Doctor Who
S21E12
· Resurrection of the Daleks Part 2

Davros under life support crisis orders killings

Davros struggles with malfunctions in his life-support systems while Lytton presses for an immediate boarding of the Dalek ship to respond to a space station’s distress call. Knowing the Daleks would intercept any rescue effort, Davros prioritizes his own survival and agenda over external threats, commanding Lytton to destroy any incoming patrol ship. His physical frailty clashes with his ruthless insistence on consolidating power, revealing desperation masked by inescapable ambition. This moment exposes the tension between Davros’s body and his iron will, as he ensures no interference challenges his mutant-fueled plans for vengeance against Earth and the Doctor.

Plot Beats

The narrative micro-steps within this event

3

Davros experiences life-support system malfunctions and requests an engineer, revealing his vulnerability.

concern to urgency

Lytton informs Davros of a distress call from the space station, introducing a time-sensitive element to their situation.

urgency to anxiety

Davros orders Lytton to shoot down any patrol ship that might respond to the distress call, escalating their hostile intentions.

anxiety to determination

Who Was There

Characters present in this moment

2
Davros
Creator of the Daleks
 primary

Desperate resolve masking underlying panic

Davros attempts to maneuver his wheelchair but is physically restricted by failing life-support systems, speaking in clipped, urgent tones as malfunctions betray his bodily fragility. He clings to authority despite vulnerability, demanding engineers and refusing to budge from proximity to his cryogenic chamber.

Goals in this moment
  • • Ensure immediate access to cryogenic stasis to stabilize failing systems
  • • Consolidate control by preventing any action disrupting his agenda
  • • Eliminate potential external threats before they interfere with his plans
Active beliefs
  • • His survival is paramount to the Dalek cause, despite his physical decay
  • • Patrol ships responding to the distress call are immediate threats that must be neutralized
  • • Any deviation from his directives risks fatal consequences for both himself and the Dalek mission
Character traits
Physically frail yet mentally unyielding Authoritarian in refusal to compromise Pragmatic in prioritizing self-preservation Condescending toward Lytton's urgency
Follow Davros's journey
Commander Lytton
Commander
 primary

Concerned urgency tempered by disciplined acceptance of duty

Lytton voices concern over Davros's condition but presses for urgent action, his measured tone failing to mask urgency as he outlines the intercepted distress call's implications. His persistent demands for boarding the Dalek ship highlight his role as enforcer of mission objectives, even as Davros dismisses them.

Goals in this moment
  • • Ensure the Dalek mission proceeds without interruption
  • • Convince Davros to prioritize the intercepted distress call over his immediate survival needs
  • • Devise alternative actions when Davros refuses to comply
Active beliefs
  • • The distress call poses a genuine threat that must be addressed
  • • Davros's refusal to act rationally endangers the entire mission
  • • Loyalty to the Dalek cause supersedes individual authority figures' whims
Character traits
Pragmatic and urgent Loyal to Dalek objectives but constrained by Davros's authority Frustrated by Davros's intransigence Adaptable in shifting from medical concern to threat elimination
Follow Commander Lytton's journey

Objects Involved

Significant items in this scene

2
Davros's Motorized Life-Support Wheelchair

The wheelchair serves as Davros's faltering mobility device, its servos straining as he attempts to move while life-support malfunctions physically restrict him. Its mechanical whine underscores the conflict between his will and bodily decay, becoming a symbol of his forced immobility.

Before: Functioning but showing signs of strain, as Davros …
After: Stationary and immobilized as Davros refuses to be …
Before: Functioning but showing signs of strain, as Davros attempts to maneuver it despite his failing systems
After: Stationary and immobilized as Davros refuses to be moved, its function limited by his determination to remain near his cryogenic chamber
Fixed Davros Life-Support System

Davros's life-support system flickers erratically during the confrontation, its malfunctioning components making audible straining sounds that heighten the urgency. It fails to stabilize despite demands for an engineer, directly threatening his survival and forcing his immobility.

Before: Operating intermittently with noticeable malfunctions, requiring Davros's close …
After: Failing further as Davros remains in place, its …
Before: Operating intermittently with noticeable malfunctions, requiring Davros's close proximity to the cryogenic chamber for potential refreezing
After: Failing further as Davros remains in place, its continued operation contingent on his cryogenic proximity and immediate engineering attention

Location Details

Places and their significance in this event

1
Starbase Four Laboratory Annex Prison

The claustrophobic prison annex amplifies the tension between Davros's physical capture and his mental grasp on power. His cryogenic chamber dominates the space, its glass walls reflecting the emergency lighting as his life-support flickers threateningly, creating a stage for this power struggle.

Atmosphere Tense with mechanical urgency and impending crisis, charged with the conflict between survival and mission …
Function Confinement chamber turned command center where personal survival directly conflicts with operational objectives
Symbolism Represents the perverse inversion of containment — a tyrant imprisoned by his own failing body …
Access Strictly controlled; movement is restricted by Davros's refusal to leave and the physical limitations imposed …
Emergency lighting casting long shadows over polished floors The constant low hum of failing life-support and cryogenic equipment

Narrative Connections

How this event relates to others in the story

What this causes 2
Causal medium

"Davros's request for an engineer due to life-support malfunctions leads directly to the door opening to reveal two Daleks, forcing Davros to demand guards as a precaution, escalating his paranoia."

Davros’s risky move meets Dalek oversight
S21E12 · Resurrection of the Daleks Part …
Causal medium

"The distress call from the space station prompts Davros to demand a laboratory and access to the Space Prison, showing how environmental threats and opportunities drive Davros's strategic decisions to consolidate power."

Davros asserts control over Dalek plans
S21E12 · Resurrection of the Daleks Part …

Part of Larger Arcs

Commander Lytton's precarious alliance with Davros and the Daleks, torn between feigned obedience, personal ambition, and the growing recognition of the human cost of his choices.

Key Dialogue

"DAVROS: There are malfunctions in my life-support system. I require an engineer."
"DAVROS: Then you will shoot it down! I cannot be moved."