Dalek Exterminator Beam

The Dalek Exterminator Beam is a particle beam, a type of energy weapon. The Exterminator, the flagship of the Dalek fleet during the Second Dalek War, was equipped with particle beam weapons. Dalek flying saucers were also equipped with particle beam weapons.

Quick Facts

User: Daleks
Origin: Skaro
Function: Disintegration and Incineration
Visuals: Variable colored energy beam (Red, Blue, Green)
Status: Active throughout history
Weaknesses: Advanced shielding and temporal barriers

Lore & Background

Exhibitions have featured 'many monster costumes and heads including Daleks' and describes the 'Dalek Cavern' at the Blackpool exhibition which incorporated sets from episodes such as 'Genesis of the Daleks', 'Destiny of the Daleks', 'Resurrection of the Daleks', and 'Revelation of the Daleks'. It notes that life-size, moving Daleks were built to be scary, with some interrogating and threatening the public with extermination. Davros as a popular set feature in Blackpool. However, there is no information regarding the origin of the beam on Skaro, its molecular disintegration capabilities, or how its visual signature shifted between red, blue, or green over centuries.

Reader's Guide

The Blackpool exhibition featured 'Life size, moving Daleks' and a 'Dalek Cavern' with sets from specific episodes. It mentions that interactive computer banks were part of the TARDIS console room reconstruction at Blackpool. While it notes that props included sonic screwdrivers and various monster costumes, it provides no guidance on how the Exterminator Beam functions via a gunstick, requirements for line of sight, or methods to deflect it with shielding.

Did You Know?

The first permanent exhibition opened at Longleat in 1973 and ran until 2003, hosting annual conventions including the 'Twenty Years of a Time Lord' event in April 1983.
At the original Blackpool exhibition (1974–1985), visitors entered through a blue Police box that appeared small on the outside but led down stairs into a larger cellar space, utilizing the TARDIS 'bigger on the inside' illusion.
In 2003, an attempt to gather the largest number of Daleks ever assembled was made at Longleat for the 40th anniversary, attended by Colin Baker, Sophie Aldred, and John Leeson.
The exhibition 'Worlds of Wonder' opened in Liverpool in May 2022, moved to Edinburgh later that year, reopened in Wellington, New Zealand in June 2024, and is currently located in San Diego, California since March 2025.