The Genesis Ark was the name used by the Cult of Skaro to identify a prison ship created by the Time Lords during the Last Great Time War to hold millions of Daleks. It was, like a TARDIS, dimensionally transcendental.
The Ark also had a life support system and an elevation engine.
At some point during the Last Great Time War, the four Daleks belonging to the Cult of Skaro stole the Genesis Ark and, using a void ship, fled the universe into the Void. This brought them out of the Time War, either before it became time-locked, or it allowed them to circumvent the time-lock. Their purpose was to open the Genesis Ark and re-establish the Dalek empire.
The Ark's hull was extremely tough to break through, so the only way for the Genesis Ark to be activated was through two simple steps. First the Daleks would put their manipulator arms over its four sensor processing units, taking it out of "hibernation". Then it would be in "final stage of awakening" and was to be touched by a time traveller, transferring artron energy to the Ark. Incapable of touch, no Dalek could open the ark by any means short of blowing up a star. Mickey Smith touched it by accident in battle because a Cyberman bumped him when he was trying to escape the Sphere Chamber. This activated the ark, causing some kind of smoke to emerge from the radioactive steam vents. Dalek Sec stated that the Ark needed an area of 30 square miles. The Daleks transported it to the skies above London and it began releasing millions of Daleks who proceeded to join the Battle of Canary Wharf against humans and Cybermen in July [additional sources needed] 2007.
When the Tenth Doctor returned to the Void all elements that had become saturated in Void stuff, the Genesis Ark was observed being sucked towards the opening after the Cult of Skaro escaped by temporal shift. (TV: Doomsday)
Behind the scenes
- When the Ark opened above Canary Wharf, a Dalek is visible inside, appearing to take up all of the room inside due to how it is dimensionally transcendental. When this Dalek (the first to be released) was released, the Ark appeared to have no other Daleks inside.
