Dr Who Episode 2904 Daleks in Manhatten (spoilers)

[NecronLord]

I'm hoping they use the ESB to recharge and say 'all systems coming on line... HOLY FUCK THE DOCTOR IS LIKE RIGHT THERE JESUS'. Hopefully they're not retarded, they're just in power-save mode given their lack of backup, hence no EW or sensors or whatever.

I hope that would probably happen, since as I said earlier that Dalek prowling around the sewer tunnels and the Daleks in general seemed pretty dopey and nowhere near as perceptive as they seemed in the last two seasons with their travel machines apparently possessing starship grade sensors - also you wonder why their equipment in their basement lair never detected the TARDIS phasing in just a few miles away (you would've thought they would be wary about another major spacepower coming to Earth if the Daleks did something to attract notable attention).

They've never been able to detect TARDISes, save when one was actually flying towards them in real space.

[Big Orange]

They've never been able to detect TARDISes, save when one was actually flying towards them in real space.

It makes you wonder how the Dalek fleets could've engaged the Time Lords during the Time War.

[Oddysseus]

Actually if you go back to the first Doctor, they could track the TARDIS. After the Daleks built their first timeship, they tracked the Doctors trajectories in Time and Space, landing just after him. So from early on they showed some skill at tracking.

But, yeah, usually the Daleks are completely unaware when the TARDIS just pops in. I don't know if you want to say that it is more, they can track one if they have a starting point our intel on a fleet, or writing contrivane that makes the blind at the right times.

[Dartzap]

Ah, i finally saw it. An interesting episode, that's for sure. I think there will be a few explanations in the next half. Hopefully.

[Yuri2356]

Actually if you go back to the first Doctor, they could track the TARDIS. After the Daleks built their first timeship, they tracked the Doctors trajectories in Time and Space, landing just after him. So from early on they showed some skill at tracking.

But, yeah, usually the Daleks are completely unaware when the TARDIS just pops in. I don't know if you want to say that it is more, they can track one if they have a starting point our intel on a fleet, or writing contrivane that makes the blind at the right times.

Maybe they only develloped a means to reliably track TARDISs shortly before the fighting began? (Certainly something that would greatly improve their ability to wage war on the Time Lords, and likewise something the TLs wouldn't allow to exist for long if they noticed it) The Chase could be explained by the Doctor not knowing of anyone who'd try to follow him through time with intent to EX-TER-MIN-ATE!, and so he wasn't taking any precautions against being tracked. (These could have been activated/repaired/installed after the events of the Chase, to prevent a repeat of those events)

The rest of the Time Lords would have such countermeasures active as a standard feature, but our beloved Police-Box isn't exactly in factory condition. They could have broken down at some point in the Doctor's travels, and simply didn't make it to the top of his To-Do list. (Just look how long the Chameleon Circuit stayed out of order)


Of course, this is all just my personal speculation.

[NecronLord]

Much more likely, I forgot the old 60s episodes when I said that.

[Hitch Hiker]

Brilliant story, although an American accented Dalek hybrid could get on my nerves lol. I think the idea that the Dalek's are low on power is a good one. And for what its worth i know people haveing been B******g about the Dalek's coming back every sereies, but after the trouble they went through to get permission for them to turn up at all i think it makes sense that they will be used a lot. familer enemys are what work well, examples Klingons and Borg etc.

[Stark]

It's my understanding that they got the rights to use them for three years. Hopefully this means no Daleks for a while, because let's face it: enormous huge climatic revenge of the Time Lords every other week is getting lame.

Do Dalek guns fire beams sometimes, and bolts others? In Doomsday they also used bolts when flying, IIRC.

[mr friendly guy]

Actually if you go back to the first Doctor, they could track the TARDIS. After the Daleks built their first timeship, they tracked the Doctors trajectories in Time and Space, landing just after him. So from early on they showed some skill at tracking.

But, yeah, usually the Daleks are completely unaware when the TARDIS just pops in. I don't know if you want to say that it is more, they can track one if they have a starting point our intel on a fleet, or writing contrivane that makes the blind at the right times.

Maybe they only develloped a means to reliably track TARDISs shortly before the fighting began? (Certainly something that would greatly improve their ability to wage war on the Time Lords, and likewise something the TLs wouldn't allow to exist for long if they noticed it) The Chase could be explained by the Doctor not knowing of anyone who'd try to follow him through time with intent to EX-TER-MIN-ATE!, and so he wasn't taking any precautions against being tracked. (These could have been activated/repaired/installed after the events of the Chase, to prevent a repeat of those events)

The rest of the Time Lords would have such countermeasures active as a standard feature, but our beloved Police-Box isn't exactly in factory condition. They could have broken down at some point in the Doctor's travels, and simply didn't make it to the top of his To-Do list. (Just look how long the Chameleon Circuit stayed out of order)


Of course, this is all just my personal speculation.

One could argue the timeline from "The Chase" was wiped out by the events in "Genesis of the Daleks". However I like your explanation of development of technologies and counter technologies to sound better, considering "both sides had their secrets" and it makes sense that both sides would try and upgrade their technology to give them advantages.

[Vympel]

Human-Dalek Sec.

I don't know if I like it. The Daleks are all about their shell- nigh invulnerable to harm, lethal weaponry, scary looking.

If Human-Dalek Sec wants to kill someone, he's not going to have any death ray to do it. If someone wants to shoot him with the most primitive of weapons, there'll be no shield to stop the bullets.

[Stark]

Given they've already reduced the Daleks to their 70s incarnation in terms of myopic, deaf, idiots, I'm kinda expecting Sec to take the top off his shell and fly around in it shooting lasers while cackling like a maniac. A Dalek flying chariot, just like Flash Gordon. THAT would be funny.

[Vympel]

In the 2005 season, a Dalek repaired its damage merely by interfacing with a power port- why didn't the Dalek who sacrificed his arse, literally, just plug into the nearest power point and regenerate his shell? Too much damage?

[Oddysseus]

The integrated, and supported, national system of the 21st century was built to handle it. But with 1930 Depression era NYC, is there enough power generation? If anything the electrical system would crash in less than a minute. Heck, the TVA hasn't even been dreamt up, has it?

[Xon]

Actually if you go back to the first Doctor, they could track the TARDIS. After the Daleks built their first timeship, they tracked the Doctors trajectories in Time and Space, landing just after him. So from early on they showed some skill at tracking.

Tracking is very different from spotting an incoming object. A TARDIS can pull 5 billion time-like lightyears in under 5 minutes, detecting something like that incoming would be hidiously difficult.

[Vegi]

Given they've already reduced the Daleks to their 70s incarnation in terms of myopic, deaf, idiots, I'm kinda expecting Sec to take the top off his shell and fly around in it shooting lasers while cackling like a maniac. A Dalek flying chariot, just like Flash Gordon. THAT would be funny.

I'm sure they're saving that scenario for when they inevitably bring back Davros

[NecronLord]

In the 2005 season, a Dalek repaired its damage merely by interfacing with a power port- why didn't the Dalek who sacrificed his arse, literally, just plug into the nearest power point and regenerate his shell? Too much damage?

Electricity supply of new york in 1930 < Entire west coast supply of 2012.

And that damage wasn't that severe anyway.

[Hitch Hiker]

I guess thats why there waiting for that storm to happen. where else to get a good supply of electricity? massive lightning conductor on top of the tallist building in the world, should channel enough energy to power them up. Presumebly thats why they are flying again in next weeks episode.

[His Divine Shadow]

Looks like the Dalek's where impressed by humanity's ridiculous ability to survive(IIRC humanity survives well over 5 billion years according to DW:EU, and even then after all of humanity gets exterminated by the Time Lords-

Wait what??

[His Divine Shadow]

Ah, okay. I see.

Well the Daleks did not "win" if their entire grand armada was burnt to a crips and Dalek Sec was hinding inside the Black Sphere O' Doom.

The Doctor says the Time Lords lost, and, in true General Haig fashion, the Time Lords now have one man, and they have four, and they have won the Great War.

Still better than "general" Rimmers victories.

[Big Orange]

Dalek Sec's group would be unable to detect the TARDIS travelling through the Time Vortex, but surely they would notice within ten miles of their base the sudden appearance of extra matter in the form of a police box and two people stepping out of it - although conserving on power could explain why the Daleks are not working at optimum efficency, with limited sensors and being dopey enough to not notice their prisoners infiltrating (or escaping).

[NecronLord]

Dalek Sec's group would be unable to detect the TARDIS travelling through the Time Vortex, but surely they would notice within ten miles of their base the sudden appearance of extra matter in the form of a police box and two people stepping out of it - although conserving on power could explain why the Daleks are not working at optimum efficency, with limited sensors and being dopey enough to not notice their prisoners infiltrating (or escaping).

Why? The Daleks didn't detect the TARDIS like that in any other episode. Sure, they detected the cybermen. They were also looking for the cybermen.

[Big Orange]

Why? The Daleks didn't detect the TARDIS like that in any other episode. Sure, they detected the cybermen. They were also looking for the cybermen.

But if Dalek Sec was on the ball, he would've been looking for the Doctor as well - I wouldn't think the Daleks would've been unprepared for a AA++ threat arriving suddenly near their final stronghold in New York. They were using the Empire State as a base; surely they could've mounted sensors or viewing scopes on the skyscraper that could've detected the TARDIS by the Statue of Liberty?

[NecronLord]

The Daleks have conquered thousands upon thousands of worlds without him showing up. I don't get all the complaining about him sneaking in; they're not omniscient, and they utterly detest humans. Hiding among the humans - who are not being guarded by daleks - means they're not likely to notice him unless he actually does something. What's so bad about that? If you're a dalek, would you pay any more attention to corraled humans than you would to the concrete on the wall or the dust on your eyestalk?

Besides, the Daleks have shot at least one David Tennant dead before.

[Stark]

You don't think it's bad they've reduced the Daleks to visual-only, with a fisheye lens? One passed within inches of the Doctor - an alien, whom they instantly recognise in a non-visual way - without detecting him. Someone can yell his name - the name of the eternal enemy of the Daleks, the murderer of their race, the man they're escaping - meters from them and they don't hear it in an underground tunnel.

If you think the tanks don't have sensors, fine. They could well have been getting info from other sources in other eps. It's just LAME, a serious comedown from their impressive showings in other eps. I'm not a fan of this at all. Daleks have SENSORS, dammit, not just a single myopic eye and crap audio recievers.

I do not want the Daleks to be reduced to the bumbling idiots we had for thirty years, and that seems to be what's happened. It's the worst *portrayal* of the Daleks in a decade.

[NecronLord]

You don't think it's bad they've reduced the Daleks to visual-only, with a fisheye lens? One passed within inches of the Doctor - an alien, whom they instantly recognise in a non-visual way - without detecting him. Someone can yell his name - the name of the eternal enemy of the Daleks, the murderer of their race, the man they're escaping - meters from them and they don't hear it in an underground tunnel.

You think they go nuts every time someone with a doctorate goes past?

If you think the tanks don't have sensors, fine. They could well have been getting info from other sources in other eps. It's just LAME, a serious comedown from their impressive showings in other eps. I'm not a fan of this at all. Daleks have SENSORS, dammit, not just a single myopic eye and crap audio recievers.

So? They don't have to be using them. I can see people I know. It doesn't mean I'll immediately pick them out of a crowd if I'm just walking past, doing something I consider really important. Why should daleks have some kind of dedicated Doctor Alarm in their casings?

EDIT: Seriously, they've missed him, what, twice? While being busy trying to attend to their leader's mad project, while busy wondering about whether or not they should shoot said leader, and while, in at least one instance, having had part of their sensor suite cut off and strapped up to the top of the Empire State Building.