Theory:Timeline - Daleks

This page lists appearances of the Daleks in the order in which they experienced them. This timeline is based upon observations of the Doctor Who universe and the events that occur during each of these stories. This timeline is based in part on the observations of The Discontinuity Guide.

Dalek timeline theory in The Discontinuity Guide
In one timeline, Davros created the Daleks, who actually, not just apparently, exterminated him. In this timeline, the Daleks develop full time travel and, except for a brief civil war during the events of The Evil of the Daleks conquer as a united force.

In the second timeline, created by the Fourth Doctor's intervention in Genesis of the Daleks, Davros appears to die, but, in truth survives in a dormant state. The Daleks revive him in Destiny of the Daleks. Later, his survival provokes the Imperial-Renegade Dalek Civil War, which weakens the Daleks, who never develop full time travel during it and never become a serious threat to the Time Lords. The Seventh Doctor destroys Skaro and perhaps all of the Daleks at the end of Remembrance of the Daleks.

Therefore, while Davros existed in both timelines, Dalek stories set prior to Genesis of the Daleks, and those set after, take place in different continuities.

In the real world, Davros had never appeared on-screen because up until Genesis of the Daleks, Terry Nation had not invented the character. Various accounts had given different accounts of the creation of the Daleks, which conflicted to a greater or lesser degree from one another. The character of Davros achieved such popularity that various production teams brought him back in later stories.

The BBC supported the Discontinuity Guide's theory by including it on the Classic Series section of its website. (See "External links")

Reconciling the two timelines
The 2011 reference guide The Dalek Handbook claims that a new timeline is established after the Doctor's intervention in Genesis of the Daleks. However, it is not made clear how much of the timeline is altered. Other material suggests that not all events in Dalek history were changed - the 22nd century Dalek invasion, first encountered by the First Doctor in TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth, is later encountered by the Sixth Doctor in AUDIO: Masters of Earth, implying this event was largely unchanged between the timelines, if any change was made at all. Stories featuring later Doctors do not necessarily belong only to the second timeline.

TV: Frontier in Space (set before the Doctor's intervention) shows the origin of the Second Dalek War, a conflict which plays a large part in PROSE: Prisoner of the Daleks (set after the Doctor's intervention). The Third Doctor is also show an Imperial Dalek casing in PROSE: The Scales of Injustice, indicating both timelines could be combined or that "crossing" from one to the other was possible.

other factors to consider
The Daleks have diverged at times. Around the 21th century, there are Daleks around the edges of the Mutter's Spiral and on Skaro. (PROSE: Alien Bodies) Various Dalek groups also separate to different corners of the universe to prevent the spread of the Movellan virus, (TV: Resurrection of the Daleks) so they may have their own histories.

The only dates for some stories are based on comments that different characters make, so their accuracy may be debatable.

Series basics
Broadly speaking, on top of the two timelines, the Last Great Time War splits Dalek history into before Doctor Who's 2005 revival and after, with no Daleks from before the Time War able to interact or cross paths with those after.

How the Time War era and beyond can be reconciled with the Dalek timeline theory, which pre-dates the Time War's introduction, is unclear, as the Time War features both a living Davros, as well as a cohesive Dalek fleet led by the Dalek Emperor that possessed enough control over time travel to fight the Time Lords.

Timeline 1

 * TV: Genesis of the Daleks
 * The Daleks are created and exterminate Davros. End of the Thousand Year War.


 * COMIC: Power Play
 * The Daleks gain Space travel; the other TV21 comics happen around this time.


 * COMIC: The Road to Conflict
 * The Daleks elect to search for Earth


 * 2157 - PROSE: Lucifer Rising
 * The Daleks are attacking Earth colonies.


 * 2157 - PROSE: GodEngine
 * The Invasion has begun; the Daleks also attack Mars.


 * AUDIO: Masters of Earth
 * 2167 - TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
 * The Daleks' Master Plan, GodEngine, Lucifer Rising and The Mutant Phase date the actual invasion to c.1957. Only Masters of Earth takes the calendar date of 1964 as the date of The Dalek Invasion of Earth at face value and this explicitly contradicts a TV story(The Daleks' Master Plan).


 * TV: The Daleks
 * Generations before Planet of the Daleks. A Dalek with this design is featured in "The Space Museum (TV story).


 * TV: The Space Museum (cameo)
 * 2540 - TV: Frontier in Space
 * 2540 - TV: Planet of the Daleks
 * TV: Death to the Daleks
 * TV: The Chase
 * AUDIO: The Destroyers
 * Sara is alive.


 * COMIC: Sara Kingdom: Space Security Agent
 * Sara is alive.


 * 4000 - TV: Mission to the Unknown
 * 4000 - TV: The Daleks' Master Plan
 * Sara Kingdom dies during Master Plan.


 * TV: The Evil of the Daleks
 * TV: The Power of the Daleks
 * The Daleks recognise the Second Doctor and their capsule is bigger on inside, hinting that time travel is involved.


 * COMIC: Bringer of Darkness
 * Set an unspecified amount of time after Evil.


 * TV: Day of the Daleks
 * The Daleks have invaded Earth before. The Daleks travel back in time to 21st century Earth to do so again. Episode four was originally to have featured a confrontation between the Doctor and the Daleks, in which the Daleks explain how they destroyed those of their number who were infused with the Human Factor, and then turned their attention to conquering Earth by means of time travel. However, this had to be edited out due to the episode overrunning.


 * AUDIO: Arbitration
 * AUDIO: Extermination
 * AUDIO: Ascension
 * These events cause the timeline change in Genesis

Timeline 2

 * The Fourth Doctor interferes with Dalek history.
 * TV: Genesis of the Daleks
 * Davros is thought exterminated, but actually enters suspended animation.


 * 2157 - PROSE: Lucifer Rising
 * The Daleks are attacking Earth colonies.


 * 2157 - PROSE: GodEngine
 * The invasion of Earth has begun.


 * AUDIO: Masters of Earth
 * 2167 - TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
 * AUDIO: Lucie Miller
 * AUDIO: To the Death
 * PROSE: Legacy of the Daleks
 * Occurs during 22nd century but is contradicted by Lucie Miller/To the Death.


 * 2540 - TV: Frontier in Space
 * 2540 - TV: Planet of the Daleks
 * COMIC: Abslom Daak... Dalek Killer
 * COMIC: Nemesis of the Daleks
 * 26th century - PROSE: Prisoner of the Daleks
 * All set during the 26th century and during a version of the Second Dalek War.


 * 2570 - PROSE/AUDIO: Love and War
 * Towards the end of the war.


 * AUDIO: Energy of the Daleks
 * These Daleks have travelled back in time to destroy humanity before the Dalek Wars


 * TV: Destiny of the Daleks
 * "Thousands of years" after the Daleks were created. Davros is awakened and later put in suspended animation.


 * AUDIO: Enemy of the Daleks
 * Dalek Duplicates mentioned


 * TV: Resurrection of the Daleks
 * 90 years after the events of Destiny of the Daleks, Davros is taken out of suspended animation to cure the Movellan virus.


 * AUDIO: Davros
 * Between Resurrection and Revelation. TransAllied, Inc(TAI), was formed back in the 38th century.


 * TV: Revelation of the Daleks
 * AUDIO: The Davros Mission
 * AUDIO: Innocence
 * AUDIO: Purity
 * AUDIO: Corruption
 * AUDIO: Guilt
 * Occur during flight from Necros.

crashed. Davros is likely retrieved after this
 * AUDIO: ''The Juggernauts
 * COMIC: Emperor of the Daleks!
 * Leads into Rememberance


 * AUDIO: The Curse of Davros
 * Davros is leading a force of Imperial Daleks


 * TV: Remembrance of the Daleks
 * The Seventh Doctor mocks the Dalek Supreme for being "a thousand years" from Skaro; which would make the local time for the Daleks c.2963 since the story is set in 1963, although Davros (audio story) forces the story to be much later (TAI being formed in the 38th Century).


 * Audio: '' Daleks Among Us (audio story)
 * Sometime after Skaro's Destruction. It is unclear whether this story, War of the Daleks (novel) and Terror Firma (audio story) can all be reconciled together.


 * PROSE: War of the Daleks
 * The Daleks are rebuilding and Skaro apparently wasn't destroyed.


 * AUDIO: Terror Firma
 * Sometime after Remembrance. Davros is mentally unstable and becomes an Emperor Dalek. He might have forgotten the events of War of the Daleks (novel).


 * AUDIO: The Genocide Machine
 * The Special Weapons Dalek is used, so after civil war. The stories are labelled as preludes to Dalek Empire


 * AUDIO: The Apocalypse Element
 * AUDIO: The Mutant Phase
 * AUDIO: Dust Breeding
 * AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks
 * AUDIO: Seasons of Fear
 * Takes place during Time


 * AUDIO: Invasion of the Daleks
 * PROSE: Kalendorf
 * Attack takes place during this story
 * AUDIO: The Fearless: Part 1
 * AUDIO: The Fearless: Part 2
 * AUDIO: The Fearless: Part 3
 * AUDIO: The Fearless: Part 4

Takes place during the Daleks initial invasion
 * AUDIO: The Human Factor
 * AUDIO: Return of the Daleks
 * AUDIO: "Death to the Daleks"
 * PROSE: Alby
 * Takes place during Alby's search for Suz


 * AUDIO: Project Infinity
 * AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter One
 * AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter Two
 * AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter Three
 * AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter Four
 * PROSE: Museum Peace
 * Clearly happens here due to the presence of Kalendorf.

Set in the 45th century
 * AUDIO: Plague of the Daleks
 * COMIC: Fire and Brimstone
 * Set in 53rd century


 * AUDIO: Patient Zero
 * AUDIO: The Great War
 * AUDIO: Fugitives
 * AUDIO: Tangled Web
 * AUDIO: X and the Daleks
 * The Time Controller vows to destroy the Time Lords, prefiguring a version of the Last Great Time War.


 * Audio:
 * AUDIO: The Traitor
 * AUDIO: Time's Horizon
 * AUDIO: Eyes of the Master
 * AUDIO: The Monster of Montmartre
 * AUDIO: Master of the Daleks
 * AUDIO: Eye of Darkness
 * The Daleks are being led by the Supreme Dalek, suggesting that this period is at the post Empire point.


 * AUDIO: The Exterminators
 * AUDIO: The Healers
 * AUDIO: The Survivors
 * AUDIO: The Demons
 * AUDIO: The Warriors
 * AUDIO: The Future
 * PROSE: Mutually Assured Survival

The Time War

 * PROSE: Engines of War
 * WC: The Last Day
 * The Gallifreyan city of Arcadia falls to the Daleks.


 * TV: The Day of the Doctor
 * Set shortly after Arcadia has fallen. The War Doctor survives the Last Great Time War, and with the help of his other twelve incarnations, destroys the fleet of Daleks concentrating fire on Gallifrey on the final day of the Time War.

Post-Time War

 * At some point, three separate groups of Daleks survive the Time War independently. Two of the three are effective dead-ends of the timeline.


 * TV: Dalek
 * A Dalek that crash landed on 20th century Earth.


 * TV: Bad Wolf / The Parting of the Ways
 * The Dalek Emperor, who ended up in the Sol system circa the year 199,900.


 * TV: Army of Ghosts / Doomsday
 * WC: Tardisode 13
 * The Cult of Skaro and many prisoners within the Genesis Ark, who escaped into the Void. At the end of Doomsday, the Cult emergency temporal shift, leading into further stories. Tardisode 13 is set during the Battle of Canary Wharf.


 * TV: Daleks in Manhattan / Evolution of the Daleks
 * The Cult has recently escaped Canary Wharf. At the end of Evolution of the Daleks, Dalek Caan again temporal shifts into the Time War.


 * TV: The Stolen Earth / Journey's End
 * TV: The Waters of Mars (cameo)
 * Caan is an insane oracle after rescuing Davros from the Time War. The Dalek appearing in Adelaide's flashback is from when the 26 planets appeared in the Earth's sky.


 * TV: The Beast Below (cameo)
 * TV: Victory of the Daleks
 * Continues The Beast Below's cliffhanger. Surviving Daleks, seemingly made from Davros' cells from The Stolen Earth / Journey's End, awake the New Dalek Paradigm.


 * GAME: City of the Daleks
 * TV: The Pandorica Opens / The Big Bang
 * TV: Asylum of the Daleks
 * The Daleks' memories of the Doctor are wiped by Oswin Oswald.


 * TV: The Time of the Doctor
 * The Daleks regain their memories of the Doctor through Tasha Lem.

Timeline 1

 * These stories involve the Doctor from before the events of Genesis of the Daleks relative to his timeline, and are likely to be set here.


 * TV: The War Games (cameo)
 * PROSE: Hide and Seek
 * PROSE: Doctor Who and the Daleks
 * AUDIO: Fear of the Daleks
 * AUDIO: Glorious Goodwood
 * COMIC: The Trodos Ambush
 * COMIC: The Doctor Strikes Back
 * COMIC: The Exterminator
 * COMIC: Jungle Adventure
 * COMIC: Attack of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Disintegrator
 * COMIC:  *Sub Zero 
 * COMIC: The Planet of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Threat from Beneath

Timeline 2

 * TV: Doctor Who
 * WC: Shada
 * PROSE: Timewyrm: Exodus (dream)
 * PROSE: The Also People
 * PROSE: Father Time
 * PROSE: The Last Resort
 * PROSE: The Tomorrow Windows
 * PROSE: The Gallifrey Chronicles
 * PROSE: Warmonger
 * PROSE: Natalie's Diary
 * PROSE: Private Investigations
 * PROSE: The Best Joke I Ever Told
 * PROSE: The Eighth Wonder of the World
 * PROSE: Mission to Galacton
 * AUDIO: Jubilee
 * AUDIO: Renaissance of the Daleks
 * AUDIO: Brotherhood of the Daleks
 * AUDIO: The Four Doctors
 * AUDIO: The Five Companions
 * AUDIO: The Elite
 * AUDIO: Blood of the Daleks
 * COMIC: Return of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Dalek Revenge
 * COMIC: Doctor Who and the Dogs of Doom
 * COMIC: Children of the Revolution
 * COMIC: Metamorphosis

Post-Time War

 * TV: The Wedding of River Song
 * TV : ''Into the Dalek
 * GAME: Evacuation Earth
 * GAME: Return to Earth
 * GAME: The Mazes of Time
 * GAME: The Eternity Clock
 * GAME: The Doctor and the Dalek
 * PROSE: The Nightmare of Black Island
 * PROSE: I am a Dalek
 * COMIC: Carnage Zoo / Flight and Fury / The Living Ghosts / Extermination of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Only Good Dalek
 * COMIC: The Dalek Project

Unclear

 * Either no incarnation of the Doctor, an unclear incarnation, or multiple incarnations pre- and post-Genesis appear in these stories.


 * TV: The Five Doctors (cameo)
 * GAME: Destiny of the Doctors
 * PROSE: The Eight Doctors
 * PROSE: Red for Danger
 * PROSE: The Secret of the Mountain
 * PROSE: The Small Defender
 * PROSE: Break-through
 * PROSE: The Secret Struggle
 * PROSE: The Five-Leaf Clover
 * PROSE: The Log of the "Gypsy Joe"
 * PROSE: Manhunt
 * PROSE: The Outlaw Planet
 * PROSE: The Living Death
 * PROSE: Diamond Dust
 * PROSE: Terror Task Force
 * PROSE: Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!
 * PROSE: Nightmare
 * PROSE: Timechase
 * PROSE: The Doomsday Machine
 * PROSE: Report from an Unknown Planet
 * PROSE: The Fugitive
 * PROSE: The Castaway
 * PROSE: The Seeds of Destruction
 * PROSE: Assassination Squad
 * PROSE: Suz
 * AUDIO: Death and the Daleks
 * COMIC: Genesis of Evil
 * COMIC: Duel of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Amaryll Challenge
 * COMIC: The Penta Ray Factor
 * COMIC: Plague of Death
 * COMIC: The Menace of the Monstrons
 * COMIC: Eve of War
 * COMIC: The Archives of Phryne
 * COMIC: The Rogue Planet
 * COMIC: Impasse
 * COMIC: The Terrorkon Harvest
 * COMIC: Legacy of Yesteryear
 * COMIC: Shadow of Humanity
 * COMIC: The Emissaries of Jevo
 * COMIC: Invasion of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Oil Well
 * COMIC: The Message of Mystery
 * COMIC: City of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Humanoids
 * COMIC: Monsters of Gurnian
 * COMIC: Battle for the Moon
 * COMIC: The Mechanical Planet
 * COMIC: Treasure of the Daleks
 * COMIC: The Invisible Invaders
 * COMIC: The World That Waits
 * COMIC: Masters of the World
 * COMIC: The Dalek Trap
 * COMIC: The Super Sub
 * COMIC: The Secret of the Emperor
 * COMIC: The Unwilling Traveller
 * COMIC: The Brain Tappers
 * COMIC: Planet of Serpents
 * COMIC: Flood!!!
 * COMIC: Return of the Daleks
 * COMIC: Return of the Elders
 * COMIC: Time & Time Again
 * COMIC: Happy Deathday

aHistory Timeline
This pre-Time War timeline is from the third edition of aHistory. Most of the dates given here are speculative.


 * 683: AUDIO: Innocence
 * 696: AUDIO: Purity
 * 709: AUDIO: Corruption
 * 709: AUDIO: Davros / Corruption
 * 759: AUDIO: Guilt
 * 760: TV: Genesis of the Daleks
 * 1763: COMIC: Genesis of Evil
 * 1765: COMIC: Genesis of Evil
 * 1765: COMIC: Power Play
 * 1765: COMIC: Duel of the Daleks
 * 1765: COMIC: The Amaryll Challenge
 * 1765: COMIC: The Penta Ray Factor
 * 1765: COMIC: Plague of Death
 * 1765: COMIC: The Menace of the Monstrons
 * 1765: COMIC: Eve of War
 * 1765: COMIC: The Archives of Phryne
 * 1765: COMIC: The Rogue Planet
 * 1765: COMIC: Impasse
 * 2020: TV: The Power of the Daleks
 * 2050: AUDIO: The Time of the Daleks
 * 2146: COMIC: The Terrorkon Harvest
 * 2146: COMIC: Legacy of Yesteryear
 * 2146: COMIC: Shadow of Humanity
 * 2146: COMIC: The Emissaries of Jevo
 * 2146: COMIC: The Road to Conflict
 * 2146: COMIC: Return of the Elders
 * 2167: TV: The Dalek Invasion of Earth
 * 2170: TV: The Chase
 * 2172: TV: Day of the Daleks
 * 2188: AUDIO: Lucie Miller
 * 2190: AUDIO: Lucie Miller / To the Death
 * 2199: PROSE: Legacy of the Daleks
 * 2263: TV: The Daleks
 * 2430: COMIC: The Dogs of Doom
 * 2540: TV: Frontier in Space
 * 2540: TV: Planet of the Daleks
 * 2550: COMIC: Abslom Daak... Dalek Killer
 * 2550: COMIC: Nemesis of the Daleks
 * 2550: COMIC: Emperor of the Daleks!
 * 2560: PROSE: Prisoner of the Daleks
 * 2560: AUDIO: Enemy of the Daleks
 * 2600: TV: Death to the Daleks
 * 2602: AUDIO: Death and the Daleks
 * 2966: TV: The Evil of the Daleks
 * 2970: COMIC: Bringer of Darkness
 * 2990: COMIC: Children of the Revolution
 * 3340: PROSE: The Dalek Factor
 * 3994: AUDIO: The Destroyers
 * 4000: TV: Mission to the Unknown
 * 4000: TV: The Daleks' Master Plan
 * 4015: COMIC: The Only Good Dalek
 * 4500: TV: Destiny of the Daleks
 * 4590: TV: Resurrection of the Daleks
 * 4600: AUDIO: Davros
 * 4615: TV: Revelation of the Daleks
 * 4615: AUDIO: The Davros Mission
 * 4620: AUDIO: The Juggernauts
 * 4625: COMIC: Up Above the Gods / Emperor of the Daleks!
 * 4663: TV: Remembrance of the Daleks
 * 4693: PROSE: War of the Daleks
 * 4703: AUDIO: Terror Firma
 * 5200: COMIC: Fire and Brimstone
 * 5250: AUDIO: The Mutant Phase
 * 5256: AUDIO: The Genocide Machine
 * 5256: AUDIO: The Apocalypse Element
 * 5425: AUDIO: Invasion of the Daleks / The Human Factor
 * 5425: AUDIO: Return of the Daleks
 * 5426: AUDIO: Brotherhood of the Daleks
 * 5427: AUDIO: The Fearless: Part 1 / The Fearless: Part 2 / The Fearless: Part 3 / The Fearless: Part 4
 * 5430: AUDIO: "Death to the Daleks!" / Project Infinity
 * 5436: AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter One / Dalek War: Chapter Two / Dalek War: Chapter Three / Dalek War: Chapter Four
 * 5441: AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter Four
 * 7500: AUDIO: Dalek War: Chapter One / Dalek War: Chapter Two / Dalek War: Chapter Three / Dalek War: Chapter Four
 * 7520: AUDIO: The Exterminators / The Healers / The Survivors / The Demons / The Warriors / The Future
 * 18,000: AUDIO: Plague of the Daleks