Who Review #20 - Mission to the Unknown

This story, which is just one episode too, is lost; it is the only one which doesn't feature any of the regular cast at all. It acts as a warm up for the Daleks Masterplan.

The action takes place on the planet Kembel, a hostile jungle world. The Space Corps, with Space Security Service Agent Cory in command, have landed there because Daleks have been spotted in the vicinity of Kembel. Most of the crew have been infected by the Vaaga plant, which makes the victim insane and homicidal and eventually turn into a Vaaga too.

The Vaaga plant only grows on Skaro, so if the Vaaga plant is on Kembel, so are the Daleks. They have convened a meeting of their allies as they plan to destroy the Solar System. Cory is exterminated but, unknown to the Daleks, has managed to make a tape of his discovery.

"Mission..." serves its purpose quite well. The audience back in 1965 must have been puzzled, though, to find themselves in Troy the following Saturday.

I groaned when we discover Cory is licensed to kill. Still, Sean Connery's James Bond was hitting at the time.