The Last of the Dals

"He doesn't want to be part of the war. He wants to end it, once and for all."

Writer: Temi Oh

Format: Short Story

Released: September 2022

Printed in: Origin Stories 04

Featuring: Davros

Synopsis 

We all change, when you think about. We're all different people all through our lives...

Amy Pond looks for her Raggedy Man, Jo Grant remembers her childhood, the Master hunts the past... a young girl discovers a love for explosives.

Eleven incredible stories from the world of Doctor – the early lives of friends and foes that have never been told before.

Verdict 

The Last of the Dals was another great story to continue my way through the Origin Stories collection! Whilst this has been a very consistent volume so far in terms of quality, I thought this particular adventure was probably the most intriguing yet. I’m a massive fan of Davros and I’d probably say he’s my favourite villain in the entire history of Doctor Who. He’s just so fascinating and the encounters shared between him and the Doctor, whichever incarnation, never cease to amaze. I think the longevity is also part of the appeal as he doesn’t really change much. We get different Doctors and different companions, but Davros is still that evil and maniacal form in his life support chair. This was a very early Davros though much before his accident and rising the ranks of Kaled politics. Davros was moving in the traditional way on two legs which in of itself was something of a novelty! I really enjoyed the continuity to The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar with Davros having the Twelfth Doctor’s sonic screwdriver, and the assertion that the Doctor might actually be responsible for what Davros would become because of giving him his sonic was incredible and something to ponder. Davros claimed he wouldn’t even be that interested in science if it wasn’t for the mysterious and futuristic device. Perish the thought. I loved that over time Davros has manipulated the sonic into a weapon and getting to see him put that into action was brilliant. He’d turned the laser heat up to the point that it was melting flesh and that would prove very useful in defining himself and his newfound friend from the Mutos. Davros reacting to the Mutos as if they were nothing was really good and well in line with what you would expect from his Kaled upbringing. I really enjoyed getting more from Davros during his childhood years and I liked the loose continuity with the I, Davros series with Davros losing his father. Reading how he was dealing with that was good and I loved that he was far from excited by the prospect of him becoming a cog in the wheel of war. He wanted to end it and not accept that it would just always be. There were little hints of his distain towards the Thals which were good but it was actually the Dals who became the focus. Elwyn was a descendant of the last and that excited Davros. He didn’t seem to believe it but the purple eyes told him that he was. The prospect of knowing the future was too much for Davros to not take up on despite the perils of the journey to the last of the Dals. Elwyn had also been troubled by a vision of a boy with a screwdriver who was going to end the war. That was a fantastic sentiment and I thought Davros reacted to that so well. Their venture across the Lake of Mutations and beyond to get to the last Dal was very eventful and I liked how the threats of the Mutos were sold from Elwyn. He was horrified when Davros used the sonic to light the way which drew quick attention from all sorts of beats. The idea of humanoids breathing under water really was scary! Davros had a somewhat unexpected reaction to the future he was shown of being the creator of the Daleks and all that came. He would stop the war by destroying everyone on the planet. That wasn’t what he had in mind and it genuinely seemed to concern him. Of course, Davros will undergo a lot of character development between this story and the events of Genesis of the Daleks, but I’m not sure the reaction and aftermath fully aligned with what we know of the Kaled. It seemed to boast at the end that Davros could do whatever he wanted and would change that future, except we know that wasn’t the case. It was a little odd given we know the result, but as a whole this was still a terrific insight into the early years of Davros and the state of Skaro. A very worthy read! 

Rating: 8/10