Though Ridley Scott is a huge name in sci-fi, the director isn't someone you'd immediately associate with Doctor Who - but that nearly wasn't the case. Compared to yesteryear, movie audiences are far less likely to be swayed by names attached to a film, whether that be in front of or behind the camera. Nevertheless, a handful of directors still command box office clout, including Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese and Danny Boyle. Another name on that short list is Ridley Scott, who rose to prominence via Alien before scoring massive critical and commercial hits with GladiatorBlade RunnerThe Martian, and many more.

Over on the small screen, science fiction enjoyed less grandiose production than you might've seen on the Nostromo, especially in Doctor Who. Launched in 1963, the groundbreaking British TV series ran for 36 years before restarting in 2005 to even bigger success. Originally envisioned as an education historical series for the younger viewer, Doctor Who's sci-fi potential became clear when the Daleks first appeared, scaring a generation of children senseless with their metallic voices and lust for extermination. Even today the Daleks remain Doctor Who's most famous adversary, and their iconic "pepper pot" design remains fundamentally the same, despite variations over the decades.

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Other than both being creatures you wouldn't want to meet in space, Daleks and Xenomorphs have precious little in common, but Ridley Scott almost played a pivotal role in developing The Doctor's best enemies. Daleks were created by early Doctor Who writer Terry Nation, who provided a description of what his alien villains should look like. Actually designing the Daleks, however, was the responsibility of whichever BBC set designer had been assigned to 1963's "The Dead Planet," where the aliens would debut. This task was originally scheduled for a young Ridley Scott, then in his mid-20s and recently graduated from London's Royal College of Art.

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

Though obviously harboring dreams of becoming a filmmaker, Scott's first industry gig was as a designer, and he had already worked on BBC shows such as Z-Cars (a place many Doctor Who alumni learned their craft). According to the BBC, Scott left the company shortly before production began on "The Daleks," moving north to Granada Studios where he trained as a director. Scott later returned to the BBC in that very capacity before moving onto bigger and better things. Doctor Who replaced their departed set designer with Raymond Cusick, who helped shape the iconic Dalek design we know and love today.

The most fascinating element to the story is how neither party knew how important the other would become. Had Doctor Who producers taken a TARDIS ride to the future and discovered Ridley Scott would one day be considered filmmaking royalty, they would've happily had him behind the camera instead of sticking whisks and ping-pong balls together. Equally, if Ridley Scott had known how important the Daleks would become in the grand tapestry of science fiction, he might've stuck around a few more weeks before heading elsewhere. But while the prospect of Ridley Scott-designed Daleks is certainly intriguing, one small wrinkle in history could've changed everything. Without question, part of the Daleks' enduring appeal can be attributed to Raymond Cusick's bathroom plunger design, and Ridley Scott's interpretation might not have caught imaginations in the same way. Without the DaleksDoctor Who perhaps wouldn't attain the legendary status it holds today.

And, if the Xenomorphs are anything to go by, Scott's Daleks would've been a radical departure. Although the creatures were designed by H.R, Giger, the artist was under direction from Ridley Scott, and their mutated biology sits several worlds away from Doctor Who's man-in-cardboard-box aesthetic.

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