Doctor Who Revolution Of The Daleks: 10 Huge Talking Points After The New Year Special
9. What Are Death Squad Daleks?
Watching Daleks destroy each other is always great entertainment (see for example the 1988 fan favourite Remembrance of the Daleks), but this is the first time we have heard of Death Squad Daleks, specifically purposed with rooting out any impurities in the Dalek race.
The Death Squad is Chibnall’s second innovation in Dalek lore, following the Reconnaissance Dalek (first seen in Resolution). Their existence reveals a central flaw in Dalek philosophy. Programmed to survive in order to keep the Dalek race alive, there are times when they need to evolve. As the Doctor points out, it is ironic that a race of mutants are so obsessed with genetic purity.
The specific design of the cloned reconnaissance Dalek, built as it was from scrap, is unlikely to be seen again now that the Death Squad have wiped them out. It’s a shame as it works very well. The redesign serves as a visual indicator of the hybrid nature of the new Dalek army, but it isn’t the first time the Daleks have augmented themselves with human DNA, and it almost certainly won’t be the last.