Lesterson and Janley conceal Resno’s accident
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Lesterson, preparing to demonstrate the Dalek, expresses excitement about the experiment's unknown potential to Janley, who agrees that his work is a "wonderful achievement.
Lesterson casually inquires about Resno's condition following the accident and is assured by Janley that he is recovering, though Janley stresses the need to remain secretive about the incident with Resno.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Calm and controlled on the surface, but her insistence on secrecy betrays underlying anxiety about the Examiner’s potential intervention. Her emotional state is secondary to her professional goals.
Janley serves as Lesterson’s pragmatic counterpart, her dialogue and demeanor revealing a cold efficiency that contrasts with his nervous excitement. She reassures Lesterson about Resno’s recovery with clinical detachment (‘He’s had medical attention. He's going to be all right’), then immediately pivots to the critical issue: the need to conceal the accident to avoid the Examiner’s interference. Her question (‘It's harmless now?’) is a moment of subtextual tension, hinting at her own doubts, which she quickly suppresses to focus on the demonstration.
- • To proceed with the Dalek demonstration without interference from the Examiner.
- • To maintain the project’s secrecy, even at the cost of Resno’s well-being.
- • The ends justify the means (her willingness to conceal Resno’s accident).
- • The Examiner is a threat to their work (her urgency to avoid his ‘excuse’).
Excited but uneasy, masking his guilt with professional optimism. His surface enthusiasm (‘wonderful achievement’) contrasts with his internal conflict over Resno’s accident.
Lesterson is the driving force behind the Dalek demonstration, his body language and dialogue betraying a mix of scientific excitement and creeping nervousness. He fidgets with the Dalek’s controls, his repetitive ‘yes, yes, yes’ revealing his anxiety about Resno’s accident and the Examiner’s potential interference. His enthusiasm for the experiment (‘Who knows what this Dalek may do?’) is undercut by the moral weight of Resno’s suffering, which he quickly dismisses to proceed with the demonstration.
- • To successfully demonstrate the Dalek’s ‘harmlessness’ to secure continued funding and avoid the Examiner’s shutdown.
- • To suppress knowledge of Resno’s accident to maintain control over the project.
- • Scientific progress justifies ethical compromises (his dismissal of Resno’s suffering).
- • The Examiner is a bureaucratic obstacle to be avoided (his fear of ‘the excuse they want’).
Not directly observable, but implied to be stern and unyielding (Lesterson and Janley’s fear suggests he would act decisively to shut down the project).
The Examiner is referenced indirectly as a looming threat to Lesterson and Janley’s project. Though not physically present, his authority is invoked as the reason for their secrecy (‘No one must find out about this accident. It might give the Examiner just the excuse they want’). His role as Earth’s governmental inspector positions him as an external force of oversight, one that could derail their ambitions if aware of Resno’s accident.
- • To ensure compliance with Earth’s regulations (implied by Lesterson and Janley’s fear of his ‘excuse’).
- • To prevent reckless experiments that endanger the colony (foreshadowed by Resno’s accident).
- • Scientific projects must adhere to strict protocols (his potential shutdown reflects this).
- • Colony safety is paramount (his intervention would likely prioritize this over Lesterson’s ambitions).
Absent but implied to be fearful and traumatized (his accident serves as a warning ignored by the others).
Resno is mentioned off-screen as the victim of a Dalek-related accident, his condition discussed in hushed tones by Lesterson and Janley. Though physically absent, his presence looms large as the human cost of their experiment, his ‘recovery’ framed as a convenient secret to protect the project. The dialogue reveals he was incapacitated by a Dalek blast, a detail Lesterson and Janley downplay to avoid scrutiny.
- • To recover from his injuries (implied by Janley’s update).
- • To avoid further harm from the Daleks (a goal unvoiced but critical to the colony’s survival).
- • The Daleks are dangerous and should not be experimented on (implied by his earlier warnings, referenced here).
- • Lesterson and Janley’s secrecy will lead to disaster (foreshadowed by his accident).
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Dalek serves as the silent, ominous centerpiece of the scene, its dormant presence a physical manifestation of the moral dilemma at hand. Though not actively moving during this exchange, its mere existence looms as a threat—Resno’s accident is a direct result of its latent danger, and Lesterson and Janley’s decision to proceed with the demonstration ignores this warning. The Dalek symbolizes the consequences of scientific hubris, its potential reactivation foreshadowed by their evasive dialogue. Its role in the event is dual: as a tool for Lesterson’s ambition and as a harbinger of the disaster to come.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Lesterson’s laboratory is a claustrophobic, tension-filled space that mirrors the moral ambiguity of the scene. The cluttered benches and scattered tools reflect the chaotic nature of their experiment, while the Dalek capsule dominates the room as a symbol of their reckless ambition. The laboratory’s atmosphere is one of hushed urgency, with Lesterson and Janley’s dialogue revealing their complicity in a secret that could have catastrophic consequences. The space functions as both a workspace and a hiding place, where ethical compromises are made in the name of scientific progress.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Dalek's incapacitation of Resno is followed by Lesterson inquiring about Resno’s condition, and Janley assuring secrecy furthering the cover-up."
Dalek attacks Resno in lab"The Dalek's incapacitation of Resno is followed by Lesterson inquiring about Resno’s condition, and Janley assuring secrecy furthering the cover-up."
Dalek attacks Resno in lab"The Dalek's incapacitation of Resno is followed by Lesterson inquiring about Resno’s condition, and Janley assuring secrecy furthering the cover-up."
Janley conceals Resno’s incapacitationKey Dialogue
"LESTERSON: Is it time? JANLEY: Yes, yes, I think so. I feel quite excited. JANLEY: So you should. It's a wonderful achievement. LESTERSON: Yes, yes, but the wonderful thing, Janley, is that we don't know the full scope of this experiment. Who knows where we may go from here. Who knows what this Dalek may do?"
"LESTERSON: It's harmless now? JANLEY: Yes, yes, yes. I've removed... Oh, Resno. Have you been to see him today? JANLEY: Yes, yes. LESTERSON: And? JANLEY: He's had medical attention. He's going to be all right. LESTERSON: Oh good. JANLEY: No one must find out about this accident. It might give the Examiner just the excuse they want, and he could stop the whole project."
"LESTERSON: Oh yes. Yes, yes, yes, you're right."