The Exterminators

"There's probably not a soul in this galaxy whose life hasn't been tainted in some way by the Daleks."

Writer: Nicholas Briggs
Format: Audio
Released: May 2004
Series: Dalek Empire 3.01

Featuring: Tarkov, Saxton, Selestru, Galanar

Synopsis

At the end of Dalek Empire 2 – Dalek War, Galactic Union envoy Siy Tarkov set off from the planet Valyshaa with vital information warning of an imminent Dalek invasion of the galaxy.

Twenty years later, and the only proof Tarkov ever existed is a garbled message, calling for help. But no-one is listening.

Verdict

The Exterminators was sadly not the greatest of starts to the third series of the Dalek Empire spinoff series from Big Finish. I must admit, I was quite stunned to find that it had been over four years since I listened to this series and I was quite worried that I had left it too long and wouldn't remember at all what was going on. Thankfully, the following on wasn't that extensive and whilst what occurred in Dalek War – Chapter Four was very much present, it was explained well to the listener. Essentially, Tarkov was now 20 years into his future after going into cryogenic sleep and the story was all about an impending Dalek invasion. I was really quite stunned that a story that is titled what it is barely features the Daleks! That didn't sit right with me, especially considering it is a spinoff for the Daleks themselves. I didn't like that and felt a bit cheated to be honest, especially with this being the first episode of the series. Surely it would be realised that I am listening for the Daleks because I enjoy them as an enemy so much I want to hear what they get up to without the Doctor around? But instead we were introduced, to use the term lightly, to a brand new team of people who seem like the series will centre around. The little intro with Susan Mendes recalling the events of the end of the second series was good, but I do wish she was able to feature here as I loved her character. I'm also going to miss the presence of Kalendorf as he added a lot to this series with his history from The Sirens of Time. That leads me to mention how poor I thought the new characters were introduced. Why would I care about a surprise birthday party that wasn't wanted from Saxton when I barely know anything about her? There was a real lack of backstory which was a shame and whilst I hope that things get threaded out during the next five stories, I think it should happen in the first adventure. Even if it wasn't for all of the characters, there just needed to be more to get me invested. Maybe the Daleks featuring more would have made that less obvious but without them for the most part, there was just so much dialogue between characters I knew nothing about. That was really frustrating as a listener. I liked the idea of Tarkov suffering from disease and the struggles that were evident from that were interesting and I felt sympathy because he was already something of an established character. Of the new characters, I did like Saxton more as the story went on and I think I am going to really enjoy Kaymee. She seems like a likeable character and that's always important to have in a spinoff series. The looming invasion of the Daleks was something good to play on and I guess it was inevitable they would arrive at the story's conclusion, but I did like that Graxis Major was placed under the jurisdiction of the Dalek Empire. The primates could have been something that featured more given how Saxton was associated with them and all the warden connections, but I did really enjoy the brief moment of the Dalek threatening one. The mystery of who bandaged up Kaymee is good and I am keen to know more, but as a whole this story was just lacking in my emotional investment because the characters were mostly unfamiliar. David Tennant having a prominent role as Galanar will be intriguing for the series given that he would be cast as the Tenth Doctor, and his association with Selestru is something I look forward to more of hearing. Overall though, some good elements but character development is desperately needed.

Rating: 5/10