Cycle of Destruction

Dalek Universe #2.1

Released: 14 July 2021

Listened: 12/4/22

We got a lot of Anya’s background in the last story, so now it’s Mark’s turn. Although Mark is a fairly typical Terry Nation sort of character, subsequent stories reveal that he’s actually pretty advanced for the 41st Century, quite a bit ahead of other robots or A.I. Which makes him unique, but does beg the question of where he came from. Turns out, it’s an advanced A.I. research project, which has been forgotten about, accidentally or deliberately, by the Powers That Be, leaving a bunch of androids and staff in a base on a deserted planet, surrounded by woodland and alien bears. This is one of those stories where, if you figure out the twist before the main characters, they come off looking rather slow. The flashbacks to Mark’s “childhood” are pretty intense, even tear-jerking, and make it pretty clear how he feels about Daleks and why. Despite having not turned up yet, they’re clearly a looming presence throughout the galaxy, and in most people’s personal histories. There are also rather a lot of bears in this story, who sound like they might be adorable.