The biggest note I've got on this story is: Scary!
I mean, everyone dies. No-one achieves their goal of letting Earth know the Daleks are there, and we end on the disturbing Dalek cries of "Victory! Victory!"
I must admit, though, to being a little confused about the location of Skaro, as is at least one other entity. One of the delegates says that "This is indeed an historic moment in the history of the universe. We six from the outer galaxies joining with the power from the Solar System - the Daleks!" Meanwhile the Black Dalek talks about the seven great powers of the outer galaxies (and including himself in this). So either the Dalek or the delegate is a little bit confused.
The Unknown is whether the Daleks could sustain a series all to themselves for which this is something of a test run with no Doctor no Tardis crew and no link to the stories either side of it. How risky would that be in todays Tv? And how weird was it for the audience of the time? Anyway, on the evidence of this the Daleks series would have been a success if not a legend like its parent. This is an exciting and scary 25 mins, especially when thought of in comparison to the later K9 spinoff attempt of the early 80s.
As this story has no Doctor and links in to the "coming soon" story "Daleks Masterplan" I will score it as part of that whole story. Suffice to say I enjoyed it andmy Masterplan appetite is fully whetted.
Mission to the Unknown, and The Dalek Masterplan, are the first stories (story?) we've come to that I've never seen, listened to, read the Target novel of, or otherwise experienced before. How exciting. An excitement tempered a little by the previous appearance of the Daleks in The Chase, please let them be on better form this time.
Thanks to the nice folk at Loose Cannon I was able to come as close to seeing this episode as broadcast as we're ever likely to get. So...
What an audacious idea to have a Doctorless episode of Who as a prelude to an upcoming story. The viewers in 1965 must have been very confused. On the other hand this final adventure of Space Security Agent Marc Cory is as tense and exciting a twenty five minutes as we've had on the mission so far. We're clued in on a universe facing a terrible threat from an alliance of races led by the Daleks. Not those bumbling, dopey Daleks from The Chase, these are the scheming, manipulative, evil Daleks we last saw invade Earth in the twenty-second century. They are malevolent, powerful and unstoppable - destroying Cory's spaceship just by concentrating their fire.
The other alien races are a bit bland apart from Malpha, who is impressive visually and vocally.
The Varga plants, which the Daleks have brought with them from Skaro, are a good device. Nothing like a bit of body horror for Saturday tea-time.
It seems to me there's a Gerry Anderson feel to this episode, and I understand Dennis Spooner may have had a hand in the script, which would explain this. Mission to the Unknown takes us to a universe on the verge of war and certainly whets the appetite for the Masterplan.
And they say Doctor Who can't do space opera? Pah!
The biggest note I've got on this story is: Scary!
ReplyDeleteI mean, everyone dies. No-one achieves their goal of letting Earth know the Daleks are there, and we end on the disturbing Dalek cries of "Victory! Victory!"
I must admit, though, to being a little confused about the location of Skaro, as is at least one other entity. One of the delegates says that "This is indeed an historic moment in the history of the universe. We six from the outer galaxies joining with the power from the Solar System - the Daleks!" Meanwhile the Black Dalek talks about the seven great powers of the outer galaxies (and including himself in this). So either the Dalek or the delegate is a little bit confused.
My money's on the Dalek having it right.
The Unknown is whether the Daleks could sustain a series all to themselves for which this is something of a test run with no Doctor no Tardis crew and no link to the stories either side of it. How risky would that be in todays Tv? And how weird was it for the audience of the time?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, on the evidence of this the Daleks series would have been a success if not a legend like its parent. This is an exciting and scary 25 mins, especially when thought of in comparison to the later K9 spinoff attempt of the early 80s.
As this story has no Doctor and links in to the "coming soon" story "Daleks Masterplan" I will score it as part of that whole story. Suffice to say I enjoyed it andmy Masterplan appetite is fully whetted.
I've been looking forward to this.
ReplyDeleteMission to the Unknown, and The Dalek Masterplan, are the first stories (story?) we've come to that I've never seen, listened to, read the Target novel of, or otherwise experienced before. How exciting. An excitement tempered a little by the previous appearance of the Daleks in The Chase, please let them be on better form this time.
Thanks to the nice folk at Loose Cannon I was able to come as close to seeing this episode as broadcast as we're ever likely to get. So...
What an audacious idea to have a Doctorless episode of Who as a prelude to an upcoming story. The viewers in 1965 must have been very confused. On the other hand this final adventure of Space Security Agent Marc Cory is as tense and exciting a twenty five minutes as we've had on the mission so far. We're clued in on a universe facing a terrible threat from an alliance of races led by the Daleks. Not those bumbling, dopey Daleks from The Chase, these are the scheming, manipulative, evil Daleks we last saw invade Earth in the twenty-second century. They are malevolent, powerful and unstoppable - destroying Cory's spaceship just by concentrating their fire.
The other alien races are a bit bland apart from Malpha, who is impressive visually and vocally.
The Varga plants, which the Daleks have brought with them from Skaro, are a good device. Nothing like a bit of body horror for Saturday tea-time.
It seems to me there's a Gerry Anderson feel to this episode, and I understand Dennis Spooner may have had a hand in the script, which would explain this. Mission to the Unknown takes us to a universe on the verge of war and certainly whets the appetite for the Masterplan.
And they say Doctor Who can't do space opera? Pah!