The Last Message

'Even in failure a Dalek can learn much."

Writer: James Goss

Format: Short Story

Released: October 2020

Printed in: Eaglemoss TLV 01

Featuring: Emperor Dalek

Synopsis

The Dalek Emperor ponders on a long lost message from a simple drone. 

Verdict

The Last Message was a decent little short story! It's been a long time now since I covered the non-short story and mobile game releases of the mammoth Time Lord Victorious arc, but it's something that has lingered in my mind and certainly made an impact. I think it's safe to say it worked as a better concept than the more recent Doom's Day series of adventures we got across numerous forms of media, although I do seem to remember the chronology and release schedule being way off course. Nevertheless, this was a simple one and could fit in just about anywhere when it came to the chronology of the Time Lord Victorious arc which is obviously a good thing considering I am reading it four years later! I am reading this now because I finally managed to pick up the first volume of Time Lord Victorious figurines from Eaglemoss for a very decent price. And it's fair to say they're a treat! The Dalek Emperor in particular is just absolutely stunning and I'm a huge fan that it was this design that was chosen to feature in the Time Lord Victorious arc. It's so retro yet just aesthetically so pleasing. It's a tremendous design and it's good to put the Emperor back on the same level as the Daleks in terms of height. That dome still gives the booming presence and I thought the illustrations here did a tremendous job in showcase just what significance this Dalek had. Its attitude towards the message from the Dalek Drone was intriguing and I liked how it allowed itself to ponder on the communication being interesting. I mean, interest shouldn't be a concept typical of the Daleks but a rank such as Emperor allowed unique privileges. That was a fun little concept. I think the design of the Drone itself is obviously a little more typical of a Classic era Dalek but there are certainly a few elements that differ and bring it into the more modern age. It's certainly a figurine that compliments my collection and I'm glad to have it! The idea of the Drone sending a message across time was quite fun and it was a simple one of it being the last and giving a warning of the Doctor. That alludes nicely to the Tenth Doctor's position in taking himself now as being the Time Lord Victorious. But the Emperor had received the message three millennia after it was given and I liked that this impressed him. A mere Drone had survived for so long, but no humility would be granted. It was only a Drone after all and that showed that they really didn't matter. They were a small cog in a much bigger Dalek machine. I thought the simplicity of the story was good and I think that was always going to be the case in a figurine magazine booklet. The story itself took up just four pages but it's a welcomed addition to the massive Time Lord Victorious stuff out there. The booklet itself is a quirky addition with some fun details on each of the Dalek Emperor and Dalek Drone, but it is the illustrations where it excels. And the figurines themselves of course! It's just crazy really to think that we have such detailed figurines from Daleks that don't appear on screen. And I absolutely love it. In terms of story, it was great to hear the Emperor ponder on surprise and pride as concepts when it came to being impressed by the Drone, but there wasn't a whole lot going on. Some better editing would have been good, especially with how small the story was, because there were a few glaring errors in terms of word placement. But other than that this was absolutely fine. A good little read.

Rating: 7/10