User:Blue Rook

On Daleks, hamsters, and villains in general
Always call a spade "a spade": Daleks are simply squid-snot housed inside 1960's murder caskets that were created with a real world budget of £250. And yet I find Daleks amusing, and can't take my eyes off them. I'm not so much a fan of Doctor Who as I am a fan of the Daleks. But why would I have this level of fascination in a race of awful space monsters from a television show I have mediocre interest in? So I've given it some thought, and it is probably on account of two very different things: their physical appearance, and, their nature as the ultimate antagonist of the show.


 * 1) When it comes to physical appearance, they are very stubby, expressionless, and their arms appear rather inflexible. Now my favorite pets during childhood were hamsters; although they resemble Daleks not-at-all, when you pick them up, they do share an overall stubbiness, a blank stare, and goofy little front paws that stick out... all of which I found endlessly amusing back then.2
 * 2) Next there is the Daleks' nature as perhaps the ultimate antagonist of the show. When it comes to fiction, I naturally prefer to learn about the villains on account of the fact that my brain automatically plays devil's advocate. To save time, I try to limit myself to the most influential villains of any fictional universe (the other example being the top-most masterminds in 24). I do not believe that any other antagonists (the Master, the Cybermen, or anyone else) has done more to influence the Doctor and his universe than the Daleks.

Below are some galleries of Dalek images which I have here on the project. Eventually I will add some of my own screen captures if I feel an article is lacking.

Every Dalek-lover should read

 * The Economist's obit Ray Cusick, designer of the Daleks