Object

Thal Genocidal Rocket

A towering, war-torn rocket housed in a claustrophobic Thal silo, serving as the Thals' ultimate weapon and part of a broader 'Thal Rocket Barrage' aimed at the Kaled dome. The rocket is loaded with distronic explosives and a chemical barrage, designed for a genocidal strike against the Kaled dome. Davros supplies the Thal Council with a chemical formula disguised as a peace offering to weaken the dome's defenses, accelerating the barrage's deadliness. The Thal Councillor orders its immediate launch, prompting guards to don protective suits. Sarah Jane Smith and Sevrin are enslaved to load explosives into its nose cone, while the Doctor sabotages the rocket to prevent its launch, climbing its scaffolding amid alarms and gunfire. The rocket's launch would incinerate prisoners in the silo from its exhaust and trigger mutual annihilation of Kaleds and Thals. Key figures involved include the Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith, Harry Sullivan, Ravon, and Davros.
15 appearances

Purpose

Deliver chemical barrage loaded with distronic explosives for genocidal strike against the Kaled race

Significance

Drives plot as primary threat with launch countdown; focal point for rescues, escapes, and sabotage attempts by Doctor, Sarah, and Sevrin; embodies Thal aggression and Davros's ambitions, heightening stakes of war and Dalek creation

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

15 moments
S12E13 · Genesis of the Daleks Part 3
Davros’s Faustian Bargain: The Price of Peace

The Thals’ genocidal rocket is the silent, looming threat that hangs over the entire exchange in the war chamber. Though not physically present in the room, its existence is the unspoken catalyst for Davros’s manipulation. The rocket is described as 'primed and ready,' its countdown poised to begin immediately—a ticking clock that amplifies the urgency of the Thal Councillor’s decision. Davros’s chemical formula is explicitly tied to the rocket’s success, framing it as the key to penetrating the Kaled dome and ensuring the rocket’s destructive payload reaches its target. The rocket symbolizes the Thals’ desperation and their willingness to embrace any means to achieve victory, no matter how morally reprehensible. Its impending launch is the ultimate expression of the war’s escalation, a weapon that will not just end the conflict but erase the Kaleds from existence.

Before: Primed and ready for launch, its countdown paused pending the Thal Councillor’s final approval. The rocket is fully fueled and armed, its destructive payload intact, and its targeting systems locked onto the Kaled dome.
After: The rocket remains in a state of readiness, but its launch is now contingent on the Thal Councillor’s acceptance of Davros’s chemical formula. The countdown has not yet begun, but the rocket’s role as the instrument of annihilation is cemented in the Thal leadership’s plans. The formula’s integration into the Thals’ artillery shells is the next critical step, tying the rocket’s fate directly to Davros’s deception.
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