The world's longest-running science-fiction series, Doctor Who has been around since 1963 (give or take a few gaps) and is still running as part of the same continuity. During that time, the TARDIS has been filled with many different companions and the Doctor has had many different faces, but one of the few constants during the near-sixty years since the show started is the Daleks.

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The fiercest of all the Doctor's great enemies, the Daleks are the cybernetic personifications of hate and prejudice, a race of alien tanks that aims to exterminate the galaxy. Nevertheless, despite often being considered a match for the Doctor's intelligence, the Daleks have had a few terrible plans over the years.

Failing To Win A War Against A Single Ship (Destiny Of The Daleks)

2 classic grey Daleks on the left, 3 silver-haired Movellan androids on the right, armed with lasers

Throughout their existence, the Daleks have always been positioned as the ultimate evil; a race of cunning, spiteful monsters who live to destroy and conquer. The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) found this out in the classic story "Genesis of the Daleks," but its direct follow-up "Destiny of the Daleks" undid some of that work. In it, the Daleks of Skaro are at war with the Movellans, a race of androids, but their plan to destroy them is stalled because both sides' tactical computers are stuck in a stalemate.

The Daleks are the ultimate conquerors, so failing to out-think these androids or destroy their single spaceship on the Daleks' home planet is shameful.

Hide In A Big Space/Time Bubble (Doomsday)

The Black Dalek Sec flanked by two Cybermen

In the second season finale of Doctor Who's modern revamp, the Cybermen have successfully managed to invade Earth. If that wasn't bad enough, the mysterious bubble-like Void Ship opens to reveal the Daleks known as the Cult of Skaro. It's an exciting moment, and the season finale finally shows how formidable the Daleks are compared to the Doctor's other major cybernetic opponents, the Cybermen.

Unfortunately, it doesn't excuse the fact that the Daleks' plan was merely to hide in a big bubble until the end of time, a cowardly act which isn't very Dalek of them.

Turning The Earth Into A Spaceship (The Dalek Invasion Of Earth)

First Doctor William Hartnell looking stern next to a black-&-white Dalek outside the UK Parliament

The epic "Dalek Invasion of Earth" storyline from the black-and-white second season of the show's original run was, at the time, the biggest story Doctor Who had ever attempted, and was even adapted into a movie starring Peter Cushing. The six-part story had the First Doctor (William Hartnell) and companions arrive on a future Earth where the Daleks have conquered the planet.

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From the beginning, the Doctor suspects that the Daleks had something planned other than conquest, and the final episode reveals they simply wanted to turn the planet into a giant spaceship and cruise around the galaxy invading. Why didn't they do this with an uninhabited planet?

Create A Dalek-Human Hybrid (Daleks In Manhattan)

Dalek Sec in both forms - black Dalek on the left, suited Dalek-human hybrid on the right

When the Tenth Doctor (David Tennant) and Martha (Freema Agyeman) arrive in 1930s New York, they discover that a lot of people have been going missing without explanation. It turns out the Cult of Skaro, after fleeing into time at the end of the season two finale, has begun experiments to create a Dalek-human hybrid.

Ultimately they succeed, and Dalek Sec merges with a human body. The only problem is that none of the Daleks seem to really know why they are bothering to make this hybrid, which results in a far weaker species that they end up killing anyway. Plus, as revealed in "Genesis of the Daleks," before being Daleks they were the human-like Kaleds anyway, so this is a regression, not an evolution.

Chase The Doctor Around Time And Get Blown Up (The Chase)

Black-and-white picture of two grey Daleks opposite the spherical Mechonoid robots

While the First Doctor story "The Chase" showcases the first time the Daleks ever used time travel, it's also infamous as one of the silliest Dalek stories that Doctor Who has ever produced.

The Daleks are able to track the Doctor's TARDIS, and so begins an epic chase across time and space as the Doctor attempts to evade and stop his mortal enemies. The first problem with the Daleks' plan is that the Doctor can predict their movements and they're late every time. The second is all the silly things that they fail to overcome, including an encounter with Frankenstein's monster (who their weapons are ineffective against) and a battle with the ridiculous sphere-like robot Mechonoids, which they are somehow evenly matched with.

Let Davros Do Whatever He Wants Until He Kills Them (Resurrection Of The Daleks)

Left: Black Dalek with 5th Doctor emerging from doorframe Right: Davros in front of 2 melted Daleks

While "Genesis of the Daleks" is one of the finest stories Doctor Who has ever produced, it did have the unintended side-effect of diminishing the Daleks in favor of their creator Davros, who had the limelight from that point until the series returned in 2005.

One of the Daleks' lowest moments was their ill-advised plan in the Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) adventure "Resurrection of the Daleks." First, the Daleks completely fail to assault a prison ship, and second, they inexplicably lost their war with the android Movellans. Finally, they put their trust in Davros to solve all their problems, which backfires spectacularly as he just kills them all.

Lock Up Insane Daleks Then Get The Doctor To Help Destroy Them (Asylum Of The Daleks)

Tenth Doctor Matt Smith alongside Amy Pond and Rory in front of several classic Daleks in the Asylum

The modern-era season seven episode "Asylum of the Daleks" is important because it introduces Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) to the mystery surrounding future companion Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman). While Oswald's shocking early appearance was the highlight of this episode, the return of classic Doctor Who Dalek designs was a close second.

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Unfortunately, the main Dalek plan in this episode is as flawed as it is nonsensical. The Daleks have never bothered keeping "defective" Daleks around, so they should've destroyed all these old Dalek types already, but they really should've known better when they recruited their ultimate enemy the Doctor to help them out. They can't have been shocked when it all went wrong for them.

The Human Factor (The Evil Of The Daleks)

Left: Emperor Dalek suspended in front of 2 classic Daleks, right: 2nd Doctor Patrick Troughton

This '60s story for the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) was written to be the final Dalek story, and while they obviously did return, that wouldn't be for another five years. It also marked the only classic Doctor Who appearance of the true Emperor Dalek.

This seven-part story should have been the ultimate Doctor Who Dalek battle but was let down by the Daleks' truly unimpressive plot. In short, they plan to evolve the Daleks with "the human factor" to make them more human. This plan fails immediately as it simply makes the humanized Daleks less willing to serve, and sets off a civil war that destroys all the Daleks on Skaro.

Kill The Master For Reasons But Let The Doctor Go (Doctor Who: The Movie)

Left: Eric Roberts as the Master in red Gallifreyan robes; on the right: 8th Doctor holding a watch

In-between the last episode of Doctor Who's classic run in 1989 and the start of the current run in 2005 was the first attempt to resurrect the show with this TV movie in 1996, which introduced the Eighth Doctor (Paul McGann).

While the Master (Eric Roberts) would be the main villain of the story, the Daleks would have a short role at the beginning of the movie, which stands as one of their worst moments. Basically the Daleks' plan is to execute the Master for unspecified reasons and then let their most hated enemy, the Doctor, collect his remains and leave. It goes wrong for the Doctor, but the Daleks weren't to know that.

Get The Doctor To Say That They Are Daleks (Victory Of The Daleks)

Tenth Doctor in front of the five new colorful Dalek redesigns

Possibly the most infamous Dalek story of Doctor Who's modern era, "Victory of the Daleks" is both a retread of the Second Doctor story "Power of the Daleks" (the Daleks pretend to be servant robots) and the introduction of a reviled chunky multi-color toy-like redesign, which was swiftly abandoned. Their plan is equally poor. The Daleks need the Doctor to confirm their identity to the Progenitor genetic archive so they can use it to resurrect their race, begging the question of which Dalek thought that would be a good idea.

Furthermore, this is yet another Dalek plan which goes perfectly and immediately results in their destruction, as the new "genetically pure" color-coded Daleks arrive and exterminate their creators on sight.

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