Black Dalek Leader (rank)

A rank of plural Black Dalek Leaders served the Dalek Prime by the time of Operation Human Factor and the resultant Dalek Civil War.

Characteristics
By one account, the Black Dalek Leaders operated casings identical to the original Black Dalek as he appeared during the Mechonoid Incident and the Daleks' master plan. (PROSE: Dalek: The Astounding Untold History of the Greatest Enemies of the Universe) The Dalek Survival Guide identified black-domed section leaders, who also had black shoulder slats as overseeing the silver Dalek Dalek drones at the time of Operation Human Factor. (PROSE: Dalek Survival Guide) During the Dalek Civil War itself, what the Dalek Prime called "Black Dalek Leaders" were shown to have silver slats, being distinguished from the silver Daleks only by their black domes, (TV: The Evil of the Daleks) which other accounts identified as a distinguishing feature of Imperial Guard Daleks and other Elite Guard Daleks. (PROSE: Birth of a Legend, Prisoner of the Daleks) Such Daleks that served the Emperor in the Bad Wolf Incident of the post-Time War universe were identified by the Time Lords as mere "guard drones". (PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual)

History
The Dalek Survival Guide indicated that, in the Thal-Dalek battle which occurred in a version of history "B" relative to the First Doctor's version of history "A", "a black Dalek Leader" was supported by a red Dalek Lieutenant and oversaw blue Skaro City Daleks. Dr. Who observed that these Daleks had all perished in the battle. (PROSE: Dalek Survival Guide, TV: Dr. Who and the Daleks)

After the original Black Dalek, (PROSE: The Evil of the Daleks) who was known as the Black Dalek Leader, (COMIC: Plague of Death) was lost during the Time Destructor Incident, the Dalek Prime had many other Black Daleks created to fill the void. This went as far (PROSE: The Evil of the Daleks) as a rank of plural Black Dalek Leaders. During the Dalek Civil War against the Second Doctor's Humanised Daleks, the panicking Dalek Emperor called for "all Black Dalek Leaders" to converge on Control and to "exterminate all opposition" they found. (TV: The Evil of the Daleks)

A member of the Guard that followed the Emperor in the post-Time War universe was distinguished in that its bronze-type casing sported a black base unit in addition to a black dome, but with a bronze weapons platform. (TV: The Parting of the Ways, PROSE: Dalek Combat Training Manual) In this sense it appeared like the earlier Black Dalek Leader (TV: The Chase, The Daleks' Master Plan) rather than the Dalek Inquisitor General, black but for his gold slats and sense globes, (PROSE: Prisoner of the Daleks) or contemporary Black Daleks such as Dalek Sec, whose casing included black slats and sense globes. (TV: Army of Ghosts, COMIC: The Dalek Project)

Merchandise

 * A figurine of a black-domed "Black Dalek Leader" was released with issue 199 of Doctor Who: Figurine Collection magazine.