DALEK 101
Skaro
Skaro (D5-Gamma-Z-Alpha) was the home planet of the Daleks and, at times, the centre of the Dalek Empire. Skaro was planet of roughly the same mass and dimensions as Earth, and the twelfth planet from its sun. Skaro's nearest neighbour was a planet called Alvega. Skaro had three moons Flidor, Falkus and Omega Mysterium. It consisted of a single continent that was divided into east and west halves of almost equal size. When the Doctor first visited the planet, Skaro was a nuclear wasteland following a thousand year war between the Kaleds and the Thals. Its principal features where a petrified forest, endless highly acidic rain, a lake containing the results of Davros' early experiments and the Dalek city, Kaalann. Skaro was situated in the "Seventh Galaxy", outside of the Mutter's Spiral and Skaro's astronomers could identify only seven such stellar formations.
History
Ten million years prior to the thousand year war, the Kaleds diverged from the Thals. One account states that both the Kaleds and the Thals were descended from humans transplanted from Earth to Skaro as an experiment by the Halldons. By the time of the creation of the cyborgs known as the Daleks, the Kaleds and the Thals had fought a thousand year war over the wastelands, biological and nuclear weapons had begun to cause mutations known as mutos. The Kaled scientists saw this as the end of their species in its "pure" form. The Kaled chief scientist, Davros, decided to accelerate the mutations on purpose to determine their "ultimate form" and placed the results in travel machines. These creatures then became the successors to the Kaleds, the Daleks. Despite the predominance of this account about the creation of the Daleks, others were recorded. Skaro was apparently destroyed when, as planned by the Seventh Doctor, the Hand of Omega caused its sun to go supernova.
Mk III Travel Machines
The Mk III Travel machine was designed by Davros, modelled on his own life support, to house the biological Kaled body. In their original design static electricity was the Daleks only power source, confining them within the great Kaled city on Skaro. Davros corrected this weakness when the Doctor attempted to intervene at the genesis of the Daleks. Gaining knowledge of the future from the Time Lord, the first modification Davros made to the Daleks was a steel lattice wrapped around the upper shoulder section, the collar. Over the mesh were mounted twenty three vertical oblong slats, ostensibly forming a power collection array. The power collectors then converted ambient energy into a power source that supplemented the reserves, held in atomic batteries. Later the Daleks themselves adapted the collector array to utilise Artron energy, the background radiation within the Time Vortex. This unique technology works through the positronic link between the mutant Kaled and its eternal home, the Mk III travel machine. The creature's brain is the processor, instantly converting the background radiation into psychokinetic energy.
Davros
Davros was the leader of the Kaled scientific elite. Hideously scarred and crippled in a Thal attack on his laboratory Davros constructed the chair that is his life support. His deformity served to enlighten the scientist about the progression of his species and he set about advancing that evolution with genetics and technology. Modelled on his own life support he developed the Mk III travel machine to house the creatures he created. Never ceasing in his efforts to elevate his creations to the dominant species in the universe, Davros escalated hostilities between the Daleks and the Time Lords. He considered the intervention of the Time Lords at the genesis of his Daleks as an act of war. Although in support of the war the Dalek Empire grew suspicious of their creator and his desire to be Emperor. Davros then began work to develop a new breed of Imperial Dalek, under mind control, on the planet Necros. He was captured by the Supreme Dalek and returned to Skaro for trial. The trial proved disastrous for the ruling Daleks and their attempts to ‘recondition’ Davros’ Imperial Daleks led to civil war. The Imperial and Renegade Daleks fought a long and protracted battle for supremacy that culminated on planet Earth in the year 1963. Fleeing destruction aboard the Imperial Dalek mothership Davros attempted to use an experimental device built into the escape pod. The Emergency Temporal Shift malfunctioned and a failsafe program transported Davros to the nearest Dalek facility, the Sovereign Garrison. He was immediately detained and the Regent Dalek ordered Davros be removed from his Imperial casing. Placed once again in a support chair, Davros was to await transportation and execution by order of the Empire, but the order never came.
The Regent
The Regent is himself a new breed of Dalek, the first of the Sovereign cast. The Sovereign Project, sanctioned by the Supreme High Council, is borne of the Daleks obsession with their own genetic purity. The living Kaled within the Regent Dalek is the result of genetic purification at the most advanced level. The Regent casing molded from a unique composite of Dalekanium and Cybermantium, a metallic element acquired by the Daleks in a brief and violent war with the Cybermen of Mondas. This exceptional binary alloy, Kaledium, is extremely light reflective with a dazzling Chromium surface. Stronger than Dalekanium, bio-regenerative and completely resistant to oxidation, Kaledium is chemically classed as a Noble metal. The electrostatic interactions between the ions and the electron cloud within Kaledium do more than form metallic bonds, they promote genetic correction within organic matter. This effectively continues to increase the genetic purity of the Kaled creature inside indefinitely. Ultimately a new Sovereign Dalek will be created from the Regents pure Dalek DNA, this Dalek will be encased in Kaledium and the purification will resume. This process will continue to the next Sovereign Dalek, and the next, until totally purity is achieved.
Invasion of Earth
The first incident of invasion came in 2157, when the Earth was bombarded with meteorites. At first it was thought that this was the result of a cosmic storm, but shortly after people started dying of a new plague, sent by the Daleks via the meteorites. After six months, in 2158, the Daleks landed saucers on Earth. One of these saucers attacked London and in a matter of days the Daleks subjugated the humans and converted the most intelligent into cybernetically-controlled slaves known as Robomen. The Daleks commenced a mining operation in Bedfordshire in order to reach the Earth's magnetic core, replace it with a propulsion system, and turn the whole planet into a massive spacecraft. The Daleks held the Earth for about ten years. During the occupation period, small groups of human resistance fighters continued to exist. Aided by the Doctor they were able to destroy the centre of the Daleks mining operation. In the aftermath, the Daleks withdrew from the planet. The Daleks made use of an alternative timeline to again invade the Earth at the turn of the 23rd century. The Daleks then had to use time travel to ensure the start of the Third World War that would leave Earth vulnerable to their attack. Again they were thwarted by the Doctor and a group of rebels from the future. The Sovereign Trilogy represents their latest attempt to invade planet Earth, but will they succeed....