📝5/10

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“Mission to Missed Potential: A Skippable Dalek Detour”

Mission to the Unknown stands out as a unique anomaly in Classic Doctor Who history. It’s the only episode without the Doctor, his companions, or the TARDIS, serving instead as a prologue to The Daleks’ Master Plan. It’s also the swan song for Verity Lambert, the show’s original producer, making it a bittersweet entry in the series’ canon. However, despite its unique place in Doctor Who lore, this standalone episode feels like an underwhelming prelude rather than an essential chapter.

All Build-Up, No Payoff

Clocking in at just 25 minutes, this episode spends its runtime laying groundwork for events that won’t unfold until four episodes later. The result is an extended teaser that feels like it could have been seamlessly integrated into The Daleks’ Master Plan. While the Target novelisation of Master Plan wisely folds its events into the main story, the episode itself is little more than exposition and setup with no immediate consequences.

Is it essential viewing? Not at all. Everything important here is reintroduced when The Daleks’ Master Plan begins, making Mission to the Unknown one of the most skippable episodes in Classic Who.

Morbidly Simple Yet Strangely Effective

For all its shortcomings, this episode benefits from Terry Nation’s restrained approach. The story is refreshingly straightforward, avoiding convoluted subplots in favor of bleak, Dalek-driven brutality. The Daleks are reestablished as a force to be reckoned with, their cold, calculating menace given full rein. This grim tone makes the episode one of Nation’s stronger contributions to the series, even if the narrative itself feels hollow.

The first half, centered on three human characters battling both the hostile environment of Kembel and the encroaching Daleks, holds promise. Unfortunately, this tension dissipates as the focus shifts to a drawn-out meeting between the Daleks and a group of bizarre, forgettable alien delegates plotting universal domination. These scenes lack momentum and fail to capitalize on the eerie atmosphere established earlier.

The alien delegates are unintentionally comical, their over-the-top voices undermining any sense of menace. While the UCLAN version tones down the ridiculousness, it’s still hard to take them seriously.

The treacherous planet Kembel is vividly realized through strong sound design and production elements, making it feel alive and dangerous even in reconstructed form. Similarly, the transformation of a man into a Varga plant is suitably horrifying, even without the original visuals. The recreations effectively convey the grim body horror of the scene.

The Reconstructions: A Tale of Three Versions

Since the original episode is missing, fans rely on reconstructions to experience Mission to the Unknown. Each approach offers its own merits:

1. Loose Cannon Reconstruction
   The telesnap version offers a rough glimpse of the original episode but struggles due to the limited surviving material and poor-quality audio. It’s a serviceable option, though far from immersive.
2. Ian Levine Animated Version
   This animated reconstruction provides movement and restores some of the original performances using the surviving soundtrack. While not flawless, it’s a competent alternative for those who prefer a more polished presentation.
3. UCLAN Student Film (2019)
   The standout reconstruction, this recreation by UCLAN students faithfully replicates the look and feel of 1960s television, even utilizing the original shooting scripts and authentic production techniques. With Nick Briggs voicing the Daleks and impressive attention to detail, this version feels eerily authentic, though the model shots of the Dalek ship slightly betray its amateur origins.

Final Thoughts

While Mission to the Unknown is a fascinating experiment in Doctor Who storytelling, it’s ultimately an exercise in frustration. Without the Doctor or his companions to anchor the narrative, the episode lacks the heart and energy that typically define the series. Its disjointed structure and lack of immediate stakes make it feel more like a curiosity than a vital piece of the Whoniverse.

For die-hard fans and completionists, the UCLAN student film offers the most enjoyable way to experience this peculiar slice of Doctor Who history. For everyone else, it’s safe to skip ahead to the main event.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

• This episode was never broadcast internationally, deemed “too violent” for its heavy dose of Dalek carnage.