Doctor Who: Mission to the Unknown

.

Mission to the Unknown is a unique single-episode story in the classic Doctor Who television series, originally broadcast on 9 October 1965. It was written by Terry Nation and directed by Derek Martinus. It stars Edward de Souza as Space Security Agent Marc Cory, Jeremy Young as Gordon Lowery, and Barry Jackson as Garvey.

Set on the hostile jungle world of Kembel, this rare “cutaway” episode features no TARDIS crew. Instead, a doomed Earth mission uncovers a vast Dalek alliance plotting a universal conquest. As vicious Varga plants spread infection and paranoia, Cory fights to record a warning and launch it into space before the Daleks silence the truth.

Short, tense, and grim, it serves as a prologue to the epic that follows, lighting the fuse for The Daleks’ Master Plan.

Notably, neither the Doctor nor his companions appear in the episode, making it the only standalone instalment in the show’s history without the regular cast. Instead, it introduces a new cast of characters and sets up a high- stakes intergalactic conflict involving the Daleks and a sinister space alliance.

Plot Outline

On the jungle planet Kembel, Space Security agent Marc Cory leads a tiny survey team, Lowery and Garvey, on a secret mission. Their ship is damaged, the radio is weak, and rescue is far away. Cory believes the Daleks are using Kembel as a base. He wants proof and a warning for Earth before it is too late.

The jungle is hot and full of danger. Strange cactus-like Varga plants crowd the paths. Cory explains they come from Skaro and are deadly. A prick from a thorn brings madness, then turns a victim into a Varga creature.

Only fire stops them. Garvey vanishes and returns wild-eyed, clutching a gun. He tries to kill the others. Cory shoots him, and thorns begin to grow from Garvey’s hands. The men burn the body. Now they know the Daleks have prepared this world as a trap.

Deep in the jungle, the Daleks hold a war council with delegates from the outer galaxies. The Dalek Supreme announces a grand alliance and a master plan to conquer the Solar System. They speak of a super-weapon and of a powerful human ally (the Guardian of the Solar System, Mavic Chen) who will aid them. The council swears to begin the invasion soon.

Cory decides to make a recorded warning. He builds a small beacon from spare parts and dictates a clear message: the Daleks are on Kembel, they have allies, and Earth must prepare. He sends Lowery to fetch fuel from the crashed ship. Dalek patrols close in. Lowery is shot down in the jungle, dying with the fuel can in his hand. The beacon still needs power.

Alone, Cory rigs what he can. Daleks surround the clearing. He launches a tiny rocket, but Dalek guns blast it from the sky. Cory refuses to surrender. He hides the recording under leaves and branches, then turns to face the enemy. The Daleks exterminate him. Silence returns to the clearing. Nearby, the hidden tape waits for someone brave, or lucky, enough to find it.

Back at the council, the Daleks order their allies to prepare for the final phase. They will reconvene when Mavic Chen arrives. Their harsh voices echo through the jungle: they will conquer the Solar System. On Kembel, the Varga plants sway in the heat, the beacon smoke drifts away, and the warning rests in the shadows, ready for the day it is discovered.

Themes

As a one-episode “cutaway,” Mission to the Unknown is slight in runtime but bold in intent: a jungle-world warning flare that swaps the TARDIS crew for Space Security Service intrigue.

It won’t touch the character warmth of The Romans or the craft of The Crusade, and as drama it’s leaner than The Time Meddler, yet its atmosphere (Varga plants, whispering jungle, and off-screen menace) gives it a taut, pulpy bite. Judged as a teaser it earns an upper-mid rating; judged as a standalone it’s a curious mid-tier experiment that works because it points to something vast.

Those points connect everywhere. Slotted between Galaxy 4 and The Myth Makers, it lights the fuse for The Daleks’ Master Plan: Marc Cory’s last stand, the Dalek alliance, and the first hints of Mavic Chen turn a single reel into a season-shaping prologue.

It also refracts earlier Dalek dread from The Daleks and The Dalek Invasion of Earth into a wider, galactic register. As a story, it earns its place for changing the scale of the threat overnight: an ominous drumbeat that sends the series charging into its most sprawling epic.

.

This is a chapter from Craig Hill’s book “Doctor Who – The First Doctor”, chronicling every episode featuring the First Doctor. It is available on Amazon.

.

To view the list of other Doctor Who serials, please click this link

Doctor Who Episode Guides for Sale on Amazon

Step aboard the TARDIS and journey across the universe with every incarnation of The Doctor in this series of unofficial Doctor Who episode companions.

This collection of twelve books explores every televised adventure of the Time Lord’s lives.

Each volume in the series delves into a different Doctor’s era, offering detailed episode guides, behind-the-scenes insights, character profiles, and story synopses.

Once you have clicked the link, choose which book you want, and then whether you want to buy the Kindle (eBook) or Paperback versions.

Previews are available before you buy.

Visit the Australian Book and Language Studio

www.abls.com.au