Star Trek: Picard: what you need to know about Q, Jean-Lucs omnipotent sparring partner

Date:
Tue, 21 Sep 2021 15:00:02 +0000

Description:
Who's Q, and other important questions in our Star Trek explainer.

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Over the past five-and-a-bit decades, Star Trek crews have repeatedly faced off against warmongering Klingons, calculating Romulans, and the
technological might of the Borg. On all their voyages, however, theyve never met a recurring foe quite like Q.

An omnipotent member of the Q Continuum, this mischievous superbeing likes nothing more than tormenting Captain Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. And hes all set to make a nuisance of himself once again, as
its been confirmed hes returning to resume hostilities (in the most charismatic way possible) in the upcoming Star Trek: Picard season 2 .

But who is Q? What are his powers, and is he a hero or a villain? And why is he so obsessed with Jean-Luc Picard? Answers to all these questions and more can be found below Star Trek: Strange New Worlds explained How to watch Star Trek in order Star Trek: Discovery season 4 : all the latest from the 32nd century Who is Q?

Along with the assimilation-obsessed Borg, Q is the most enduring antagonist introduced by Star Trek: The Next Generation. In fact, he was a thorn in the side of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D from day one, cropping up in pilot episode Encounter at Farpoint to put humanity on trial.

A member of the omnipotent Q Continuum (every one of its members is also
known as Q), he considered the human race warlike and barbaric, and told Picard that his crews actions on their mission to Deneb IV would determine
the fate of the entire species. Although the Enterprise passed this
particular test, Q vowed to keep his eye on them a promise hed go on to keep throughout The Next Generation, and beyond. Out of the chair! Q plays captain in Star Trek: The Next Generation. (Image credit: Paramount/CBS) Who plays Q?

American actor John de Lancie played Q in eight episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation episode titles often featured a shameless pun on the letter
Q and also reprised the role in Deep Space Nine and Voyager. More recently, he had a voice cameo in Lower Decks: season 1, and will soon be seen sparring with Jean-Luc once again in Star Trek: Picard season 2 when it drops in February.

Away from the final frontier, de Lancie has also had significant roles in Stargate SG-1, Torchwood: Miracle Day, and Breaking Bad, where he played the air traffic controller father of Jessies late girlfriend, Jane Margolis (Krysten Ritter). What are Qs powers?

Like all members of the Q Continuum, Q is effectively a god. As an extra-dimensional being, he is ageless, and could manipulate time and matter with a mere snap of his fingers decades before Thanos dreamed of pulling on
an Infinity Gauntlet. Is Q good or bad?

Thats the billion-dollar question.

While Q is undeniably an antagonist in the eyes of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, his actual motives are a little harder to pin down. The best way to describe him is as a mischievous agent of chaos, in the same mould as Loki . As such, his whims are driven as much by personal amusement or selfishness as the pursuit of some higher purpose.

He largely sees the Enterprise and its crew as a play thing, notably when he decides (in The Next Generation season 1 episode Hide and Q) to put First Officer Will Riker through a series of tests to decide if hes worthy of membership of the Q Continuum. Its of no consequence to Q that Worf and
Wesley Crusher are killed in the process particularly as Riker is able to magic them back to life instantly.

In season 4 episode Qpid, meanwhile, Q transports the Enterprise crew to Sherwood Forest for a romantic Robin Hood-themed adventure. Its important to note that Worf is not a merry man.

Despite the tomfoolery, some positives do occasionally arise from Qs actions. In The Next Generation season 2 episode Q Who, for example, Q offers to act
as the Enterprises guide through uncharted regions of space. When Picard rebuffs his offer under the somewhat arrogant assumption that his crew are ready for anything Q transports the Enterprise light years across the galaxy for their first encounter with the Borg. While Qs behavior is rather
petulant, theres no denying that he gave Starfleet a crucial heads-up about the Collectives existence.

And Q sometimes takes on a management role within the Q Continuum, notably in season6 episode True Q, when he arrives on the Enterprise to assess whether a Starfleet intern is actually another Q. (It turns out her parents were a pair of Qs disguised in human form.) Does Q have any weaknesses?

Aside from the hubris and his obsession with taunting humans and other lesser beings? Not really Q is pretty much impervious to conventional weapons. He is, however, at the mercy of other members of the Q Continuum.

In season 4 episode Deja Q, hes stripped of his powers as punishment for his repeated misbehavior, and arrives on the Enterprise looking for asylum. He finds himself at the mercy of creatures hes wronged in the past, including bartender Guinan (who stabs him with a fork), and a gaseous species called
the Calamarain who do what they can to eliminate him. When his presence puts the ship in danger (Data is almost killed by Qs assailants), Q leaves on a shuttlecraft to protect the crew a selfless act that prompts the Continuum
to reluctantly welcome him back for a second chance. Q gets animated in Star Trek: Lower Decks. (Image credit: Paramount Plus) What about Qs other Star Trek appearances?

While Qs relationship with The Next Generation crew is his defining
experience with Starfleet, he also crossed paths with the crews of both Deep Space Nine and Voyager.

DS9 episode Q-Less picks up the story of Vash, the former love interest of Picard who left with Q to explore the Gamma Quadrant at the end of Qpid.

In Voyager episode Death Wish, Q turns up when a Q imprisoned in a comet asks Captain Janeway for asylum. In The Q and the Grey, Q returns to Voyager
asking Janeway to be the mother of his child. She declines the request but, when he has a baby with another Q, she agrees to be the childs godmother. Q and his godson subsequently returned in Q2, with the undisciplined kid played by John de Lancies real-life son, Keegan.

As well as his recent cameo in Lower Decks episode Veritas, Q has appeared in several novels (I,Q was co-written by de Lancie himself), and videogames. How will Q fit into Star Trek: Picard season 2?

Both trailers so far hint Q will be pivotal to the new season. All the clues suggest that some serious damage has been done to the space-time continuum, with Picard seemingly finding himself in a world he doesnt quite recognize. Indeed, we're shown a vision of a totalitarian future that Picard has to undo by traveling back to the past it's strongly suggested that much of this is Q's doing.

When Q arrives on Jean-Lucs doorstep, telling him youre a bit older than I imagined and welcoming him to the very end of the road not taken, its not entirely clear whether hes the cause of the former Enterprise captains predicament or the solution.

Either is plausible.

Over the years of The Next Generation, Q became somewhat obsessed with Picard
even more than he was with the Enterprise as a whole. In season 6 episode Tapestry, Q showed Picard an alternative version of his life where he hadnt been critically injured in a bar brawl. In last-ever episode All Good Things, meanwhile one of the all-time great series finales he helped Picard leap back-and-forth through time on a mission to save the whole of existence.

Theres clearly affection there and while Picard has always shown a degree of ambivalence towards his omnipotent sparring partner the duo are undoubtedly
a great double act. The Picard production team will undoubtedly be hoping for sparks to fly once again.

Star Trek: PIcard will air on Paramount Plus (US) and Amazon Prime Video (internationally) in February 2022.

Episodes of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager are available
to stream on Paramount Plus (US), and Netflix (US and UK).



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