Cult of Skaro
Encyclopedia
In the television series Doctor Who
, the Cult of Skaro was an elite order of Daleks, and the first individual Daleks whose recurring nature has been explicit.
"/"Doomsday
". They are described as an elite organisation created by the Emperor of the Daleks to think as their enemies think and find new ways of surviving - and of killing enemies. Their creative task extends to them developing imaginations and taking on individual names, Dalek Sec, Dalek Thay, Dalek Caan, Dalek Jast. According to the Doctor Who Files book on the Cult Of Skaro, the members of the cult all had been commanders of different sections of the Dalek army, before they were selected and promoted by the Dalek Emperor. In their task they even outrank the Emperor; however, by the time of their first on-screen appearance they have survived the demise of the Emperor (in "The Parting of the Ways
") and believe themselves to be the last four Daleks in existence.
The Cult of Skaro escaped the end of the Time War
in a void ship along with a captured Time Lord
prison ship containing millions of Daleks, which they call the Genesis Ark. In the episode Doomsday
, it is explained that the Genesis Ark can only be opened by the touch of a time-traveller and The Doctor and Rose Tyler both refuse, but Mickey Smith
accidentally touches it, releasing the Daleks. The Doctor ultimately manages to use the vortex manipulator at the Torchwood
Institute to suck what he believes to be all the Daleks back into the Void.
Unknown to the Doctor, the four members of the Cult managed to initiate an emergency temporal shift and ended up in New York City
of the 1930s. In "Daleks in Manhattan
", operating from a laboratory underneath the Empire State Building
, the Cult use "Pig-slaves" to capture people for their experiments. As the last of their race, the Cult's situation became desperate, with Dalek Thay sacrificing his rear casing for construction of a mast at the top of the building. Dalek Sec questioned the genetic superiority of the Dalek race, and proposed the evolution into Hybrid Daleks, which he hoped would combine the best traits of both humans and Daleks. In "Evolution of the Daleks
", Sec was removed from command by Dalek Caan and eventually exterminated by Thay. The Dalek Humans turned on the Cult, killing both Thay and Jast. Dalek Caan escaped a confrontation with the Doctor by another emergency temporal shift.
In the 2008 episode The Stolen Earth
, it is revealed that Dalek Caan travelled to the first year of the Time War
, despite it being time-locked. Doing so forced Caan to stare into the depths of the Time Vortex and thus cost him his sanity, but it also showed him the course of the future. Whilst in the Time War, Dalek Caan rescued Davros
from the wreckage of his command ship, allowing Davros to return to the present day and create a new Dalek Empire with his DNA. Davros holds Caan in high esteem, although the new Daleks believe Caan to be an "abomination" due to his insanity and his possession of emotions.
When he passed though time and space to rescue Davros he saw the carnage caused by the Dalek race and was disgusted by it. In Journey's End
Caan convinced the Half Doctor to destroy the Daleks and end their reign of terror. Dalek Caan and Davros are believed to have been killed when the Crucible was destroyed by the Half Doctor. However, Russell T. Davies confirmed that Davros may still be alive, as he said "I'd never be the writer to kill off Davros".
, Cybermen and The Doctor
, and commanding the other three Daleks. Because there were only four Daleks outside the void, Sec fought alongside the other Cult members against the enemy, and kept checking the status of the Genesis Ark. However, as soon as the Ark was 'primed' Sec escaped the Torchwood tower with the Ark, to command the entire army of Daleks from the sky whilst keeping a close watch on the Ark. Because the Cyberman Army and the Void Ship containing the Cult, the Genesis Ark, and the Dalek Army within had travelled through the void, they had all picked up 'void stuff' which, when the Doctor reversed the flow of the radiation, sucked both armies, the Genesis Ark and the Void Ship back into the Void. Dalek Sec and the Cult were able to escape the slaughter by initiating an Emergency Temporal Shift. (This would seem to be an ability held only by the Cult as no other Dalek has demonstrated an Emergency Temporal Shift.)
Along with the rest of the Cult of Skaro, he ended up in New York in 1930 and established a base beneath the Empire State Building
. Taking control of the Empire State construction and forcibly converting humans into "pig slaves" to serve as a labour force, the Cult of Skaro also worked on experiments designed to evolve Dalek-kind into a new form. The Cult recruited the power-hungry human servant Mr. Diagoras, who seemed to think more like a Dalek than most, which Dalek Caan admitted. Sec turned against the concept of Dalek genetic purity, viewing survival as more important and seeing human DNA as holding useful attributes, as the humans thrive as a species whereas the Daleks had become nearly extinct. Using himself and Mr Diagoras as the test for the Final Experiment, he was transformed into the first Hybrid Dalek.
While in his new body, he began to feel humanity for the first time in his existence, being motivated by emotions rather than the traditional Dalek drive to conquer. Motivated by these, Sec asked the Doctor to help him create more hybrids using human bodies. In opposition to the views of
Davros
, their creator, he decided that the Daleks would have to evolve to survive or eventually die out. However, the other three Daleks came to reject Sec's theories and eventually deposed Sec and put him in chains. Dalek Caan took control and fueled the other human bodies with pure Dalek DNA. Sec opposed their attempt to exterminate the Doctor, warning the others that "If you choose death and destruction... then death and destruction will choose you." The Daleks dismissed this thought and exterminated their former leader. The Doctor showed his respect for Sec by calling him the "cleverest Dalek ever" and the only one who could have led the Daleks "from the darkness."
Due to his hybridization from Dalek to Human Dalek, Dalek Sec has been the first Dalek to repent the deaths he caused (Dalek Caan being the second), and the only Dalek who willingly sacrificed himself to save the Doctor.
His character as a Dalek/Human hybrid is not entirely clear, as, although he eventually feels humanity, it is sometimes also implied that he still had plans to cause destruction. An example would be when Dalek Caan becomes 'controller' of the Human Daleks; Sec responds to this act of treachery with "That was to be my position!" (although this may have meant that he wanted to prevent the Human Daleks from causing harm or that it was going to be his position before he felt humanity, or simply an expression of the betrayal he felt).
Sec was the first Dalek of the new series to have its mutant seen while in a healthy state (with a possible exception of the Dalek Emperor). He was also the first Dalek in the new series to open its lower casing as well, showing longer tentacles. As no other Dalek has opened its lower casing, it is unknown if other Daleks also have extended tentacles under their lower casing(Dalek Sec was not the first, however, to open his casing. An unnamed Dalek in Season 1 in an episode dubbed 'Dalek' was the first to open his casing in the new series). Sec was also shown to be able to engulf Mr. Diagoras in a sack-like membrane projected from what appears to be his mouth parts. Again, it is unknown whether this ability is unique (although Sec was seen being given certain chemicals during his transformation, which could affect this.) His "skin" had a dark-greenish color to it as well.
According to the Doctor Who Files book on the Cult Of Skaro, Dalek Sec was the Commander of the Seventh Incursion Squad and led the attack on the Mechonoids on Magella
before being promoted by the Dalek Emperor.
A miniature Lego
Dalek Sec has been installed on the Canary Wharf
Miniland section of Legoland
.
He fought in the Battle of Canary Wharf, but his role in "Doomsday
" was minor. He escaped with the rest of the Cult. In "Daleks in Manhattan
" and "Evolution of the Daleks
" when the Cult arrived in 1930s Manhattan, Caan had a far more significant role, eventually progressing into being the main antagonist
of the serial. He oversaw the construction of the Empire State Building
, delivering orders from Sec to Mr. Diagoras, and acted as the Cult's contact on the surface. After Sec's transformation into a Human Dalek, Caan and Jast begin to doubt their leader's motives. When Sec decided to give the Human-Daleks emotions, Caan intervenes, altering the process to make them 100% Dalek. Caan overthrew Sec and took command of the Cult. After the Tenth Doctor spliced his own DNA into the Human-Daleks, Caan destroyed the hybrid species.
Dalek Caan reappears in "The Stolen Earth
". An emergency temporal shift used to escape from Manhattan somehow brought him into the time-locked Time War
, allowing him to rescue Davros
, the creator of the Daleks. During this rescue mission, Caan "died a thousand times" and most of his casing was badly damaged. These "deaths", coupled with the near-impossible feat of navigating himself into a "time-locked" event, destroyed his mind and rendered him psychotic. However, he was also allowed to witness "all of time", effectively making him precognitive
. Most of his prophecies are doggerel
, and require careful interpretation. He appears to become much more lucid as his plans come to fruition, however.
In "The Stolen Earth", the Supreme Dalek refers to Caan as 'The Abomination' — a title also given to the Special Weapons Dalek in the novelization of Remembrance of the Daleks
, and to Rose Tyler, having absorbed the power of the Time Vortex in "The Parting of the Ways
". Caan is the first Dalek seen to laugh (albeit insanely) in the BBC's revival of Doctor Who. However, the humanized Daleks in the classic series serial Evil of the Daleks are also heard laughing. Before the destruction of the crucible, Caan reminded the Doctor that one of his companions would die, which soon turned out to be Donna (albeit in a metaphysical manner), whose mind the Doctor was forced to erase of any recollection of him and their travels.
Dalek Caan is one of very few Daleks to realize - in his case through his witnessing the actions of all Daleks throughout time - that the Dalek way of existing is destructive and intolerable. He fulfills the prediction Dalek Sec made before he was killed, by manipulating events throughout time to cause the new Daleks made by Davros to be destroyed. He himself claims that he only helped, and that the events which occurred were fated anyway.
Like the other regular Dalek members of the Cult, he had doubts about Dalek Sec's plan to merge with a human as part of Sec's vision of Dalek "evolution". He sacrificed three panels of his skirt to create the lightning conductor of the Empire State Building. In the climax of "Evolution of the Daleks
", Thay dismisses the warnings of the Hybrid Dalek Sec and exterminates him. Moments later, Thay was destroyed (along with Dalek Jast) when the Dalek Human hybrids rebelled against the orders to kill the Doctor and opened fire on the Daleks instead.
According to the Doctor Who Files book on the Cult Of Skaro, Dalek Thay was the Commandant of Station Alpha, the most secret Dalek research facility, before being promoted by the Dalek Emperor.
. He fought in the Battle of Canary Wharf and escaped the void with his comrades. He was the fourth in command of the cult.
Jast and Thay assisted Sec in experiments underneath the Empire State Building. When Sec was about to merge with Mr Diagoras and become the first Human Dalek, he and Thay intervened with Sec's experiment in order to maintain Dalek purity, but Sec retorted that their road for supremacy has brought the Daleks to extinction. Jast continued to question Sec's motives, and eventually betrayed him along with Thay and Caan. He was destroyed by the Dalek humans along with Dalek Thay by the weapons of the human Daleks.
Dalek Jast had the highest-pitched voice in the Cult. He was the third member to be exterminated, shortly after Thay.
According to the Doctor Who Files book on the Cult Of Skaro, Dalek Jast was Force Leader of the Outer Rim Defensive Battalion before being promoted by the Dalek Emperor.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, the Cult of Skaro was an elite order of Daleks, and the first individual Daleks whose recurring nature has been explicit.
Background
The Cult of Skaro first appeared in the double-episode "Army of GhostsArmy of Ghosts
"Army of Ghosts" is the twelfth and penultimate episode in the second series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who which was first broadcast on 1 July 2006...
"/"Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
". They are described as an elite organisation created by the Emperor of the Daleks to think as their enemies think and find new ways of surviving - and of killing enemies. Their creative task extends to them developing imaginations and taking on individual names, Dalek Sec, Dalek Thay, Dalek Caan, Dalek Jast. According to the Doctor Who Files book on the Cult Of Skaro, the members of the cult all had been commanders of different sections of the Dalek army, before they were selected and promoted by the Dalek Emperor. In their task they even outrank the Emperor; however, by the time of their first on-screen appearance they have survived the demise of the Emperor (in "The Parting of the Ways
The Parting of the Ways
"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story that featured Christopher Eccleston making his last appearance as the Ninth Doctor...
") and believe themselves to be the last four Daleks in existence.
The Cult of Skaro escaped the end of the Time War
Time War (Doctor Who)
The Time War, more specifically called The Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
in a void ship along with a captured Time Lord
Time Lord
The Time Lords are an ancient extraterrestrial race and civilization of humanoids in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, of which the series' eponymous protagonist, the Doctor, is a member...
prison ship containing millions of Daleks, which they call the Genesis Ark. In the episode Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
, it is explained that the Genesis Ark can only be opened by the touch of a time-traveller and The Doctor and Rose Tyler both refuse, but Mickey Smith
Mickey Smith
Mickey Smith is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Noel Clarke.Mickey is introduced as the boyfriend of the Ninth and Tenth Doctor's companion Rose Tyler, and a recurring character on the programme...
accidentally touches it, releasing the Daleks. The Doctor ultimately manages to use the vortex manipulator at the Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
Institute to suck what he believes to be all the Daleks back into the Void.
Unknown to the Doctor, the four members of the Cult managed to initiate an emergency temporal shift and ended up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
of the 1930s. In "Daleks in Manhattan
Daleks in Manhattan
"Daleks in Manhattan" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 21 April 2007, and is the fourth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It is part one of a two-part story, concluded in "Evolution of the Daleks"...
", operating from a laboratory underneath the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
, the Cult use "Pig-slaves" to capture people for their experiments. As the last of their race, the Cult's situation became desperate, with Dalek Thay sacrificing his rear casing for construction of a mast at the top of the building. Dalek Sec questioned the genetic superiority of the Dalek race, and proposed the evolution into Hybrid Daleks, which he hoped would combine the best traits of both humans and Daleks. In "Evolution of the Daleks
Evolution of the Daleks
"Evolution of the Daleks" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 April 2007, and is the fifth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It is the conclusion of the two-part story begun in "Daleks in...
", Sec was removed from command by Dalek Caan and eventually exterminated by Thay. The Dalek Humans turned on the Cult, killing both Thay and Jast. Dalek Caan escaped a confrontation with the Doctor by another emergency temporal shift.
In the 2008 episode The Stolen Earth
The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode is...
, it is revealed that Dalek Caan travelled to the first year of the Time War
Time War (Doctor Who)
The Time War, more specifically called The Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, despite it being time-locked. Doing so forced Caan to stare into the depths of the Time Vortex and thus cost him his sanity, but it also showed him the course of the future. Whilst in the Time War, Dalek Caan rescued Davros
Davros
Davros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
from the wreckage of his command ship, allowing Davros to return to the present day and create a new Dalek Empire with his DNA. Davros holds Caan in high esteem, although the new Daleks believe Caan to be an "abomination" due to his insanity and his possession of emotions.
When he passed though time and space to rescue Davros he saw the carnage caused by the Dalek race and was disgusted by it. In Journey's End
Journey's End (Doctor Who)
"Journey's End" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who first broadcast on BBC One on 5 July 2008. It is the second episode of a two-part crossover story featuring the characters of spin-off shows Torchwood and The Sarah Jane...
Caan convinced the Half Doctor to destroy the Daleks and end their reign of terror. Dalek Caan and Davros are believed to have been killed when the Crucible was destroyed by the Half Doctor. However, Russell T. Davies confirmed that Davros may still be alive, as he said "I'd never be the writer to kill off Davros".
Markings
Aside from their voices and Dalek Sec's unique colouring scheme, each Dalek in the cult has a specific marking on their casing to set them apart from the others. This marking consists of a rectangle connected to a small square by a line on its right side. Within the rectangle are three small horizontal lines arranged vertically on the left side. To distinguish one Dalek from another, one of these three lines is extended, or none at all in the case of Dalek Sec. Jast has his line at the top, Caan in the middle, and Thay at the bottom.Dalek Sec
Dalek Sec was the leader of the cult and of the Dalek attack during the Battle of Canary Wharf against the Cybermen. His original casing was black instead of the golden colour traditional Daleks had. He showed his leadership by communicating to the enemy, namely, Rose TylerRose Tyler
Rose Marion Tyler is a fictional character portrayed by Billie Piper in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who, and was created by series producer Russell T Davies...
, Cybermen and The Doctor
Doctor (Doctor Who)
The Doctor is the central character in the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who, and has also featured in two cinema feature films, a vast range of spin-off novels, audio dramas and comic strips connected to the series....
, and commanding the other three Daleks. Because there were only four Daleks outside the void, Sec fought alongside the other Cult members against the enemy, and kept checking the status of the Genesis Ark. However, as soon as the Ark was 'primed' Sec escaped the Torchwood tower with the Ark, to command the entire army of Daleks from the sky whilst keeping a close watch on the Ark. Because the Cyberman Army and the Void Ship containing the Cult, the Genesis Ark, and the Dalek Army within had travelled through the void, they had all picked up 'void stuff' which, when the Doctor reversed the flow of the radiation, sucked both armies, the Genesis Ark and the Void Ship back into the Void. Dalek Sec and the Cult were able to escape the slaughter by initiating an Emergency Temporal Shift. (This would seem to be an ability held only by the Cult as no other Dalek has demonstrated an Emergency Temporal Shift.)
Along with the rest of the Cult of Skaro, he ended up in New York in 1930 and established a base beneath the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
. Taking control of the Empire State construction and forcibly converting humans into "pig slaves" to serve as a labour force, the Cult of Skaro also worked on experiments designed to evolve Dalek-kind into a new form. The Cult recruited the power-hungry human servant Mr. Diagoras, who seemed to think more like a Dalek than most, which Dalek Caan admitted. Sec turned against the concept of Dalek genetic purity, viewing survival as more important and seeing human DNA as holding useful attributes, as the humans thrive as a species whereas the Daleks had become nearly extinct. Using himself and Mr Diagoras as the test for the Final Experiment, he was transformed into the first Hybrid Dalek.
While in his new body, he began to feel humanity for the first time in his existence, being motivated by emotions rather than the traditional Dalek drive to conquer. Motivated by these, Sec asked the Doctor to help him create more hybrids using human bodies. In opposition to the views of
Davros
Davros
Davros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
, their creator, he decided that the Daleks would have to evolve to survive or eventually die out. However, the other three Daleks came to reject Sec's theories and eventually deposed Sec and put him in chains. Dalek Caan took control and fueled the other human bodies with pure Dalek DNA. Sec opposed their attempt to exterminate the Doctor, warning the others that "If you choose death and destruction... then death and destruction will choose you." The Daleks dismissed this thought and exterminated their former leader. The Doctor showed his respect for Sec by calling him the "cleverest Dalek ever" and the only one who could have led the Daleks "from the darkness."
Due to his hybridization from Dalek to Human Dalek, Dalek Sec has been the first Dalek to repent the deaths he caused (Dalek Caan being the second), and the only Dalek who willingly sacrificed himself to save the Doctor.
His character as a Dalek/Human hybrid is not entirely clear, as, although he eventually feels humanity, it is sometimes also implied that he still had plans to cause destruction. An example would be when Dalek Caan becomes 'controller' of the Human Daleks; Sec responds to this act of treachery with "That was to be my position!" (although this may have meant that he wanted to prevent the Human Daleks from causing harm or that it was going to be his position before he felt humanity, or simply an expression of the betrayal he felt).
Sec was the first Dalek of the new series to have its mutant seen while in a healthy state (with a possible exception of the Dalek Emperor). He was also the first Dalek in the new series to open its lower casing as well, showing longer tentacles. As no other Dalek has opened its lower casing, it is unknown if other Daleks also have extended tentacles under their lower casing(Dalek Sec was not the first, however, to open his casing. An unnamed Dalek in Season 1 in an episode dubbed 'Dalek' was the first to open his casing in the new series). Sec was also shown to be able to engulf Mr. Diagoras in a sack-like membrane projected from what appears to be his mouth parts. Again, it is unknown whether this ability is unique (although Sec was seen being given certain chemicals during his transformation, which could affect this.) His "skin" had a dark-greenish color to it as well.
According to the Doctor Who Files book on the Cult Of Skaro, Dalek Sec was the Commander of the Seventh Incursion Squad and led the attack on the Mechonoids on Magella
The Chase (Doctor Who)
The Chase is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in six weekly parts from 22 May to 26 June 1965. The story is set on multiple locations including the Mary Celeste, the Empire State Building, and the planet Aridius...
before being promoted by the Dalek Emperor.
A miniature Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
Dalek Sec has been installed on the Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
Miniland section of Legoland
Legoland
Legoland is a chain of Lego-themed theme parks. They are not fully owned by Lego Group itself; rather they are owned and operated by the British theme park company Merlin Entertainment.The chain currently consists of:* Legoland Billund...
.
Dalek Caan
Dalek Caan was originally second in command to Dalek Sec. Caan ruthlessly overthrew Sec and took his position as leader of the cult after Sec became the Human Dalek. According to the book Doctor Who Files, regarding the Cult of Skaro, Dalek Caan was the Attack Squad Leader of the Thirtieth Assault Group before being promoted by the Dalek Emperor. He has the lowest pitched voice in the Cult, and is the most prominent Dalek of the revived series (having appeared in a total of six episodes). Dalek Caan also has the most varied story arc of any Dalek.He fought in the Battle of Canary Wharf, but his role in "Doomsday
Doomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
" was minor. He escaped with the rest of the Cult. In "Daleks in Manhattan
Daleks in Manhattan
"Daleks in Manhattan" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 21 April 2007, and is the fourth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It is part one of a two-part story, concluded in "Evolution of the Daleks"...
" and "Evolution of the Daleks
Evolution of the Daleks
"Evolution of the Daleks" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 April 2007, and is the fifth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It is the conclusion of the two-part story begun in "Daleks in...
" when the Cult arrived in 1930s Manhattan, Caan had a far more significant role, eventually progressing into being the main antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of the serial. He oversaw the construction of the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
, delivering orders from Sec to Mr. Diagoras, and acted as the Cult's contact on the surface. After Sec's transformation into a Human Dalek, Caan and Jast begin to doubt their leader's motives. When Sec decided to give the Human-Daleks emotions, Caan intervenes, altering the process to make them 100% Dalek. Caan overthrew Sec and took command of the Cult. After the Tenth Doctor spliced his own DNA into the Human-Daleks, Caan destroyed the hybrid species.
Dalek Caan reappears in "The Stolen Earth
The Stolen Earth
"The Stolen Earth" is the twelfth episode of the fourth series and the 750th overall episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was written by show runner and head writer Russell T Davies and is the first of a two-part crossover story; the concluding episode is...
". An emergency temporal shift used to escape from Manhattan somehow brought him into the time-locked Time War
Time War (Doctor Who)
The Time War, more specifically called The Last Great Time War, is a conflict within the fictional universe of the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, allowing him to rescue Davros
Davros
Davros is a character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. Davros is an archenemy of the Doctor and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks...
, the creator of the Daleks. During this rescue mission, Caan "died a thousand times" and most of his casing was badly damaged. These "deaths", coupled with the near-impossible feat of navigating himself into a "time-locked" event, destroyed his mind and rendered him psychotic. However, he was also allowed to witness "all of time", effectively making him precognitive
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
. Most of his prophecies are doggerel
Doggerel
Doggerel is a derogatory term for verse considered of little literary value. The word probably derived from dog, suggesting either ugliness, puppyish clumsiness, or unpalatability in the 1630s.-Variants:...
, and require careful interpretation. He appears to become much more lucid as his plans come to fruition, however.
In "The Stolen Earth", the Supreme Dalek refers to Caan as 'The Abomination' — a title also given to the Special Weapons Dalek in the novelization of Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks
Remembrance of the Daleks is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 5 October to 26 October 1988....
, and to Rose Tyler, having absorbed the power of the Time Vortex in "The Parting of the Ways
The Parting of the Ways
"The Parting of the Ways" is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on 18 June 2005. It was the second episode of the two-part story that featured Christopher Eccleston making his last appearance as the Ninth Doctor...
". Caan is the first Dalek seen to laugh (albeit insanely) in the BBC's revival of Doctor Who. However, the humanized Daleks in the classic series serial Evil of the Daleks are also heard laughing. Before the destruction of the crucible, Caan reminded the Doctor that one of his companions would die, which soon turned out to be Donna (albeit in a metaphysical manner), whose mind the Doctor was forced to erase of any recollection of him and their travels.
Dalek Caan is one of very few Daleks to realize - in his case through his witnessing the actions of all Daleks throughout time - that the Dalek way of existing is destructive and intolerable. He fulfills the prediction Dalek Sec made before he was killed, by manipulating events throughout time to cause the new Daleks made by Davros to be destroyed. He himself claims that he only helped, and that the events which occurred were fated anyway.
Dalek Thay
Dalek Thay was the first to be named on screen. He was third in command to Sec. He initiated Dalek hostilities on the invading Cybermen army after exterminating two of them in "Doomsday". Thay fought in the Battle of Canary Wharf and "temporally shifted" along with the other members of the Cult of Skaro when the Doctor reopened the Void.Like the other regular Dalek members of the Cult, he had doubts about Dalek Sec's plan to merge with a human as part of Sec's vision of Dalek "evolution". He sacrificed three panels of his skirt to create the lightning conductor of the Empire State Building. In the climax of "Evolution of the Daleks
Evolution of the Daleks
"Evolution of the Daleks" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 April 2007, and is the fifth episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. It is the conclusion of the two-part story begun in "Daleks in...
", Thay dismisses the warnings of the Hybrid Dalek Sec and exterminates him. Moments later, Thay was destroyed (along with Dalek Jast) when the Dalek Human hybrids rebelled against the orders to kill the Doctor and opened fire on the Daleks instead.
According to the Doctor Who Files book on the Cult Of Skaro, Dalek Thay was the Commandant of Station Alpha, the most secret Dalek research facility, before being promoted by the Dalek Emperor.
Dalek Jast
Dalek Jast oversaw the status of the Genesis Ark in DoomsdayDoomsday (Doctor Who)
"Doomsday" is the thirteenth and final episode in the second series of the revival of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on 8 July 2006 and is the conclusion of a two-part story; the first part, "Army of Ghosts", was broadcast on 1 July 2006...
. He fought in the Battle of Canary Wharf and escaped the void with his comrades. He was the fourth in command of the cult.
Jast and Thay assisted Sec in experiments underneath the Empire State Building. When Sec was about to merge with Mr Diagoras and become the first Human Dalek, he and Thay intervened with Sec's experiment in order to maintain Dalek purity, but Sec retorted that their road for supremacy has brought the Daleks to extinction. Jast continued to question Sec's motives, and eventually betrayed him along with Thay and Caan. He was destroyed by the Dalek humans along with Dalek Thay by the weapons of the human Daleks.
Dalek Jast had the highest-pitched voice in the Cult. He was the third member to be exterminated, shortly after Thay.
According to the Doctor Who Files book on the Cult Of Skaro, Dalek Jast was Force Leader of the Outer Rim Defensive Battalion before being promoted by the Dalek Emperor.