<P> "Where No One Has Gone Before" aired in broadcast syndication during the week commencing October 24, 1987 . It received Nielsen ratings of 10.5, reflecting the percentage of all households watching the episode during its timeslot . This was the highest ratings received by the series since "The Naked Now" three episodes earlier . </P> <P> Several reviewers revisited the episode after the end of the series . Cast member Wil Wheaton later described the episode as "the first time The Next Generation really started to come together". However, the episode was flawed in dialogue and in Picard's changes in tone: "I'm not sure if that was a deliberate choice, so he would appear as a conflicted man, or if it was Patrick Stewart's natural warmth and kindness coming through the gruff demeanour Picard was written to have ." When reviewing the show in 2006 for AOL TV, he gave it an overall score of B - plus . Keith DeCandido reviewed the episode for Tor.com, praising the guest actors; Stanley Kamel was "magnificent" and "ooze (d) arrogance, overconfidence, and bull in equal measure", while Herta Ware brought "tremendous gravitas" to her role . He described the episode as the best of the first season, with strong performances from the main cast, and gave it an overall score of eight (out of ten). </P> <P> Zack Handlen reviewed the episode for The A.V. Club, saying that while it was an improvement on earlier episodes he had reservations about the use of Wesley Crusher . He called the "thoughts made flesh concept" a "cliche", but was "gratified to see the series actually trying for something a little beyond their reach, this early in the game". As for Wesley, Handlen thought that it was imposing a "Chosen One narrative" that brought "an unlikable character even further to the forefront of the action simply because some writer didn't get enough pats on the head growing up" and gave the episode a B - minus . Jamahl Epsicokhan, on his website Jammer's Reviews, said that it was the first time in the series that space itself generated "awe and wonder"; however, he thought the "fresh and intriguing" nature of the episode faded as it went along . He criticized Wesley Crusher, describing him as a "cloying geek" and "you just want to strangle him". He gave the episode a score of 2.5 (out of 4). </P> <P> In Richard Hanley's book The Metaphysics of Star Trek the appearance of the Traveler in "Where No One has Gone Before" was described as a continuation of intellectually - advanced aliens in Star Trek, beginning in The Original Series with Apollo in "Who Mourns for Adonais?" and Gary Mitchell in "Where No Man Has Gone Before". Metaphysics is referenced in this episode by Wesley Crusher, who asks if thought is the basis of existence . </P>

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