Mission to the Unknown
When a spaceship crashes on the hostile planet Kembel, Space Security Agent Marc Cory must warn Earth of an impending Dalek invasion and their alliance with outer galaxy forces, even as he battles the planet’s deadly Varga plants and relentless Dalek patrols.
After crashing on the dangerous jungle planet of Kembel, Space Security Agent Marc Cory and Captain Gordon Lowery find themselves in a desperate race against time. Cory suspects the Daleks are using the planet as a base, a hunch confirmed when Jeff Garvey, their third crew member, is infected by a Varga thorn and becomes a murderous plant creature before being killed by Cory.
Inside the ship, Cory reveals his true identity and the Daleks' history, enlisting Lowery to help. Cory attempts to contact their rendezvous freighter, but the communication systems are damaged. He reveals the Daleks have been expanding their influence and that a freighter captain spotted a Dalek ship, raising suspicions. The Varga plants, native to the Dalek planet Skaro, confirm Cory's fears: the Daleks are present on Kembel.
Unbeknownst to Cory and Lowery, their suspicions are correct. In a Dalek control room, the Dalek Supreme prepares for a conference with emissaries from seven planets, all part of an alliance for galactic conquest. A security report indicates the alien spaceship (Cory and Lowery's) has been located, and orders are issued for its destruction and the extermination of its crew.
Outside the ship, Cory and Lowery struggle to prepare a rescue beacon while fending off approaching Vargas. Cory emphasizes the urgency, sensing the Daleks' imminent arrival, but Lowery remains skeptical. They discuss the nature of the Vargas, revealing their origins in Dalek laboratories as a synthetic defense mechanism.
Dalek patrols converge on the ship. As Cory and Lowery work on the beacon, Vargas close in. The men discuss the distress signal's function and frequency. A large spaceship from an outer galaxy passes overhead, confirming a major event on Kembel. The Dalek patrol also observes the ship, identifying it as being from the planet Gearon, marking the initiation of the Great Alliance.
With the beacon launcher assembled, Cory and Lowery are forced to flee as Daleks approach. They abandon the ship, and the Daleks destroy it. During the escapeLowery is infected by a Varga thorn. Back in the Dalek city, the emissaries gather and acknowledge a hostile presence (Cory and Lowery) on Kembel. The Dalek Supreme assures them the humans will be hunted down. The emissaries pledge their allegiance to the Daleks, forming an alliance to conquer the galaxy, with Earth as the first target.
As Cory and Lowery try to find a secure location to send their message. Lowery succumbs to the Varga poison, experiencing murderous urges. Cory realizes the danger and kills Lowery in self-defense. He then urgently records a warning message about the Daleks' plans and the assembling war force. Before he launches it, Cory is surrounded and killed by Daleks, but his recorded message lies nearby untouched.
Back in the Dalek conference room, the alliance is finalized, with plans laid to conquer Earth. Although Cory is dead, his message, containing vital information about the Dalek alliance, is still on the planet’s surface, its fate uncertain.
Events in This Episode
The narrative beats that drive the story
The episode commences on the perilous jungle planet Kembel, where Space Security Agent Marc Cory and Captain Gordon Lowery struggle to repair their damaged rocket ship. Their third crew member, Jeff Garvey, succumbs to a Varga thorn, transforming into a violent, spiny creature before Cory is forced to kill him in self-defense. Inside the ship, Cory reveals his true identity as a Space Security Service agent and his secret mission: investigating a suspected Dalek presence. He informs Lowery of the Daleks' extensive galactic expansion, spanning over a hundred planets in distant systems, and a recent, alarming report of a Dalek ship sighting in their own galaxy. The discovery of the Varga thorn, a plant native only to the Dalek homeworld Skaro, confirms Cory's grim hunch: the Daleks are indeed using Kembel as a base for clandestine operations. Unbeknownst to the stranded humans, their suspicions are entirely accurate. In a Dalek control room, the Dalek Supreme prepares for a pivotal conference with emissaries from seven outer galaxy planets, forging an alliance for galactic domination. A Dalek security report pinpoints the location of Cory and Lowery's alien spacecraft, prompting the Dalek Supreme to issue immediate, unequivocal orders for the ship's total destruction and the extermination of its crew. This directive transforms Cory and Lowery's desperate repair mission into a race for survival against an actively pursuing, formidable enemy, establishing the central conflict.
During critical repairs to their damaged ship, Cory and Lowery’s already strained relationship erupts into open conflict as Garvey—now fully consumed by the Varga thorn’s infection—emerges from the jungle with …
Outside the damaged ship, Cory and Lowery argue while attempting repairs, their tension escalating as Lowery blames Cory for landing on Kembel. Cory grows increasingly distracted by Garvey’s prolonged absence, …
In the tense aftermath of Garvey’s death, Cory seizes control of the mission by revealing his Space Security Service (SSS) credentials to Lowery, overriding his objections and establishing command. The …
In the aftermath of Garvey’s death, Cory reveals his true identity as a Space Security Service agent and the gravity of the Dalek threat. He asserts command over Lowery, explaining …
In the tense aftermath of Garvey’s death, Cory reveals his true mission to Lowery, admitting he brought the ship to Kembel on an unauthorized hunch to investigate Dalek activity. The …
In the cramped, damaged interior of the crashed ship on Kembel, Cory—now exposed as a Space Security Agent—reveals the full scope of his mission to Lowery. After Lowery’s initial hostility …
With the Daleks actively hunting them, Cory and Lowery abandon their attempts to repair the ship and focus on constructing a rescue beacon. They work under increasing pressure, fending off slowly advancing Varga plants. Cory emphasizes the urgency, convinced the Daleks are closing in, while Lowery remains skeptical of the Dalek presence, though he learns the Vargas are synthetic creations from Dalek laboratories. Dalek patrols, having located the ship, fan out to converge on their position. A massive spaceship from the planet Gearon passes overhead, observed by both the humans and the Daleks, confirming the initiation of the "Great Alliance." As Lowery completes the beacon launcher, Daleks arrive, forcing Cory and Lowery to flee into the jungle, leaving their ship to be destroyed. During their frantic escape, Lowery is infected by a Varga thorn, introducing a new, internal threat. Concurrently, in the Dalek city, the emissaries from the seven systems gather. Representative Malpha expresses concern about the hostile presence on Kembel, but the Dalek Supreme assures them the humans will be hunted down and exterminated. The emissaries then pledge their allegiance, formally establishing the Dalek-led alliance for galactic conquest, with Earth explicitly named as the first target. This act escalates the conflict from mere survival to a desperate race against a fully formed, galaxy-threatening enemy.
Outside the crashed ship on Kembel, Cory and Lowery work under mounting pressure as three Vargas lurk at the clearing’s edge, their slow, root-driven movement signaling an encroaching threat. Lowery …
Outside the crashed ship, Cory and Lowery work frantically to repair the rescue beacon while Vargas—synthetic Dalek constructs—slowly encroach on their position. Lowery, skeptical of Cory’s warnings about the Daleks, …
With the Varga plants encroaching on their crashed ship, Cory and Lowery debate their immediate survival strategy. Lowery insists on fighting the Varga, but Cory recognizes the futility of their …
While preparing the SOS beacon launcher, Cory and Lowery are momentarily distracted by the encroaching Varga plants, but their focus shifts abruptly when a massive outer-galaxy vessel passes overhead. Lowery, …
Deep in the Kembel jungle, Cory and Lowery desperately seek a secure location to launch their warning message. Lowery, however, rapidly succumbs to the Varga poison. His hand and forearm become covered in white spines, and his rational thought is replaced by murderous urges. Recognizing the imminent danger, Cory is forced to kill Lowery in self-defense, a tragic necessity born from their desperate circumstances. Alone, Cory immediately turns his attention to the rescue beacon, urgently recording a message detailing the Daleks' plan for galactic conquest and the formidable war force they have assembled with their new allies. Unaware that Dalek patrols, guided by seismic detectors, are rapidly closing in on his position, Cory continues his vital recording, emphasizing the critical need for Earth to receive the information and activate its defenses at once. As he struggles to launch the capsule, Daleks surround him. They open fire, killing Cory before he can send his message. The Daleks, confident their plans are now secure and any discovered information has died with Cory, return to their city. Unnoticed near Cory's body, the capsule containing his crucial warning message lies untouched, a silent testament to his sacrifice and the last, slim hope for Earth. In the Dalek conference room, Malpha and the other emissaries celebrate the finalization of their alliance, pledging their armies to reduce galaxies to ashes and conquer Earth first, oblivious to the potential compromise of their plans.
Cory and Lowery, having just assembled a distress beacon launcher, are forced to abandon their ship when a Dalek patrol arrives. The Daleks, after confirming the vessel is empty, immediately …
After narrowly escaping Dalek patrols that destroy their ship, Cory and Lowery flee into Kembel’s jungle. Lowery, distracted by the loss of their vessel and the urgency of their mission, …
After Lowery finishes assembling the distress beacon launcher, Cory abruptly cuts him off, sensing movement in the jungle. The two men flee as four Daleks arrive at the crash site, …
Cory returns to find Lowery in agony, his Varga infection rapidly mutating into violent aggression. Lowery’s exposed forearm reveals the telltale white spines of the Varga, and his descent into …
Cory, now alone after killing his infected co-pilot Lowery, races to record a critical warning message about the Daleks’ alliance with outer galaxy forces before Dalek patrols close in. The …