The majority of the people who have watched the new series of Doctor Who seem to be of the opinion that the "Doomsday" scenario is moot for what would happen between the Cybermen and the Daleks. Those of us raised on True Who - that is the Classic series - I'm sure would be willing to explain how, under different circumstances, it could easily be a very different story.
Don't forget, Tennant fans, that the so-called "Cybermen" of the modern series are NOT the *proper* Cybermen, but in fact an inferior technological parody of them created on a parallel Earth. Ostensibly they are little more than human brains inside robot casings, a pale shadow of the blob-in-machine Daleks themselves and not true cyborgs by any stretch of the imagination. They also lack the advantages possessed by the Cybermen of *our* universe, those whose principle stems from the inception of the early Cyber Race on Mondas. Advantages like stealth and strategy. Modern Cybermen just go clanking in for a punch up, where as classic Cybermen scheme and plot and sneak in via the back doors that no one even knew existed.
Then of course there's the issue that Cybermen in general, having a basically humanoid shape with arms and legs and no bulky and awkward skirt section and what have you, would definitely be more manoeuvrable than Daleks - even Daleks with hovery bits under their bases that can fly and midsections that turn 360 degrees to improve their angle of fire. Jon Pertwee once said that if you get behind a Dalek and reach under its base you could tip it up. Of course, given that the *real* Dalek (as opposed to the simple BBC prop to which he referred) is supposed to be metal and quite heavy, you'd have to have incredible strength to do this. Arguably Cybermen have that strength! They could go about tipping Daleks onto their fronts or sides, and with their flying accoutrements only in their bases and no arms or legs to prop themselves up with, how would they get back to being perpendicular? They wouldn't, now would they? A lot of intergalactic conquerors lying on their sides or backs trying to work out how to stand up while the Cybermen, if knocked down, can simply rise to a sitting, kneeling or standing position as easily as you or I do. And then they can paste the Daleks thoroughly while the silly dustbin creatures are lying there helpless.
In 1993 (yes - that far back!) an artist called Lee Sullivan produced a painting to feature on the cover of Doctor Who Magazine. It's this one: [link] and while there are lots on both sides getting killed, it's worth noting that the main focus, the central event of the picture, is the Cyber Leader blowing a Dalek to pieces. Arguably the Cybermen do look like the dominant force in this picture, and so as far back as 1993 when people in professional Whovian circles were discussing the possibility of a battle between the Daleks and Cybermen, with the new series (and even the TV Movie) not yet conceived, it seems that at least one or two people were of the opinion that the Cybermen would have the advantage. It's even likely that this was agreed upon by a number of people working on DWM at the time, or else why approve the painting as a DWM cover?
Of course this doesn't prove one way or the other how the classic Cybermen would fare against the Daleks, and that's why I've decided to write a fanfiction based on the argument I pitched here in these comments and a number of other arguments for a case in point. "Exit" will be made available as an eBook here on dA just as soon as it's finished. In the meantime, have a look at one of the many ways I think the Cybermen could kick the Daleks right in the hemispheres!
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This piece was made using action figures and pieces of card. It was photomanipulated for effect on Corel PhotoImpact X3. The action figures are from the Character Options Doctor Who Classics range, the Daleks belonging to the Resurrection of the Daleks Collector's Set and the Cybermen belonging to the Silver Nemesis twinpack.
Doctor Who is the lawful and rightful property of the BBC and I own absolutely no part of it. Please support the BBC in their making and marketing of Doctor Who and its related products by purchasing legitimate Doctor Who merchandise from licensed vendors.
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Don't forget, Tennant fans, that the so-called "Cybermen" of the modern series are NOT the *proper* Cybermen, but in fact an inferior technological parody of them created on a parallel Earth. Ostensibly they are little more than human brains inside robot casings, a pale shadow of the blob-in-machine Daleks themselves and not true cyborgs by any stretch of the imagination. They also lack the advantages possessed by the Cybermen of *our* universe, those whose principle stems from the inception of the early Cyber Race on Mondas. Advantages like stealth and strategy. Modern Cybermen just go clanking in for a punch up, where as classic Cybermen scheme and plot and sneak in via the back doors that no one even knew existed.
Then of course there's the issue that Cybermen in general, having a basically humanoid shape with arms and legs and no bulky and awkward skirt section and what have you, would definitely be more manoeuvrable than Daleks - even Daleks with hovery bits under their bases that can fly and midsections that turn 360 degrees to improve their angle of fire. Jon Pertwee once said that if you get behind a Dalek and reach under its base you could tip it up. Of course, given that the *real* Dalek (as opposed to the simple BBC prop to which he referred) is supposed to be metal and quite heavy, you'd have to have incredible strength to do this. Arguably Cybermen have that strength! They could go about tipping Daleks onto their fronts or sides, and with their flying accoutrements only in their bases and no arms or legs to prop themselves up with, how would they get back to being perpendicular? They wouldn't, now would they? A lot of intergalactic conquerors lying on their sides or backs trying to work out how to stand up while the Cybermen, if knocked down, can simply rise to a sitting, kneeling or standing position as easily as you or I do. And then they can paste the Daleks thoroughly while the silly dustbin creatures are lying there helpless.
In 1993 (yes - that far back!) an artist called Lee Sullivan produced a painting to feature on the cover of Doctor Who Magazine. It's this one: [link] and while there are lots on both sides getting killed, it's worth noting that the main focus, the central event of the picture, is the Cyber Leader blowing a Dalek to pieces. Arguably the Cybermen do look like the dominant force in this picture, and so as far back as 1993 when people in professional Whovian circles were discussing the possibility of a battle between the Daleks and Cybermen, with the new series (and even the TV Movie) not yet conceived, it seems that at least one or two people were of the opinion that the Cybermen would have the advantage. It's even likely that this was agreed upon by a number of people working on DWM at the time, or else why approve the painting as a DWM cover?
Of course this doesn't prove one way or the other how the classic Cybermen would fare against the Daleks, and that's why I've decided to write a fanfiction based on the argument I pitched here in these comments and a number of other arguments for a case in point. "Exit" will be made available as an eBook here on dA just as soon as it's finished. In the meantime, have a look at one of the many ways I think the Cybermen could kick the Daleks right in the hemispheres!
--
This piece was made using action figures and pieces of card. It was photomanipulated for effect on Corel PhotoImpact X3. The action figures are from the Character Options Doctor Who Classics range, the Daleks belonging to the Resurrection of the Daleks Collector's Set and the Cybermen belonging to the Silver Nemesis twinpack.
Doctor Who is the lawful and rightful property of the BBC and I own absolutely no part of it. Please support the BBC in their making and marketing of Doctor Who and its related products by purchasing legitimate Doctor Who merchandise from licensed vendors.
