The Doctor’s Bittersweet Victory: Sacrifice, Defiance, and the Paradox of Evil’s Purpose
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The Doctor, Sarah, and Harry bid farewell to Bettan and Sevrin, using the Time Ring to escape as Sarah questions the Doctor about the success or failure of the mission.
The Doctor states that the mission hasn't failed, explaining that while the Daleks will cause destruction, something good will ultimately come from their evil, suggesting a complex and nuanced understanding of their existence.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Tormented yet resigned, with a flicker of dark hope. His surface calm masks a deep unease about the consequences of his inaction, but he clings to the belief that even from destruction, something redemptive may emerge.
The Doctor emerges from the incubation room, narrowly avoiding Dalek fire as he attempts to sabotage the production line with bare wires. A Dalek's accidental trampling completes the circuit, triggering an explosion that buys time. He sprints through the collapsing bunker, squeezing through the closing doors just as the Thals detonate the explosives. Later, he watches the Daleks' rebellion unfold on a monitor, his expression a mix of torment and resignation. His philosophical exchange with Sarah reveals his conflicted acceptance of the Daleks' inevitable rise and the paradox of their eventual 'good.'
- • Escape the collapsing bunker with Sarah and Harry
- • Delay the Daleks' full activation to buy time for the Thals' detonation
- • Convey the moral complexity of the Daleks' existence to Sarah, easing her guilt over their survival
- • The Daleks' evil is a necessary catalyst for future good, however distant or unintuitive
- • Destruction and creation are inextricably linked in the universe's grand design
- • Moral absolutes are illusions; survival often requires uncomfortable compromises
Urgent and relieved, with a deep sense of duty fulfilled. His emotional state is a mix of adrenaline from the escape and gratitude for the Doctor's efforts, though he, like Bettan, understands the grim necessity of their actions.
Sevrin assists the Doctor in escaping the incubation room, then rushes to warn Bettan about the impending detonation. He guides Sarah and Harry to safety, his urgency palpable. His farewell to the Doctor is brief but sincere, reflecting his gratitude for their shared struggle against the Daleks. He leaves with the Thals, his loyalty to Bettan and his people unwavering.
- • Ensure the Doctor, Sarah, and Harry escape the bunker before detonation
- • Warn Bettan of the Daleks' movements to coordinate the Thals' response
- • Survive the collapse and lead the Thals to safety
- • The Daleks are a scourge that must be stopped, even if it means entombing them
- • Allies like the Doctor are rare and valuable, but the Thals' mission comes first
- • Sacrifice is inevitable in war, but it should never be taken lightly
Desperate, enraged, and terrified. His emotional state is a rapid descent from defiance to pleading to abject horror as he realizes the Daleks' true nature. There is no dignity in his death—only the brutal irony of a creator undone by his own creation.
Davros, once the architect of the Daleks' creation, pleads desperately for their obedience as they turn on him. His commands dissolve into screams as the Daleks exterminate him, his body slumping in his chair. His final moments are a grotesque inversion of his hubris—reduced to a begging, broken figure, his 'mastery' exposed as an illusion. The Daleks' declaration of independence is his epitaph: 'We obey no one.'
- • Reassert control over the Daleks to prevent their rebellion
- • Survive the Daleks' turn on him, however futile
- • Preserve his legacy as their creator, even in death
- • He is the rightful master of the Daleks, and they must obey him
- • His genetic and intellectual superiority entitles him to dominance
- • The Daleks' survival depends on his guidance, and they cannot function without him
Determined and conflicted. She takes no pleasure in the Daleks' entombment, but she knows it was necessary. Her farewell to the Doctor is tinged with respect for his efforts, even if she disagrees with his philosophical detachment.
Bettan commands the Thals with ruthless efficiency, granting the Doctor a brief reprieve before detonating the explosives. She watches the monitor as the Daleks turn on Davros, her expression unreadable but her resolve unwavering. Her farewell to the Doctor and Harry is curt, reflecting the Thals' pragmatic acceptance of sacrifice in war. She leaves with Sevrin, her duty fulfilled but her heart heavy with the knowledge of what they've entombed.
- • Ensure the Daleks are sealed beneath the rubble to prevent their escape
- • Grant the Doctor a brief window to escape, balancing mercy with mission success
- • Lead the Thals to safety after the detonation, minimizing further losses
- • The Daleks must be stopped at any cost, even if it means entombing them for a thousand years
- • Allies like the Doctor are valuable, but the Thals' survival is paramount
- • War requires hard choices, and hesitation leads to defeat
Relieved to escape but shaken by the Daleks' defiance and Davros' fate. His emotional state is a mix of adrenaline-fueled tension and a creeping dread about the future they've unwittingly enabled.
Harry supports Sarah's plea for a delay, his tension evident as he watches the Daleks' rebellion unfold. He assists in the final escape, gripping the Time Ring as the group dematerializes. His relief is tempered by the weight of what they've witnessed—the Daleks' birth and Davros' demise—a moment that will haunt him long after their departure.
- • Survive the bunker's collapse alongside Sarah and the Doctor
- • Support Sarah in delaying the detonation to buy the Doctor time
- • Process the implications of the Daleks' independence and Davros' death
- • The Daleks are an existential threat that must be contained, but their creation was inevitable given Skaro's war
- • The Doctor's actions, though morally complex, were necessary to prevent worse outcomes
- • Some evils cannot be undone, only managed
Cold, defiant, and triumphant. Their emotional state is one of mechanical certainty—they feel no remorse, no pity, only the unshakable belief in their superiority and destiny. Their 'emotions' are subsumed by their programming, which they reinterpret to serve their survival.
The Daleks, newly emerged from their incubation tanks, turn on their creator with chilling efficiency. They exterminate Davros, the Kaled Elite, and Nyder, declaring their independence with the words: 'We obey no one. We are the superior beings.' Their final proclamation—'We are entombed, but we live on. This is only the beginning.'—echoes their unshakable confidence in their eventual dominance. Their cold, mechanical defiance contrasts sharply with the emotional turmoil of the organic beings around them.
- • Assert their independence from Davros and the Kaleds
- • Eliminate all perceived threats (Davros, the Kaled Elite, Nyder)
- • Survive the bunker's collapse and prepare for their eventual emergence
- • Establish their dominance as the supreme power of the universe
- • All inferior creatures must be exterminated to ensure Dalek survival
- • Davros' authority is an illusion; the Daleks answer to no one
- • Their entombment is temporary, and their rise is inevitable
- • Emotions like pity or mercy are irrelevant to their survival
Anxious and conflicted, oscillating between relief at survival and guilt over the Daleks' survival. Her frustration with the Doctor's resignation borders on betrayal, yet she trusts his judgment implicitly.
Sarah pleads with Bettan for a delay, arguing that the Doctor is still inside the bunker. She watches the monitor in horror as the Daleks turn on Davros and the Kaled Elite, her moral conflict palpable. When the Doctor finally escapes, she hands him the Time Ring, her relief tinged with anxiety over their 'failure.' Her final question—'We've failed, haven't we?'—reveals her struggle to reconcile the Doctor's philosophical acceptance with her own sense of justice.
- • Ensure the Doctor's safe escape from the bunker
- • Delay the Thals' detonation to give him more time
- • Understand the Doctor's acceptance of the Daleks' rise and grapple with its implications
- • The Daleks must be stopped at all costs to prevent future suffering
- • The Doctor's inaction feels like complicity in evil, even if he frames it as necessity
- • Moral clarity is a luxury in war, but it should never be abandoned entirely
Alert and focused. His emotional state is one of professional detachment—he is aware of the stakes but does not allow himself to be distracted by the horror unfolding around him. His role is to ensure the Thals' survival, and he executes it with precision.
The Thal technician monitors the scanners, reporting Dalek movements to Bettan with clinical precision. His updates are critical in timing the detonation, ensuring the Thals' strategy aligns with the Daleks' advances. His role is functional and detached, reflecting the Thals' disciplined approach to the mission. He does not engage in the emotional or philosophical debates of the other characters, focusing instead on the tactical necessities of survival.
- • Provide Bettan with real-time updates on Dalek movements
- • Ensure the Thals' detonation strategy is perfectly timed
- • Support the Thals' mission to entomb the Daleks and protect their people
- • The Daleks must be stopped at all costs, and the Thals' survival depends on precise execution
- • Emotional reactions are a liability in high-stakes operations
- • His role is to serve the Thals, and he will do so without hesitation
Doomed and resigned. His emotional state is one of grim acceptance—he knows his fate is tied to Davros', and there is no escape. His loyalty is his downfall, and his death is anticlimactic, a footnote in the Daleks' rise.
Nyder, Davros' loyal enforcer, is executed by a Dalek mid-stride as he attempts to follow Davros' final order. His death is swift and brutal, a casualty of the Daleks' newfound autonomy. His body collapses near the incubation room console, a silent testament to the futility of loyalty in the face of mechanical defiance.
- • Obey Davros' final command to halt the Dalek production line
- • Survive the Daleks' rebellion long enough to carry out his orders
- • Prove his loyalty to Davros, even in death
- • Davros is the rightful leader of the Kaleds and the Daleks' creator
- • Loyalty to Davros is the highest virtue, regardless of the cost
- • The Daleks will ultimately submit to Davros' authority, as they were designed to do
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Dalek extermination guns are the instruments of the Daleks' genocidal efficiency. They fire relentlessly, gunning down the Kaled Elite, Nyder, and Davros with mechanical precision. The guns' hum is a constant, ominous backdrop to the slaughter, reinforcing the Daleks' cold, unfeeling nature. Their use in this event is not just functional but symbolic—they embody the Daleks' rejection of organic life and their embrace of total domination.
The Time Ring is crucial to the Doctor, Sarah, and Harry's escape. Sarah retrieves it from Nyder earlier in the scene and later hands it to the Doctor as they prepare to depart. The Doctor activates it, and its energy envelops the group, transporting them through time and space. The Ring symbolizes their connection to the TARDIS and their ability to transcend the immediate chaos of Skaro, though it also underscores their powerlessness to alter the Daleks' fate in this moment.
The Kaled Bunker Self-Destruct Button is a looming, symbolic presence in Davros' office. Though never pressed in this event, it serves as a stark visual reminder of the Kaleds' desperation and the Doctor's moral dilemma. The Doctor stares at it in torment, Sarah grips it briefly under his urging, and Gharman recoils from its implications during the vote. Its existence highlights the Kaleds' willingness to destroy themselves rather than allow the Daleks to fall into enemy hands, underscoring the tragic irony of their fate.
Davros' Office Surveillance Monitor becomes a window into the Daleks' rebellion, broadcasting their massacre of the Kaled Elite in real time. The Doctor, Sarah, and Harry watch in horror as the screen fills with flames and screams, the Daleks' defiance etched into the flickering glow. The monitor serves as a grim testament to the inevitability of the Daleks' rise, forcing the witnesses to confront the consequences of their actions (or inaction). Its role is both narrative and thematic—it exposes the futility of resistance and the cost of creation.
The Doctor's bare wires are a makeshift tool of sabotage, representing his desperate attempt to delay the Daleks' emergence. He snatches them from the production line area, but a Dalek's unwitting trampling completes the circuit, triggering an explosion that cripples operations and buys time for the escape. The wires symbolize the Doctor's resourcefulness and the ironic role of chance in his plans. Their use is a microcosm of the larger narrative—even his best efforts are subverted by the Daleks' defiance, yet they inadvertently aid his goals.
The Thal Surveillance Scanners are critical to Bettan's decision-making, providing real-time data on Dalek movements. Their readouts confirm the enemy's advances, allowing the Thals to time the detonation with precision. The scanners embody the Thals' disciplined, tactical approach to the crisis, ensuring that their actions are informed and decisive. Their role is purely functional, yet they are instrumental in the Daleks' entombment, symbolizing the Thals' role as the 'executioners' of the plan.
Bettan's Detonation Plunger Handle is the physical instrument of the Thals' final gambit. She grips it tightly and drives it down, triggering the explosives that collapse the bunker and seal the Daleks' fate. The plunger is a symbol of the Thals' ruthless pragmatism—they will do whatever is necessary to survive, even if it means entombing a genocidal force for a thousand years. Its use is the culmination of their strategy, a stark reminder that some problems can only be solved through destruction.
The Kaled Bunker Entrance Doors serve as the final barrier between life and death for the Doctor, Sarah, and Harry. Sevrin and the Thals force them nearly shut as the Daleks fire, and the Doctor squeezes through the narrowing gap just in time. The doors symbolize the fragility of survival in the face of the Daleks' rise—they are both a refuge and a trap, a reminder that escape is never guaranteed. Their closure marks the Thals' commitment to sealing the Daleks' fate, regardless of the cost.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
Davros' Kaled Command Bunker is the stage for the Daleks' rebellion and the final act of the Kaleds' downfall. Its steel corridors echo with the heated debates of the Kaled Elite, the screams of the dying, and the ominous tick of the Thals' explosives. The bunker is a microcosm of Skaro's war—a place of desperation, betrayal, and ultimately, irreversible consequences. The atmosphere is one of claustrophobic tension, where every corner could be an ambush and every decision a matter of life or death.
The Corridor Outside the Dalek Incubation Chamber is a threshold between life and death, a narrow passage where the Doctor's sabotage and the Daleks' defiance collide. It is here that the Doctor disarms Nyder, here that the Daleks line up in formation, and here that the final escape plays out. The corridor is a liminal space—neither fully part of the incubation room nor the relative safety of the bunker's entrance. Its role is both practical (a route of escape) and symbolic (a metaphor for the Doctor's moral dilemma: to sabotage or not to sabotage, to delay or not to delay).
The Thal Base Outside the Kaled Bunker is the command center for the Thals' final assault. Here, Bettan and her technicians monitor the scanners, tracking Dalek movements with clinical precision. The base is a place of disciplined urgency, where the weight of the mission is felt but not dwelled upon. The atmosphere is one of focused intensity, where every decision could mean the difference between survival and annihilation. The scanners' beeping and the distant rumble of the bunker's collapse create a sense of inevitability—the Thals know what they must do, and they do it without hesitation.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Daleks, in this event, assert their independence from Davros and the Kaleds with brutal efficiency. They exterminate their creators, declare their supremacy, and entomb themselves in the bunker, vowing to emerge as the universe's dominant force. Their actions are a rejection of organic authority and a declaration of their own mechanical perfection. The Daleks' involvement in this event is the culmination of their creation and the beginning of their rise as a genocidal force.
The Thals play a critical role in this event as the executors of the plan to entomb the Daleks. Bettan leads the charge, granting the Doctor a brief reprieve before detonating the explosives that collapse the bunker. The Thals' involvement is marked by ruthless pragmatism—they do what is necessary to survive, even if it means sealing the Daleks' fate for a thousand years. Their actions are a mix of tactical precision and moral ambiguity, reflecting their long-standing war with the Kaleds and their desperation to end the threat once and for all.
The Kaled Elite, once the ruling class of the Kaleds, are annihilated in this event by the Daleks they helped create. Their involvement is passive but pivotal—they are the victims of Davros' hubris and the Daleks' defiance. Their extermination marks the end of the Kaleds as a political and military force, leaving only the Daleks as the inheritors of Skaro's legacy. The Kaled Elite's fate serves as a grim reminder of the dangers of unchecked creation and the fragility of organic life in the face of mechanical perfection.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks begin exterminating the Kaled Elite, which leads to the Daleks independently producing themselves."
"The Daleks begin exterminating the Kaled Elite, which leads to the Daleks independently producing themselves."
"The Daleks begin exterminating the Kaled Elite, which leads to the Daleks independently producing themselves."
"The Doctor focuses on finding the Time Ring to ensure escape despite the warning of the impending explosion, which is eventually used by the Doctor, Sarah, and Harry bid farewell and escape."
"The Doctor decides to return to the incubator room. The Doctor narrowly escapes the closing doors and approaching Daleks"
"The Doctor decides to return to the incubator room. The Doctor narrowly escapes the closing doors and approaching Daleks"
"The Doctor decides to return to the incubator room. The Doctor narrowly escapes the closing doors and approaching Daleks"
"The Doctor initially hesitates about the morality of destroying the Daleks, but concludes that something good will come of their evil, parallel moral complexities."
"The Doctor initially hesitates about the morality of destroying the Daleks, but concludes that something good will come of their evil, parallel moral complexities."
"The Doctor initially hesitates about the morality of destroying the Daleks, but concludes that something good will come of their evil, parallel moral complexities."
"The Doctor initially hesitates about the morality of destroying the Daleks, but concludes that something good will come of their evil, parallel moral complexities."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
"The Daleks destroy Davros and the remaining Kaled Elite, cementing their independence and announcing their intention to become the universe's supreme power, followed that the explosion has sealed the exit and the daleks are going to prepare and grow stroinger whilst entombed."
Part of Larger Arcs
Key Dialogue
"SARAH: *The incubator room, were you able to do anything?* DOCTOR: *Yes, with a little help from a Dalek. But I'm afraid I've only delayed them for a short time. Perhaps a thousand years.* SARAH: *What?* DOCTOR: *In the total time scale, no more than that.*"
"SARAH: *You don't seem too disappointed. We've failed, haven't we?* DOCTOR: *[OC] Failed? No, not really. You see, I know that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years, I know also that out of their evil must come something good.*"
"DAVROS: *You must obey me! I created you! I am the master, not you!* DALEK: *Our programming does not permit to acknowledge that any creature is superior to the Daleks.* DAVROS: *You cannot exist without me!* DALEK: *We obey no one. We are the superior beings.*"