Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 1, Episode 6
Original Air Date: October 26, 1987
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I confessed to my wife that these stories about getting lost seemingly beyond retrieval make me especially nervous. Thank goodness it all works out.
"Where No One Has Gone Before" marks the first appearance of The Traveler, the name by which Kosinski's assistant comes to be known. He's essentially the stated mission of the Enterprise in superior being form. The episode is also an important Wesley Crusher story.
Wesley is the first to recognize The Traveler's extraordinary capabilities and the visitor, in turn, is similarly impressed with Wes, sharing his predictions for the boy with Picard. In so doing, he assigns a "Chosen One" narrative to the lad, a bit hard to take for the fans who were already finding Wesley painfully annoying. Worth remembering: executive producer Gene Roddenberry saw the character as a projection of his own younger self. What awkward youth would not want to be granted knowledge of his/her own exceptional future? Hogwarts fantasy, anyone?
I think half of the problem with the Wesley character may be his sweaters. The one for this episode is especially awful. So again, don't blame Wil Wheaton. In this case, it's Bill Theiss's fault, he of the memorable and often questionable costume designs of TOS, brought back on board for the new series (read more here). If you'd care to enjoy more of the honorary ensign's pullover collection, see here.
Music Notes
One crew member's fantasy come to life is playing second violin in a string quartet, his fellow musicians decked out in late-18th century period costume. The crewman is played by Byron Berline, an uncredited professional violinist. The piece is the first movement from Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.
The ballerina in another fantasy is credited: Victoria Dillard. Her piece is called "Waltz of the Chocolate Donut," composed for the episode by Ron Jones.
Acting Notes
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| via Wikipedia |
Michael Dorn (Worf) was born December 9, 1952 in Luling, Texas and grew up in Pasadena, California. After two years at Pasadena City College, he briefly pursued a music career with rock bands. His biggest acting role before Trek was a three-year run on CHiPs as Officer Jebediah Turner. Dorn has more Trek appearances to his name than any other actor: 272 television episodes and five films. He has also directed four episodes.
When Wesley hit the puberty mark and was moving ahead, I really disliked him. Irritating is a word, poor choice of script, I don't know. When he moved on with the Traveler, I was happy.
ReplyDeleteIt was one of episodes that just fell down.
Worf was great. Consistent, dependable.
Worf is my favorite. In the early years, Data has the best story but by the end of TNG, it's definitely Worf.
DeleteI don't remember this episode. I didn't find Wesley annoying, but he wasn't as interesting as the other characters. Loved Worf.
ReplyDeleteI could always forgive Wesley because it was Wil Wheaton. Stand By Me...
DeleteThe big irony of the arc begun in this episode is that it means Wes is actually moving away from everything that made him so annoying. He doesn't become "god's gift to Starfleet" but rather learns that his gifts have no place in it. That's essentially why he never really seems to fit in. He's another example of Kirk Syndrome. If Kirk didn't save the universe every other week he'd've been drummed out of Starfleet almost instantly. That's what I like about his film appearances, even Motion Picture, which ironically sees Decker leave Starfleet because Kirk won't. I think a lot of Star Trek is Roddenberry and other creators struggling with the same issues the counterculture identified but coming to different conclusions. How do you reconcile awareness of a divide between the self and a greater organization? You get all sorts of interesting answers, from Sisko's relationship with Bajor and the Prophets to Seven rediscovering her humanity to Archer struggling against Vulcan expectations to Michael Burnham's mutiny.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I don't think of individualism being a TOS theme at all but it definitely asserts itself a lot more with the TNG gang - and, of course, they ultimately had a lot more time to explore it. The dilemma you've suggested here actually strikes me as more Star Wars than Star Trek. It's the Han Solo story in a nutshell. Definitely worth discussing.
DeleteMany of the threats Kirk faced were individuals who'd gone rogue, including a number of Starfleet officers. He was constantly being confronted with the idea. Spock himself famously went rogue. The idea that Kirk frequently bucked Starfleet protocol became more pronounced (and acknowledged) in the movies. It's definitely there.
DeleteIt's an interesting perspective I had not considered before - worth remembering Roddenberry's own history in the military and the LAPD and his likely issues with toeing the line in such a context.
DeleteI'm going to have to binge watch The Next Generation because I don't remember this episode. Maybe I'm just getting old! Oh! No!
ReplyDeleteWe're all getting old, Mildred. Beats the alternative...
DeleteI like Worf when he was acting in CHIPs....
ReplyDeleteThank you for review star trek, the episode I forgot...
I loved CHiPs! Haven't watched in years. I don't remember much of the supporting cast, apart from Harlan.
DeleteI never really had an issue with Wesley. Of course, I didn't watch the series in its original run, either, so maybe I didn't get irked by him because I was already comfortable with him by the time I watched the series.
ReplyDeleteHowever, my least favorite episode is a Wesley episode, but I don't hate it because of Wesley but because it seemed that every time I saw an episode of TNG for YEARS, it was that one, same episode.
Haha! I had the same experience with the old Battlestar Galactica series, though I have also wondered if every BG episode was, in fact, essentially the same.
DeleteNow I'm curious: which one is your least favorite episode?
I bought the old BG series a while back with the intention of watching it with my kids, but I couldn't get them interested in it. As cheesy as it was, I find it much superior to the newer series.
DeleteMy least favorite episode is the one with the VR video game thing where only Wesley isn't affected. The only response I have left for that episode is "ugh!"
The newer BG series started so strong, then lost me. As for the old one, it just never grabbed me long term. Maybe I should try it again sometime. After all, at the same age, I would have said the same about Star Trek.
DeleteTAS: Yeah, the first season of the new BG was good, but it went off the rails with season two and just kept going and going. The writers never knew what they were doing with it.
DeleteI can't say that the old series is great, but I watched it as a kid, and it has a nostalgic place in my heart.
Then there's the one I adored as a kid and haven't watched in years: Buck Rogers, the old Gil Gerard series. I remember the characters vividly but plotlines? Not one. I can only imagine it would disappoint me now.
DeleteYeah, I watched that, too.
DeleteI just remember the ongoing quest of trying to get home.
I liked Hawkman!
DeleteI'd forgotten him!
DeleteOne thing that is interesting to me, especially in retrospect, is the dramatic differences between first season and second. It's almost like two different series. Now I realize it's a reflection of the story's long history in comic books.
DeleteI don't remember it well enough to remember season differences.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever happen to see FarScape? It's very Buck Rogers.
I don't know FarScape. So much to explore...
DeleteIt was a Henson project. I'm surprised you've never heard of it.
DeleteHeard of it. Never watched it.
DeleteI can't say it was great, but it was definitely interesting at points. It had the whole Buck Rogers vibe as the protagonist got sucked through a wormhole to the other side of the universe or something. Most of the series is about him trying to find a way home.
DeleteBut he's on a living ship which is sorta cool, though not as original as the creators claimed.
Sounds intriguing. The living ship - Star Trek played around with that idea a few times. Dr. Who, too, I think.
DeleteAnd The Lexxx, which was the first place I saw it. I think that show was the first, though it would not be inaccurate to say, at this point, that the TARDIS is considered alive in some way, but that's a newer development and didn't exist in the old show.
DeleteThe Lexx - definitely hadn't heard of that one.
DeleteParts of it are brilliant.
DeleteOther bits fall short. By a lot.
Good to know.
Delete