Doctor Who: ‘Genesis of the Daleks’ REVISITED

credit: BBC

Well, that was an amazing opening episode for Series 9, wasn’t it? Certainly, many of us at Doctor Who Watch really enjoyed it, and its connections to one of the greatest and most important stories of classic Who were more than appreciated. In fact, they were absolutely integral to the plot of ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’.

Which is why I’ve decided to re-visit ‘Genesis of the Daleks’, Davros‘s introduction story with Tom Baker‘s Fourth Doctor from 1975. Now, if there’s one story from the classic series I strongly recommend that fans of the new series should watch, it’s this one. Not just for how much of a massive impact it had on mythology, but also because it’s such a brilliant story from start to finish.

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At this point in the series, the Daleks had been around for over a decade, very nearly as long as the show itself. And while there had been many great serials early on (‘The Daleks’, ‘The Dalek Invasion of Earth’ and ‘The Evil of the Daleks’ are some of my favourites, especially), they had arguably lost a great deal of their impact, too. Their image and their stories were due for a shaking up, something that would strip away the side of them that focused on nothing but galactic conquest all the time and took them back to their Nazi-inspired roots. Creator Terry Nation found the best way to do that by telling a story of their very origins, and oh boy, did it work.

Right from the opening moments, we’re treated to some shocking and brutal wartime imagery, as we see many soldiers in gas masks shot down. There’s a lot of strong imagery throughout this story, as we’re given a rather different take on a science-fiction war. It’s not presented as full of spaceships and lasers. Instead, we’re given a vision of a war that’s lasted for so long and resources have become so low, that the population are forced to use weapons like gas grenades and machine guns. It really helps to ground the war much closer to reality and maintain a lot of the grim horror about it. (Admittedly, it more than likely really helped the budget, too.)

Another thing that’s striking about the presentation of war in this story is that, far from being a tale of good versus evil, with the heroic Thals against the evil and monstrous Kaleds, both sides are presented as equally ruthless and even as desperate as the other. In fact, it’s clear that on both sides, there are men fighting for what they believe is truly right as much as there are pure sadists, too.

It’s especially surprising to see the Thals presented in this way – in their previous stories, the Thals had been clearly presented as the good guys, but here, they are no better than their enemies. (Well, not their initial enemies, anyway.) Once again, it’s rather fascinating to watch a take on war that’s rarely seen in science-fiction, particularly when it’s aimed at the whole family – a vision that’s gritty and horrific with no clear vision of good or evil.

At least, not until Davros comes along.

Davros is very quickly established as a man of power, someone not just highly intelligent, but also highly ambitious and completely believes in his vision of a master race. He’s ruthless and truly sees having a conscience as a weakness.

It’s easy to see why Davros made such a big impact from his very first appearance. Not only is he written incredibly well, a truly dangerous enemy for the Doctor to face, but he’s also brilliantly performed by Michael Wisher. There are moments when Davros has echoes of the ‘children’ he’s created when he’s furious, but you never feel that it’s cheesy or overdone. He easily overshadows the Daleks in this story, but that’s not exactly a complaint, especially as the Daleks have barely been ‘born’ at this point.

Peter Miles is also fantastic to watch as Nyder, Davros’s henchman. His completely unquestioning loyalty is frightening to watch at times. There are no shades of gray in this character, no moments of doubt whether what he and Davros are doing is right. In someone else’s hands, that might have come across as two-dimensional, but like Wisher’s performance of Davros, Miles portrays it so well that you never stop believing it for a moment. It’s a shame that (on TV, at least) ‘Genesis’ is the only story the character appears in, but an earlier version of him does appear in the spin-off prequel ‘I, Davros: Guilt‘, once again played brilliantly by Miles.

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Next: PAGE 2: Do I Have the Right?

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The acting’s great and consistent throughout the story, but there is one more performance I should highlight: Tom Baker. There’s a reason he’s consistently thought of as one of the most popular Doctors, and this story (still in his first season, I might add) really highlights why. Throughout ‘Genesis of the Daleks’, we’re given a very grim and serious performance for the Fourth Doctor, as he’s placed in a very vulnerable position on the home planet of his greatest enemies. Even his TARDIS is separated from him, as he’s placed directly on Skaro by the Time Lords. His people have given him a mission: either find a way to significantly alter the Daleks at their creation, so that they don’t evolve to become one of the greatest threats in the universe, or prevent their creation entirely and commit genocide.

If you had the chance to stop evil at its source, before it even has a chance to cause pain and suffering, would you take it?

Throughout ‘Genesis’, we see the Doctor at his most desperate, trying to change history and stop the Daleks by any means necessary. As every single one of his attempts is thwarted, again and again, it looks like fate is set against him and there is nothing he can do…and then, finally, he’s given a chance to wipe them out, once and for all. It is at this point that we reach the pivotal moment. Not just for ‘Genesis’, but perhaps for the entire history of the show.

The Fourth Doctor’s “Do I have the right?” speech is possibly one of the greatest moments in Doctor Who history, and one that’s been revisited a few times. It’s not hard to see why — not only is it Tom Baker at his best, as you can see his Doctor facing one of the most difficult decisions of all his lives, it also presents an incredibly difficult moral dilemma: if you had the chance to stop evil at its source, before it even has a chance to cause pain and suffering, would you take it? And if you did, would that make you any better than the evil you were fighting? It’s a brilliant moral question, and I adore how ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ directly addressed such a key moment. The scene left a huge impact on the show’s legacy, and it’s not the only scene in the story to do that.

I have to say that one of my favourite moments in particular is when the Doctor and Davros confront each other for the first time. It’s funny to think that they actually aren’t together for much of the story, as the few scenes they do have leave such an impact. Again, despite being only his first story, it’s clear even in ‘Genesis’ that Davros is one of the few villains of the show who could be considered the Doctor’s equal. Both are geniuses, both doing anything and everything they can to achieve their goals and, most importantly, both very firm in their moral viewpoints. Davros is utterly convinced that what he’s doing is, ultimately, for the good, and nothing the Doctor can say or do will change that.

It’s a confrontation that has been brought up again and again, and almost every time the Doctor and Davros meet, moral questions and fantastic performances are given, with ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ being no exception. (Although in my opinion, if there is an exception, then ‘Destiny of the Daleks’ would be it.)

‘Genesis of the Daleks’ is an absolutely essential story to watch, and a perfect introduction for fans of the new series to discover the classic. Not just for introducing one of the show’s greatest villains, or even for setting up crucial events that ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’ and even David Tennant‘s ‘The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End’ have built upon. Mythology wise, it’s also a crucial first step towards the Time War, as the Time Lords make the first strike against the Daleks, and while no classic stories covered the War directly, the roots of the conflict begin in ‘Genesis’ and develop further throughout the rest of the classic series.

More than its importance to the mythology however is how ‘Genesis of the Daleks’ truly is a gritty and thrilling story, and one of the very best of not just the classic series, but of the show as a whole.

Next: New Photos and Clip from 'The Witch's Familiar'