Highlights
- Q is a god-like entity with a perverse sense of humor who forms a love/hate relationship with Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
- Q's role is to guide and challenge humanity rather than destroy it, as he often sets obstacles that the Enterprise-D can overcome.
- Q is a memorable character due to his irritating but not-quite-evil nature, his contrast of humor and menace, and his role as a foil to the staid Picard.
There are many strange and exciting things to be discovered in the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation, from mind-bending anomalies to foes like the Klingons or Borg. But one of the strangest forces encountered by the Enterprise-D during its long-term exploration mission was Q (John de Lancie), a god-like entity with an especially perverse sense of humor.
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Q is both an occasional ally to and a thorn in the side, of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The two characters develop something of a love/hate relationship as their various encounters bring them face to face with alternate timelines, scientific conundrums, and deadly threats to the Federation.
8 "Generosity has always been my weakness."
"Encounter At Farpoint" (Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2)
Q's initial challenge for the human race is to solve the mystery of Farpoint Station. Picard and his crew realize that they need to free a powerful alien from captivity.
Q's comment about his apparent generosity is interesting, as it suggests that, for all his theatrics about presiding over the future of humanity, a part of him wants Picard to succeed. He does not set obstacles that the Enterprise-D is unable to overcome, demonstrating that the entity is interested in guiding humanity rather than destroying it.
7 "Sometimes I think the only reason I come here is to listen to these wonderful speeches of yours."
"True Q" (Season 6, Episode 6)
Q and Picard cannot exactly be called friends, but their banter is a key feature of their complicated relationship. In "True Q", Q responds to Picard's monologue about the differing moralities of the Q Continuum and the Federation by playfully complimenting Picard's custom of taking every opportunity to give a self-important lecture. Yet the pair have genuine affection for one another, despite their differing perspectives.
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It is this tension that helps to make Q such a memorable character. He is irritating, rather than evil, and there is a certain method to his madness. Indeed, Q's jester-like qualities make him the perfect foil for the staid Picard, resulting in one of Star Trek's greatest double acts.
6 "Change is at the heart of what you are. But change into what? That's the question."
"Hide and Q" (Season 1, Episode 9)
The Next Generation's writers often complained that Gene Roddenberry's enlightened humanity limited the kind of stories they could tell, but some contributors were still able to show enduring human flaws even in the enlightened twenty-fourth century. In "Hide and Q", the titular super-being tempts Commander Riker by offering to have him join the powerful Q.
Riker ultimately chooses to remain as a human, despite the great powers that the Q Continuum offers. However, both the episode and Q's dialogue demonstrate that, for all its advances, the human race has not finished evolving into its final form.
5 "They're simply interested in your ship, its technology. They've identified it as something they can consume."
"Q Who" (Season 2, Episode 16)
- "The Borg is the ultimate user. They're unlike any threat your Federation has ever faced. They're not interested in political conquest, wealth, or power as you know it. They're simply interested in your ship, its technology. They've identified it as something they can consume."
Q's doom-laden speech about the Borg sets out a new status quo that would come to define not only the remainder of The Next Generation, but would also inform shows like Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and even Star Trek: Picard.
John de Lancie demonstrates considerable skills as a comedy actor throughout his time on Star Trek, but his chilling speech about the Borg demonstrates that the powerful Q is as menacing as he is humorous. This contrast is part of what makes Q such a legendary character in the Star Trek mythos.
4 "No feelings. No emotions. No pain. And yet you covet those qualities of humanity."
"Deja Q" (Season 3, Episode 13)
- "There are creatures in the universe who would consider you the ultimate achievement, android. No feelings. No emotions. No pain. And yet you covet those qualities of humanity. Believe me, you're missing nothing. But if it means anything to you - you're a better human than I."
While some episodes of The Next Generation examined how humans reacted to becoming part of the Q Continuum, "Deja Q" reversed the equation and showed the consequences of Q becoming human. Q struggles to adjust to his new condition, including the need for sleep.
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Q discusses his newfound humanity with Data, who longs to be more human. In the scene, Q demonstrates a touching sympathy towards the android, pointing out that Data is more human than Q can ever be. Once Q regains his powers, he uses them to make Data experience laughter for the first time, demonstrating that, for all his tricks, Q is capable of good deeds.
3 "It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid."
"Q Who" (Season 2, Episode 16)
- "If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid."
While the second season of The Next Generation is generally regarded as one of the show's weaker years (due in part to industry strikes), it holds the distinction of introducing one of science fiction's most iconic threats: the Borg.
Picard complains that the meeting with the Borg has resulted in the deaths of several of the Enterprise's crew. Q is unrepentant: he points out that space is a dangerous place to explore, and that Picard should expect to face significant obstacles during his voyages. However, given that the alternative is to miss out on the wonders of the cosmos, Q believes that Picard and his crew must be brave.
2 "He's the person you wanted to be. One who was less arrogant and undisciplined in his youth. One who was less like me."
"Tapestry" (Season 6, Episode 15)
In "Tapestry", Q offers Picard a second chance at life. Rather than being stabbed as a reckless youth, Picard is given the chance to do things differently and avoid the incident. However, changing his past has far-reaching ramifications. Without a near-death experience, Picard becomes meek and never reaches the captain's chair.
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Q's intervention teaches Picard an important lesson: there are times when recklessness can pay off, and he must take life as it comes, rather than attempting to tidy it up. Picard may be ashamed of his past, but it is what drives him to succeed in the present.
1 "The trial never ends."
"All Good Things..." (Season 7, Episodes 25 and 26)
- "You just don't get it, do you, Jean-Luc? The trial never ends. We wanted to see if you had the ability to expand your mind and your horizons. And for one brief moment, you did."
The Next Generation comes full circle in its finale, "All Good Things...", in which Q makes the closing arguments in the trial for humanity's survival. Picard must solve a fiendishly complicated temporal puzzle to convince Q of the human race's right to exist. While he eventually succeeds, Q reminds Picard that the tests faced by the human race are bound to continue. The process of exploration is never-ending.
Star Trek: Picard would later return to this sentiment, with Q reminding Picard of his earlier words. Q's classic speech also foreshadows that, while The Next Generation was coming to an end, the so-called Golden Age of Star Trek was only just beginning.
