Why did the Daleks put the Master on trial in the 1996 TV Movie?

[@ClassicDalekEmperor]

We sentenced him because he was a complete jerk!

[@timecontroller8800]

Yes the master has also ruined dalek operations on other occasions

[@been01010]

Honestly fair.

[@jackolantern147]

Fair enough

[@Jedi_Spartan]

There are two things that I find hilarious about a hypothetical depiction of the Master's trial. 1) The Daleks trying as much as possible to ignore all their natural urges to exterminate the Doctor in the version of events where they knew he was the one to pick up the Master's remains. 2) How the opening part of the Daleks reading the Master's crimes would likely be: "The Master betrayed the Daleks during Frontier In Space! Also he is not a Dalek!"

[@vincentwhitehead]

I can imagine them going “There’s his remains,leave now or we’ll exterminate you as well,doctor!!”

[@bubbahealthy4725]

I always loved this point in Doctor Who history and it’s always been my head-canon that the failure to transport The Master’s remains to Gallifrey (even though he did still technically die) was the final tipping point for the relations between the Time Lords and the Daleks

[@endme1654]

thats sick asf im using this in my headcanon now

[@dodgerthedudeoriginal]

That is a great explanation

[@natsmith303]

IIRC the fact that he was still alive post-execution was explicitly named by RTD as the end of the tentative treaty and thus the last hope of avoiding the Time War.

[@bubbahealthy4725]

@@natsmith303 huh! That’s cool! Didn’t know that

[@natsmith303]

@@bubbahealthy4725 It's in the same, uh, short story, I guess you could call it?, where he initially (as far as I'm aware) named Genesis of the Daleks as the "first shot" and went on to describe the events of Resurrection, Remembrance, and the BF story The Apocalypse Element as further early battles.

[@ekij133]

How dare he double cross and betray us before we double crossed and betrayed him!

[@zarrg5611]

I love that the chipmunk daleks have a lore explanation.

[@Longshanks1690]

I was thinking about this the other week and how… weird this setup is. It feels like it was something written by a guest writer who is only vaguely aware of Who lore and didn’t really see an issue with the Daleks sentencing the Master to death as, hey, they’re things people recognise from the show, right? They won’t have an issue with it, when the amount of writing around these problems people have done with this movie since very much shows the opposite. It doesn’t make sense the Daleks would hold him for a trial instead of exterminating him, it doesn’t make sense the Master would allow the Daleks try to hold him without trying to escape, it doesn’t make sense the Daleks would grant last requests to their prisoners and, above all else, it makes absolutely no sense that the Daleks would allow the Doctor to evade their ships, land on the sacred Skaro and desecrate it with his filthy footsteps before being allowed to leave with no questions asked. Honestly, *that* is the scene I most want to see. Imagine the cold, dead silence and the tense awkwardness as _The Doctor_ arrives on Skaro to meet with the Daleks, collect the Master’s ashes and then depart. Especially with Sylvester McCoy playing the role at that time, that could have been such a good scene that expressed so much about the Doctor and the Daleks while saying not a word between them. But alas.

[@plantainsame2049]

And then you realize this is the version of the doctor f****** torched it a couple years back like other than the man in the bandolier and maybe the old man with slick back hair the little man in the umbrella has got to be one of the most thorny in their sides version of the doctor

[@silverdaleks1]

In the novelization of the TV movie the Doctor is contacted telepathically by the Time Lord high council about the Masters death sentence and the Dalek supreme is present who tells the Master he's sentenced to extermination due to trying to destroy the dalek race several times. Also the Doctor had to sneak into the dalek court room to retrieve the Masters ashes and narrowly escapes dalek guard.

[@royhay5741]

I remember watching a great edit of this scene in 2018. It used footage from a video game and Metaltron's voice instead. It was great but has since been removed for some reason, unfortunately.

[@adamcousins5788]

I think he was an offing from the Timelords. After the Doctor destroyed Skaro they knew that the Daleks would see it as an act of war. And the Master had dealings with the Daleks of that time.

[@redjirachi1]

Even the Daleks recognized the value of realpolitik

[@whoxley]

If I remember rightly, "The Doctor: His Lives and Times" (a reference book made for the 50th anniversary) had a theory that the whole thing was plan between the Master and the Daleks. Both parties wanted to get rid of the Doctor, so they arranged a fake trial and willingly gave the Doctor the Master's remains, knowing the Master would survive. The end goal being that both parties get what they want; the death of the Doctor. But even typing this out, this feels like a massive leap in logic.

[@princecharon]

Yeah, that was about what I was thinking, so now I'm wondering if I read that book and forgot. The title doesn't sound familiar, though, so maybe it's a coincidence.

[@robtymec2045]

@@princecharon it's a bit of a leap, yes. But I've taken bigger ones!

[@Longshanks1690]

Evidently, The Master did not call Saul. 💀

[@Cybermat47]

‘I AM NOT CRAZY! I am not crazy! I know he swapped those numbers! I knew it was 1. Humans only have one heart. As if I could ever make such a mistake. Never. Never! I just - I just couldn't prove it. He - he covered his tracks, he got that idiot I turned into a Cyberman to lie for him. You think this is something? You think this is bad? This? This chicanery? He's done worse. That Dæmon! Are you telling me that a godlike being just happens to die like that because a human got emotional? No! He orchestrated it! The Doctor! He destroyed Skaro with it’s own sun! And I saved him! And I shouldn't have. I took him into my own TARDIS! What was I thinking? He'll never change. He'll never change! Ever since he was 300, always the same! Couldn't keep his hands out of my business! But not our Doctor! Couldn't be the precious Doctor! Stopping me from committing genocide! And he gets to be the Oncoming Storm!? What a sick joke! I should've stopped him when I had the chance! And you - you have to stop him! You-‘

[@Longshanks1690]

@@Cybermat47 Let me tell you something; The job offer? It didn't upset me, it amused me. Wooo, big job at the illustrious Citadel of the Time Lords. A chance to play at the palace? Ooh, Little old me? You have no idea what's going on! You're a teensie tiny man in a teensie weensie little bubble. Ohhh, don't you fucking "Oh Doctor" me! You look down on me? You pity me? Walk away, that’s right, Rassilon! You know why I didn't take the job? Because it's too SMALL! I don't care about it! It's nothing to me! It's a bacterium. I travel in worlds you can't even imagine! You can't conceive of what im capable of, I'm so far beyond you! I'm like a god in Galifreyean clothing! Lightning bolts shoot from my fingertips!

[@HardCorePoration]

​@@Cybermat47He defacate through a Jathaa sunglider!

[@nickthepick8043]

I like the implication that the Daleks executed him for betraying them in the past, showing their hypocrisy. But at the same time, it could serve as a message for anyone who knew about it in the universe. The DALEKS are the ones who screw you over, not the other way around!

[@WebofSpeedForceTS-FU]

Some people theorized that The Master ended in that cell because the video game Destiny of the Doctors (despite having being released one year after the movie), when he messes up with the first 7 incarnations of the Doctor, and end up being imprisoned, begging for the Doctor's help. Some speculate that it was a Dalek cell, right before his trial.

[@paulo9991]

I think the Daleks were just playing 'nice' while preparing for the eventual Time War.

[@badwolf66]

The Master was selling hooky gear at The Skaro Markets, Dalek Police found out about it and had him done for it.

[@Daldi564]

I always thought that the Daleks granting of the Master's final wish was due to then knowing how tricky the Time Lord could be and his wanting to kill the Doctor would suit the Daleks perfectly. And bear in mind that the litigator who oversaw the trial (the Time Controller) would see itself allying with the Master during the Eminence Crisis. With it's ability to view the timelines, it undoubtedly saw that the Master would play a pivotal role in future Dalek operations.

[@minicle426]

They sentenced him for fiddling with their voice modulators. :P

[@plantainsame2049]

I was on a video relating to the Charlie Daniels song The Devil Went Down to Georgia and now you got me thinking of the emperor and the master in a fiddle contest the winner getting leadership of the Daleks we can call in the doctor as a moderator well I know my new head Cannon

[@Мясникхохолов]

Great video, I always disregarded this scene but it’s actually so cool

[@DrBagPhD]

I've always just dismissed the events of the movie as non-canon, perhaps just a story told by the Doctor to keep companions or maybe even enemies guessing, but I really like hearing people's theories about how to make it work within the series. Great vid!

[@swiftbird4846]

A fantastically insightful analysis, as always.

[@LouieHodgson-sg4nu]

Were the dalek preleture the high pitched voices that could be heard during the execution

[@JackFroster]

What I don't get is that how is the trail taking place on Skaro anyway given it was destroyed by the 7th Doctor? Is it ever explained anywhere exactly WHEN this trial took place?

[@kattybratt1353]

can you cover the dalek prelature a bit more? it caught my attention

[@jimmuscle2891]

Because, worse than The Daleks, The Americans were involved...

[@messytexy]

I wish we could've seen the Daleks more in the movie because when they appear its very underwhelming and they don't even sound like Daleks

[@Foebane72]

Aside from Paul McGann, that horrible 1996 Doctor Who TV Movie is NOT CANON! "Half-human", MY A--!!!

[@KingofPotatoPeople]

The Act of Master Restitution as outlined by RTD in the 2005 annual

[@jcrossan1351]

Did the masters trial and summery execution take place before or after remembrance of the daleks?

[@dalekbumps]

From the Doctor's perspective, it's quite some time after Remembrance of the Daleks, but exactly when this takes place from the Daleks' perspective is less clear. Recent stories from Big Finish seem to imply that it takes place in the far future, maybe even during the Paradigm era of Dalek history, the fact that the trial takes place on Skaro despite it being destroyed in Remembrance is a bit of a headscratcher

[@timecontroller8800]

I do like the idea of the master restitution as it links it with the later events of the time war

[@robtymec2045]

I'm inclined to believe that the whole thing was actually a scheme between the Master and the Daleks. The trial and execution was staged so that the Doctor would come and pick up his remains. From which, the Morphant would emerge and take over the Doctor's body. It's a win-win for both. The Daleks are rid of their worst enemy and the Master gets to extend his lifespan.

[@TheValeyard92]

I mean, it will have been a show trial, for sure. For what reason; who can say? Some kind of tenuous treaty is as good a reason as any. Or maybe executing a high profile Time Lord was seen as something of a propaganda coup, which would make sense if the Emperor in question was the Emperor of the restoration, consolidating his powerbase among previously fragmented Dalek factions.

[@danielwilliamson6180]

I suspected The Daleks executed The Master because The Master betrayed the Daleks in the plot to manipulate war between Earth and Draconia.

[@TwoCentReview]

It’s funny that the Daleks honored his last request before his execution. Dalek Executioner: WE ARE NOT…. MONSTERS!!!

[@59rlmccormack]

The treaty sounds crazy to think about now.

[@rexduis467]

The design of the execution device mirrors ashtrays in Lille, France.

[@borusa32]

As this was what was left of the US revival of the show I imagine the trial is just the result of the re imagining of the show that was going on over the pond at the time.

[@thomasjohnson8391]

On the dvd flies the daleks were the imperial daleks. And you should do the dvd files daleks

[@davidlivingstone8964]

When I first saw the 1996 telemovie, I didn’t quite understand why the Daleks were putting the Master on trial, after all the Daleks aren’t exactly little beacons of morality are they? I thought it had to be some treaty with the Time Lords, false or otherwise. Maybe another event which led to the Time War?

[@owenwildish331]

I came up with a theory & idea for a follow-up sequel plot to a TV Movie shortly after seeing it in 1996 (before 2005's New Who came out). In my theory/idea, it turns out the Dalek trial of the Master was totally facked; the Master was actually already dying. He was actually working with the Daleks who mutated him. In the Story Idea, I had the Master eventually escape from the Eye of Harmony and possesses one of the new Companions a UNIT officer's body. At the same time, the Daleks had enlisted the Doctor's aid in capturing Davros, who is stuck on Earth following Remembrance of the Daleks, but this is also another trick, and the Daleks intend to destroy Earth anyway, and the whole thing was a distraction to get the Doctor out of their way so he doesn't interfere with their real plan.

[@Workerbee-zy5nx]

Roger Delgado was the best master..sci fi canges alot, its possible that the master will return.

[@enigmagenesis7341]

Did you create this or is it canon from another source or two?

[@dalekbumps]

It's from the TV Movie and the 'Master!' audio box set

[@Miru_Man]

They wanted to appear as a cameo

[@GamePlayer553]

Personally, I can see it being a show trial. Makes the accused beg for their life, allows the Daleks to exterminate, and puts on a show for allies/potential allies (as few as there are). That or Daleks really love trials and wanted an excuse to put one on

[@Vidiocity92]

Skaro? I thought the trial was on Antalin 🤔 Lol this trial is fascinating because there's so much detail but no clear answers, like there's gotta be more going on.

[@dalekbumps]

We do not speak the name Antalin, 'tis cursed lore

[@Jedi_Spartan]

​​@@dalekbumps so I assume that we won't be seeing any videos based on 'War of the Daleks' any time soon... Having read about the retcons on the TARDIS Wiki, I think it sounds like a massively over complicated attempt to retcon the ending of Remembrance by altering aspects of Dalek Invasion of Earth, Day of the Daleks and every Dalek story made from Genesis onwards to achieve it.

[@dalekbumps]

@@Jedi_Spartan yeah War of the Daleks is a mess, I probably will end up covering it at some point, if only to illustrate how truly bizarre it is. Considering the fact that Big Finish and the show itself seem to have completely ignored it, when I do get round to covering it I'll do it as a curiosity video rather than part of the lore playlist

[@Vidiocity92]

@@dalekbumps I like the Antalin thing lol, if only as a curiosity. The idea is clever and kinda cool... you know, if done correctly, and Peel's writing is... interesting. Besides, there's a few mysteries (or mistakes) in the book that imply maybe the Antalin thing was a lie, and anyway we're used to conflicting and contradictory canon 😑

[@vinegar3617]

I came in from the nu-Who series, so I always assumed the Master was put to death for his crimes during the time war

[@timelordvictorious]

Could we presume the master did not hypnotise the Daleks to get his whiches

[@NWR_astrotrain]

Daleks are evil but definitely not stupid. I think they knew they could use the master even in death as a bargaining chip to strike a deal with the time lords.

[@paulbeardsley4095]

I think that, at best, they were reimagining the Daleks. Looking at their early stories (including the collect-the-cards confectionery stories) they were much more nuanced (and therefore interesting) than the Nazi tanks that they become. Maybe the film was trying to recapture that. At worst, the writer just didn't have a clue.

[@chrischatfield8550]

What I wanna know is why the Masta was exterminate at the beginning oft film by the smurfs ?😊👍

[@akshaytrayner1960]

Finally it's explained

[@Galactus78]

Unpaid parking tickets

[@grahamturner1290]

🐙