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The DALEK World (1965)

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You're a big Doctor Who fan, right? If I asked you what the world DALEK meant, you'd probably tell me that it is an anagram of KALED - the original name of their species.

You'd be wrong.

In 1965, it was clearly established by a canonical source, that the world DALEK stands for:

  • Destroy without pity
  • Attack without fear
  • Live without conscience
  • Eliminate without worry
  • Kill, kill, kill, kill!

I ain't even lying!

THE DALEKREED. Below is a reproduction of an engraved Dalekenium plate, found near the wreckage of one of their spaceships. It makes clear the aims and beliefs of the Daleks, and should serve as a warning to the Governments of the Universe. I believe that the Daleks are the supreme creatures of space and destined to rule the universe. I will be proud and unhesitant in laying down my life to further the Dalek cause. I will destroy without question all opposition to the furtherance of Dalek domination. I believe that there is no power in the universe that the Daleks cannot overcome. I will obey the commands of the supreme Dalek at all times, knowing he will lead us to ultimate victory. I will succeed. Destroy without pity. Attack without fear. Live without conscience. Eliminate without worry. Kill, kill, kill, kill. THE DALEKS ARE SUPREME! THE DALEKS ARE SUPREME! THE DALEKS ARE SUPREME!

WTAF?

A few years ago, I picked up a copy of this - The DALEK World. A 1965 tie-in book published by the BBC. I've taken the liberty of scanning it and sharing a few images.
Garish cartoon cover of an annual. A Dalek is exterminating something.

It is bonkers. And contains loads of facts for DALEK fans:

Comic panel claiming that the Daleks invented measles.

There are also some pretty good stories - most of which don't feature Doctor Who, but do contain some brilliant future-gazing.

Comic book panel. "The robot's sensor receiver picks up the light waves from the local cinema and shows the film on the bedroom wall. No more paying to go into the movies."

I love the fact that someone in 1965 predicted pirating movies and home projectors!

But, back to DALEKs. There's this brilliant bit of continuity busting:

Comic book panel. The Yeti are actually Daleks. In the year 141 a Dalek saucer crashed in the Himalayas.

Doctor Who wouldn't meet the Yeti for another two years - where it was established they were controlled by The Great Intelligence. Although, as the story is missing perhaps there is some retcon that we're missing?

Of course, there's no metric system in the future:

"Because of the lightness of the metal, a Dalek weighs only two and a half Earth pounds."

There are also some quite baffling claims:

Comic book panel featuring a Dalek and a post box. The colour red is unknown on the planet Skaro. Anything totally red is invisible to the Daleks.

A year after publication, Doctor Who had a full colour movie which featured this - presumably invisible - DALEK.

Clip of a bright red Dalek falling down a big hole.

The artwork is gorgeous - albeit with a rather limited colour palette:

Drawing of a Dalek holding a woman prisoner.

What else do we know about the DALEKs? Well, for a start, they're communists!

Do the Daleks have money? No. They have no need for it, as the state provides everything. There is however a treasure house of precious metals and stones that have been looted from other planets. This wealth is used in economic warfare, one of the more subtle forms of Dalek attack. The value of the treasure house has been estimated at several hundred million millions of pounds.

Blimey! Luckily, the best way to defeat the DALEKs is... to implement planetary communism.

One final question, can we ever hope to beat the Daleks? If they were to attack tomorrow, No. However, if we are given time, we have a chance. The Daleks, like everything else, are fallible. We must find the chink in their armour, their one weakness, and having found it, use it to our advantage. This is why it’s important to cease the petty squabbles that exist between countries on earth, and to work together for the prosperity and safety of all mankind.

You think some of today's stories and tie-ins are a bit weird? The DALEK World is a wonderful little time capsule which shows what kids were devouring just a couple of years after Doctor Who first aired. If you can find a copy, I thoroughly recommend having a ruffle through it.

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8 thoughts on “The DALEK World (1965)”

  6. Mike says:

    Never mind the red Dalek in the film, the Dalek in the image that says they can’t see red, is red! OK, the whole book seems to have very small palette (maybe they thinking of how it would look on red/black/white eInk displays in the future) but they could have picked any other colour that isn’t in the book’s very small palette to say Daleks can’t see, or simply not made that Dalek red!

    I’m not a big Doctor Who fan, but even I know there’s a biological being inside a Dalek. I’ve seen inside a Dalek on TV. I’ve seen a human which weighs not much more than 2.5lbs and they were a lot smaller than that lump of biology inside a Dalek. Saying a Dalek weighs 2.5lb is absurd even ignoring the lump of biology. How is a 2.5lb Dalek going to make headway moving into a stiff breeze? How are they going to conquer Earth, or anywhere, why does the book claim we cannot hope to beat the Daleks tomorrow, when they’re light enough for a child to pick one up and chuck it?

    Bonkers and then some. 😀

    Reply

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