The Doctor Forces His Companions to Witness the Daleks' Birth
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Sounds of gurgling infants are heard, prompting Sarah to question if the Daleks are inside; the Doctor confirms they are, referring to the 'flesh and blood part of them'. Harry notes that some can move about, increasing the tension and highlighting the unsettling nature of the Daleks' genesis.
Sarah asks how to see inside, and the Doctor instructs her to press a button, revealing a viewing portal into the green-lit room. The Doctor asks Harry to pay out quickly, building anticipation and dread.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Feigned calm masking deep moral conflict and existential dread over the genocide he is about to commit.
The Doctor stands in the corridor outside the incubation chamber, his posture rigid with controlled urgency. He directs Sarah to uncover the viewing portal with clinical precision, his voice steady but his hands betraying a slight tremor as he hands Harry the detonator wires. His dialogue—'They're harmless enough, I think. Just unpleasant.'—is delivered with feigned detachment, masking the moral conflict raging beneath. He avoids eye contact with his companions, focusing instead on the task at hand, his resolve hardening as he prepares to enter the chamber alone. His emotional state is a fragile facade of pragmatism, hiding the weight of his impending genocide.
- • To force Sarah and Harry to confront the grotesque origins of the Daleks, shattering their moral complacency and preparing them for the inevitability of his plan.
- • To place the explosives in the incubation chamber with precision, ensuring the Daleks are destroyed before they mature into a genocidal force.
- • That the Daleks, no matter their current state, will become an existential threat if allowed to develop.
- • That his companions' emotional resistance to his plan is a necessary obstacle to overcome for the greater good.
Uneasy and conflicted, torn between loyalty to the Doctor and the horror of what they are preparing to do.
Harry stands beside the Doctor, his posture tense and his expression uneasy as he pays out the detonator wires. He avoids looking directly at the viewing portal, his discomfort palpable as the gurgling of the Dalek mutants fills the corridor. His dialogue—'You don't want me to come in, do you, Doctor?'—reveals his reluctance to enter the chamber, a hesitation born of both moral unease and fear. He complies with the Doctor's instructions but does so with visible reluctance, his hands moving mechanically as his mind grapples with the horror of what they are about to do.
- • To support the Doctor while grappling with the moral implications of his plan, seeking a way to reconcile his loyalty with his conscience.
- • To avoid direct confrontation with the Dalek mutants, both out of fear and a desire to maintain his own moral boundaries.
- • That the Doctor’s plan is necessary but morally reprehensible, and that he must find a way to live with the consequences.
- • That his role as a companion is to follow the Doctor’s lead, even when it conflicts with his own values.
None (as non-sentient entities), but their presence evokes horror, pity, and moral conflict in the companions.
The Dalek mutants, suspended in their incubation tanks, emit a grotesque, infantile gurgling that echoes through the corridor. Their half-formed, vulnerable state contrasts sharply with their future monstrous nature, creating a visceral dissonance that underscores the moral horror of the Doctor’s plan. Though physically contained within the chamber, their presence looms large over the scene, serving as a silent yet haunting reminder of the genocide the Doctor is about to commit. Their existence in this state is both pitiful and terrifying, a paradox that forces the companions to confront the true nature of the threat they face.
- • None (as non-sentient entities).
- • None.
- • None (as non-sentient entities).
- • None.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The explosives, hidden in a Kaled corridor cupboard, are uncovered by the Doctor and brought to the incubation chamber. He hands the detonator wires to Harry, who pays them out as the Doctor prepares to enter the chamber. These charges are the physical manifestation of the Doctor’s plan to destroy the Daleks before they mature, symbolizing the irreversible step he is about to take. Their presence in the corridor, coupled with the Doctor’s clinical instructions, heightens the tension and moral weight of the moment, as the companions are forced to confront the reality of what is about to happen.
The viewing portal to the incubation room is a transparent panel that the Doctor directs Sarah to uncover, revealing the green-lit interior where the Dalek mutants are suspended in their tanks. This portal serves as a literal and metaphorical window into the horror of the Daleks’ origins, forcing the companions to witness the grotesque yet vulnerable state of the mutants. The act of uncovering it is a deliberate choice by the Doctor to shatter his companions’ moral complacency, making them complicit in the knowledge of what they are about to destroy. The portal’s transparency contrasts with the opacity of the Doctor’s true emotions, highlighting the dissonance between his clinical detachment and the moral weight of his actions.
The viewing portal button is pressed by Sarah under the Doctor’s instruction, activating the mechanism that allows the portal to be uncovered. This small but deliberate action symbolizes the companions’ reluctant participation in the Doctor’s plan, as they are drawn deeper into the moral quagmire of his genocide. The button’s activation is a turning point, marking the moment when the companions can no longer ignore the reality of the Daleks’ origins and the Doctor’s intentions. Its simplicity contrasts with the gravity of what it reveals, underscoring the irreversible nature of the Doctor’s decision.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Incubator Room, though not physically entered by the companions in this event, looms large as the target of the Doctor’s plan. Its green-lit interior, visible through the viewing portal, houses the half-formed Dalek mutants suspended in their tanks. This chamber is the symbolic and literal heart of Davros’s genocidal project, and its destruction is the Doctor’s calculated gambit to sever the Daleks’ evolution at its source. The room’s sterile, clinical atmosphere contrasts with the grotesque vulnerability of the mutants, creating a dissonance that underscores the moral horror of the Doctor’s decision. The Incubator Room is not just a location but a metaphor for the fragility and monstrosity of the Daleks’ origins, forcing the companions to confront the true nature of the threat they face.
The corridor outside the Kaled detention room serves as the staging area for the Doctor’s moral confrontation with his companions. Bathed in flickering light and echoing with the eerie gurgling of the Dalek mutants, it becomes a liminal space where the companions are forced to confront the horror of what they are about to do. The corridor’s narrow confines and scarred walls amplify the tension, creating a claustrophobic atmosphere that mirrors the moral dilemma the Doctor has placed before them. It is here that the Doctor directs the uncovering of the viewing portal, where Harry pays out the detonator wires, and where the companions’ unease reaches its peak. The corridor is not just a physical space but a symbolic threshold, marking the transition from moral innocence to complicity.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Daleks, though not yet fully formed, are the embodiment of the genocidal force that Davros seeks to create. In this event, their half-formed, vulnerable state in the incubation tanks serves as a haunting preview of the monstrous army they will become. The Doctor’s plan to destroy them before they mature is a direct challenge to the Daleks’ eventual dominance, and the companions’ horror at witnessing their origins underscores the existential threat they pose. The Daleks’ presence in this moment is both a warning and a justification for the Doctor’s actions, as he seeks to prevent their rise and the genocide they will perpetrate.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"The Doctor decides to exterminate the Daleks."
"The Doctor decides to exterminate the Daleks."
"The DOCTOR prepares his plan to exterminate the Daleks."
"The DOCTOR prepares his plan to exterminate the Daleks."
Key Dialogue
"SARAH: *The Daleks are in there?* DOCTOR: *The flesh and blood part of them. Indeed they are flesh and blood.*"
"HARRY: *You're not going in there, are you?* DOCTOR: *They're harmless enough, I think. Just unpleasant.*"
"HARRY: *You don't want me to come in, do you, Doctor?* DOCTOR: *There's no need, Harry. It just remains to put the charges where they'll do the most damage.*"