Theory:Doctor Who television discontinuity and plot holes/Mission to the Unknown
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Please discuss only those whole stories which have already been released, and obey our spoiler policy.
This page is for discussing the ways in which Mission to the Unknown doesn't fit well with other DWU narratives. You can also talk about the plot holes that render its own, internal narrative confusing.
Remember, this is a forum, so civil discussion is encouraged. However, please do not sign your posts. Also, keep all posts about the same continuity error under the same bullet point. You can add a new point by typing:
* This is point one. ::This is a counter-argument to point one. :::This is a counter-argument to the counter-argument above * This is point two. ::Explanation of point two. ::Further discussion and query of point two. ... and so on.
- Why would the Daleks announce their secret plans on the loudspeaker?
- Only the people who were involved in the plan would have heard it so there was no need not to use a loudspeaker.
- Why are the Daleks referred to as "the power from the Solar System"?
- It's pretty clear that, for some reason, almost every astronomical term we use means something different in the "galactic universe of the solar system" of Doctor Who. I think we have to assume they're using some term that has no real equivalent to anything in our world's science, and "solar system" is just a bad translation.
- Possibly relevant: Back in The Daleks (TV story) there is a moment where the Doctor asks Dyoni "And this- is this a solar system?" - referring to a star chart. Dyoni responds "Yes- Skaro is the twelfth planet." Interestingly however, Hartnell's diction as he delivers the line- whilst hunched over and leaning forward- makes it ambiguously possible to interpret what is spoken as "And this- is this Earth's solar system?"- hence making Dyoni's reply denote Skaro as a notional twelfth planet of our solar system. Granted, this is rather more astronomically unfeasible than usual, given the temperate climate of Skaro, not to mention its unlikelyhood in relation to almost every other story, but, perhaps, Terry Nation was remembering this line as delivered, when Malpha refers to the Daleks as "A power from the Solar System", and later, to humans as "hostile beings from the centre of the Solar System", and considering the Daleks as originating on one of the outer planets of our own star system- far closer to home than is usually considered the case. It doesn't really rationalise it consistently within the fiction, because placing Skaro there would be lunacy from a continuity point of view, but it may explain the presence of the lines in the dialogue.
- Alternatively, the line as delivered in this story is, "We six from the outer galaxies, joining with a power from the Solar System; the Daleks!" Perhaps Malpha meant the six outer galactic powers, plus an unspecified and not yet present power from the Solar system (as revealed in The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story) to be Mavic Chen), plus the Daleks.
- As a further alternative, Malpha may be an idiot.
- Alternatively, the line as delivered in this story is, "We six from the outer galaxies, joining with a power from the Solar System; the Daleks!" Perhaps Malpha meant the six outer galactic powers, plus an unspecified and not yet present power from the Solar system (as revealed in The Daleks' Master Plan (TV story) to be Mavic Chen), plus the Daleks.
- Possibly relevant: Back in The Daleks (TV story) there is a moment where the Doctor asks Dyoni "And this- is this a solar system?" - referring to a star chart. Dyoni responds "Yes- Skaro is the twelfth planet." Interestingly however, Hartnell's diction as he delivers the line- whilst hunched over and leaning forward- makes it ambiguously possible to interpret what is spoken as "And this- is this Earth's solar system?"- hence making Dyoni's reply denote Skaro as a notional twelfth planet of our solar system. Granted, this is rather more astronomically unfeasible than usual, given the temperate climate of Skaro, not to mention its unlikelyhood in relation to almost every other story, but, perhaps, Terry Nation was remembering this line as delivered, when Malpha refers to the Daleks as "A power from the Solar System", and later, to humans as "hostile beings from the centre of the Solar System", and considering the Daleks as originating on one of the outer planets of our own star system- far closer to home than is usually considered the case. It doesn't really rationalise it consistently within the fiction, because placing Skaro there would be lunacy from a continuity point of view, but it may explain the presence of the lines in the dialogue.
- It's pretty clear that, for some reason, almost every astronomical term we use means something different in the "galactic universe of the solar system" of Doctor Who. I think we have to assume they're using some term that has no real equivalent to anything in our world's science, and "solar system" is just a bad translation.