Doctor Who review: Masters of War is an extremely different Dalek story

Following the earlier Doctor Who Unbound story Sympathy for the Devil, Masters of War features David Warner’s Doctor and the alternative Brigadier facing the Daleks. But are these the Daleks we’re familiar with?

Masters of War is the kind of Doctor Who story that could only work as an Unbound audio. What’s interesting is that the “What if…?” situation it presents isn’t quite as dramatic as other entries in the series. It’s not asking “What if the Doctor had never left Gallifrey?” or “What if the Doctor turned evil?” Indeed, it actually continues with another Unbound team – that of David Warner’s Doctor and an alternative Brigadier, first introduced in Sympathy for the Devil – rather than create a new one.

But it’s still something you couldn’t explore with a regular Doctor. For instance, it becomes extremely clear early on that this story essentially shows a new timeline where the events of Genesis of the Daleks never happened. Not in this universe’s history, anyway. The Doctor is never sent back in time to the point of the Daleks’ very origins.

That’s not to say that this story has no ties to the Dalek mythology we know. In fact, Masters of War begins as an almost direct sequel to The Daleks. In the original story, the First Doctor had helped the Thals fight back against the Daleks, and he believed that all the ones on Skaro had been destroyed.

When Warner’s Doctor arrives on this world however, he’s shocked to discover that the Thals are now living under Dalek occupation. Why have his old enemies returned? What do they want? And is their mythical creator Davros real?

The TARDIS team featured in this story first appeared in Sympathy for the Devil.

(Photo: Doctor Who: Unbound – Sympathy for the Devil. Image Courtesy Big Finish Productions.)

Another take on the Daleks

Writer Eddie Robson gives us a radically different take on the Daleks in Masters of War. When the story begins, they seem like the ones we’re familiar with, particularly in how they seem to have enslaved the Thals.

But as the story goes on, it becomes clear that these aren’t quite the Daleks we know. They’re not kinder, as such, but they’re not as ruthless, either. The reasons for this become clear as the story goes on, giving us an interesting Dalek story that you couldn’t get with a regular Doctor.

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Speaking of which, David Warner is unsurprisingly fantastic as the Unbound Doctor, continuing to bring a strong air of authority to the character. Nicholas Courtney continues to be great as the alternative Brigadier too, as the old man gets the chance to use his military skills once more. Surprisingly, his journey with the Doctor is resolved at the end of this story, but it’s done in a satisfying way.

Masters of War is such a radically different take on the Daleks that it’s almost difficult to judge it. It’s neither one of my favorite Dalek stories nor even one of my favorite Unbound audios. But it does admittedly present a fascinating glimpse of a universe where the Daleks didn’t become such a major threat, and where there is hope for them. Like the Peter Cushing films, certainly worth a listen if you’re looking for a Dalek story that’s familiar yet different.

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Have you listened to Masters of War? Did you enjoy it? How well do you think it handled Davros and the Daleks? Let us know in the comments below.

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