History Recap / DoctorWhoS1E2TheDaleks

!!Tropes

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* SuicidalPacifism: After nearly being wiped out in an atomic war (and exterminated by the Daleks) the Thals turned to absolute pacifism. Ian tells them that they have to resist the Daleks or the Daleks will exterminate them; their leader Alydon gravely replies that in that case the Daleks will have to exterminate them. Fortunately, Ian is able to TeachHimAnger and make him acknowledge that there were some things worth fighting for and they defeat the Daleks. By the next appearance (several generations later) they have not returned to pacifism.

N.B.: This story is also referred to as '''"The Mutants"''' or '''"The Dead Planet"'''. "The Mutants" was the title used internally by the BBC to refer to the serial during its production,[[note]]As with all other multi-part stories up to "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E8TheGunfighters The Gunfighters]]" no overall title for the story as a whole was ever publically given; each episode of the story was simply given an individual title onscreen and in pre-publicity[[/note]], but was later used as the title of a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E4TheMutants 1972 Third Doctor serial]], making its use for this story potentially confusing. To avoid ambiguity, two alternative titles have emerged; "The Dead Planet", the title of the first episode of the story, was commonly used in the 1980s and 1990s, but "The Daleks" has become the most commonly used title today; it was used on the VHS and DVD releases, and for the 2023 colourised movie-edit, and therefore must now be considered the official BBC-sanctioned title.

* AlienSky: The 2023 colourised version has Skaro's sky a fiery pink.

N.B.: This story is also referred to as '''"The Mutants"''' or '''"The Dead Planet"'''. "The Mutants" was the title used internally by the BBC to refer to the serial during its production,[[note]]As with all other multi-part stories up to "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E8TheGunfighters The Gunfighters]]" no overall title for the story as a whole was ever publically given; each episode of the story was simply given an individual title onscreen and in pre-publicity[[/note]], but was later used as the title a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E4TheMutants 1972 Third Doctor serial]], making its use for this story potentially confusing. To avoid ambiguity, two alternative titles have emerged; "The Dead Planet", the title of the first episode of the story, was commonly used in the 1980s and 1990s, but "The Daleks" has become the most commonly used title today; it was used on the VHS and DVD releases, and for the 2023 colourised movie-edit, and therefore must now be considered the official BBC-sanctioned title.

N.B.: This story is also referred to as '''"The Mutants"''' or '''"The Dead Planet"'''. "The Mutants" was the title used internally by the BBC to refer to the serial during its production,[[note]]As with all other multi-part stories up to "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS3E8TheGunfighters The Gunfighters]]", no overall title for the story as a whole was ever publically given; each episode of the story was simply given an individual title onscreen and in pre-publicity[[/note]] but was later used as the title a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E4TheMutants 1972 Third Doctor serial]], making its use for this story potentially confusing. To avoid ambiguity, two alternative titles have emerged; "The Dead Planet", the title of the first episode of the story, was commonly used in the 1980s and 1990s, but "The Daleks" has become the most commonly used title today; it was used on the VHS and DVD releases, and therefore must now be considered the official BBC-sanctioned title.

A {{Colorization}} was announced on 2 November 2023. It will be on BBC Four and BBC iPlayer on 23 November, the show's 60th anniversary.

N.B.: This story is also referred to as '''"The Mutants"''', which was the title used internally by the BBC to refer to the serial during its production, and '''"The Dead Planet"''', which was the title of the first episode. "The Mutants" was later used as the title a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E4TheMutants 1972 Jon Pertwee serial]], making its use for this story potentially confusing. To avoid ambiguity, two alternative titles have emerged; "The Dead Planet" was commonly used in the 1980s and 1990s, but "The Daleks" has become the most commonly used title today; it was used on the VHS and DVD releases, and therefore must now be considered the official BBC-sanctioned title.

** Though this was ''sort of'' retconned in ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]'' (also by Creator/TerryNation, but written and broadcast 15 years later), where it implies that the later Thals are descended from both the Thal, Kaled, and possibly Muto survivors of Davros' massacre of both race's cities. May turn this into UnreliableNarrator in that case. Of course, it was a long time ago.

->''The only interest we have in the Thals is in their total extermination!''

JustForFun/TheOneWith the magic death whirlpool, the debut of everybody's favourite xenophobic salt shakers, and [[Film/AnAdventureInSpaceAndTime the Hail Mary pass that prevented early cancellation]].

The one with the magic death whirlpool, the debut of everybody's favourite xenophobic salt shakers, and [[Film/AnAdventureInSpaceAndTime the Hail Mary pass that prevented early cancellation]].

* IncrediblyLamePun: The bacon and eggs which Ian gets from the food machine comes in the form of an oblong white bar, a pun on the phrase "a square meal."

* FantasticRadiationShielding: The Thals survive on the planet's surface through drugs which cure radiation sickness and also prevents negative effects from further radiation.

* InhumanlyBeautifulRace: The Thals are described as this. While both races mutated heavily due to [[ILoveNuclearPower radiation]], the Daleks, who favoured [[LittleGreenManInACan environment suits]], became hideous beings, while the Thals, who favoured a combination of gradual adaptation and anti-radiation drugs, [[BeautyEqualsGoodness became a race of beautiful, blond-haired people]]. It seems that the Thal men are especially beautiful, as Susan is shocked by the beauty of the first Thal she meets, calling him 'perfect', and Barbara has something of an off-screen romance with a known Thal beauty.

* EarlyInstalmentCharacterDesignDifference: The first Dalek props lack the vertical panels attached to the "shoulder" section of their casings. Those would be introduced in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E8TheChase "The Chase"]] under the pretense of being solar panels (to circumvent both the Daleks' reliance on static electricity here and the giant radio dishes on their backs in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth "The Dalek Invasion of Earth"]]).

Ian and Barbara are still very upset at having been kidnapped by the Doctor, and downright angry when the Doctor pretends that the TARDIS can't fly home just so he can go and investigate the Dalek city. Then, when they escape, they leave the TARDIS component he sabotaged behind and have to go back for it.

This serial was adapted for film as ''Film/DrWhoAndTheDaleks'', starring Creator/PeterCushing.

** Susan and The Doctor are clearly worried that The Doctor may die of radiation sickness. Regeneration wouldn't be conceived of until just before Creator/WilliamHartnell was about to leave the show.

Susan gets mildly traumatized a few times over but eventually learns how to be brave, Ian puts his ChronicHeroSyndrome to good use, and Barbara fancies one of the Thals and, in what will turn out to be a rare sight for Classic Who, gets in a good snog by the end.

* AllThereInTheManual: According to the BBC Classic Doctor Who website, the Daleks encountered in this story are early prototypes of Davros' experiments, left behind when most of the Daleks went into space after the end of the Thal-Kaled War. This explains both why the Daleks have a mighty space empire later while the Daleks in this story are confined to the city and are all wiped out, and why later Daleks don't have the same weaknesses of needing high levels of radiation to survive and constant static electricity to power their shells. This would also explain why they don't recognize and exterminate [[ArchEnemy the Oncoming Storm]] when they meet him here.

N.B.: This story is also referred to as '''"The Mutants"''', which was the title used internally by the BBC to refer to the serial during its production, and '''"The Dead Planet"''', which was the title of the first episode. "The Mutants" was later used as the title a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E4TheMutants 1972 Jon Pertwee serial]], making its use for this story potentially confusing. To avoid ambuguity, two alternative titles have emerged; "The Dead Planet" was commonly used in the 1980s and 1990s, but "The Daleks" has become the most commonly used title today; it was used on the VHS and DVD releases, and therefore must now be considered the official BBC-sanctioned title.

** Though this was ''sort of'' retconned in ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS12E4GenesisOfTheDaleks Genesis of the Daleks]]'' (broadcast 15 years later), where it implies that the later Thals are descended from both the Thal, Kaled, and possibly Muto survivors of Davros' massacre of both race's cities. May turn this into UnreliableNarrator in that case. Of course, it was a long time ago.

* EarlyInstalmentCharacterDesignDifference: The first Dalek props lack the vertical panels attached to the "shoulder" section of their casings.

Written by Creator/TerryNation. This serial first aired December 21, 1963-February 1, 1964.

* UnbuiltTrope: There's an ongoing [[NeverLiveItDown joke]] that Daleks cannot take over the universe because their impractical design means that they can't climb stairs, even though the Daleks everyone remembers can fly. Nevertheless, the very first Dalek serial deals with this restriction seriously – not only can they not climb stairs (which is irrelevant, as they use exclusively lifts to get around their city), they die if they ever lose contact with the floor, relying on electricity channelled through metal floors to power them. The TARDIS crew kill a Dalek by blinding it and forcing it to roll over a plastic cloak, cutting off the connection and its life support system, and later the Doctor kills every Dalek in the city by shorting out the power. This story also dealt with Daleks being rather sad, pathetic beings, and even features the main cast making fun of the Daleks' [[EvilSoundsRaspy monotone, distorted voices]], with Susan laughing out loud when she first hears a Dalek attempt to say her name. It also deconstructs the way that the Doctor's inquisitive nature leads him and his companions into danger: The Doctor wants to explore a city on another planet, but his companions refuse. He sabotages the TARDIS, forcing them to search the city. They are captured, as usual, but almost die from radiation poisoning as the meter wasn't checked.