Editing Mission to the Unknown (section)

=== Critical response ===
Bill Edmund of ''Television Today'' described the episode as an "exciting start" to ''The Daleks' Master Plan''.{{sfn|Wright|2017|p=56}} Several viewers were confused by the lack of Daleks in the following serial—''[[The Myth Makers]]'', set during the [[Trojan War]]—and some felt that they had become less frightening. Conversely, some felt that the episode's other monsters were too scary.{{sfn|Wright|2017|p=56}} In ''A Voyage Through 25 Years of Doctor Who'' (1988), [[Ian Levine]] praised the "array of creatures", particularly the design of Malpha.{{sfn|Howe|Walker|1998|p=106}} In ''[[The Discontinuity Guide]]'' (1995), [[Paul Cornell]], [[Martin Day (writer)|Martin Day]], and [[Keith Topping]] described the episode as "macho, with a sinister atmosphere".{{sfn|Cornell|Day|Topping|1995|pp=44–60}} In ''The Television Companion'' (1998), [[David J. Howe]] and Stephen James Walker wrote that the presence of the lead actors was "hardly missed" due to Nation's script and Martinus's direction, praising the tense atmosphere and set designs.{{sfn|Howe|Walker|1998|pp=105–106}}