Dal (species)

The Dals were a race which lived on the planet Skaro. They were a race of pacifists, teachers and philosophers. The Thals, then a race of conquerors, started a war with them. Centuries later, the Thals identified the Dals as the progenitors of the Daleks. (DW: The Daleks) In fact, the Daleks were descended from the Kaleds. (DW: Genesis of the Daleks) The Dals were extinct by the time of the Thousand Year War between the Thals and the Kaleds, as were the Tharons, as a result of a programme of genocide orchestrated by the Kaleds. A few words of the Dals' language were preserved, such as "Varga" meaning "devourer". (BFD: Purity)

Behind the scenes

 * DW: The Daleks names the Dals as the predecessors of the Daleks. DW: Genesis of the Daleks, which actually showed the creation of the Daleks, contradicted this and named the Daleks' ancestors as the Kaleds.