Daleks Return to Dr Who 339
Jim Hall writes "An article on the BBC says that a Dalek will return to Dr Who, in an episode titled simply 'Dalek'. The Doctor discovers that a Dalek has been collected by an unsuspecting billionaire. Many of the perceived weaknesses of the Daleks have been addressed: Stairs have not been a problem for Daleks since 1988, when they first levitated towards Sylvester McCoy in Remembrance of the Daleks. The new Dalek can also spin its torso independently of his head, so creeping up from behind is no longer an option. Its trademark 'sink plunger' attachment also reveals a terrifying new function. 'Dalek' is on BBC-1 on Saturday, 30 April."
Sink plunger? (Score:5, Funny)
> terrifying new function.
Is it just me or does that sound terrifyingly sexual?
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:2)
You mean like this? [slashdot.org]
WARNING: Not safe for work. lol.
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:5, Funny)
I meant this! [owned.com]
WARNING: still not safe for work.
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:5, Insightful)
b) most male geeks don't get laid because we're not good looking. never forget SNL's three rules for getting dates: be handsome. be attractive. don't be unattractive. BTW a lot of female geeks don't get laid either.
c) women are superior to men in some ways, men are superior to women in others, and neither could survive without the other. anybody who tells you all of one group is always superior to all of another group, especially when dealing with groups as large as all men and all women, is either very very dangerous or selling something.
d) you have a massive male-guilt complex and I don't envy you it, assuming you're even a man, which i somehow doubt from your SCUM manifesto-ish tone
e) the people who would really disempower women (in other words, dangerous fascists like you) are the ones who would deny them the right to pose for pictures like this if they wanted to. this is america, asshole, you have no right to deny others' humor or entertainment no matter how much you disagree with it, as long as nobody's being hurt. you either have free speech or you don't. where would you draw the line? do women have no right to participate in, and profit from, the production of pornography? do they have the right to "degrade themselves" by telling off-color jokes? by wearing pants? have fun sliding down that slippery slope.
f) it's probably just photoshop anyway
g) let the PC modbombing begin, i'm not posting this anon because i'd like there to be some record that i'm not a knee-jerk leftist, karma be damned.
h) i'm thrilled to see the return of the daleks. or at least a dalek. i've always harbored a sneaking suspicion bill gates has one hidden away somewhere. now all that needs to happen is for some villain to somehow "borrow" a tardis, go back and grab davros, bring him to this one renegade dalek and have him close it, etc etc...
i) daleks still aren't as cool as cybermen, even if (and perhaps because) they did kill adric.
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:4, Interesting)
i'd be completely against the photo if it was taken against the woman's will, or was of a minor, etc etc. but i've seen a lot of women do a lot more offensive things than pose for a photo of them with a plunger that may or may not be photoshopped in on their face. this was clearly consensual, and as a leftist i don't believe anything that goes on between consenting adults should be illegal.
BTW, has anybodye else figured out that now that daleks are made of gold, a dalek-cyberman war would be MUCH more interesting?
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:4, Insightful)
Sink plunger?-Deep Sink. (Score:2, Funny)
Now you know why former IT workers are going into the plumbing business.
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:5, Funny)
For Christ's sake, this is supposed to be a family show, not alt.sex.daleks
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:5, Funny)
Experiment
Experiment
EXPERIMENT!
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:2)
Re:Sink plunger? (Score:2, Funny)
> > terrifying new function.
> Is it just me or does that sound terrifyingly sexual?
"White wee-wee!"
"Exsperminate!"
Bring back the Gay Daleks! [gay.com]. Hmm... [bernardomahoney.com]
I can exclusively reveal (Score:5, Funny)
Scary things, these daleks. (Score:5, Funny)
Well there's an enemy that has me scared.
Re:Scary things, these daleks. (Score:5, Informative)
Scary things, these religions. (Score:2, Insightful)
REPENT! REPENT! REPENT! CONVERT! CONVERT! CONVERT!
Re:Scary things, these daleks. (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Scary things, these daleks. (Score:3, Funny)
I remember little more than that from those episodes, and it's the reason I'm STILL apprehensive about What Might Be Under The Bed
Re:Scary things, these daleks. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Scary things, these daleks. (Score:4, Interesting)
Let's see... a yes here we are [bbc.co.uk].
Scared the willies out of me, as did the daleks. Oddly though, it was The Master that always scared me most.
Re:Scary things, these daleks. (Score:3, Interesting)
And I do still remember those green glowing maggoty things as really yuck. I've had a real parania about maggots ever since.
Re:Scary things, these daleks. (Score:3, Insightful)
Is it just me, or does this sound awfully familiar?
Re:Scary things, these daleks. (Score:3, Insightful)
Radio interviews (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Radio interviews (Score:2, Interesting)
The more things change... (Score:5, Funny)
Well, they used to be deadly, too. It's just they were deadly for the Dalek, not for it's opponent.
What I wonder is... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:5, Funny)
Dude, didn't you see [bbc.co.uk] it? Not only is it a giant salt shaker, it's made of gold. GOLD! Nothing can stop gold! And what are those little bulbs on the outside? Those could be anything! They might be filled with death itself, for all we know. That giant lever? I'm going to assume that plays a random clip from Walker, Texas Ranger.
But even Cordell Walker himself couldn't stop these things from shaking the salt of death on it's enemy. Oh, no. Maybe Walker could take a Dalek, but only if he enlisted the help of that black Texas Ranger and possibly the younger man & woman Texas Rangers, too. But that's only if the Dalek hasn't taken Walker's wife hostage.
I predict: many drop kicks in the next Dr. Who episode.
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:3, Funny)
Looks like Davros has been on Pimp My Ride.
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:3, Insightful)
Like US military patrols on the streets of Iraq.
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:3, Insightful)
It's related to the thing in the American psyche that makes space aliens be humans with wrinkly foreheads.
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:3, Interesting)
That's not American psyche, that's budget control. When Gene Rodenberry, for example, pitched Star Trek, one of the selling points was that the budget wouldn't grow out of control because the aliens would simply be makeup tricks on humans.
Star Trek, in particular, is lengendary in it's effeciency with money. The 'bumpy headed alien' is one of the reasons why.
Re:OTS klingons (Score:3, Funny)
Actually, Buffy gave vampires forehead wrinkles remarkably similar to those on a Klingon, which had no relationship to pre-existing vampire mythology. So I didn't find them convincing at all- give me the pale, haughty beauties of Bram Stoker and Anne Rice any day.
(Additionally, that program also made vampires distintegrate when stabbed throug
Re:What I wonder is...the English Class System (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I hope I'm not alone.. (Score:2)
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:4, Interesting)
From HypnosInMedia [hypnosisinmedia.com]
The Doctor's first and most persistent enemy. Created by the mad scientist Davros, they were the descendants of the Kaleds from the planet Skaros. When centuries of nuclear war caused mutations in the race, Davros encouraged the mutations and designed the travel shells they use. He also gave them their unstoppable thirst for conquest. Their chilling cry of "Exterminate!" was feared throughout the galaxy.
The Daleks would eventually come to realize that they were imperfect, mainly because of their many failures at conquering the galaxy, and they would seek out and eventually be led by their creator, Davros.
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:2, Informative)
Yes there was. [wikipedia.org]
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:2, Informative)
Re:What I wonder is... (Score:4, Insightful)
Coming from French or the Italians it would just be standard "my country is better than yours". But from Americans? Americans! The country whose major contribution to world cuisine is the supersize portion?
Who says Americans don't appreciate irony?
This could be really good... (Score:5, Interesting)
I remember the first time I read the story of genesis of the daleks, in some book, before there were repeats or DVDs of the episodes. Maybe I was young, maybe I was drunk, but its actually a pretty grim, depressing and scary story. The whole idea of the war on skaro being so endless, so destructive, and some maniac scientist deciding that instead of fighting the mutations, he just had to 'roll with it' and see what they would turn into... Its all pretty heavy stuff, carried on into dr who and the daleks, where they are convinced they will never ever be able to leave the dalek machines because they basically fucked up their own planet. The potential for the daleks to be scary is certainly still there, if you can suspend disbelief on the stairs thing.
My fingers are crossed that this will be a really good episode, handeled well.
Re:This could be really good... (Score:4, Funny)
You've got to remember it's a kids sci-fi show (Score:2)
Think horror for 5-10 year olds.
Space has a terrible secret. (Score:2)
Do you have stairs in your house?
Re:Space has a terrible secret. (Score:4, Informative)
So, to be safe, I'm sleeping on the roof.
Re:Space has a terrible secret. (Score:3, Funny)
Real Daleks don't use stairs, they just level the building.
Re:Space has a terrible secret. (Score:2)
lines (Score:2)
I'm having trouble imagining a Dalek having that much dialogue. They barely know words other than "Exterminate!".
Re:lines (Score:3, Funny)
He commented on the quantity of the Dalek dialogue, not the quality.
For all we know it could go like this:
Rose: Hi. So, uh, you're like a robot Dalek
Dalek: EXTERMINATE!
Rose: Wot? Why are you being like that?
Dalek: EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!
Rose: Um, please stop saying that.
Dalek: EXTERMINATE!
Re:lines (Score:3, Funny)
Heh. There was a Red Dwarf vid a while back called from "From A to Z". They went down the alphabet and.. yadda yadda yadda. At some point, they had a pair of Daleks up for an interview. The first said that it didn't watch Earth programs, the second said the red alert bulb gag was funny. Then the first cried that its counterpart had been infected by human propoganda and blew its head off.
That was the most I ever heard a Dalek speak.
Re:lines (Score:3, Informative)
In earlier episodes like The Dalek Invasion of Earth, the Daleks are downright chatty.
arghhhhhhhhhh (Score:2, Funny)
Torrent? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Torrent? (Score:2)
Yes, now that they've fixed all the limitations (Score:5, Funny)
Hang on a minute... What if we made all the doors just that bit too narrow for them to get through!!!
Ha ha! Foiled again!
Re:Yes, now that they've fixed all the limitations (Score:3, Funny)
Shhh, that's China's plan to foil the American takeover of earth!*
*Come on, being able laugh at yourself is a sign of maturity
Return of classic scifi: Land of the Lost (Score:4, Interesting)
Dr. Who? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Dr. Who? (Score:2)
Re:Dr. Who? (Score:2)
You have a point, it does have that feel but so does most modern Sci fi. The problem is they keep trying to use Earth settings because "It's scarier" when really it's much easier to use human characters then do a full cast of aliens which costs money.
Re:Dr. Who? (Score:3)
Did anyone notice it getting a little bit political with the alien-PM using the threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction against the Earth, and being able to deploy them in 45 seconds**?
**In the UK, the "intelligence" information that Iraq was able to deploy WMD in 45 minutes was used as a pro-war agruement by the government, but the evidence turned out to be very flimsy. Long story [bbc.co.uk], but the government and the BBC were very
Old... (Score:2, Interesting)
I feel I should say something here... (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyway, the new Doctor Who series is absolutely gripping, laugh-out-loud funny, and subtly frightening all at the same time. In short, all the things Doctor Who has always been, and should always be.
My only disappointment is that the new series seems to be heavily reusing plot elements from the Big Finish [bigfinish.com] audio dramas. Episode two, The Unquiet Dead, basically took the setting and overall structure (Victorian ghost story, ghosts are caused by alien influence, seance held to communicate with spirits, heavily rational character who has trouble coping with the new facts before him) from the second Big Finish audio play, Phantasmagoria. Granted, they were both written by the same person, but he even goes so far as to mention it in the TV Episode (Charles Dickens [Upon seeing an alien/ghost]: What phantasmagoria is this?)
Next week's episode (simply titled "Dalek") seems to be a retooling of the Big Finish play, Jubilee. They're both written by the same gentleman, and both deal with a lone Dalek captured and tortured for the betterment of mankind. The trailer at the end of last week's episode implies that they share other plot elements as well.
Then again, I'm still puzzling over what all the "Bad Wolf" clues mean. I somewhat suspect that this Doctor's relationship with Rose extends prior to the first episode. Who (and where) is Rose's father? Why is the Doctor so staunchly opposed to Jackie travelling with them, when he was willing to bring Mickey? I also suspect that this Doctor may not be the Doctor. This will probably become more clear when the new novel, Gallifrey Chronicles is released, although the TV Show will probably reveal more plot details before then.
Bad Wolf... (Score:5, Interesting)
Episode 1 (hearsay) - The Nestine Conciousness mouths the words "bad wolf" when speaking with the Doctor.
Episode 2 - The Moxx of Balhoon mentions a "Big bad wolf scenario" to the Face of Boe.
Episode 3 - Quinneth mentions the "Big bad wolf" and pulls away from Rose, terrified.
Episode 4 - "Bad Wolf" spray painted on the TARDIS.
Episode 5 - Indirect reference. Who Is Doctor Who? [whoisdoctorwho.co.uk], the tie-in website, mentions "big bad wolf" when referencing the closing minutes of the episode.
There is also an upcoming episode titled "Bad Wolf."
Where is the ambiguity?
The writers have already implictly and explicitly stated that there is a dark mystery regarding Rose and the Doctor, and their relationship.
What? You are crazy... he is the best Doctor since Tom Baker.
He's the first Doctor to brutally kill a villian. His behavior is sometimes darker than Colin Baker's darkest moments. We still don't know all the events surrounding the Time War, and we have no regeneration sequence to show that this Doctor came from McGann's incarnation. It has even been explicitly stated that there will be no such sequence.
Plus, from a practical standpoint, he's eating up incarnations like candy. Going on to the 10th out of 13 after just one series seems a bit quick, but allowing the current Doctor to be a phoney gives the writers an extra incarnation to play with.
Re:Bad Wolf... (Score:3, Interesting)
Remember, the Timelords *were* willing to grant a whole new life cycle to the Master in exchange for his cooperation in "The Five Doctors". I think the Doctor somehow bringing the Timelords back from non-existence would be a service worthy of similar reward.
And they don't even have to break continuity to pull it off, since the precedent is already there.
Re:Bad Wolf... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm pretty positive that the Gelth just randomly says the words "Bad Wolf" while crying out during the seance. I didn't even notice the whole "Bad Wolf" thing until I heard that and then noticed the kid painting "Bad Wolf" on the TARDIS in the preview for episode 4.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Nestine Consciousness in the first episode also said it, because it seems like most people didn't catch the Gelth saying it.
Re:I feel I should say something here... (Score:2)
Re:I feel I should say something here... (Score:2)
True enough. I've never been a Dr Who fan myself, but given all the hype surrounding this series I thought I'd give it a shot and see what I was missing. Obviously I needn't have bothered, but I guess there's enough people enjoying it to make it worthwhile for them.
Hands off! (Score:5, Funny)
My license fee paid for the Dalek (or at least the sink plunger), and I don't see why anyone other than me should enjoy it. After all, I'm always being told that it's "my BBC."
Anyone interested in an exclusive DVD can get in touch using the usual methods, supplying delivery address and credit card number. Doesn't have to be your card, I'm not picky.
Obligatory (Score:5, Funny)
I have nothing to contribute to this conversation (Score:2)
Not convinced so far (Score:2)
See the Trailer for yourself (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/video/index.shtml [bbc.co.uk]
It is in Real Video format.
Maybe a good slashdottting will encourage the BBC to put up bitorrent links for its trailers?
Re:See the Trailer for yourself (Score:4, Funny)
The previews.. (Score:2)
The flying wasn't that impressive either, it just sorts of floats upwards, nothing THAT impressive.
I mean we live in an era where you can fire 10 shots a second if not more yet we're afraid of som
Re:The previews.. (Score:5, Insightful)
The Dalek is a f*cking tank.
Who cares if he can fire once every 10 seconds. I would imagine a Bradley tank can't fire more often than that.
Now, imagine this. An American tank, made with DU armor, up against a WWII era tank - the DU ammunition would tear through the WWII era tank like tinfoil, while the WWII era tank wouldn't be able to do more than scratch the surface of the modern tank.
Okay, now replace Depleted Uranium shells with a DEATH RAY, and replace DU armor with Dalekanium. Put it into a package that has hover capabilities, 360 degree view, 0" turning radius, and put a mad monster with a nazi-like fascination for genocide of the whole human race behind the wheel.
The only hope of defeating it is a device which requires you to get relatively close to it. It is paranoid and will destroy everything that gets in it's way. The only person that knows how to use the device is a person that the Dalek vows to kill on sight...
Salt shaker, my ass. Those things are scary as hell...
May 10th on CBC for those of us in Canada. (Score:2)
Or, for those of us in Canada, it will be on the CBC main network on Tuesday, May 10th.
So far, I've been good: because the BBC broadcasts the episodes ten days before we see them here in Canada, I could download and watch them rather than wait the ten days -- but other than the initial leaked episode ("Rose"), I've waited for the local broadcasts on CBC.
I just hope they decide to release the DVD boxed set here in Canada as well.
And what's up with Planet of t [www.cbc.ca]
Its not sci-fi.. (Score:4, Interesting)
Last night's episode had aliens disguised as politicians trying to start a phoney war by claiming alien forces had "massive weapons of destruction" that could be unleashed in "45 seconds".
And the reason for the war? They wanted the earth for fuel. Mmm. Sounds familiar...
Now that the BBC cant be overtly political, what with the coming election, its sneaking its politics covertly into "kids" programmes
Baz
One of the greatest SciFi series (Score:4, Interesting)
I've been keeping up with Doctor Who 2005 via P2P since it probably will never air in the states. I have to say that Eccleston plays a really good turn at the Doctor. He definitely doesnt' try to imitate anyone else that came before him. Billie Piper isn't as annoying as I had feared either. I was worried that she'd just be cheesecake like Nicola Bryant. But she seems to play a decent companion that thinks for herself. They also did a really good job of making the new theme song. They still have a lot of the original Delia Derbyshire rendition (1st-4th Doctor) mixed in with the new stuff. Prodution values are much higher, probably owing to better technology than what was available even in the late 80s with Sylvester McCoy.
What I am surprised about is that I really haven't heard other people's opinions about the new series. I expected to hear lots of people either raving about it or potting it. But I've heard nothing. Hasn't anyone else on
If you can find it... enjoy.
Stairs? (Score:4, Funny)
I've heard it said that real Daleks don't climb stairs, they level the building.
Get your Who on: (Bittorrents) (Score:3, Informative)
Dr. Who (2005) Bittorrents. [btefnet.net]
The first torrent (at the bottom) is just a preview, the rest are the current episodes.
Gitmo'd dalek (Score:5, Interesting)
We'll know for sure when they start threatening it with dogs and taking polaroids I guess.
Who turned off the lights? (Score:3, Funny)
It has a hat-removal function?
Er... not really news though. (Score:3, Insightful)
Am I also the only person to deduce that the Daleks might be back from the fact that the 6th episode is called "Dalek"? (The names of all the episodes except the twelth have been known for quite some time.)
Was I the only person who read in various news articles that the BBC had sucessfully concluded negotiations with Terry Nation's estate to allow them to use the Daleks?
Clip of the Dalek in action (Score:3, Informative)
Cool, just as long as.... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Thanks for those massive spoilers, Slashdot. (Score:2)
(Although I am more concerned with the twelfth one's title)
Re:Thanks for those massive spoilers, Slashdot. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Thanks for those massive spoilers, Slashdot. (Score:4, Funny)
The last 2 weeks episodes were quite frankly dire and maybe thats why the Dalek one is next.Go from "look farting fat bastards" to "look shiny like a spoon!"
Re:Thanks for those massive spoilers, Slashdot. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Who? What? (Score:2)
I submitted two now-rejected stories on yesterday's "Land of the Lost" revival. If minor details about Dr Who make it, why not this one? Hope somebody gets this as a news item (I don't really care that it won't be me).
Re:Who? What? (Score:2)
I suggest you do as the Republicans do: ban the slashdot fillibuster. I've got no complaint: I had swift rejection of my "nominees".
Re:sign of weakness (Score:4, Informative)
The BBC is heavily banking on the new Doctor Who, and it's no wonder, considering that the first episode was the highest rated show in its timeslot, and third highest rated in the week. They've already gone and commissioned a second series, a Christmas special, a line of toys, novels, and heaven knows what else. They advertise the show non-stop, set up tie-in websites here [whoisdoctorwho.co.uk] and here [unit.org.uk], and even show a documentary series which ties in to the most recent episode of the show.
Point is, they've spent a whole heck of a lot of money on the show, and they plan on spending a lot more. If this is a vote of no-confidence, I wish more sci-fi series would get such treatment.
Re:sign of weakness (Score:2)
I'm fed up of hearing what the ratings for the first episode were. Lots of shows (which have had lots of hype) get large ratings for the first episode, which often drop quite alarmingly as time goes on. Not that I'm suggesting that this is the case, but let's look at the figures for episode 3 onwards as a more accurate barometer.
They advertise the show non-stop, set up tie-
Re:sign of weakness (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:45 second alian WMD!! (Score:4, Funny)