Genesis of the Daleks ( TV story ) Genesis of the Daleks was the fourth story of season 12 of " Doctor Who " . It introduced Davros , creator of the Dalek s , and showed the story of their origins . Davros later played a prominent role in every following Dalek serial up to " Remembrance of the Daleks " in 1988 . " Genesis of the Daleks " is also notable for being the only time in the classic television series that the TARDIS does not appear whatsoever for two consecutive serials . Also notable is the fact that this is one of the only two Dalek serials in all seven years of Tom Baker ' s run on the show , the other being 1979 ' s " Destiny of the Daleks " . This became the start of a practice throughout the classic series where most recurring enemies would see a significant reduction in the amount of encounters between them and the Doctor ; the Daleks , to name an example , only starred in one televised serial during each succeeding Doctor ' s tenure for the remainder of the 1963 - 1989 run . In a 1998 poll conducted by " Doctor Who Magazine " , " Genesis of the Daleks " was praised by fans as their favourite " Doctor Who " story of all time . ( DWM 265 ) Synopsis . Intercepted while travelling between Earth and the Ark , the Fourth Doctor and his companions are transported to the planet Skaro , thousands of years in the past , on a mission for the Time Lord s — to prevent the creation of the Dalek s . Plot . Part one . On a foggy battlefield , men with painted gas mask s and armed with archaic rifle s advance out of a trench and are brutally cut down by machine gun fire . The enemy squad marches over their bodies . The Fourth Doctor walks through the cold mist , wondering why he ' s not on Nerva . Suddenly , another Time Lord , Valyes , appears in front of him . The Doctor realises that they intercepted the transmat beam he and his companions were riding to Nerva . The Doctor is angry that the Time Lords are still interfering in his life , but the Time Lord explains that for the freedom they allow him they will occasionally ask for something in return . The Doctor refuses until he is told his mission involves the Dalek s . The Time Lord tells the Doctor that they have foreseen that the Daleks will eventually exterminate all other life in the universe unless they ' re stopped . They want the Doctor to travel back to the time of their beginning to avert their creation , make them less aggressive , or find some inherent weakness in their makeup . The Doctor agrees and asks for the coordinates for Skaro , the Dalek homeworld . The Time Lord tells the Doctor that he is already there , and vanishes after giving him a Time Ring that will return him to the TARDIS when his mission is complete . Harry Sullivan and Sarah Jane Smith find the Doctor . As they explore the battlefield , they come across bodies equipped with a curious mix of ancient and modern equipment . The Doctor theorises that the war has been going on for a long time , perhaps a thousand years , with technology regressing as resources get more scarce . In the distance , they see yet another sight — a protective dome large enough to cover an entire city . The trio cross the lines into another trench , where the bodies of the fallen have been propped up to make the place appear more heavily guarded . Suddenly , gas shells drop as a squad of soldiers attacks . Another door bursts open , and black - uniformed soldiers emerge , counterattacking with submachine guns . Having dealt with the enemy , they drag Harry and the Doctor into their bunker , leaving an unconscious Sarah behind among the dead . The soldiers , all very young men , take the Doctor and Harry to see General Ravon , who is in his early twenties . These are the Kaled s , who are fighting a war with the Thal s for dominance of Skaro . Soon , Ravon boasts , they will exterminate the Thals from the face of Skaro . The Doctor notices that " Kaled " is an anagram of something familiar . The Doctor and Harry disarm Ravon , forcing him at gunpoint to take them back to the surface . However , they encounter Security Commander Nyder , who becomes suspicious and orders his men to open fire . Releasing Ravon , Harry and the Doctor run for and reach the surface , but they are soon captured by the Kaleds once more . Ravon thinks the two are Muto s , the descendants of those mutated by chemical weapons in the first century of the war and cast out into the wastelands to maintain Kaled racial purity . The Doctor tells Nyder they are alien s , but Nyder is sceptical , since the Kaleds ' greatest scientist , Davros , has said there is no life on other planet s . Nyder takes custody of the Doctor and Harry for interrogation . Sarah has regained consciousness and , unable to enter the bunker , walks into the wastelands , where she is being followed by Mutos . She stumbles across a crumbling structure and peeps through to see an old and crippled man — referred to as Davros — his lower body enclosed in what appears to be a sophisticated mobile chair that resembles the bottom half of a Dalek . The wizened , hairless figure has a withered left arm , and his eyes are both closed over , with a third , electronic eye on his forehead blinking as he speaks . His assistant , Gharman , sets up several man - shaped targets , and Davros flicks a switch on his chair . To Sarah ' s horror , a Dalek is revealed in a dim glow of light . Davros gives it some simple commands in a grating , half - synthesised voice , " Exterminate ! " The Dalek fires its deadly laser weapon , obliterating the targets . Davros is pleased . " Now we can begin . . . " Part two . After Gharman and Davros lead the Dalek away , Sarah is taken prisoner by the Mutos . In the Kaled bunker , Nyder orders that the Doctor and Harry be scanned . The scan detects the Time Ring , which is confiscated despite the Doctor ' s protests . It is placed with their other belongings as they are taken to Senior Researcher Ronson for questioning . Two Mutos argue over Sarah ' s unconscious body . Gerrill notes that she is a " Norm " , and Norms are to be killed by Muto law . Sevrin , however , questions why the Mutos should always destroy beauty . The fight is interrupted by a squad of Thal soldiers , who shoot Gerill but take Sevrin and Sarah to the Thal Dome as slave labourers . Ronson , a member of the Scientific Division , examines the results of the scan and is startled to discover that the Doctor and Harry are indeed aliens . Before he can question them further , an alarm rings ; Davros is arriving , bringing with him his " Mark III travel machine " , which the Doctor identifies to Ronson as a Dalek . When Davros releases the primitive Dalek to independent control , it swivels around and pauses at the Doctor and Harry , detecting their non - Kaled physiology . It cries out that they are aliens and must be exterminated , but Ronson switches the Dalek off before it can fire . Davros is furious that Ronson interceded when his creation showed a natural instinct to destroy . Ronson pleads with Davros that the prisoners might hold valuable information , and Davros relents . They will be used when the demonstration resumes , at first light , but Ronson may question them until then . The two are taken to the cells . In the Thal Dome , Sarah discovers that the Thals have placed all their remaining resources into a rocket that they hope will bring them victory in one decisive strike . The slaves are being used to pack the rocket ' s nose cone with distronic explosive s . To reduce the weight , no shielding is provided , which means the slaves will get distronic toxaemia and die after a few hours ' exposure . The Doctor has learned that the bunker they are in is a few miles away from the Kaled dome . Years ago , the Kaled government decided to form a scientific elite for research , but over time the elite became more and more influential . Ronson tells them that Davros has just announced that the Mark III travel machine will now be known as a Dalek , and Ronson asks how the Doctor knew this in advance . When the Doctor reveals that he is a time travel ler , Ronson confides in him that he and a few others believe the direction of Davros ' research has turned immoral and evil . The elite discovered that their race was already mutating . Davros believed that this mutation could not be reversed and began experiments to determine the Kaleds ' final mutated form , developing these " ultimate creatures " which he will put in travel machines . Ronson believes that , if the government were told about the experiments , they would shut Davros down , but he is unable to get out of the bunker . The Doctor offers to contact the right men if Ronson helps them escape . The first load over , Sarah and the other slaves return to their cell , exhausted . She tells them they must act before they are too weak from distronic exposure to do anything . She proposes they try to escape through the dome ' s exit at the top of the rocket . Overpowering their guard , the slaves rush out to the silo and start climbing , as Thal troops fire up at them . But Sarah gets into difficulties , and Sevrin urges her on . Suddenly , she loses her grip and falls , screaming . . . Part three . Several are shot , falling to their deaths . Sarah and Sevrin make it to the nose cone of the rocket but are caught before they can escape . Meanwhile , Ronson has helped Harry and the Doctor escape , and they make their way to the Kaled dome . Back in the bunker , Davros orders further improvements to the Dalek shell ' s systems . Another scientist , Kavell , tells Ronson that the Doctor and Harry have made contact with the Kaled leadership in the dome . There , the Doctor briefs the Kaled Councillors , including one named Mogran , on future events and how the name of the Daleks will terrorise the universe for generations to come . Nyder tells Davros that his spies have reported that a secret meeting between Mogran and some Councillors that oppose their work occurred in the dome with the two prisoners present . Davros tells Nyder to find out how they escaped and the details of the meeting ; he will deal with Ronson in his own way . Mogran and his Councillors have decided that an independent inquiry will look into Davros ' s experiments , and until then , all work at the bunker will cease . If the Doctor ' s allegations are borne out , the project will be shut down . When they leave to tell Davros their decision , Ravon tells Harry and the Doctor that Kaled agents in the Thal dome have reported that a girl led an attempted breakout . The Kaleds know about the rocket but are unconcerned because Davros has reinforced their dome . Ravon agrees to show the Doctor and Harry how to get to the Thal dome . Davros seems to take Mogran ' s announcement of the inquiry well , but after they leave , he orders twenty mutants to be placed within the Dalek shells . Nyder protests that they are still unstable , but Davros replies that he will place them under a degree of computer control . He and Nyder are going on a journey . Harry and the Doctor reach the Thal dome and , while making their way through the corridors , manage to spy on a meeting between some Thals and Davros , with Nyder by his side . The Kaled chief scientist tells the Thals that he is only interested in peace . He adds that the Kaled dome is currently impenetrable but gives them a chemical formula that will weaken the dome enough for the rocket to work . All he asks is that he be allowed to help in the reconstruction of Skaro when the war is over . Harry and the Doctor continue their search for Sarah . They overpower two guards and steal their radiation suits . Entering the silo , they take care of the guard there and free the slaves . Harry , Sarah and Sevrin leave for the Kaled dome to warn them and advise an immediate offensive , while the Doctor attempts to sabotage the rocket . However , before he can do so , the guard in the silo revives and activates an electric grid , sending an electric surge through the Doctor ' s body , shocking him into unconsciousness . Part four . The Doctor awakens in the control room of the Thal dome , where a screen shows the Thal chemical bombardment of the Kaled dome . The Thal leader gives the order to start the rocket countdown . In the bunker , the Kaled scientists watch the bombardment with disbelief ; who could have given the Thals the right formula ? The Thal rocket fires and blows up the Kaled dome . The Doctor ruefully observes that he sent Harry and Sarah in there . In the bunker , Davros vows " revenge " beginning with the " Thal spy " Ronson . With an order of " Exterminate ! " from Davros , Ronson is shot down by the Daleks . Davros declares the death of the Kaled race and the rise of the Daleks as the supreme being and ultimate conqueror of the universe . The Thal leader is jubilant that the war has ended and orders all prisoners to be freed , including the Doctor . The Doctor , however , is melancholy . A Thal woman , Bettan , asks him if he had friends in the dome , and the Doctor replies yes . However , he intends to continue to try to stop the development of Davros ' s Daleks . Bettan says that Davros is a hero , despite the Doctor telling her that he only betrayed his people because they were about to stop his experiments . In the bunker , Davros tells Gharman to implement new variations to the Dalek mutants ' genetic structure . Gharman notices that this will produce mental defects , making them devoid of conscience , morality or pity . Davros calls them " improvements " and orders Gharman to carry out his orders without question , but Gharman is obviously disturbed by this development . Under Davros ' s orders , Daleks enter the Thal dome and begin exterminating people . Bettan runs into the Doctor , and the two flee the dome . The Doctor tells her that she has to form what Thal survivors there are into a fighting force and destroy the Kaled bunker . As the Doctor makes his way back to the bunker to retrieve the Time Ring , he is attacked by Mutos . However , he is saved by Harry , Sevrin and Sarah , who did not reach the dome before it was destroyed . Before they return to the bunker , the Doctor asks Sevrin to join Bettan and help her organise the survivors . In the bunker , Gharman quietly tries to convince Kavell that they have to stop the Daleks . However , they are overheard by Nyder . The Security Commander approaches Gharman and convinces him that he believes Davros has become a megalomaniac and has to be stopped . He arranges to meet Gharman in the detention rooms on the lower level where Davros never goes . There , Gharman gives Nyder the names of those who oppose Davros , which is all that he really wanted . Davros appears , and Nyder knocks Gharman unconscious . At that moment , Sarah , Harry and the Doctor emerge from the ventilation shaft right in front of the two and are captured . Davros interrogates the Doctor , who tells him why he is here . Davros asks him if the Daleks always win in the future , and the Doctor tells him that they have occasionally been defeated . Davros demands to know what mistakes the Daleks make , intending to correct them , but the Doctor refuses . Davros hooks Sarah and Harry up to his machines and tells the Doctor that if he lies or does not answer his questions , his friends will suffer . Part five . As Davros increases the power of the torture devices , the Doctor reluctantly answers Davros ' s questions . Over the course of the next few hours , he gives a litany of the Daleks ' defeats and why they were defeated . The first session over , Sarah and Harry are taken to the detention area . Davros wants to speak to the Doctor , scientist to scientist . The Doctor pleads with Davros to stop the development of the Daleks . The machines are not the problem — the evil creatures inside them are . Davros says that they are merely conditioned to survive , and to do so , they must become the dominant species . When all other life is suppressed , there will be universal peace . The Doctor asks Davros a hypothetical question : if he had invented a virus that would destroy all other forms of life on contact , would he use it ? Davros considers the question and observes that the power to make that choice would elevate him above the gods , and yes , he would do it . Convinced now that Davros is mad , the Doctor seizes his arm and threatens to turn off his life support chair unless he orders the Dalek mutants destroyed . However , Nyder enters and knocks the Doctor out before Davros can give the final order . Nyder takes the Doctor back to the cells , but in the meantime , Kavell has knocked out a guard and freed Sarah , Harry and Gharman . Harry , dressed as a guard , tries to stop Nyder , but he gets away . Gharman and Kavell go to organise the others against Davros , but the Doctor warns them to be careful : Davros knows what they are planning . The time travellers now have two things to retrieve : the Time Ring and the tape recording with knowledge of the future . The Daleks in the Thal dome eliminate the last of the Thals still inside and are ordered back to the bunker . Sevrin tells Bettan that there are no more survivors except those who escaped the city . In the bunker , fighting breaks out between Gharman ' s and Davros ' s supporters , with Gharman ' s side gaining the upper hand . To Nyder ' s surprise , Davros orders him to surrender . Gharman and the rebels meet Davros and deliver their ultimatum : to destroy the Daleks and cease work on the project . Davros agrees , but he wants a meeting of both the military and scientific elite in an hour and a vote to be taken on the issue . Searching through the lockers , the Doctor finds a chunk of plastic explosive and detonators . There is one option left to him to stop the Daleks : genocide . He enters the incubator room to set up the explosives , intending to destroy the Daleks forever . As Sarah and Harry wait , the Doctor staggers out , with several embryonic Dalek mutants wrapped around his throat , strangling him . Part six . With Harry and Sarah ' s help , the Doctor frees himself and throws the mutants back into the room . All he has to do is touch two wires together , and the Daleks are destroyed . However , the Doctor hesitates ; does he have the right to commit genocide ? He tells Sarah that many future worlds became allies because of their fear of the Daleks . If he wipes the Daleks out , he becomes no better than they are . Gharman approaches and tells them that Davros has agreed to the ultimatum , and the Doctor is grateful for not having to make the final decision . He disconnects the wires , and they go to the meeting . There , as Davros makes his case , the trio secretly pocket the Doctor ' s belongings that were confiscated earlier , but they discover the Time Ring is not there . However , Sarah finds it , and the Doctor puts it on his wrist . Meanwhile , Gharman proposes an alternative : to let the Daleks continue , not as Davros ' s genetically ruthless creatures , but with human strengths , weaknesses and emotions . Meanwhile , the Daleks re - enter the bunker . Bettan ' s rebels follow them in unseen and set up explosive charges to collapse the bunker and entomb the Daleks forever . She cannot afford to delay , and Sevrin goes deeper into the bunker to try to warn the Doctor and the others . As the vote takes place , Nyder casually walks off . Suspicious , the TARDIS crew follow him and head him off in the hallway . They grapple with him , and the Doctor unknowingly drops the Time Ring in the corridor because of the struggle . The Doctor forces Nyder to bring them to where the tape recording is kept . After Nyder tries to play innocent , the Doctor singles him out as the only one who can open the safe in Davros ' s office because Davros cannot do so with his handicaps and needs an assistant , and Nyder begrudgingly fetches the recording . The Doctor destroys the recording with a Dalek gun , but while the group ' s attention is turned away from him , Nyder gets away again , locking them in the room . The Doctor attempts to use the Time Ring to escape but then finds out he has dropped it . With the Time Ring gone , they can only watch on the monitor as Gharman and his rebels continue their confrontation with Davros . Davros offers to destroy the Daleks through a large red destruct button in the room , but only after all those present vote on it . He blackmails Kravos into siding with him over the fact he saved the Kaled ' s life by mending his heart with an instrument that would keep it beating , but Kravos ' s true loyalties still lie with the other scientists . Once those who are against Davros and the Daleks have identified themselves , Davros orders the Daleks to exterminate them . Gharman and the scientists are murdered en masse , and at the sight of this massacre , Kravos tries to intervene and is killed as well . Sevrin opens the door where the Doctor and companions were trapped and warns them about the Thal explosives . Mere moments after he leaves Davros ' s office , the Doctor finds the Time Ring in the hallway outside and sends his friends with it to the main entrance , while he returns to the incubator room to finish what he started , urging them to escape against their wishes to stick by his side . The Doctor is unable to connect the wires there due to a Dalek arriving and firing at him , but when the Dalek glides forward , its metal body forms a circuit with the wires and the incubator room explodes , taking the Dalek with it . Davros suddenly notices that the Dalek automated assembly line has started , although he gave no such order . One of the Daleks says it gave the order and refuses when Davros tells it to shut the line down . Davros orders Nyder to stop the line , but midway in his flighty dash to the controls , the Daleks exterminate him , and Nyder ' s body slumps to the floor . The Daleks state production will continue . The Doctor runs towards the main entrance , a squad of Daleks in pursuit , just as Bettan is about to give the order to detonate the charges . He makes it through the doors as they go off , sealing the bunker . Inside , the Daleks tell Davros that their programming does not allow them to acknowledge any creature as their superior . Davros argues they cannot survive without him and his guidance , but the Daleks reason they can maintain themselves under their own power and have the ability to think of new ways to survive without any outside help . Deeming anything inferior as their enemy , they prepare to destroy him and his Kaled supporters . The crippled scientist pleads with the Daleks to spare the scientists because they can help them and begs them to have pity , but that word is not in the Daleks ' vocabulary . The Daleks immediately kill off the Kaled scientists , leaving Davros the last of his kind . Davros then screams and tells the Daleks that they must and will obey him . The Daleks tell him they obey no one . Davros decides to destroy the Daleks by activating the red button , struggling to reach it from his chariot , but the Daleks see what he is doing , and they apparently exterminate him . The lead Dalek proclaims that , despite their entombment , this is only the beginning . The Daleks will prepare and grow stronger and , when the time is right , they will emerge and become the supreme power in the universe . The Doctor acknowledges that even with the incubator room gone , he has only managed to hold back the Daleks ' progress by a thousand years or so . As the Thal resistance exits the bunker , the travellers say their good - byes to Bettan , Sevrin and the others and prepare to use the Time Ring . Sarah asks the Doctor why he does not seem disappointed that he failed ; as they are whisked away through time and space , the Doctor tells Sarah that although the Daleks will create havoc and destruction for millions of years , he knows that out of their evil must come something good . . . Home video and audio releases . DVD releases . This story was released as " Doctor Who : Genesis of the Daleks " . Released : Contents : Notes : VHS releases . Released :