Making up the majority of the Dalek race, drones were divided amongst the Military and Science castes. Most outsiders never saw a Dalek that was not a drone, the highest rank they would observe would be a patrol or task commander. Drones were genetically coded to be loyal to the Dalek leadership and had an inbred hatred for any life that was not a Dalek. This focus on the superiority of their own kind above all others even led to them seeing Daleks not bred to their exacting standards as impure. Such creatures were invariably exterminated before they could taint the purity of the Dalek race.
The average First Generation Dalek drone could be described succinctly:
"Inside each of those shells is a living, bubbling lump of hate."
-- The Doctor, Death to the Daleks, Episode 02
While each Dalek unit was produced from a genetic catalogue, they were also individuals. This fact was often ignored or forgotten by those they encountered, who would often be confused when Daleks disagreed with each other. This individuality was particularly evident in those Daleks placed in specialist casings, such as the Special Weapon casing or Spider Casing. Because they appeared different to regular drones, a measure of unease existed between them. The ingrained hatred of anything different emerged and disputes and prejudices resulted amongst drones in different casings. Since the creatures themselves were from the same stock, these disputes never caused a significant division within the Dalek race however.
The various drone castes were distinguished by the finish given to their casings. The enhanced intellect and more independent thought processes were reflected in the Shiny metallic finish of the Science drones. Military drones were encased in dull, matte grey casings – allowing them some measure of concealment, particularly at night. This distinction was a relic of the Kaled culture, where the military wore matte black uniforms and the scientists white uniforms.
Little else existed to distinguish one Dalek drone from another. Those assigned as patrol leaders were identified by coloured luminosity dischargers (usually yellow or orange) where their underlings discharged white light only. In general, science drones had blue sensor globes about the skirts of their casings, with exploration patrols having black sensor globes. All military drones were encased in travel machines with black sensor globes.
Some drones were placed in blue domed guard and stationed in Dalek vessels and bases as sentries. Two of these, for example were stationed in the prototype Time Ship used to hunt down the first incarnation of the Time Lord known as The Doctor. Elite Guards were distinguished by their Black Domes and these were the personal guard of the Dalek Prime (or Emperor), Supreme Council members and Dalek Supremes in particularly turbulent sectors of Dalek space.
