| MISSION TO THE UNKNOWN by Terry Nation |
| Story 19 Synopsis: SSS agent Marc Cory lands on the desolate jungle world of Kembel. He sees that delegates from several different alien races have come together, in an alliance with the Daleks. He records all the details onto a tape, but finds the pilot he arrived with has turned into a Varga plant. Cory ends up exterminated, his tape left abandoned. |
| Review:- Uniquely, this one-off story sets the scene for the forthcoming epic, The Daleks' Master Plan. Here, we see the assembling races on Kembel, plotting the downfall of Earth. To do this, we follow Marc Cory, erstwhile spy, as he battles the native flora as well as the deadly Daleks. Quite what audiences must have made of this in 1965 is unknown. The lack of the Doctor or the TARDIS must have caused some consternation, and there's no indication that this will be resolved at a later date. It's almost a spin-off, but at least one can't fault the production team for taking this bold step. In fact, the concentration on Cory means that his death must have come as the final shock. For once, the Daleks win. I'm not sure this sort of experiment could have worked that often, but it's bold enough here to be justified. |
| Disclaimer: I've read the book adaptation (for what that's worth). |