I noticed it in the voice over narration of the very first episode of Next Generation, but the title of this one reinforces things. Whereas the original Star Trek series promised to go 'where no man has gone before', the title of this entry is 'Where No One Has Gone Before'. It's a line repeated in the story, and while I won't quibble with the change, it is a nuance that bows to political correctness twenty years after the first series debuted. Anyway, enough of that.
It seems that every episode so far has made some reference to the original series, whether directly or by reworking story elements. This one had me thinking about Star Trek's first season episode titled 'Shore Leave', in which the crew of the Enterprise took a well-earned vacation on a planet that had them imagining different realities and characters based on their earlier experiences. It took what would be considered quite ordinary and turned it into the whimsical. You had the same here with Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) visualizing a Klingon targ, and Lieutenant Tar recalling a favored pet cat. This all after an arrogant and condescending scientist on board the Enterprise-D and his assistant plunged the ship some millions of light years away from their home galaxy. Young Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) was put in the middle of resolving the crisis via his newly formed friendship with the alien assistant who called himself The Traveler (Eric Menyuk). It soon became apparent that The Traveler was responsible for the Enterprise's far-flung adventure, a bit of annoyance for the cavalier superiority of his boss Kosinski (Stanley Kamel).
It all came down to The Traveler's explanation of how the combined effect of thought, energy and time can be utilized to delve into the unknown with positive consequences if understood and used properly. The Traveler's advice to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) regarding Wesley's scientific abilities in this regard implied a further role in the young man's future aboard the Enterprise-D. It all made for one of the better stories so far in the series, although if I had my way, I wouldn't have had The Traveler dressed in a set of pajamas.
It seems that every episode so far has made some reference to the original series, whether directly or by reworking story elements. This one had me thinking about Star Trek's first season episode titled 'Shore Leave', in which the crew of the Enterprise took a well-earned vacation on a planet that had them imagining different realities and characters based on their earlier experiences. It took what would be considered quite ordinary and turned it into the whimsical. You had the same here with Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) visualizing a Klingon targ, and Lieutenant Tar recalling a favored pet cat. This all after an arrogant and condescending scientist on board the Enterprise-D and his assistant plunged the ship some millions of light years away from their home galaxy. Young Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) was put in the middle of resolving the crisis via his newly formed friendship with the alien assistant who called himself The Traveler (Eric Menyuk). It soon became apparent that The Traveler was responsible for the Enterprise's far-flung adventure, a bit of annoyance for the cavalier superiority of his boss Kosinski (Stanley Kamel).
It all came down to The Traveler's explanation of how the combined effect of thought, energy and time can be utilized to delve into the unknown with positive consequences if understood and used properly. The Traveler's advice to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) regarding Wesley's scientific abilities in this regard implied a further role in the young man's future aboard the Enterprise-D. It all made for one of the better stories so far in the series, although if I had my way, I wouldn't have had The Traveler dressed in a set of pajamas.