Doctor Who/Recap/S3/E02 Missiontothe Unknown
 |
I'll tell you this: there's something very big going on here, and if the Daleks are involved, you can bet your life our whole galaxy is in danger.
—Marc Cory
|
 |
A Lower Deck Episode. A bottom deck episode, in fact... possibly the first Doctor-Lite episode? The Time Travel Team and TARDIS don't even appear at all - this is just a teaser for the later story "The Daleks' Master Plan".
Three dudes, one of whom is a security agent for the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire, crash in a jungle. They discover a Dalek plot to take over the solar system, and all end up very dead. Shades of James Bond abound.
This episode/story provides examples of
- Backdoor Pilot: After "Planet Of Giants" was shortened and a hole in the schedule was created, Terry Nation wrote this episode partially as a teaser for the upcoming "The Daleks' Master Plan" and partially to see if a Dalek spinoff show could work.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The episode's alternate title in production was "Dalek Cutaway", which tells you exactly what you're getting. This alternate title was often listed along with or in place of "Mission To The Unknown" as the title of the episode for years until some of the disputed episode titles were standardised.
- Lower Deck Episode
- Mauve Shirt: Marc Cory.
- Missing Episode: The only standalone episode from the original run, and managed to become one of the missing due to tape wiping.
- Red Shirt: The other two guys.
- Sequel Hook: For "The Daleks' Master Plan".
- The Virus: Varga plants.