Doctor Who: Why the return of the Dalek Emperor was huge

One of Russell T Davies’s bolder decisions in Doctor Who that gets overlooked is bringing back the Dalek Emperor, who hadn’t been in the series for nearly four decades. Why did it work so well?

Out of all of the finales we’ve had since Doctor Who came back in 2005, The Parting of the Ways still holds up as one of the best. It’s dark, the stakes are high, the body count is huge, and it’s a wonderful sendoff to Christopher Eccleston’s brilliant Ninth Doctor.

However, on top of all of that, it featured a very significant return. One that possibly gets overlooked, but only because the rest of the episode is so strong. But it’s still a surprising move, in hindsight.

For the Ninth Doctor’s final adventure, Russell T Davies decided to bring back the Dalek Emperor…who hadn’t been seen on-screen since The Evil of the Daleks in 1967. That’s a gap of nearly forty years.

The last (and first) time the Emperor had appeared on TV was The Evil of the Daleks – featuring a very different design, but still recognizably powerful.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

An unexpected return

I remember being genuinely surprised by the revelation that the Emperor had returned. It wasn’t just the long gap, but also the fact that he’d had only one story on television. Versions of the Emperor had appeared in other media, such as comics and Big Finish’s audios. But he had been in just one TV story.

Granted, it’s one of the strongest Dalek stories that he was introduced in, and his appearance left a big impact for fans of the Classic Series. But the character wasn’t as iconic as other villains of the series, particularly Davros.

(Interestingly, the Daleks’ creator did refer to himself as “Emperor” in Seventh Doctor story Remembrance of the Daleks. But I think it’s clear that Davros isn’t the same Emperor as the one in Evil or Parting, and his casing isn’t nearly as majestic as either of theirs.)

A clever decision

Initially, it seems almost strange that Russell T Davies brought back a villain that the general public wouldn’t have been as familiar with. (Keep in mind, in Britain, characters like the Master and Davros are as recognisable to non-fans as Lex Luthor or the Joker are to non-comic readers.)

More from Winter is Coming

But it’s actually a pretty brilliant move. I think I can safely say that many Classic Series fans were super happy at his return. But it still didn’t overshadow the Daleks’ return in full-force, as Davros would have done. Rather, the Emperor complimented the Daleks very nicely.

On top of that, the character didn’t need too much of an introduction to the audience. It’s the leader of the Daleks, it basically looks like a Dalek but way bigger and grander, and that’s all you need.

In short, Russell T Davies got to have his cake and eat it too when he brought back the Emperor. For the hardcore fans, it was a major moment and a very welcome return of an established enemy. For new audiences, it was a cool new enemy to see that added an extra weight to the Ninth Doctor’s final story. A very well handled return.

Next. Torchwood review: An unusual and rather brilliant double act is formed in Sync. dark

How did you feel when you first saw the Emperor in The Parting of the Ways? Was it your introduction to the character? Or were you excited at his long overdue return? Let us know in the comments below.

Home/Doctor Who