Thirty-eight years ago, Doctor Who sent its deadliest enemy off the screen with a story that still holds up as one of the franchise’s finest hours. The four-part arc “Remembrance of the Daleks” aired in 1988, just before the show vanished from British television for 16 years. It starred Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor and Sophie Aldred as Ace, and it took the Daleks apart at the seams.
The plot sends the Doctor and Ace to 1963 London, where two Dalek factions fight over the Hand of Omega — a device left behind by a previous incarnation of the Doctor, capable of triggering stars to go supernova. One faction, the Imperial Daleks, is led by Davros, disguised as the Emperor. The other, the renegade Daleks, are older and less polished. Their struggle is not about the galaxy — it is about who gets to call themselves the pure Dalek.
The Daleks Turn on Themselves
The arc builds on a long history. Daleks were created by writer Terry Nation as an allegory for the Nazis, and their first appearance in 1963’s “The Daleks” established them as a race convinced of its own purity, ready to exterminate anyone else. In “Remembrance,” that prejudice reaches a peak. The two Dalek factions see each other as abominations, and the Doctor exploits that hatred to set them against one another.
What makes the arc special is how it extends the allegory beyond the Daleks themselves. Writer Ben Aaronovitch adds human partners to both sides. The Imperial Daleks have a fascist group led by Ratcliffe. The renegade Daleks have a traitor hiding in plain sight: Sergeant Mike Smith, a character the audience had grown to trust. Smith’s reveal — that he is a racist who betrays his own side — hits harder because he had presented himself as kind and intelligent.
The result is a story about prejudice that refuses to let the Daleks stand in for everything. The humans are the ones who become monstrous, and the Doctor has to navigate a world where friend and foe alike are lying.
The Doctor’s Last Stand Against the Daleks
The arc climaxes with a trick. With the renegade Daleks destroyed, the Doctor tricks Davros and the Imperial Daleks into destroying themselves — and Skaro, their homeworld. It is a brutal end for the Daleks, and it earns it. The Doctor has spent the whole arc manipulating both sides, and the finale lets him stop pretending.
The performances help carry the weight. McCoy plays a Doctor who is more manipulative than usual, and Aldred matches him with a rebellious, tough attitude as Ace. But the Daleks themselves steal the show. Their dome-shaped design is a constant presence, and whenever they appear, they are there to mess with the Doctor or humanity.
| Faction | Leader | Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial Daleks | Davros (disguised as the Emperor) | Shiny, upgraded |
| Renegade Daleks | None stated | Older, less polished |
Why the Story Still Matters
“Remembrance of the Daleks” remains a standout because it treats its characters with intelligence. It trusts the audience to sit with the idea that a friendly face can hide a racist heart, and it trusts the Daleks to be monstrous without being cartoonish. The story does not shy away from the Nazi allegory — it digs into it, using the Daleks’ belief in racial purity as the engine of its conflict.
The arc also shows why the Daleks are considered the Doctor’s most monstrous enemies. They are not just villains to be defeated — they are a mirror for the worst instincts in people, and the story makes that mirror uncomfortably bright.
Thirty-eight years on, the story still delivers.
See the video the story is built around at Polygon.
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