‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘Where No One Has Gone Before’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Thus far, our journey through season one of Star Trek: The Next Generation has featured a lot of discussions on nostalgia and understandably so. Because the first year of this dynamic series, truly was standing in the shadows of an iconic predecessor, to the point where it drew the ire of the fans as a knockoff since it really didn’t have its own voice. Because so many concepts from The Original Series were present within the framework of this titular first year and that led to a lot of familiar storytelling and impromptu remakes of classic tales. But once in a while, something quite special would come along. The kind of story that gave us a little bit of insight as to what was coming down the line, as was the case with the next episode in this magnificent series. 
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For ‘Where No One Has Gone Before’ took the time to really explore what this crew is capable of when presented with a genuine crisis. A feat that was accomplished by having a scientist named Kominski and his assistant come aboard the Enterprise to try out a little warp related experiment. For Kominski thought he had discovered a way to coax more speed out of warp drives and the chance to break new speed records with a Galaxy class starship, was a scientific opportunity he simply could not pass up. But something about his work didn’t quite sit right with Riker and the ship’s chief engineer, leaving them quite skeptical of these experiments. However, despite their doubts, something wonderful happened once the work got underway. For the 1701-D was propelled faster than anyone has ever gone before and that brought the crew to wonders untold.

Because once the ship slowed down, the crew found themselves in the heart of the universe itself, some 2.7 million light years away from the Milky Way Galaxy, putting them just this side shy of Galaxy M-33. And while this was cause for serious celebration, since Starfleet would be able to explore every corner of the universe in a matter of hours, the return trip home proved to be quite problematic. Because it turns out that Kominski’s theories were a joke, and that his assistant, a being known as the Traveler, was responsible for this speed all along, and as he continued to manipulate the warp drive, he pushed the crew deeper into the universe. To a place where thought becomes reality, forcing the crew to work together to figure out a way home safely, all while keeping the Traveler healthy enough for one last ride and this is really where the episode shines. 

For rather than chide this curious being for wanting to learn more about mankind and the Federation, Captain Picard embraces this alien and all of his incredible talents. And he opens his mind to the Traveler’s line of thinking, and doing so, allows for some wonderful things to happen. First and foremost, it motivates Picard to get the crew to focus on the task at hand, so that their wild thoughts don’t take control and he also used his wonderful ability with words to unite the crew toward a common cause. Since everyone was able to focus upon home and the health of the Traveler, which helped in getting the crew back to where their journey started, and it was just phenomenal to see Picard begin to come into his own here and gain the trust of the crew and help them to deliver their absolute best at the same time. 

Plus, this is also the episode where Wesley Crusher was more than just a wunderkind that was shoehorned into the plot. He was made a member of the crew here and had his suggestions welcomed in the end and while a great many fans didn’t care for Wesley, he was always someone quite important to this reviewer and other young fans out there as well. For he was a hero to every young kid that wanted to live out the dream of spending time on the bridge of the Enterprise and it’s lovely to see him properly begin his journey here. If anything, this was just a delightful story through and through. One that captures the awe and wonder of space travel nicely and it is really the first episode that feels like The Next Generation since everything is comfortable here. If anything, it’s just nice to get a taste of things to come, because it will make sitting through the rockiest part of this show’s journey well worth our time. Until next time.

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