Multiverse Menagerie, Part I

by Mark Compton

So, I can only determine that those of us who are gathered here on this wonderful site have fandoms that extend beyond Star Trek. I know, I know, “blasphemy,” you say.  And yet, in the back of my mind, I can hear you agreeing with me. There are other franchises that you are wondering “how can I bring this particular element into my Star Trek Adventures game?” And that is an excellent question! 
Now, it must be said that not all forms of Sci-Fi can be converted to fit into a Star Trek mold. There are some things that are just too square pegged for our round IDIC hole. The existence of Gomtuu could lead you to easily find a way to incorporate Moya, or another member of her race from Farscape, as an alien vessel encountered by your player’s crew*.
But for me, the easiest franchise to pick from is Doctor Who. After fifty-seven years, twenty-six seasons, twelve series, and a total of two hundred ninety-five stories told over the course of eight hundred sixty-one episodes, Doctor Who has a rich and varied lore that can be drawn from. I for one have always loved, and my first conversion will be The Daleks.
Now, these articles will present you with two scenarios. 
The first of which is whatever cross over I am presenting will be presented as just that, a cross over. somehow, someway the creature or alien in the article has slipped through the cracks in dimensions and universes to wind up in your game’s universe. You as the GM can determine how, when, where, and why. 
The second, and more difficult, will be my attempt to make the conversion fit into the existing tapestry of Star Trek lore. I shall wind the thread of the conversion in and out of the loom until it fits as seamlessly as I can make it. And so, here in we begin. the first article will just be your basic Dalek. If the article is well received, then I will work on conversions for Davros, the Dalek saucer, the Dalek Emperor, and various others. 

THE CROSSOVER 

So, it would be safe to say that Daleks should be encountered in a limited number. One to three at most should be encountered at one time. In my mind, there is an outpost on the fringe of the Federation. Your players pick up a distress call from the outpost, and by the time they arrive, they discover the outpost is void of life. Bodies everywhere suffering from advanced disruptor fire. The investigation leads them to discover a trio of Daleks, who are attempting to adapt the technology to either

1. Summon more Daleks or

2. Start production of more Daleks

Both of which should of course be stopped. After the players encounter them, hilarity ensues. 

THE INTEGRATION

The planet Skaro rests at the edge of the Gamma Quadrant, between Dominion space and the Delta Quadrant. There the humanoid Kaleds and the Thals waged a planet-wide, thousand-year war that eventually escalated to nuclear warfare.  Even after the realization of the impending eradication of all living things on the planet, the war continued.

Enter the Kaled scientist Davros, who recognized the ultimate fate of his race would be genetic degradation. To ensure the survival of the Kaled species, Davros began a series of experiments to accelerate the mutation process, resequencing the DNA to factor out traits he considered a weakness, such as fear and mercy. Once finished, he integrated the resulting mutations into life-supporting war machines which proceeded to finalize the war, wiping out the Thals and giving birth to a new superior race, The Daleks.

Davros had wrought his work too well, however. The Daleks considered themselves to be a superior life form, not just on Skaro where they exterminated the remaining Kaled race. Their aspiration to spread out into the stars would have stagnated had it not been for the intercession of fate.

A Dominion warship, having been damaged in battle with the Hur’q, crashed on Skaro. The Daleks greeted the Vorta’s overture of The founder’s gratitude by terminating him, and the surviving Jem’Hadar with an efficiency never before encountered by the Dominion.  The Daleks stripped the warship and after a century of study began production of their own saucer-shaped warp-capable vessels. With a renewed hunger for conquest, The Daleks began to spread their genocide from the confines of their own system into the Delta Quadrant.  
*I may do a write up on Moya in a future article after I’ve finished with this line of thought.