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Doctor Who spin-off review: Dalek Empire begins with Invasion of the Daleks

By James Aggas

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The Daleks are invading. What will humanity do to survive against the might of the Dalek Empire? That’s a key question asked in the opening episode of the Doctor Who spin-off.

In 2001, Big Finish took a very big risk. While they had been making both Doctor Who and Bernice Summerfield audios for a while – both of which had a previously established audience – they hadn’t created their own original spin-off series. However, that changed with Dalek Empire: a series heavily focused on Doctor Who‘s most iconic monsters and their war against the human race. Only this time, the Doctor isn’t around to stop them.

The sole writer and director of Dalek Empire, Nicholas Briggs, is the perfect choice for such a series. Not just because of his writing ability, but as both the voice of the Daleks and a huge fan of them, he clearly has a solid understanding of what makes them work.

This is instantly clear from Dalek Empire‘s first episode, Invasion of the Daleks. The title is basic, but effective, as it tells the story of the Daleks’ invasion of the Milky Way in the far future, beginning with the Vega system.

With just the first episode, Briggs establishes a clear tone and style for the series. Unlike most series, the opening episode doesn’t take place over a short period of time. In fact, the whole episode stretches across several months, at least, as we experience not just the Daleks’ initial attack on Vega VI, but also the horrific aftermath, as many humans are turned into slaves.

From Dalek Empire’s first episode, the series captures a lot of the darkness of many Sixties Dalek stories. But it also adds something fresh, too.

(Photo credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Exploring humanity

We’re introduced to three characters who become the key perspectives in this series: Susan Mendes, a young woman who becomes a slave of the Daleks; Alby Brook, her driver who’s hiding a few secrets of his own, and Kalendorf, a Knight of Velyshaa. We only get a few glimpses of the last character in this episode, as Invasion of the Daleks focuses on the close friendship between Suze and Alby before they’re torn apart.

All the actors give very strong performances in this episode, as they play very likable yet flawed characters. Suze’s story is definitely the most interesting, at this point. What she goes through, as she’s pushed to virtually breaking point by the Daleks, is difficult to hear, at times. However, while she initially appears incredibly defiant, she’s slowly pushed into a morally difficult situation…

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That’s something that’s actually key to Briggs’s series: morality. Or rather, humanity in general. Briggs makes the very smart choice to not just focus on the Daleks themselves, but rather, how humanity reacts to them. When something is so evil and relentless, how do you fight against it? What do you do to survive? Do you fight back? Run? Or even work with them? These are the questions that are raised in just the opening episode, questions that are further explored as the series goes on.

Some series take a while to find their feet, while others get it exactly right from the first episode. Dalek Empire is a perfect example of the latter with Invasion of the Daleks. It’s dark, grim and gritty, with a heavy focus on making the Daleks a major threat. But it also features heavy exploration of humanity, too. A fantastic start to the series.

Next. How one of the greatest stories ever affected the Daleks. dark

Have you listened to Dalek Empire? Are you a fan of the Daleks? Do you think a spin-off like this series could work on television? Let us know in the comments below.

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