The Mysterons Vs The Daleks

[Chris C]

Now now you lot, it's Christmas ok, the season of goodwill and all that? Where are your manners!!

[Marion]

CAPTAIN SCARLET, CAPTAIN SCARLET! Come Quickly......we need your help!

Let me know when it's safe to come out from behind this sofa, won't you? No big hurry though - take your time... I feel quite safe at the moment, with Captain Blue to cling to...
.

[chrisbishop]

Colonel White informs me that a special Spectrum contingent - led by Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue - has been sent to Chris C. home to offer protection. Lieutenant Green is trying is very best at the moment to contact The Doctor, so he would be willing to give us an hand.

The problem now would be to discover WHO would get to Chris C. first: the Mysterons, or the Daleks?

[Marion]

"Captain Blue to Cloudbase... Unable to comply with your orders, Colonel. I'm busy protecting a frightened civilian.... and besides... I don't want to come from behind the sofa either! "

[Chris C]

It's ok Colonel White, Spectrum can stand down, I'm covered either way...

I have an electric can-opener,a can of WD-40 and a Captain Scarlet washmitt at the ready....

[Kambei]

I doubt that the Daleks would give us a second thought, and, were it not for the Doctor, we would be a planet of smouldering ruins [/color]

Dalek Invasion of Earth (both versions): Daleks bombard Earth with Plague and enslave survivors making them dig a mine so they can strip the mineral content of the core and turn the Earth into a flying planet/base, resulting in extermination of all life on Earth.

Dalek's Masterplan: Plan to destroy the Earth using a Time Weapon.

Day of the Daleks: Daleks manage to alter the time stream and invade Earth after causing plague (again!) and enslave the survivors, forcing them to strip-mine the planet

Death to the Daleks: Daleks cause plague across wide section of the Galaxy (more ambitious this time!) and attempt to destroy all stock of the antidote

Revelation of the Daleks: Mutating humans into Daleks and turning others into food to be consumed by unsuspecting humans, a la Soylent Green

Persistent little buggers. aren't they? I agree with the previous comments that the Mysterons may be testing humans to see how far they are willing to go to save themselves, and always giving them a chance. The Daleks do not give second chances. The difference between the two is glaringly obvious:
OCS Mysterons, referring to the Zero-X crew: "...They too have a curiosity about the universe we live in. Let us take a closer look."
Dalek: "EXTERMINATE!"
I think their attitude is summed up nicely by the conversation between the Doctor and Davros:

Genesis of the Daleks, Episode 5:
Doctor: If you had created a virus in your laboratory, something contagious and infectious that killed on contact....a virus that would destroy all other forms of life, would you allow its use?
Davros: It is an interesting conjecture.
Doctor: Would you do it?
Davros: The only living thing...a microscopic organism ruling supreme...a fascinating idea...
Doctor: But would you do it?
Davros: Yes. YES! To hold in my hand a capsule containing such power....To know that life and death on such a scale was my choice.....To know that the tiny pressure of my thumb....enough to break the glass....would end everything....YES! I would do it! That power would set me amongst the gods...And through the Daleks I shall have that power!

The Mysterons by inferrence are curious, scientific and explorers. The Daleks have the ambition to be the only lifeform left in the universe.

[Elentari]

I'm still of the opinion that the Daleks are scarier - and my opinion has definitely been reinforced since Christmas! As the proud new owner of a talking Dalek, I can say I found its 4 authentic sounding phrases (and one weapon firing soundeffect) reminded me very much just how ruthless and single minded they could be. Go Daleks!

[Chris C]

There is no doubt that the Daleks would destroy us without a second thought, so yes that does make them perfect villain material.

As has been said before, the NCS mysterons appear to have the power to destroy us at whim, but don't. They randomly pick new targets with randoms amount of force, which may not make sense to us, but if they are conducting this war of 'nerves' it does make sense in a way. Spectrum has managed to keep the mysterons a secret from ordinary people, but if their existence was evident to the masses wouldn't these actions create a kind of wildspread panic and distrust? Look what happened on Syrtis Major when the spectrum personnel were affected by the gas - the resulting paranoia all centered around the threat from the mysterons, and that was with highly trained agents.

We can only surmise what the mysterons ultimate intention is. They have made attempts on the lives of world leaders, and tried to start wars. It may be that they are content to watch the population of earth become increasingly paranoid, until they do destroy themselves through psychological hysteria. The mysterons have all the time in the universe, maybe they are just entertaining themselves to see how we react, or how long it will take us to destroy ourselves. Maybe one day they will finally have enough playing and destroy us. Thing is, we don't know.

With the daleks we know where we stand. But does that make them a 'better' villain?

[Jay]

I think their attitude is summed up nicely by the conversation between the Doctor and Davros:

Genesis of the Daleks, Episode 5:
Doctor: If you had created a virus in your laboratory, something contagious and infectious that killed on contact....a virus that would destroy all other forms of life, would you allow its use?
Davros: It is an interesting conjecture.
Doctor: Would you do it?
Davros: The only living thing...a microscopic organism ruling supreme...a fascinating idea...
Doctor: But would you do it?
Davros: Yes. YES! To hold in my hand a capsule containing such power....To know that life and death on such a scale was my choice.....To know that the tiny pressure of my thumb....enough to break the glass....would end everything....YES! I would do it! That power would set me amongst the gods...And through the Daleks I shall have that power!

What is really scary about that scene is that Davros holds his thumb and finger about an inch apart as though holding a vial and just before he says he would use it it, he snaps his fingers together. In his own mind there is no discussion, no question if the vial had been in his hand, all life would be on its way out.

Very, very scary.

It was this story that started my enduring love of Doctor Who and gave me terrible nightmares (so much that I wasn't allowed to watch the series for the next five years).

[chrisbishop]

Go Daleks!

Er... Elentari... Are you SURE about this?

[Jay]

Go Daleks!

Er... Elentari... Are you SURE about this?

Go as in get away from me you horrible metallic killing machines, perhaps?

[Elentari]

Sorry - got a bit carried away...

I am now wondering how a 'better villian' can be defined exactly, as to forum members it would seem to mean different things.

As far as I'm concerned if we are talking about a single minded ruthless killing machine it would have to be the Daleks. Also when I was a child I found them quite scary to watch on TV. I never found the Mysterons scary, though Black crushing the garage mechanic was certainly horrible. The Daleks were the stuff of nightmares when I was young, but honestly, I can't say I ever worried about the Mysterons!

[Marion]

I agree - both 'baddies' are scary in their way, and both deserve to be dealt with by exceptional heroes - be it The Doctor or Captain Scarlet and his pals.
But I still say - based on my own reaction to the both of them - the Daleks are scarier.
Lets face it, we none of us WANT to be exterminated, eliminated or otherwise inconvenienced by any sort of nasty, bug-eyed, metallic, invisible or general unpleasant alien lifeforms.
So, whilst we might argue about which baddies are the most awful ones - we must all agree that both sets of heroes - The Doctor and Spectrum - are equally wonderful and, indeed, essential to our continuing as a small bluey-green plant , third rock from the Sun, in the western spiral arm of the Galaxy.
So I say - GO Doctor! Go Spectrum!

p.s. - Is it safe for Captain Blue and me to come out from behind the sofa now? Only the Captain keeps muttering about getting back to work...

[Chris C]

Marion you didn't just spend the whole of Christmas behind the sofa with Captain Blue did you? Your family obviously thought you didn't NEED anymore CS pressies!!

[Marion]

Oh, I wish.....