It's apparent while watching 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' that we are seeing a work in progress. This second pilot, and first season episode, shows a Star Trek still evolving- uniforms a little different, Spock's make-up and manner still harsh compared to later installments, and more importantly, the chemistry and balance between the characters still being worked on. But they're getting there. Roddenberry doesn't try to tell such a complicated story as he did with 'The Cage;' this one is a more straightforward, meat-and-potatoes sci-fi tale. And in a way, it's fitting that the first real 'Trek' takes them to the edge of the galaxy and through the 'great barrier' which affects two crew-members in particular, enhancing their already above-average capacity for extra-sensory perception. There are some genuinely creepy moments as Lt. Cmdr. Gary Mitchell morphs into a kind of super being, a 'god', who eventually loses all touch with his basic humanity and who unwittingly demonstrates absolute power corrupting absolutely. Leonard Nimoy was probably confused at how exactly to play Spock ("Ah, one of your Earth emotions," he says, smiling.) Spock here is pretty cold-blooded and brutal, urging Kirk to kill Mitchell while he still can, something that would be almost unthinkable with the character in later episodes. Kirk though is fully realized, the same character he would be throughout the series' run. So a very good start for 'Star Trek' proper, with most of the pieces in place... it just needed a little fine-tuning.
Review of Where No Man Has Gone Before
