(Photo: BBC)

To retell the complete story of the Doctor’s many involvements with the Daleks would take a long time — over 57 years (so far). But looking back, in preparation for the Doctor Who New Year's Day special “Revolution of the Daleks,” we’ve noticed a certain pattern.

After the First Doctor’s Dalek adventures, scriptwriters started to use the now familiar recurring suffix “…of the Daleks” for the title. In fact, from “Power of the Daleks” in 1966 to the end of the run of classic Who, every story that mentions the Daleks in the title has followed that format (with one notable deviation), making every new adventure look like the chapters in an on-going saga that they are.

Here’s a brief potted history of those chapters, starting at the very beginning:

“The Daleks”

A perfect introduction to the tinpot rotters of Skaro, and the second ever of the Doctor's televisual adventures, airing in December 1963. Not only do we get to meet the Daleks for the first time, but we find out just how terrifying they are even though they can only travel on smooth, metallic flooring. While they are always their aggressive selves, it's actually the First Doctor who proves to be the greater fight-starter in this story, as he winds up teaching their pacifist rivals the Thals about the value of violence in order to beat their tank-like foes.

“The Dalek Invasion of Earth”

Sadly not titled "Invasion of the Daleks," which it undoubtedly would have been a year or two later, this is the story in which the First Doctor and friends arrive on Earth, only to find it half destroyed by meteorites and in the grip of Dalek control. Ridding the planet of the Skaronian scourge costs the Doctor dearly, in that he has to say goodbye to his granddaughter, Susan.

“The Daleks' Master Plan”

This is definitely the point after which Doctor Who's scriptwriters realized that it's inelegant to find a title that encapsulates what the Daleks are up to – in this case, gathering an element called Taranium in order to make a weapon called the Time Destructor – if you have to use a possessive apostrophe.

“The Power of the Daleks”

This is not a story about political power, but one about electricity. The newly-regenerated Second Doctor finds himself in a human colony on the planet Vulcan in the year 2020. He then discovers a capsule containing two Daleks, and meets a scientist who is being tricked by a third into providing enough power to start manufacturing more.

“The Evil of the Daleks”

This is a similarly on-the-nose title for a story about that quality which is more prevalent in Daleks than in their greatest foes. The Second Doctor has to distill humanity – the Human Factor - and inject it into Daleks. They then isolate a Dalek Factor and want to inject it into humans. Because they’re, y’know, evil.

“Day of the Daleks”

This title marks the point at which the definite article starts falling off the beginning of Dalek stories. The Third Doctor discovers that the Daleks have started traveling through time, invaded Earth again, and set up work camps like the metallic Nazis they are. This is all set against the backdrop of a conference set up to avert World War III.

“Planet of the Daleks”

…is Skaro, as any fool knows. However, there’s a Dalek army on Spiridon which has been kept in suspended animation, and a crack team of Daleks are hell bent on reviving them, despite the best efforts of the Third Doctor, companion Jo Grant, and the Thals and invisible Spiridonians who stand in their way.

“Death to the Daleks”

Less a title and more an exhortation to violence, although in the case of this story the death heading their way is not retaliatory extermination, but a space plague only treatable with Parrinium, from the planet Exxilon. That’s where the Third Doctor meets some Space Marines and Daleks who are also trying to get hold of this substance. Naturally the Daleks have a devious plan to use it to spread the plague that they themselves are immune to.

“Genesis of the Daleks”

By now, the Time Lords have had more than enough of the Daleks so they dispatch the Fourth Doctor to Skaro, to prevent their creation at the hands of crazed scientist Davros. He does his best, but struggles with his conscience when it comes to genocide. He would not make a good Dalek just yet.

“Destiny of the Daleks”

Hundreds of years later, the Daleks go back to Skaro to unfreeze Davros from suspended animation, as they’re having trouble beating the Movellans. Naturally the Fourth Doctor has a few things to say about this, but not before Davros makes use of his key strategic weakness as a warrior — the unwillingness to kill unless absolutely necessary.

“Resurrection of the Daleks”

And a further 90 years on from all THAT, we find the Fifth Doctor in London, facing a once-again-unfrozen Davros, who has been called upon to find a cure for a Movellan virus that specifically attacks Dalek tissue. Perhaps “Infestation of the Daleks” might have been a preferable title.

“Revelation of the Daleks”

Davros has similarly unpleasant work to be getting on with in this tale of galactic famine. He positions himself as the Great Healer, taking over a funeral home from which he can convert humans into food or a secret new Dalek army.

“Remembrance of the Daleks”

The Seventh Doctor and companion Ace travel to 1963, where it all began, to fetch the Hand of Omega and try and keep it safe from two rival factions of Dalek, plus some homegrown fascists. By the end, the Dalek home planet is under direct threat and a war between the Daleks and the Time Lords looks very likely.

“Dalek”

It would be feasible to retitle this tale – in which two bitter enemies meet after their war is now over – “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder of the Daleks,” or “Reintroduction of the Daleks” at the very least, given that it’s their first story of New Who. And what a story it is! The Ninth Doctor meets a lone surviving Dalek left over from the Time War, collected by a rich UFO obsessive. They bicker like the old enemies they are, the Doctor crows about winning the Time War and the Dalek calls him a Dalek. That’s fighting talk.

“Evolution of the Daleks”

The second half of the Tenth Doctor two-part story that began with “Daleks in Manhattan,” and once again we find the Daleks messing about with genetics, trying to make a human/Dalek hybrid that can take over the universe, but not before they’ve run a few experiments with pigs and people too. Given that we’ve not seen anything of their creation since, maybe this one should really be retitled “Evolutionary Dead End of the Daleks” instead.

“Victory of the Daleks”

A Dalek pretends to be nice, serving tea in order to trick the British in Churchill’s bunker during the war. The Eleventh Doctor retaliates with space Spitfires and threatens a Dalek spaceship – complete with very brightly colored new Daleks — with a Jammie Dodger.

“Asylum of the Daleks”

Who would have thought the Daleks would have been sentimental enough to set up a retirement home for their fallen comrades, and foolhardy enough to send their worst enemy into the heart of that retirement home to investigate signals coming from within? Well, Steven Moffat would, for one. He wrote this tale of the Eleventh Doctor meeting one of his future companions, who is making soufflés in a most unfortunate situation.

“Resolution”

Included here because its one word title – the noun-ing of a verb — is a clear nod to the format without having to go to the trouble to include those three little words. Seeing a Dalek make their own tank-shell from spare parts was a neat parallel to the Thirteenth Doctor making her own sonic from spoons.

And those are just the TV titles. Across other Doctor Who media you can find:

“Attack of the Daleks”

“Blood of the Daleks”

“Brotherhood of the Daleks”

“City of the Daleks”

“Death and the Daleks”

“Defender of the Daleks”

“Emissary of the Daleks”

“Emperor of the Daleks!”

“Enemy of the Daleks”

“Energy of the Daleks”

“Extermination of the Daleks”

“Fear of the Daleks”

“Genetics of the Daleks”

“Invasion of the Daleks”

“Legacy of the Daleks”

“Master of the Daleks”

“Nemesis of the Daleks”

“Order of the Daleks”

“Plague of the Daleks”

“Poison of the Daleks”

“Prisoner of the Daleks”

“Renaissance of the Daleks”

“Restoration of the Daleks”

“Return of the Daleks”

“Shadow of the Daleks”

“The Curse of the Daleks”

“The Time of the Daleks”

“Treasure of the Daleks”

“War of the Daleks”

And even...

“X and the Daleks”

Do you have a favorite story of the Daleks?