Doctor Who review: The Daleks invade Gallifrey for the first time in The Apocalypse Element

The Time Lords’ home planet was previously invaded by both the Vardans and the Sontarans in The Invasion of Time. But are even they prepared for the Daleks this time?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Long before the Time War, the Daleks invade Gallifrey for the first time in The Apocalypse Element. Is this an essential story for Doctor Who fans to listen to?

There are two kinds of essential Doctor Who stories. There’s the kind that you need to watch or listen to simply because of how brilliant they are, and how they helped to define the series stylistically.

Then there’s the other kind. The essential stories that aren’t exactly great, but they do feature some major mythology as well as some seriously cool ideas that compel fans to check them out. The Apocalypse Element is one such story.

That’s a brilliantly dramatic title, isn’t it? The Apocalypse Element. It sounds big and destructive, and that’s exactly what this story goes for. Eventually.

It has to be said though, it does take a while to get there. The first half of the story focuses on a group of delegates from various temporal powers being attacked by the Daleks. It’s also about much more than that, but the plot does cover a lot.

Romana’s return

So I’ll focus on one of the most important plot points during this first half: the return of Romana. While the story basically glosses over how she returned from E-Space, the most important part is the revelation that she’s been a prisoner of the Daleks. Not just for a couple of weeks, or months, but for twenty years. Even for a Time Lady, that’s an incredibly long time, particularly when you’re pushed to the limits by a race as ruthless as the Daleks.

On re-listen, the first half of The Apocalypse Element actually sets up a lot. For one, the introduction of other temporal powers, such as the Monan Host, is something that becomes central to the later spin-off series Gallifrey.

For another, along with establishing Romana as President in the audios, and not just The New Adventures novels, her experience with the Daleks in this particular story is going to affect her for a long time to come. Especially in Extermination and Gallifrey: Time War.

However, it’s the second half of the story where things get really interesting. Because that’s when the Daleks invade Gallifrey…

The Apocalypse Element would have repercussions for a long time to come. Not just for the Daleks, but for Romana, too…

(Image credit: Gallifrey/Doctor Who/Big Finish Productions.

Image obtained from: Big Finish Productions.)

The first Dalek invasion of Gallifrey

Admittedly, this isn’t exactly the Fall of Arcadia (as seen in The Day of the Doctor). While the Daleks do attack, the Time Lords are able to keep the small force locked out of most key areas. (This is actually pretty satisfying to listen to, especially since it explain a massive plot hole from the TV movie.) So it’s not exactly a full-on epic battle that we hear in this one.

Regardless, it is still satisfying to hear a more distinctly Classic Series take on the Daleks invading Gallifrey, and that’s exactly what The Apocalypse Element gives us. It feels small scale in some ways, but you do get glimpses of the Time Lords struggling to fight back.

It’s particularly interesting hearing Gallifrey struggle against something like this before the Time War. While the planet is much more tightly defended later on, at this point, the Time Lords are too relaxed about their own internal security, allowing the Daleks to take over with ease. It’s hard not to see why the Time Lords became so paranoid later on, especially by the time that the War began.

The roots of the Time War

It’s also not hard to see this story becoming a crucial moment in escalating tensions between the Time Lords and the Daleks. Neither race might be ready to fight the other in all-out war by the end of the story, but they’re certainly a lot close to it than they were at the start.

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The Apocalypse Element is also the second story of the Dalek Empire arc. While the whole picture of the arc is saved for the last installment, The Time of the Daleks, there is a sense of buildup throughout each of these stories.

In some ways, the story feels standalone – which makes sense from the Doctor’s perspective, as he hasn’t lived through the events of The Genocide Machine yet. But it is nice to think of a group of Dalek stories that explores one of their grander schemes. Especially when it’s just them, with no Davros in sight.

The Apocalypse Element isn’t one of my favorite stories, but it’s still an enjoyable and exciting one. Certainly, it’s one of the bolder stories that Big Finish attempted, before they were finally able to tell stories of the Time War in 2015. A hugely significant story, and one that would lay the groundwork for many stories to come. Not just in Doctor Who itself, but in several spin-offs, too.

Have you listened to the first time that the Daleks invaded Gallifrey? Do you think it was handled well? Do you think it’s a key story that built towards the Time War? Let us know in the comments below.