Where No One Has Gone Before (TNG S1 E06)

Where No One Has Gone Before (Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), S1 E6) was recommended by Pangolin - as in, that awesome mammal with scales who looks like a tank. He/him, who said: This is a very early episode in TNG and things are all over the place with the technobabble and characters, but the ideas are huge and the plot is bonkers in all the best ways. Star Trek at this stage was still very fantastical, like in The Original Series, baffling weird stuff Just Happens and the crew have to deal with it each week. This time we get Wesley Crusher's new interdimensional bff and his sidekick fakeout guy, who accidentally mash the keyboard and send the Enterprise 'past warp 10' and to the far side of the universe with no way to get home. I just love how weird everything is in this episode, and how many epic and also bizarre and awesome moments we get. We've only just got used to how The Enterprise looks when it enters warp in TNG, then things get fucky and we get a side-view of the Enterprise appearing to enter warp while at warp as it goes up to ludicrous speed. As a kid this was just mind-blowing and this whole episode evoked (and still evokes!) such a sense of awe and wonder. Things only keep getting weirder and now dangerous as reality starts breaking down for our crew, where space and time and thought are no longer the separate things we believe them to be. We can pick at plot holes and weird details but this remains a stand-out for me with just how enjoyable this episode is, and how much it is an exemplar for the heart of Trek. It's always on my rewatch rotation!

Where No One Has Gone Before first aired on October 26, 1987, written by Diane Duane & Michael Reaves, and directed by Rob Bowman

Warp efficiency tests send the Enterprise traveling far beyond known space, where the crew's imagination takes on real form. First appearance of Eric Menyuk as The Traveler.

The Joy of Trek is hosted by Khaki & Kay, with editing & production by Chief Engineer Greg and music by Fox Amoore (Bandcamp | Bluesky)

Send us your recommendations, or support us on Patreon.

Find us at joyoftrek.com · Twitter · Facebook