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Energy of the Daleks

Released March 2012. 2 episodes

Written and Directed by: Nicholas Briggs

Roots: The Walking Dead (the description of Robomen) jack seems to be based broadly on '70s contemporary union leader Arthur Scargill

Fluffs: Damien's triumphant cry of "set!" in episode two sounds a little more... scatological than it should

Technobabble: The Daleks travel to Earth via a "linear time beam"

Dialogue Triumphs: "Are you as barking mad as the Doctor" "I do not bark"

"A map of the world, the sort of thing all megalomaniacs invest in"

"Mankind's continued struggle to reconcile economics with compassion - not pretty, is it?"

"Let's go to the Moon!"

Continuity: The GlobeSphere Corporation is a major commercial player in the field of energy creation, led by its CEO and technological wunderkind Damien Stephens. GlobeSphere HQ is under the National Gallery and has its own moon base and lunar solar panel fields. The energy grid is capable of projecting a hundred times Earth's energy needs to each receiver dish. Delivery of energy from the fields is due the following day (21 January 2025)

The Doctor deduces the Dalek forces to comprise of one scout (in a time ship) and six crew by the size of the craft's energy signature. The Daleks' plan involves channeling 100 times the required energy into Earth's receivers, leading to the formation of a giant force field around the planet to counteract its gravity, force the Moon out of orbit, and turn Earth into a meteorological maelstrom to exterminate all life on the planet. They identify Leela as a time traveller by detecting the levels of chronon particles in a level Nine scan (they also use a cerebral probe.)

Daleks control Robomen via microwave transmissions. Robomen are "more or less" dead, according to the Doctor. Dalek technology kills Robomen in "less than a week." Damien is a 'high-functioning' Dalek Roboman.

The TARDIS lands in Trafalgar Square. The Grand National took place recently, with a holographic horse being displayed outside the HMS Belfast in to promote the event.

Leela finds high heels impossible to walk in and is wearing trainers (at the Doctor's suggestion.) The Doctor intended to take Leela to London in 2015. Leela's level of instinctive intelligence proves too challenging for the Robotizer. This is Leela's first meeting with the Daleks.

Future History: The Global Energy Crisis heightened markedly in 2021, leading to the intervention of GlobeSphere. By 2025 London's theatres have been closed to save the energy they would otherwise use for lighting. Pocket-sized portable televisions are common, and travel to the Moon is via shuttle. Globe Sphere use holographic internet. Fingerprint identification is still in use, as are horses by mounted constabulary (an energy efficiency measure?).

Links: The Dalek Invasion of Earth (the Doctor and Jack dress as Robomen) Leela mentions Janis thorns, 'blue guards', and this being her second visit to London (her remarks on it being fog-bound during her first visit would confirm that adventure to be Talons)

Untelevised Adventures: The Doctor and Churchill were the only people who knew about the tunnels for evacuation of the nation's art treasure from the National Gallery during.

Location: London and the Moon, 20 January 2025

The Bottom Line: "The countdown is set; nothing can stop it now!"

Tradition and nostalgia, the twin engines of Briggsian storylining? Perhaps not, but there's a real effort in Energy of the Daleks to not only evoke the stories of Tom Baker's era, but the world in which it was screened, with union protests, energy crises and general civil unrest. It's a compelling mix, but unfortunately the Daleks themselves are the least of the story. Not so much a missed opportunity (Leela's scenes with them are the clear highlight) , but perhaps a victim of a shorter script time.

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