On Mar 8 1975, a new serial began featuring the Doctor's oldest enemies: the Daleks. Even at this point, the Doctor had faced the pepper pots many times already. In fact, it hadn't been too long since their previous appearance in "Death to the Daleks", which had been broadcast just over a year before.
But while this serial featured familiar enemies, it also aimed to try something different. This wasn't just another example of the Daleks trying to take over the universe. No, this story aimed to explore their very origins, in the aptly named "Genesis of the Daleks".
Everything about "Genesis" promised to be a different kind of Dalek story. But no one could have predicted just how significant this particular story would become. Not just for the Classic Series, but for the whole of Doctor Who.
Davros
First of all, the serial introduced the Daleks' creator, Davros. Considering we were getting to see their very beginning, the decision to introduce their creator was a natural one. But I'm not sure anyone could have imagined just how successful, even iconic, Davros would become in his own right.
Everything about the villain worked perfectly. First of all, there was his look. Horrifically scarred and with an electronic eye, Davros didn't have a face that viewers were likely to forget. On top of that, there was also the decision to have him in a life support chair - a chair that clearly looked very familiar.
Making the creator of the Daleks essentially half-Dalek himself, at least in appearance, seems like an easy decision to make. But honestly, it's also one of those decisions that clearly defines a character. Suddenly, we understand why the Daleks were designed the way they were. We see that Davros had literally made them in his own image. And that gave the audience a strong impression of just how egotistical this villain was.
Unsurprisingly, the character himself lived up to that impression. Intelligent, cunning and absolutely ruthless, Davros rapidly became one of Doctor Who's greatest and most memorable villains. Michael Wisher's exceptional performance underneath an extremely restrictive mask helped to ensure this further. It's no wonder that, while the villain was seemingly killed by his own creations at the end, the series continually found ways to bring the character back in all subsequent Dalek stories of the Classic Series - and even beyond.
Mission of the Time Lords
The introduction of Davros ensured that "Genesis of the Daleks" had a big impact on the future of the Classic Series. But the story's impact goes much further than that, due to the reason why the Doctor and his companions arrive during this crucial period in the first place.
At the very beginning of the story, rather than depict the Doctor and his friends arriving on Skaro completely by accident (which has happened a couple of times), they're instead sent there deliberately by the Time Lords.
This wasn't the first time that this had happened. During the Third Doctor's long exile on Earth, the writers found that the easiest way of getting the character off-world was by having his own people send him on important missions across time and space. Normally, these missions would be more diplomatic and peaceful.
Origins of the Time War
But this time, the Time Lords' mission for the Doctor is much bolder - and far more dangerous. They explicitly state that they want him to either change the Daleks' early development or even avert their creation entirely. It's not just an aggressive action - it's also an extreme, even desperate one. The Time Lords are afraid of the Daleks so much that they would willingly change history to do it.
Ironically, this would lead to their downfall. When Doctor Who came back in 2005 after a 9-year absence, it introduced a new major element of mythology: the Time War. Suddenly, the Doctor wasn't just a renegade Time Lord - he was the last of the Time Lords, the only survivor of a massive war between his people and the Daleks.
While the Time War was never depicted in the Classic Series, Russell T Davies has stated that the roots of the war begin with this story, specifically with the Time Lords' own actions. Not only is it easy to see why, but subsequent Dalek stories even built on this. For example, "Resurrection of the Daleks" features a plan by the Daleks to assassinate the Time Lord High Council, while "Remembrance of the Daleks" shows them trying to obtain a weapon powerful enough to destroy Gallifrey itself. Also, it's worth noting that prior to this story, the Daleks had no interest in the Time Lords or Gallifrey, only in the Doctor. This crucial story changed that.
A classic story
There's one more reason why "Genesis of the Daleks" is still talked about 50 years later. Quite simply, it's just a fantastic story. It's a dark and gritty serial that's thrilling and horrific, while also featuring a lot of twists and surprises. The war between the Kaleds and the Thals is extremely well-handled, with no side coming across as the clear "goodies" or "baddies" - after all, the real threats are Davros and his new creations.
Davros isn't the only great villain in this story, either. "Genesis" also features his loyal henchman Nyder. Played brilliantly by Peter Miles, Nyder is terrifyingly loyal to Davros - even when he plans the destruction of their entire race. He's also shown to be intelligent and cunning in his own way. A memorably chilling moment is when he says, "Thank you". As they say: "If you know, you know."
Lastly, I have to mention Tom Baker's performance. Over the course of the story, we see the Doctor become more and more desperate to stop the creation of the Daleks at all costs. It all builds up to one of the show's greatest moments: the Doctor holding two wires in his hands, ready to wipe out the Daleks forever, and asking himself one question: "Do I have the right?" It's an incredible scene, and Baker's performance ensured that it became one of Doctor Who's most iconic moments.
With its great storytelling and massive impact on mythology, "Genesis of the Daleks" still stands out as one of Doctor Who's greatest-ever stories. 50 years later, it's still essential viewing. If you've never seen it before, you can watch the whole story for free on YouTube right here.