Series 1 Episodes: Dalek

The TARDIS is drawn off course by a distress signal, and materialises in a bunker in Utah, 2012. The Doctor and Rose find that the bunker is a museum, full of alien artifacts. As the Doctor muses that he's getting old, he sets off an alarm and is immediately surrounded.

They are taken to see the owner of the Vault — Henry van Statten, a billionaire collector of alien artifacts. Impressed of the Doctor's ability to identify one such artifact, he invites the Doctor to see the "Metaltron", a creature he purports to be the last of its kind. The Doctor enters the Cage, where the creature is held, and begins to speak to it, until he realises to his horror that it is a Dalek. He then taunts the Dalek about it being the last of its kind, and attempts to kill him until van Statten's guards prevent him. The Doctor is told that it was found in a crater fifty years previously, and he subsequently concludes that Dalek fell through time.

Meanwhile, Adam is showing Rose around the base. Adam shows her the Dalek, and they see one of the technicians torturing the Dalek to force it to speak. Rose asks to be taken down to the Cage to stop him. There, Rose talks to the Dalek, which is feigning haplessness. In sympathy, Rose touches the Dalek casing, which immediately absorbs her DNA. It escapes from its cage and downloads the entire internet, draining electricity from the West Coast. In response, the area is evacuated, and guards focus fire upon it - however, the Dalek absorbs these bullets and exterminates everyone. Travelling upwards, it encounters another squad, which it takes care with two shots; one electrifies the water, the second collapses a walkway. It demands to speak to the Doctor, and tells it that it was able to regenerate its casing, but was unable to find any other Daleks or orders, and will therefore follow the default function: destruction.

Van Statten manages to restore power to the bulkheads temporarily. The Doctor tries to stall to save Adam and Rose, but the power fails. Adam manages to get over in time, but Rose does not, and over her "superphone", the Doctor hears the Dalek's cry. Disbelieving, he blames van Statten for everyone's deaths, including Rose. However, the Dalek has not killed Rose - it is hesitant due to absorbing Rose's DNA. It contacts the Doctor, saying that he will kill her if the bulkheads are not opened. Defeated, the Doctor opens the bulkhead, and follows Adam to a secret weapons cache. The Dalek reaches van Statten's office, and is about to kill him before Rose intervenes and offers the Dalek its wish; freedom.

On the highest level, the Dalek creates a hole and feels sunlight for the first time. The Doctor arrives, gun in hand, and orders Rose to move. Rose refuses - the Dalek is changing, as it could not kill her or van Statten. Appaled at his own actions, he lowers his weapon. Both he and the Dalek realise that the Dalek is mutating further, and is becoming unable to conform to the Dalek objective. It asks Rose to order its death, and after being given the order, annilihates itself.

After the crisis is averted, Goddard orders van Statten's mind wiped and the vault filled with cement. At the TARDIS, the Doctor ruefully observes that as the last survivor of the Time War, he "wins". Adam comes by, telling the Doctor that Goddard is sealing the base. Rose invites Adam aboard the TARDIS, which he enters with a puzzled expression before it dematerialises.

Doctor Christopher Eccleston (Ninth Doctor)
Companions Billie Piper (Rose Tyler)
Bruno Langley (Adam Mitchell)
Guest stars
Henry van Statten — Corey Johnson
Diana Goddard — Anna-Louise Plowman
Polkowski — Steven Beckingham
Simmons — Nigel Whitmey
Bywater — John Schwab
De Maggio — Jana Carpenter
Commander — Joe Montana
Dalek Voice — Nicholas Briggs

Writer Robert Shearman
Director Joe Ahearne
Script editor Helen Raynor
Producer Phil Collinson
Executive producer(s) Russell T. Davies
Julie Gardner
Mal Young
Series Series 1
Length 45 minutes
Originally broadcast April 30, 2005