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Daleks Exterminated From New Dr. Who
albino eatpod writes "The BBC are reporting that despite 'the very best deal possible,' a failure to agree terms between the BBC and the estate of late sci-fi writer Terry Nation has meant that we will not being seeing TV's most evil villains in the new series, starring Christopher Eccleston and Billy Piper."
Not entirely true, but I see your point. However, the estate holders of Charlie Chaplain's old films, for instance, are not releasing the silent versions of many of his famous movies to DVD, only the ones with actual sound, voices, etc. This is because they feel that it holds closest to his own aspirations, as Chaplain was a huge advocate of sound in movies. Though there would be a sizeable market for the silent ones, the family wants to hold on to the original artist's ideal. Granted I think this bites, as I like the silent versions better in the same way I think a black and white photograph requires more talent than colour photos, but that's my personal opinion, and not his vision. Not that this remotely applies to Dr. Who and Daleks, but in response to your comment, my reply is "Perhaps often, they do only consider money, but sometimes that's better than considering only the artist's vision. It gives it no room to grow or be remembered properly, it only limits us to the creator's own interpretation."
-The Libra
"Please be patient--The future will begin momentarily."
Actually, they weren't robots. They were mutated creatures controlling the robot-like shell. Aftereffects of the irradiation of Skaro, you see.
I'm not sure editorial control is the reason why the Daleks use in the new Dr.Who show was vetoed. If you recall, and you live in the UK, there was an advert showing the Daleks wandering around a shopping mall with a group of tambourine banging hippies saying "WE LOVE YOU!"
Also, in the past, Hancock have said that they will allow Daleks to appear in shows etc., but ONLY if they don't say anything. I think the reason for this is because the look of the Daleks is retained by the BBC, but what they say and do is retained by the creator.
I suspect the reason for the Daleks being booted out is simple - money. Hancock have been well known, allegedly, for demanding huge pots of money for the use of the Daleks. Thats why it took so long to get the remaining Dalek stories novelised - and why Eric Saward had refused to do the two outstanding stories that he wrote (Nation's lawyers wanted something like 75% of the profits of the book ISTR). Hancock also came down heavy on a fan magazine in the 1980s who produced a photonovel of the missing story "The Power of the Daleks". Despite the money from the novel going to charity, Hancock wanted a lot of cash, until Gary Levy, the editor of the magazine reminded Hancock that Nation wrote the script, and that surely the designer (Raymond Cusick) and script editor (David Whittaker) deserved equal credit as they were both instrumental in the success of the Daleks, but whom, as BBC staff, were not eligible to receive a penny in royalties from the tinpot meanies.
My web domain.
Aftereffects of the irradiation of Skaro, you see.
I have always been fuzzy on this issue. Watching the first Dalek episode it would lead me to believe that they were mutated from the radation. But the Tom Baker episode showed that Davros was geneticly manipluating the pepole of Skaro into what he believed they were evolving into. Also he removed the Daleks conscience, something his fellow scientests strongly objected to. They were exterminated.
As far as as i'm aware, Davros is the father of the Daleks. The mutated creatures were his insperation, but the final design was his, which would be his undoing as the supreme Dalek didn't want to fight Davros for control over the Dalek race, and pitty wasn't in it's vocabulary.
There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
The doctor (in Tom Baker form) said:
"If you're supposed to be the supreme beings of the universe, why don't you climb up and get me?"
This was on the planet with those other androids (Recalling all of this from memory).
The doctor did in fact believe at that time that the Daleks were so impotent as to not be able to climb simple stairs.
That would explain the look of terrified confusion on the Doctor's (Sylvestor McCoy) face when the Dalek in Rememberence suddenly was able to climb up the stairs to "get him".
Aim for the eyepiece.
WTF?!?
What's worse: it's apparently true. Crazy fucking Brits.
Another one bites the dust
(Can someone explain to me how it is that Nation's estate personally own the Daleks? Didn't he write those scripts on spec for the BBC?)
The way the BBC does things (or did), if you're an employee of the BBC, your ideas belong to them. If you were hired by the BBC to do something specific (like write a script), then your ideas belong to you. This explains why Terry Nation (not a BBC employee) "owns" the Daleks and has made millions off them, while the guy who designed them, Raymond Cusick (a BBC employee), received only his BBC salary and hasn't received a penny of the royalties.