"Where No One Has Gone Before" aired in broadcast syndication during the week commencing October 24, 1987. It received a Nielsen rating of 10.5, reflecting the percentage of all households watching the episode during its timeslot. This was the highest rating received by the series since "The Naked Now" three episodes earlier.
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".
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 gave the episode a score of 2.5 (out of 4). Metaphysics is referenced in this episode by Wesley Crusher, who asks if thought is the basis of existence.
Home media and theatrical release
The first home-media release of "Where No One Has Gone Before" was on VHS cassette on April 1, 1992 in the United States and Canada. Episodes from "Encounter at Farpoint" to "Datalore" were released in Japan on LaserDisc on June 10, 1995, as part of First Season Part.1. This included the first season episode "Where No One Has Gone Before", and the set has a total runtime of 638 minutes across multiple 12-inch optical video discs.
The episode was released as part of the season-one Blu-ray set on July 24, 2012. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Star Trek: The Next Generation and promote the release of the first season on Blu-ray, the episodes "Where No One Has Gone Before" and "Datalore" received a theatrical release in the United States on July 23, 2012 in nearly 500 theaters. "Where No One Has Gone Before" was chosen by Star Trek experts Mike and Denise Okuda because of the unusual space special effects.