as a life support and weapons system for these mutated Kaleds... but it also turned them into something far worse.

Initially confined to their city due to a reliance on static electricity, they gradually adapted themselves for travel further afield – first by adopting solar energy collection discs on their backs for their 22nd century invasion of Earth, and then by adding solar slats to their midsections (a feature that has remained ever since).

This enabled them to lead campaigns on various planets, including Earth (in both the 22nd and 40th centuries), Aridius, Spiridon, and Exxilon – almost always being foiled by the Doctor, who quickly became their most hated enemy.

Setting the template for most subsequent models, these Daleks typically sported a plunger and a gunstick. However, the plunger was occasionally swapped out for a more specialised appendage such as a cutting device (much to the fright of poor Lynda with a Y) or a flamethrower. This weapon variety even extended to some of these Daleks becoming full-on suicide bombers during the Dalek-Movellan war!

Eventually, these Daleks evolved into the Renegade faction, who opposed all Daleks who weren’t from Skaro and were loyal to the Supreme Dalek rather than their original creator, Davros.

Protecting the purity of the Dalek race has always been at the heart of the Dalek cause, and so for them to turn on fellow Daleks showed just how far they would go in that mission.