The Doctor Who Holiday Special will introduce a whole new type of Dalek — here are all the known differences to the classic designs. The Daleks consider themselves the superior beings in the universe, and they are dedicated to proving the point by exterminating all other races. They are genetically engineered with what Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor famously called "a dislike of the unlike," displaying a classic British sense of understatement.
The Daleks have actually changed a lot since their first appearance in 1963. Sometimes that's been for story purposes, sometimes it's been because the BBC were unable to reuse older models, and sometimes it's been because of merchandising opportunities. Current showrunner Chris Chibnall seems determined to make his mark on Doctor Who history, and consequently it's no surprise this year's Doctor Who Holiday Special will feature what appears to be the most dramatic Dalek redesign in decades. The BBC has given a first look in a recent issue of the Radio Times, revealing the basic aspects of the design change.
These new Daleks are apparently based upon the Reconnaissance Dalek, a "new" type of Dalek unveiled in the 2019 Holiday Special, "Resolution." This Dalek reconstructed its casing using raw materials at hand, a look Jodie Whittaker's Thirteenth Doctor described as "junkyard chic." It's possible these new Daleks have used whatever resources are available to construct their own casings as well, which would explain why Chris Chibnall believes it's difficult to discuss them without spoilers. Still, here's everything known about these new Daleks for certain.
The Overall Shape Of The Dalek Has Changed
These new Daleks are visually similar to those seen in the 2019 Holiday Special, "Resolution." Like that Dalek, they are about an inch or two taller than previous models, but they are also slightly thinner. Their skirts have been extended to make them feel more imposing, however. According to Chibnall, the new overall shape meant the crew had to take a very different approach with the Daleks. Traditional Dalek actors have sat inside the casings, with some even pedaling unicycles in order to move. These new Daleks, however, are remote controlled.
The Dalek Colorscheme Has Changed
The entire Dalek colorscheme has changed, dropping previous looks of grey and bronze. These new Daleks are a sleek black, like a cool racing model, and they have Alexa-style blue lights that feel reminiscent of Tron. The slats below the eye-stalk — described as super sensitive recording screens in the Doctor Who Technical Manual — have been dropped completely. Interestingly, in the new design the area around the recording screens appears transparent, which may mean it has become an area of vulnerability. While all aspects of the Dalek casing are undoubtedly robust, this may be a little more fragile.
The Daleks Glow Red At Night
According to Chris Chibnall, the new Daleks have glowing red lights that activate at night. It's unclear why this is the case, but it's possible the removal of the recording screens means these new Daleks don't possess quite such sophisticated monitoring systems as their predecessors and thus need infrared light. Given red is one of the colors of Christmas, this feels like an amusing and appropriate change.
The Sink Plunger Is Gone
That's right — it looks as though the Daleks are losing their iconic sink plungers. Technically these are supposed to be manipulator arms, and traditional Dalek equipment is designed to respond only to them; they're also deadly weapons in their own right, as proven in the Christopher Eccleston era, when a Dalek was willing to use it to crush a man's skull. But these manipulator arms were replaced in the "Resolution" Dalek, and they look to be gone for good.
The Gun Control Is Different
The Dalek weapon is similar to the classic design, although slimmed down and sleeker. That suggests it operates in the same manner as the traditional Dalek blast gun, which produces electrical discharges similar in intensity to a blast of lightning. That said, it's possible the weapon won't be quite as dangerous as the ones seen in the Davies and Moffat eras. If these new Daleks are indeed related to the "Resolution" Dalek, then they left Skaro centuries ago. Dalek technology has presumably evolved along different lines, explaining the visual differences and likely technological differences as well.
There Are A Different Number Of Sensor Spheres
In "Asylum of the Daleks," Rory Williams famously attempted to hand a Dalek one of the round objects from its skirting, believing it was an egg — the Dalek, of course, was simply beginning to say "Exterminate." In reality, these are actually sensor spheres, reacting to changes in external conditions and relay data on temperature, humidity, movement and the presence of animal life. This data is transmitted to the creature inside the Dalek casing, and to the super-computers wired into it. Curiously, the new Daleks have less of these sensor spheres. It's possible these Daleks are limited in the availability of resources; alternatively, they may simply have a different approach, preferring to wreak havoc and not really caring for precision. If so, the Daleks of the Jodie Whittaker era could be even more dangerous.
The Skirting Has Changed
The skirting on the new Daleks is slimmer than the older Dalek design, and interestingly it ends with another area that glows blue. This may well indicate all these Daleks are equipped with hover-sleds of the type originally seen in the 1960s Daleks comics published by TV Century 21. If so, that would again point to a new origin for these Daleks, that they left Skaro long ago and their technology has evolved in a slightly different way.
-
There have been reports the new Daleks will wind up going head-to-head against the classic models, explaining the title "Revolution of the Daleks." Daleks would not be concerned with exterior differences, so it is possible these new versions have actually mutated in a subtly different way, becoming a different sub-species. Both types of Dalek would retain the same "dislike of the unlike," so they'd each have the same simple goal; to exterminate the other. Doctor Who could be about to feature a Dalek civil war.