... Where No One Has Gone Before!

Six-issue mini-series based on the hot new TV show.

Summary[]

"Captain's log:Stardate 41187.5. TheUSSEnterprise slices through the pitch thickness of an unmappedsector like a shaft. Her own legend, and those of her predecessors, serving us as fuel for this and all her subsequent missions. Manned byFederationofficers and crew, who engineer each step of our quest for understanding... propelling us further and deeper than ever before – in a seemingly endless thirst of knowledge and harmony. Traveling with us, the constant reminder of why we're out here... families, most notably children. The generations of the future who deserve to know what's out here in order to press on. Their very presence is my pressure to perform – our need to succeed. That's what drives each and every one of mybridge crew."

TheUSSEnterprise-D enters the Tri-Betalinesystem en route to T-B 13, aplanet noFederation vessel has ever visited. Initial scans indicate aClass M environment with an indigenoushumanoid population.Lieutenant junior gradeWorf establishes audio contact with the people of Syntagus Theluv, as the populace call their world. The greeting is friendly, promptingCaptainJean-Luc Picard to haveCommanderWilliam T. Riker assemble a diplomaticaway team when the ship is suddenly fired upon from the planet's surface.

The ship continues to be fired upon despite audio messages to the contrary received from the surface. Picard holds a meeting with Riker andCounselorDeanna Troi in hisready room to determine a suitable course of action. Riker recommends an away team while Troi disagrees, citing the potential for great risk. Picard sides with Riker though Troi insists onLieutenantNatasha Yar's assignment to the away team. In addition to Yar, Riker assigns Lieutenant junior gradeGeordi La Forge,Lieutenant CommanderData and Counselor Troi to accompany him.

After encountering a husband-wifeconn andops team arguing on thebridge andWesley Crusher in a corridor, Picard muses about life being easier before the inclusion of families aboardstarships. Despite an awkward encounter with DoctorBeverly Crusher, the captain eventually reachesTransporter Room 6 to brief the away team before their departure.

Transporting to the surface, the away team is attacked byphaser fire. La Forge scans the area with hisVISOR and finds they're outnumbered. Yar draws her phaser, but Riker stresses that this mission be a positive diplomatic encounter. La Forge then informs the team of an object accompanying the alien forces that's standing 50 meters tall and covered with armaments. The away team is attacked again and splits up on Yar's recommendation. Meanwhile, aboard theEnterprise, Worf reports that the Syntagus Theluvians are still waiting to receive the away team.

The away team now split up, La Forge and Data encounter the massive weapon from La Forge's earlier VISOR scan while Riker and Troi discover that theircommunicators are inoperative as well as Troi's mental abilities. The pilot of the weapon emerges and is quickly subdued by Lieutenant Yar. Before anyone can investigate further, the pilot's reinforcements arrive. Data commandeers the war machine and the aliens quickly surrender.

When the away team is transported aboard a Syntagus Theluvian ship, they discover that the alien race ages backwards with children the elders of their world. The adult aliens encountered were merely playing. Before Picard transports to the away team's location, Wesley asks if he could one day accompany him. The captain sternly tells the teenage boy that these missions are no place for children before he materializes in the elders' chambers.

Background information[]

• This story is set during the first season ofStar Trek: The Next Generation according to the stardate of the story and the fact thatNatasha Yar features prominently in this story. According to atimeline published byDC Comics, this story is set between "Encounter at Farpoint" and "The Naked Now".
• The concept of a backward-aging race had previously been presented inTAS: "The Counter-Clock Incident" at the time this story was published. The concept was revisited inVOY: "Innocence".

Artwork[]

• With this story set in the first season, all Starfleet personnel are shown wearing one-piece uniforms. However, some liberties are taken by the artist with respect to the uniforms. For instance, Picard wears a beige jacket when he beams to the away team's location at the end of the story. The Bickleys are shown wearing uniforms cut high at the thigh with green capes. The transporter chief Ensign Moezer wears what appears to be some sort of armor and helmet.

Creators[]

• Based onStar Trek: The Next Generation created byGene Roddenberry
• Writer:Michael Carlin
• Artists:
  • Pablo Marcos (pencil art)
  • Carlos Garzon andArne Starr (ink art)
  • Carl Gafford (color art)
  • Bob Pinaha (letter art)
  • Bill Sienkiewicz (cover art)
• Editor:Robert Greenberger

Characters[]

Canon characters listed below are linked to the main article about them. Non-canon characters are not linked, but those that recurred, appearing or being mentioned in more than one story, are defined further inDC TNG volume 1 characters.

Regular and recurring characters[]

Jean-Luc Picard

USSEnterprise-Dcaptain.

William T. Riker

Enterprise-Dexec.

Beverly Crusher

Enterprise-Dsurgeon.

Data

AndroidEnterprise-Doperations officer. Data is portrayed as feeling excited on two occasions in the story. He also has some type ofadrenal fluid.

Geordi La Forge

VISOR-sightedEnterprise-Dflight control officer. His VISOR is described as having a built-intricorder.

Wesley Crusher

Teenage resident ofEnterprise-D.

Worf

KlingonEnterprise-Dlieutenant junior grade.

Natasha Yar

Enterprise-Dsecurity chief.

Deanna Troi

Half-BetazoidEnterprise-Dcounselor. Troi mentions havingprecognitive visions and is described as atelepath in this story.

Patricia Bickley (β)

Enterprise-Dcommand division lieutenant serving as backup flight controller (conn).

Michael Bickley (β)

Enterprise-D operations divisionensign serving as backup operations officer (ops).

Other characters[]

Elreth (β)

Syntagus Theluvian piloting the war machine that attacked the away team.

Moezer (β)

AlienEnterprise-Dsciences division ensign serving at thetransporter post.

Raymond (β)

Operations divisioncrewman who delivered Captain Picard'stea.

Unnamed personnel seen in corridor

• Purple-haired woman: Sciences division Starfleet officer.
• Dark-haired man: Operations division Starfleet ensign.
• Brown-haired man: Command division Starfleet officer.

References[]

USSEnterprise-D

Federation starship on a mission of deep space exploration.

Syntagus Theluv (β)

Thirteenthplanet in the Tri-Betaline (T-B) system.

Transporter Room 6

Transporter room located nearsickbay.

Tri-Betaline (β) system

Star system.

Tripoli IX (β)

Planet located in thesector previously visited by theEnterprise-D.

Tripolian hellblazer (β)

Armored war vehicle from Tripoli IX.

External link[]

• ... Where No One Has Gone Before! atMemory Beta, the wiki for licensedStar Trek works