Special Weapons Dalek

The Special Weapons Dalek was a heavily-armoured Imperial Dalek with enhanced defensive capacities and even greater offensive capacities.

History
After detecting the Doctor on Skaro, the Daleks later known as the Renegades sent the Special Weapons Dalek to exterminate him. Later, the then-Dalek Emperor sent the Special Weapons Dalek to Spiridon to deal with Davros's Daleks there. (DWM: Emperor of the Daleks)


 * Davros may have re-conditioned the Special Weapons Dalek to obey his order of Imperial Daleks.

The Imperial Daleks employed the Special Weapons Dalek against the Renegades during the Shoreditch Incident. After it had done its work, it returned to the Imperial Flagship via the Imperial Dalek Shuttle. When the shockwave from the destruction of Skaro hit, it was most likely destroyed along with the other Imperial Daleks on board the craft. (DW: Remembrance of the Daleks)

Following their encounter with Davros the Renegade Daleks also began using a special weapons Dalek variant in their campaigns. (EDA: War of the Daleks)

Characteristics
Unlike a conventional Dalek, the Special Weapons Dalek had no manipulator arm or eye-stalk. Instead, it had an enormous energy cannon mounted on the front of the armoured casing in place of the usual small gunstick and several red squares around the dome in place of the usual eye-stalk.

The Special Weapons Dalek's firepower was so great that one shot completely vaporised two conventional Renegade Daleks, leaving only a pair of burn marks, and the armour was sufficient to deflect conventional Dalek energy weapons without suffering any apparent harm.

Initially, the Special Weapons Dalek had a conventional gray livery, marred by dark green stains. (DWM: Emperor of the Daleks). Later, like other Imperial Daleks, its livery was white with gold bumps, but with sections of metallic grey armour covering most of the upper portion with much battle scoring. It never spoke and we do not know whether it could do so.

Apocryphal information
It has been stated that the enormous power source required for its weapon resulted in high levels of radiation being released and altering the structure of the Dalek's brain, resulting in insanity. It was only used in extreme situations and was unofficially known among the Daleks as the Abomination. (DWN: Remembrance of the Daleks (novelisation))


 * This implies the existence of only one Special Weapons Dalek.

One account states that Special Weapons Daleks also come in Marine and Airborne varieties. The same source states that the Special Weapons Daleks has firepower fifty times more powerful than the output of the standard Dalek gunstick.


 * This would mean more than one Special Dalek exists.

Behind the Scenes
Special Weapons Daleks would have been featured in the aborted 30th anniversary film The Dark Dimension.

A platoon of Special Weapons Daleks make a cameo in the 8th Doctor Comic Strip "Fire And Brimstone".

The apocryphal information in the first paragraph comes from the Remembrance of the Daleks novelisation, written by the creator of the character, Ben Aaronovitch. The information in the second paragraph comes from the BBC Books Dalek Survival Guide.