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In Evolution of the Daleks we see Dalek Caan escaping the Doctor using an Emergency Temporal Shift. This ended up taking him all the way back to the Time War.

My question is: does anyone else have this technology, apart from the Cult of Skaro? This can include both other species and other Daleks.

Was this technology exclusively in the hands of these four Daleks?

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    If you are trying to find a replacement of Time Turners, forget it. Developing Emergency Temporal Shift technology is way difficult than creating Horcruxes.
    – Doctor Doom
    Commented Jul 19, 2017 at 10:26
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    An Emergency Temporal Shift is a Temporal Shift - a time-travel journey - conducted in an Emergency. Not sure there's any fancy meaning to the words, it's like saying "emergency crew evacuation system" for "ejector seat".
    – AakashM
    Commented Jul 19, 2017 at 11:29
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    The Emergency Temporal shift is also used in the end of the episode "Doomsday" (also by the cult of Skaro)
    – Edelk
    Commented Jul 19, 2017 at 12:24
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    It's an Emergency Temporal Shift because it's performed suddenly and instantly, probably bypassing several otherwise important safety protocols to do so and using up a hell of a lot of power to boot. I don't think it's been stated how it works, but considering how it's used (transport of an single entity), I would guess that it behaves similarly to a Vortex Manipulator.
    – DisturbedNeo
    Commented Jul 19, 2017 at 12:42
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    Think "Emergency Transporter" in Star Trek. Computer controlled and designed to work like an ejector seat. Takes you to the nearest safe place without needing further instruction.
    – Valorum
    Commented Jul 31, 2017 at 11:17

2 Answers 2

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The Daleks as a whole have some form of time travel technology. Without it, they could hardly have been a credible threat to the Time Lords, nor could they have waged a Time War.

We have never seen other Daleks use this technology (nor have we seen non-Daleks salvaging it from destroyed Daleks) so we don't know if this technology is built into all of the Daleks.

There are two possibilities:

a) All Daleks have this technology (as long as they were created or had their suits upgraded 'after' it was created). There's really no situations that I can recall where it would have been notably useful where it was not used. Most Daleks destroyed by surprise would not have been able to use it, and most Daleks aboard Dalek ships that were destroyed would not have seen the blast coming in time to use it. It's possible that this is 'standard' technology for a Dalek from the Time War era.

b) Only some Daleks possess this technology. The Cult of Skaro would be a good group to use this technology, given that they were vital to the Dalek cause. I would expect other Daleks in similar positions of power or with unique roles and/or responsibilities would also possess it. For example, Daleks in command of a fleet, or who have strategic command of a region might also be expected to have this built into their suits.

There is really no way to be sure, but now that the concept has been used once it is open to being used again.

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If you accept other sources besides the TV show, the Fifth Doctor performed a temporal shift in an audio story.

From http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/Temporal_shift

The Fifth Doctor performed a temporal shift to move the TARDIS away from an explosion. (AUDIO: Cobwebs)

A temporal shift, but not an emergency temporal shift. It's the only other example I have of something like that.

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  • It doesn't seem at all clear that that's the same thing.
    – The Dark Lord
    Commented Aug 1, 2017 at 22:42
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    Well, it was done to move the TARDIS away from an explosion. Sounds like an emergency to me. Remember what happened that time when the TARDIS exploded...
    – tilley31
    Commented Aug 1, 2017 at 22:48
  • Yeah but it isn't clear that the Doctor was using the same technology as the Daleks, was it?
    – The Dark Lord
    Commented Aug 1, 2017 at 22:56
  • @TheDarkLord Your question asks " technology/ability" it is ability no?
    – user001
    Commented Aug 2, 2017 at 7:21
  • Technically, every time the TARDIS moves through time it is a 'temporal shift', since that literally just means 'move through time' (albeit with the implication of 'at something other than the typical 1 second per second').
    – Jeff
    Commented Aug 3, 2017 at 16:37

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