Story 2: "The Daleks" Trivia Quiz

Answer: A city

The first episode of the serial was entitled "The Dead Planet", and it originally aired on December 21, 1963. Upon leaving the TARDIS for their initial exploration they find that all plant life is dead and there is even evidence of petrified animals. The Doctor is keen on exploring, but the others only want to return to their proper time and place.

The Doctor's companions were played by Carole Ann Ford (Susan Foreman), William Russell (Ian Chesterton), and Jacqueline Hill (Barbara Wright).

Answer: Mercury

The Doctor makes a show of trying to operate the TARDIS, 'discovering' with Susan's help that the fluid link has emptied itself of mercury (rendering the TARDIS inoperable). Of course, there is no supply of mercury on board, and the only place to possibly find some is the mysterious city.

Ian's suspicions are immediately aroused when the Doctor so conveniently finds an excuse to explore the city, and the Doctor's self-satisfied smirk does nothing to put Ian at ease. It is not until the second episode, "The Survivors", that the Doctor admits his duplicity.

Answer: Barbara Wright

While searching the city, Barbara finds herself cut off from the others by a closing door. When she encounters the Dalek, right in the final scene of the episode, all that the audience gets to see is the 'suction cup' stalk approaching Barbara from the perspective of the Dalek.

The first full view of the Daleks comes five minutes into the second episode when Ian, Susan and the Doctor encounter a group of them.

Answer: Radiation

The Doctor finds a Geiger counter in his search, which causes him to realize the reasons for their worsening condition. Making the link to their observations of the dead flora and fauna, the Doctor realized that the radiation is the result of a war some time in the past.

Answer: Thals

The Thals are not seen in the second episode. The title "The Survivors" refers to both the Daleks and the Thals, and all that we know of the Thals at this time is what the Daleks say of them. The Daleks actually believe that the Doctor and his companions are Thals, at first, and that they must have a drug that protects them from the sickness.

The origin of the Daleks is not explained in this serial. All that is known is that the Daleks and the Thals know very little of each other, due to the Daleks staying confined within the city and the Thals having an agrarian existence (managing to survive on this mostly dead world).

Answer: Susan Foreman

Back in episode one, Susan was briefly separated from the others in the dead forest outside the TARDIS. She thought someone touched her, and ran crying in distress until Ian found her. Shortly afterwards, while in the TARDIS, they all heard a noise outside, going out to find a mysterious metal case left for them, containing a number of phials within.

It was not until Susan met Alydon that she realized that it was he whom she had encountered in the woods as well as the one who had left the drugs for them.

Answer: Ian Chesterton

With their escape accomplished between the third episode and the fourth (entitled "The Ambush"), Ian sends the other three back to the TARDIS while he attempts to save the Thals from a Dalek trap. Sadly, he is unable to save all the men who came to meet the Daleks and their fake overture of peace. One is killed, and one is injured in the encounter.

Incidentally, this episode is the first time that the name of the planet is mentioned: Skaro. The Doctor also discovers pictures of the Thals and the Daleks from before the war, when the Thals were warriors and the Daleks (in this serial referred to as the Dals, but in later serials referred to as the Kaleds) were not encased in their suits.

Answer: False

They DO mount an expedition, but it is to retrieve the fluid link, not the TARDIS key.

In a twist of irony, the very thing that the Doctor (deviously) claimed was the reason that they could not leave (the fluid link), actually prevents their departure. It may not have needed to be refilled with mercury in order to operate (it was never actually empty), but the TARDIS actually needs the part in place to work.

Answer: Detonate a neutron bomb

The Daleks determine that the anti-radiation medicine of the Thals has no effect on them. They realize instead that they are DEPENDENT upon radiation to survive. With the world slowly healing itself from the aftermath of the war, the Daleks find themselves weakening at the same time. To prevent that, they begin plans to detonate a neutron bomb and reestablish the former radiation levels that existed right after the war.

When an analysis determines that it will take 23 days to construct a neutron bomb, they change their plans to directly irradiate the atmosphere with their nuclear reactor.

Answer: They disrupt the city's supply of electricity.

The difficult expedition and the attack on the Dalek city are recounted in the sixth and seventh episodes ("The Ordeal" and "The Rescue"). The Doctor determines that the Daleks require static electricity and direct contact with the metal floors and corridors in order to move about and sustain themselves. Finding a power supply, the Doctor uses the TARDIS key to short out the system.

The effect on the Daleks is not immediate, but it eventually proves to be effective - but only just! Only an attack by the Thals distracts the Daleks long enough to prevent them from launching their radiation distribution system.