{"id":4468,"date":"2015-02-27T13:00:41","date_gmt":"2015-02-27T21:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4468"},"modified":"2015-02-02T14:11:43","modified_gmt":"2015-02-02T22:11:43","slug":"mark-watches-the-next-generation-s01e06-where-no-one-has-gone-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/02\/mark-watches-the-next-generation-s01e06-where-no-one-has-gone-before\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The Next Generation’: S01E06 – Where No One Has Gone Before"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the sixth episode of the first season of\u00c2\u00a0The Next Generation<\/i>, an irritating engine specialist boards the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>to help update the propulsion, only to send the ship to an unknown place. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Star Trek<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For mention of rape<\/b><\/p>\n

WELL, HOLY SHIT, THIS WAS SUPER GOOD.\u00c2\u00a0LET US DISCUSS IT<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Kosinski<\/b><\/p>\n

IS THERE A MORE IRRITATING CHARACTER IN THIS FICTIONAL UNIVERSE. Actually, I hope not, because I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know that I could stand it. Holy shit, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, Kosinski is just the worst, from the first second he arrives on the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i> until the moment that everyone finds out that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a massive fraud, taking advantage of the Traveler\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s abilities in order to be THE WORST PERSON EVER. Like, the more I think about Kosinski, the more I hate him. This man\u00c2\u00a0knew<\/i> that he possessed not a shred of talent or wisdom, and yet, he used the traveler to ruthlessly condescend down to\u00c2\u00a0everyone<\/i> he met. To the actor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s credit, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s consistently slimy and horrific, and he has to be in order to be the polar opposite of the character of the Traveler. This episode works so well\u00c2\u00a0because<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0the Traveler represents the best of what a being can be: kind, benevolent, eager to help, and curious about their place in the world.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m actually surprised that Riker didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t slap Kosinksi into another universe himself.<\/p>\n

The Story<\/b><\/p>\n

While Kosinski fills an antagonistic role in a small sense within \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where No One Has Gone Before,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually no major antagonist in this episode. There\u00c2\u00a0is<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0a conflict, however, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a doozy. I love it when this fictional universe uses THE TERRIFYING VASTNESS OF SPACE as a suspense tool, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S ONE OF MY FAVORITE TROPES. Flung far out into the universe, the crew has to find a way to utilize Kosinski\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153mistake\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to get home. I did like that they were able to recognize the significance of their journey, that travel to the M-33 galaxy is an achievement all by itself. But Picard\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s role here is to take into account the well-being and health of the entire crew. Yes, it would be invaluable for them to remain in that galaxy, exploring and gathering information, but could Picard reasonably ask the entire crew to never see home again?<\/p>\n

Of course not, and thus the conflict is born. Picard has to get them all home. So, when Kosinski bullshits his way through a second jump, only to find out that THEY ARE AT THE LITERAL EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE, it seemed pretty obvious that this would be the main problem that the characters would have to overcome in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where No One Has Gone Before.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d And honestly, that was an intriguing premise all by itself. I would have enjoyed this episode if it was solely about them exposing Kosinski as a fraud and trying to get home. But no, this script (BASED ON A NOVEL WRITTEN BY DIANE DUANE???? OH MY GOD THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SO EXCITING) goes one step further, and IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SUCH A WONDERFUL CHOICE. This episode goes to a very odd and surreal place, and it totally hangs out there for a while, and I LOVE IT. Would I have loved to see more of the thought-manifestation-strangeness? Sure, but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s enough here to believably create this world, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s both a silly and heartbreaking development. And I love that there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such variance portrayed here! From the diverse background cast, to the fact that we get a multitude of scenes showing us what different crew members are thinking of, I thought this was pulled off brilliantly.<\/p>\n

And like I said, it was not without heartbreak. Worf is reminded of home when a targ appears before him. (OH MY GOD, I AM SO PLEASED THAT\u00c2\u00a0THE NEXT GENERATION<\/i> IS CONTINUING IN THE GREAT TRADITION OF DRESSING UP NORMAL ANIMALS AS ALIEN CREATURES.) Tasha Yar is reminded of the colony she grew up in, where the threat of rape was so common that there were roving gangs she had to hide from. (WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED ON THAT COLONY, PLEASE GIVE ME HER BACKSTORY NOW.) And Captain Picard discovers that his mother, now dead, is waiting to serve him tea in a hallway near the engine room. OUCH, MY HEART WAS NOT AT ALL READY FOR THIS.<\/p>\n

Of course, while we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see much of this potential, the real threat of spending more time at the edge of the universe is that any person could begin to think terrible thoughts, thereby manifesting that same fear on the ship. Like the guy who is nearly consumed by fire! So it becomes imperative that Picard get this ship home and\u00c2\u00a0now<\/i>. I think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a big reason why he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so cold and unsympathetic towards the Traveler as the Traveler lies weak on Dr. Crusher\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s table. Well, maybe not unsympathetic, but he is desperate to get the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i> away as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

But one of the coolest things about this episode is the way in which Wesley is allowed to play an important role in the story, not just as the slightly irritating teenager. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the first person to recognize that the Traveler is the key to everything; he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s quick to offer the Traveler his own kindness, too. And thankfully, when Riker finally believes him, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not thrown under the bus. Riker gives him the credit he deserves. I worried for a bit that the Traveler\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s advice to Picard about his future was a fulfillment of the Chosen One trope, but in hindsight, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what happened at all. I think the Traveler recognized what a wonderful mind Wesley had, and they knew that Wesley should be encouraged more than anything else. He needed space to grow in his knowledge, and the\u00c2\u00a0Enterprise<\/i> was the perfect place for that.<\/p>\n

Seriously, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, this episode was GREAT. More like this!<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Where No One Has Gone Before\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– Mark Does Stuff is now on Facebook<\/a>! Feel free to Like the page, which I’m running myself, for updates and SILLINESS.
\n– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!<\/a>
\n– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com<\/a>. All Mark Watches videos for past shows\/season are now archived there!
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features will be\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, seasons 2 – 4, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>.<\/b>
\n– The 2015 Mark Does Stuff tour is being announced!!! Check my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page<\/a> often to see if I’m coming to your city!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"