Where No Man Has Gone Before

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" really set the tone for the "Star Trek" series more so than even Rodenberry's original pilot, "The Cage". In this story we have Kirk forced into making agonizing life and death decisions/his close relationship with Spock and that character's adherence to total logic at times being compromised by his own human side/the heroic crew all game to explore the vast uncharted regions of space- it's all there like a blueprint for numerous "Star Trek" scripts that followed.

When Kirk's friend Gary Mitchell is endowed with astonishing powers of ESP and telekinesis, Kirk and Spock grow alarmed as he starts to test his ability to take over the Enterprise. Spock urges Kirk to maroon Mitchell on Delta Vega, an uninhabited planet. At first Kirk is outraged at even the suggestion, but eventually accepts the cold logic of this solution as Spock warns him, "we'll never reach another earth base with him on board."

The scenes charting Mitchell's evolution are well acted by Gary Lockwood. His personality shifts startlingly back and forth between the affable crewman he was and the detached mutant he is becoming, and these glimpses of Mitchell's former self help us retain a measure of sympathy for him. He, too is a victim in this story.

The silver contacts Lockwood wears are especially effective at making him appear as if his newly acquired powers have rendered him aglow from within. Plus, an echoing quality in his voice makes statements like "You Should Have Killed Me When You Could, James" sound especially frightening.

One of the episode's best scenes occurs when Mitchell, severely weakened after trying to break through a force field, returns momentarily to his old self. A few seconds later however, the glow in his eyes re-ignites, but now it's even brighter than before. As he slowly rises to his feet, it looks this time like he will be able to pass right through the force field. But instead Mitchell stops and with a smile calmly informs them, "I just keep getting...stronger. You know that, don't you?" It's superbly intense and Alexander Courage's terrific music adds just the right note of dread to this scene.

Of course Mitchell does eventually escape, taking the ship's psychiatrist, Dr. Daner, (played by Sally Kellerman) with him. She had also been affected by the mysterious force that has altered Mitchell and now they both have become mutants. Kirk bravely sets off on his own to track Mitchell down before his powers become so great no one can stop him.

I gotta say, even after 40 years, all the elements of this one still work. From the threat imposed by Mitchell's ever increasing powers to the agonizing questions it poses about what to do with him, and finally the physical conflict between Kirk and Mitchell at the end. Oh, and also the moment Dr. Daner must choose a side; it ALL works so well. James Goldstone deserves particular praise for his sure handed direction and this is certainly right up there with his excellent work on the original "Outer Limits".

I suppose "Trek" purists might criticize certain things like Mr. Sulu's then uncertain role on the ship and the moment where Spock actually smiles, but one must keep in mind this was only the second episode ever filmed, so the characters were still evolving. Anyways, such minor nitpicking's really don't detract from the obvious strengths of this superior entry in the series. I would place "Where No Man Has Gone Before" among "Star Trek's" four best episodes. It's a smart and thoroughly entertaining example of television science fiction done right.

Enterprise passes through the barrier at the edge of the galaxy and suffers lasting consequences.

Where No Man Has Gone Before is the second pilot episode of the original series and experimentation can be seen in its cast and production design. It looks and feels totally different to what we become accustomed to watching during majority of its episodes. This makes it unique and is one of the most interesting aspects about it.

The story has quite familiar themes that will be explored in plenty of other episodes throughout the franchise. We have characters with god-like power interacting with ordinary humans. In this case we see someone obtaining the power and a plot centred around a dilemma of what others should do about it. Key to this dilemma is a central theme that will drive many plots throughout the franchise, a decision between taking actions based on pure logic or those based on humanity and compassion. Spock and Kirk embody this dilemma in a script written before the introduction of Dr McCoy and the establishment of the central trinity.

What I like about what happens to Gary Mitchell is that its handled quite intelligently rather than stupidly reactive as things like this are in some of the lesser episodes. We have characters anticipating what is likely to happen and thinking about it before it happens. From Gary's perspective it even made me wonder what I would do in his position. This all builds nicely to a pretty exciting and somewhat menacing conclusion.

All the cast give solid and likeable performances. Shatner is magnetic as Captain Kirk and Nimoy is to coin a phrase fascinating as the logical Spock. Guest stars Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman are excellent in their transformation to an Adam and Eve state as two godly entities unsure of how to act with their new power.

I can only imagine that the utterly polarised world of the 1960s, with the devastation of two world wars in people's memories, must have been an era so full of subject matter for sci-fi writers to explore. Television was relatively uncharted space for artists and classical themes such as the corruption of humanity by power is a perfect example of what people needed to see.

The approved pilot for the legendary series - albeit aired third, after 'The Man Trap' and 'Charlie X' - is noteworthy for dealing with universal concepts and provocative ideas. It has a plot somewhat similar to that of 'Charlie X', in which there is a central character (guest star Gary Lockwood, as Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell) with incredible powers who gets out of control. Mitchell has potent ESP abilities, which only get enhanced when the Enterprise gets wind of the fate of a previous starship that had encountered a magnetic force field.

While various crew attempt to repair the Enterprise, Kirk must contemplate something unthinkable for him: dealing expeditiously with Mitchell, who has been a friend for 15 years. The latter shows that his power has started to warp his thinking. It is Spock, ever the voice of cold reason, who advises Kirk not to let emotions get the better of him. And Spock just may be right. Enterprise psychiatrist Elizabeth Dehner (guest star Sally Kellerman) is a little too intrigued with the guy to be completely helpful.

We meet Scotty (James Doohan) and Sulu (George Takei) for the first time here, not that either of them get real showcase moments this early in the series. The performances are all on point, from character actor Paul Fix as the original medical officer (Bones is not to be seen here) to Paul Carr as Lieutenant Lee Kelso to Lloyd Haynes as Alden. As usual, the interplay between Shatner and Nimoy is a source of amusement and entertainment as logic & reason vs. emotional responses are discussed.

Good action scenes, reasonably effective sets, and some solid visuals make this a good jumping-off point for the further adventures to follow.

Written by Samuel A. Peeples, mostly known for work on Western TV series, and directed by James Goldstone ("Winning", "They Only Kill Their Masters", "Rollercoaster", etc.).

Eight out of 10.

Like any pilot of a beloved TV series, half the appeal is seeing the show in its nascent stages before all of the wrinkles are smoothed out. In the case of 'Where No Man Has Gone Before', a great deal is already in place: Kirk's in the chair, Sulu's on board, Spock has toned down his militaristic line delivery, but other cast members are still being arranged on the chess board, so to speak, and as familiar as everything is, it's still different.

But not all that different. The Enterprise is still charting the outer reaches of space, and Kirk ends up taking the problem head-on in a brawl on another planet. There's the spirited action that this series is known for; but it's also a pretty good science fiction story, involving god-like beings, psychic powers, and the mighty fists of Shatner to ensure that everything is mixed just right. And it makes it a point to show that these people are out there in the void, at the mercy of an operable starship.

'Where No Man' might not have the popping colors that we've come to expect on the Enterprise, but it's a great start nonetheless.

8/10

I'm agreeing with the reviewer that this episode was what really launched the Star Trek series toward cult status. Gary Lockwood who had done his time in outer space with 2001, A Space Odyssey plays one of two Enterprise crew members who are changed when the ship passes through a magnetic storm in space. The other crew member is Sally Kellerman who is assigned to the Enterprise as a psychologist who is changed and is able to understand the nature of the changes as Lockwood can't.

Both have some latent Extra Sensory Perception powers and both are seeing that increasing exponentially. Lockwood is affected far more than Kellerman.

Lockwood is truly a frightening person, one of the most frightening of Star Trek villains. He's been given absolute powers that are growing day by day. The Krels from Forbidden Planet could have served as a warning to him, his monsters from the ID are taking over completely.

And as captain, William Shatner has to deal with this on the level of a threat to his ship and the whole galaxy and on the level of a friend of Lockwood's saddened to see the changes in him and the humanity that has been driven from his soul.

A truly thought provoking episode, one of the best from Star Trek prime.