Where No One has Gone Before written by Diane Duane & Michael Reaves and directed by Rob Bowman

What’s it about: Breaking through the warp barrier the Enterprise winds up a billion light years from their galaxy…

To Baldy Go: Picard stepping out from the turbolift into space is a great shock moment. If everybody is seeing what they most desire it is telling that Picard gets to sit and have tea with his mother. It takes the Traveller to convince Picard that Wesley might amount to something worthwhile which I guess means we will be seeing more of this parental relationship.

Boy Genius: Astonishing that when he is underwritten how tolerable Wesley can be and how subtle a performer Wil Wheaton turns out to be. This episode goes some way to rectifying the mistakes of the opening handful of episodes but it is all for nought – he’s back acting like an irritating swot again in just two episodes time. When Riker refuses to listen him I would have slapped the Commander around the face for being so rude. Thank goodness Wesley finally corrects Picard and Riker for constantly calling him ‘the boy’, it is unbelievably demeaning. The Traveller suggests that Wesley will be a genius similar to Mozart but in the fields of time, energy and propulsion. Amazing to think that this plot thread would be followed up in seven years time.

Security Chief: Everything about Tasha’s past should work and when we catch a glimpse of her scarred and filthy and hiding from the rape gangs it is a potent image. But then Denise Crosby opens her mouth and lets out some rubbish dialogue and the illusion is shattered.

Sparkling Dialogue: ‘Thought is the basis of all reality.’
‘What wonderful arrogance. There is no record because we have not visited you before’ – the Traveller manages to puncture humanity’s arrogance in the 24th Century better than Q did through Encounter at Farpoint with one gentle line of dialogue.
‘Captains Log: any time entry is meaningless!’ – great line.

Dreadful Dialogue: ‘You’re telling me it’s a kitty cat?’ – are we nearly at the Armus slaughters Tasha episode yet?
‘I feel an abundance of well-being on the ship’ – oh shut up Troi.

The Good: Lovely to have somebody as arrogant, overbearing and sure of himself as Kosinski to rock the boat a bit on the lets-hug-and-make-up Enterprise. He might not be remotely likable but it’s nice to see somebody displaying a bit of assholeness. The set piece of the Enterprise smashing through warp ten with the warp core having a heart attack and the ship punching into another region of space encapsulates this shows mission to explore strange new places better than anything else we have seen so far. I laughed out loud at Data’s information that any message they send back to Starfleet would take 51 years to reach them! The idea that space and time and thought aren’t as separate as we perceive them to be is an extraordinary concept, one that would be touched on again in DS9 with the changelings. For once an episode is entirely unpredictable, we have no idea what is going on or where we are heading and that is a lovely feeling. A billion light years from their usual galaxy! You can’t fault the ambition of the writers! It’s nice to see some of the fantasies of the other crewmembers rather than just the main cast – the two who are being chased by nothing, the man who joins in a Mozart concerto and the ensign ballet dancing in the cargo bay are great little insights into other characters.

The Bad: Actually on reflection it doesn’t take before I wanted to toss Kosinski out of a cargo bay door such is his unbelievable hubris. What the hell? A male officer walks into shot wearing a dress! Is cross-dressing acceptable in the 24th Century? Actually on that subject the civilisations on the Enterprise have an appalling sense of fashion. Basically they get home by arranging a huge love in for the Traveller, shame to get back to the schmaltz after an episode of such dazzling creation.

Moment To Watch Out For: A genuinely fun moment when Picard has some pleasure in wangling a rank for Wesley so he can come on the Bridge and sit at a command post.

Myth Building: Only 11% of our galaxy has been charted. Often mentioned but never seen accept in this episode, a Klingon Targ makes its debut! Only now does humanity merit some attention by the Traveller’s people, before they have always been too uninteresting.

Result: I am thrilled to be able to say something nice about a TNG episode and Where No One Has Gone Before is so vastly superior to the last four episodes it doesn’t even warrant comparison. It has just the right mixture of imagination (with the Traveller offering us a unique glimpse into our future) and character building (especially for Picard and Wesley) and Rob Bowman’s stylish direction holds the whole piece together with some beautiful imagery. It’s a shame that the final act devolves into some overdone syrup but at least it does end on some development for a character (even if it is ‘the boy.’). This episode really reinforces the sense of wonder exploring the galaxy can provide and with the invention of the Traveller and his people there is some hope that not every alien will be a racial stereotype or capitalist troll. I really enjoyed this on the whole and it just goes to show how well TNG can play out when the writers reign in the melodrama and offer flourishes of imagination: 8/10