Q (Star Trek)
Q is a television character who features in Star Trek.
Contents |
Biography
Q was a member of a god-like race of beings who were known as the Q Continuum. (TNG: Encounter at Farpoint)
In the 22nd century, Q had 'some dealings' with the El-Aurian Guinan. These encounters resulted in strong antipathy between them. (TNG: Q Who)
The first noted encounter with Q by the Federation when he appeared aboard the USS Enterprise-D in early 2364. He warned the crew of the Enterprise that Humanity should return to their home star system or be destroyed. When he encountered resistance, Q placed Humanity on trial, with Jean-Luc Picard and his command crew as representatives. Q accused Humanity of being a 'dangerous, savage child-race'. Picard managed to strike a deal with Q, however, and submitted to a test of conduct to prove that Humanity had evolved beyond its previously savage state. The Enterprise's mission to Farpoint Station served as this test. The Starfleet crew sufficiently proved their evolved state of being by discovering and assisting a space vessel lifeform that had been coerced by the Bandi to take the form of a starbase. Q disappeared but promised the crew they had not seen the last of him. (TNG: Encounter at Farpoint) The next time Q appeared on the Enterprise later that year, he created a bizarre and deadly "game" for the ship's crew, in order to demonstrate that he had given Commander William T. Riker Q-like abilities. His motives for this were that Humans had a desire to grow and explore, which the Q did not have or understand. Q wanted Riker to join the Continuum so they could understand and possess this desire because if they did not, Humanity could one day surpass the Q. Q and Picard settled on a bet that, if Riker rejected his offer, the Q would leave Humanity alone forever. Ultimately, Riker rejected these new powers, and Q was forced back into the Continuum. (TNG: Hide and Q)
In 2365, Q appeared on the USS Enterprise once again as he presented himself as homeless and expressed an interest in joining Picard's crew, his reason being that Humanity would eventually push into uncharted territory and would need a guide as they were ill-prepared to face what they would find. He even offered to renounce his powers to prove that his offer was genuine. However, when Picard vehemently declined inspired by thinking that Humanity could handle any threat, Q hurled the Enterprise into the path of a Borg cube. Ultimately, Picard had to beg for Q's help in escaping from the pursuit of the Borg ship. In that encounter, Q alluded to a past association with Enterprise bartender Guinan. She declined to elaborate on the nature of their relationship, other than to express an extreme dislike for Q. Based on Q's reactions, the sentiment seemed mutual. (TNG: Q Who) In 2366, Q was stripped of his power and immortality and transformed into a Human by the Q Continuum, as punishment for his irresponsibility. He sought refuge on the Enterprise, and requested asylum and protection from the beings in the universe whom he had tormented. Though Captain Picard and the rest of the crew were unconvinced of the sincerity of Q's plea and indeed suspected the entire situation was merely an elaborate prank, Picard agreed to provide Q temporary asylum. During a visit to Ten Forward, Guinan took advantage of the situation and stabbed Q in the hand with a fork. Though not a scientist, Q provided theoretical guidance for Geordi La Forge's analysis of Bre'el IV's moon, which was in danger of colliding with its planet of orbit. During that time, Data was assigned to watch Q and Q gained an unusual perspective on Humanity and its condition from observing Data, in turn. However, after a Calamarain attack nearly destroyed Data who risked his life to protect Q, Q became ashamed of his newly-discovered lack of empathy for other beings, and resolved to leave on a shuttle, allow the Calamarain to kill him, and prevent further risk to the Enterprise crew. Another Q intervened at that point, acknowledged Q's selfless act and restored his powers as a reward. In gratitude, Q corrected the orbit of the moon and also gave a special gift to Data, his "professor of the Humanities", a brief moment of genuine laughter. (TNG: Deja Q)
In 2369, at the behest of the Continuum, Q came to the Enterprise to evaluate a proto-Q named Amanda Rogers. Amanda's parent's were both of the Q Continuum, but forsook their powers to live as humans and have a child in the human manner. However, the temptation to use their power proved to be too great, and they were executed by the Continuum rather than let mortality contaminate the Continuum. Q's job on the Enterprise was to determine if then same measures would prove to necessary with Amanda as well. In the end, Amanda was convinced to forsake her humanity and live as a Q. (TNG: True Q) Soon after, when Picard had been critically injured, Q gave him look at his past and a chance to correct what Picard considered to be mistakes in his life. In the end, Picard realized that all of his decisions, even his mistakes, were what turned him into the man he was. (TNG: Tapestry)
Overview
Personality and attributes
On Brax, he was known as the God of Lies. (DS9: Q-Less)
Powers and abilities
Q was a member of a god-like race of beings also known as the Q. (TNG: Encounter at Farpoint)
He was shown to be capable of granting his powers to mortal beings. (TNG: Hide and Q)
When temporarily rendered Human by the Q Continuum, Q claimed to had possessed an IQ of 'two thousand and five'. (TNG: Deja Q)
Notes
- Q made his first appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation where he was portrayed by actor John de Lancie.
- Gene Roddenberry chose the letter "Q" in honor of his friend, Janet Quarton.
In other media
Video games
- In Star Trek Online, Q appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game where he was voiced by actor John de Lancie.
Novels
- In Star Trek: Q-in-Law, Q appeared in the setting of the non-canon Pocket Books novel written by Peter David. Q came to meet Lwaxana Troi who developed romantic feelings toward him when the two came to the Enterprise during a significant wedding in 2366. Q used this to his advantage to perform a cruel experiment on the nature of the Human emotion of love and Q briefly shared his vast power with Lwaxana. When Q was finished with his experiment to prove that love made others blind to faults in their chosen partner and fixated on their own desires, citing as proof how Lwaxana had ignored all the warnings that he would do exactly this, he tried to take the power back without success. Lwaxana used her power to thoroughly humiliate Q as he had humiliated her. It was later revealed that Q2 was responsible for preventing Q from removing Lwaxana's powers as a way to teach Q another lesson about interfering in the lives of mortals.
- In Star Trek: The Q Continuum, Q appeared in the setting of the non-canon Pocket Books novel written by Greg Cox. Q and Picard travel through Q's past, witnessing Q's first encounter with the being that inspired his interest in testing other races. This being, known as 0, is similar to Q in power and abilities (although an injury of some sort prevents 0 travelling faster than light under his own power, even if he can still teleport short distances), but whereas Q has been shown to be more of a "merry prankster" throughout Star Trek canon, 0 is malevolent in his desires. Where Q always offers his opponents a sporting chance to win his challenges, 0 is ultimately shown to use his 'tests' as just an excuse to torture other races, to the extent that he basically changes the rules of his games so that the subjects will inevitably lose. The young Q ends up bringing him into the Milky Way galaxy through the Guardian of Forever while looking for something new to do with himself, and 0 assembles other seemingly omnipotent beings from the original Star Trek, including Gorgan, The One and (*). However, although intrigued at 0's words about testing lesser races, Q loses his taste for 0's methods when 0's group provoke the Tkon Empire- an advanced civilisation millennia in the past- into decades of civil war and then blows up their sun just as they were about to exchange their dying old sun for a younger, fresher one, the Tkon having completed their Great Endeavour despite the war. 0's group was later defeated in a battle with the Q Continuum, though the dinosaurs were left extinct as a result when Q diverted an asteroid from one of the combatants so that it would strike Earth instead. With Q having abstained from most of the conflict, he was thus put in charge of watching over Earth and its inhabitants as a possible rehabilitation project, while (*) and Gorgan escaped and The One was trapped at the heart of the galaxy having been reduced to just his head. 0 in particular was banished to just outside our galaxy and the galactic barrier erected to keep him out; as Picard observes, with 0's crippled state preventing him travelling faster than light, 0 was essentially reduced to a shipwrecked survivor cut off from the nearest inhabitable land and millennia away from anywhere else. In the course of the trilogy, 0 is temporarily released from his banishment beyond the galaxy and sought revenge on Q, having manipulated a dying scientist to complete an artificial wormhole experiment intended to let starships breach the barrier that would allow 0 to regain access. However, 0 was defeated when Picard was able to convince one of 0's old enemies to join forces with Q so that their combined powers could stop his former mentor.
Comic Books
- In Star Trek—Legion of Super-Heroes v1 (2011), Q appeared in the comic crossover between IDW Publishing and DC Comics. Q travelled to Earth's prehistory to settle a debt only to wind up trapped by Vandar the Stone and forced to create an alternate timeline where he was used as a source of power for Vandar, bending reality to the despot's will and acting as a source of information. He then encountered Commander Spock, Dr. Leonard McCoy, and Lt. Chekov of the USS Enterprise and Legion of Super-Heroes members Imra Ardeen-Ranzz, Querl Dox, and Rokk Krinn. Dox and Spock eventually managed to free Q, his freedom undoing the timeline where Vandar had triumphed and setting everything back to the way it was. Q later met up with Flint on Holberg 917G, assuring the immortal that he had not come seeking revenge and educating him on the existence of the multiverse.
Appearances
- Star Trek: The Next Generation:
- Star Trek: Deep Space 9:
- Star Trek: Voyager:
- Star Trek: Picard:
External Links
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