Feature by GAVIN RYMILL
Whether barely glimpsed on screen or rolled out for special occasions, the mere existence of exceptional Dalek casings raises intriguing questions about Dalek life.
Hovering around the Emperor in The Parting of the Ways (2005) is a host of black-domed sentries. Several are difficult to find on screen, but that only serves to make them more interesting. These ‘Easter Eggs’ reward the enthusiastic viewer, and the most well-known of them has a mysterious device in place of its manipulator arm. All the Series 1 CGI models were created by the visual eff ects team at The Mill, but the company’s records can’t help us confirm the Dalek’s function, as it’s simply labelled ‘Variant A’. Character Options packaged its toy version as an ‘Imperial Guard’, while the Eaglemoss figurine collection refers to it as the ‘Sonic Probe’.