Star Trek: The Next Generation
"Q Who"
Air date: 5/8/1989
Written by Maurice Hurley
Directed by Robert Bowman
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
Ah, at last, here's the most absolutely necessary episode of TNG's second season. Q forces Picard to hear his request to join the Enterprise crew as a guide. In a wonderful dialog scene that gets to the heart of the human drive for learning by personal experience, Picard refuses on the grounds that Q's presence would defeat the purpose of exploration. (That, and no one likes Q anyway.) To prove his point with a twist of the knife, Q hurls the Enterprise into an unexplored part of the galaxy (two years away from the nearest Federation outpost), bringing the Enterprise into contact with a cybernetic alien species called the Borg. (The episode also implies that the Borg were responsible for the destroyed colonies along the Romulan Neutral Zone.)
The best aspect of "Q Who" is its ability to mix the intellectual with the visceral. In other words, it's the best kind of TNG action show, and should stand as a lesson to sci-fi shows that are action-oriented: Your action works only if it grows from a point of emotion, in this case genuine scariness. The Borg are scary precisely because they cannot be reasoned with and because their technology is vastly superior to the Enterprise's — and those two avenues are the basis by which nearly all TNG stories are typically solved. The Borg have often been described simply as "implacable," and I agree that that's the best adjective for them. They are an implacable foe, and we learn that very quickly by their behavior in this episode.
The industrial-cube design of the Borg vessel is brilliant in its simplicity: Here's a society that has no regard for style or aesthetics but simply raw function. When they communicate, it's with terse directives; they epitomize the laconic. The episode puts good use to Guinan by revealing that not only has she had past dealings with Q, but that her people's world was destroyed by the Borg, essentially turning them into nomads.
Because this is an episode of TNG, the crew is still genuinely curious about the Borg, as are we. An away team beams over to the Borg ship and we get a chance to see their hive-like society, with imaginative visuals and production design. The "Borg nursery" is an intriguingly chilling detail. Such ominous concepts are all the more interesting to ponder when considering the presence of the young and naïve, evidenced here by the cute and plucky Ensign Sonya Gomez (Lycia Naff), whose infectious drive to do her part as a member of the Enterprise crew is met here only with danger. If the show had truly wanted to punch us in the stomach with its dark ambitions, it would've had Gomez die.
The episode plays by its rules. The Borg are a superior and implacable enemy, period, and the only way out is through Q, to whom Picard makes an urgent plea for help when there are no other options. Q sums it up nicely when he says, "It's not safe out here." Indeed, and it's nice to be reminded of that by an episode that is equally as visceral as it is curious, and all but promises that the Borg will be coming for us. If ever an episode deserved to be saved for a season finale in a season that didn't have an adequate (or even tolerable) finale, it's this one.
Previous episode: Pen Pals
Next episode: Samaritan Snare
Like this site? Support it by buying Jammer a coffee.
130 comments on this post
Fri, Jun 19, 2009, 1:18am (UTC -5)
I love how Picard attempts to get on his moral high horse about the crewmen who were killed, and Q basically tells him to stop being such a big baby.
Sun, Nov 29, 2009, 9:01am (UTC -5)
Wed, Mar 28, 2012, 4:10am (UTC -5)
Sun, Aug 19, 2012, 9:03pm (UTC -5)
Sun, Nov 4, 2012, 11:43am (UTC -5)
None of those adjectives should apply to a race of cybernetic zombies who seek perfection through the assimilation of other species. You're either pursued and assimilated (or escape) or you're ignored as too primitive. No deals!
Fri, Nov 16, 2012, 2:47am (UTC -5)
The episode is awesome, possibly the best of this season. But having watched Voyager and First Contact movie, Borg in this episode look less frightening and simple, wearing too much plastic.
Mon, Dec 17, 2012, 10:12am (UTC -5)
Also, I think this is the first episode where Q becomes focused on Picard (as opposed to Riker in "Hide and Q" and just general mayhem in "Farpoint"). I think the scene in Ten Forward is where Q changes his focus that then carries through to the end of the series.
In that way, this episode does far more than put the Borg storyline in motion. Also, it's interesting that TNG -- which wasn't much into continuing storylines up until this point -- drops hints about the Borg for the next season and a half ("Peak Performance", "Evolution").
Mon, Jan 14, 2013, 12:15pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Mar 21, 2013, 10:38pm (UTC -5)
It is funny now, my first reaction to it was negative. I wasn't very conviced by the episode and when Ginan started talking about the evil aliens that destroyed her world I was ready for yet another disposable alien of the week.
But...the BORG, the B-O-R-G! They were just awesome and I didn't mind their suits, sure they'd get better but it's still light-years ahead of most early TNG designs (The Ferengi, anyone?)
And, of course, Q is great. He always is :)
Tue, Apr 2, 2013, 4:32pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Apr 10, 2013, 6:24pm (UTC -5)
Just think of it: we could have had an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise with a clever story showing Q and Guinan's "dealings". (I think they were husband and wife at some point...) It could have been epic and mythic during the Manny Coto years. No, instead we get the Ferengi and the Borg shoehorned in instead...*puke*
Thu, Apr 18, 2013, 7:50pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Apr 18, 2013, 7:53pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 19, 2013, 12:54pm (UTC -5)
Now that I think about it, mixing Q with the Borg is a fundamentally flawed idea, contrary to what William B suggests. Taking Q at his word, he believes Homo sapiens (and presumably allied species) to be a "grievously savage child race" worthy of extermination... unless we solve his puzzles and play his games. Yet the Borg, which Q is clearly aware of, have escaped his judgment. Why?
Maybe Q is lying about his attitude toward humanity. Or maybe, in the fullness of time, the Borg will meet the same judgment, but not this century (and, apparently, not in centuries past). Or maybe Q's indictment was for all non-transcendental beings, not Earthlings alone, and Q lumps humans and the Borg in the same category.
Or maybe Q is a huge hypocrite who applies a double standard. Which is what it looks like when the writers ignore their previous premise for the sake of introducing the new Big Bad.
Fri, Apr 19, 2013, 1:51pm (UTC -5)
The Borg are like a force of nature. What good is it for Q to put them on trial. It would like trying to prosecute locusts. There would be no entertainment value in that.
The Dominion, on the other hand would be interesting. I'd love to have seen the Female Changeling try to intimidate Judge Q and fail miserably.
Fri, Apr 19, 2013, 3:39pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 19, 2013, 6:03pm (UTC -5)
As far as Q himself, we know that he doesn't have the right to toy with whole races (like the Callamarain in Deja Q) and the Q Continuum punishes him for doing so. It would not surprise me if he couldn't wipe out the Borg if the Q Continuum has no interest in doing so, without severe punishment or expulsion. Q himself at least does seem to *want* humanity and Picard to pass the tests he puts in front of them (made explicit in All Good Things). He doesn't interfere enough to save humanity from the Borg, but he gives them a head's up which is mostly what allows them the mild level of preparedness they have by TBOBW.
I don't want to overstate Q's helpfulness -- he does that trickster figure thing of giving enough information to inflame the thoughts of Picard et al. to get to the character growth they need, but he does so at a price and refuses to hold to human moral standards or respect for life.
Fri, Apr 19, 2013, 6:08pm (UTC -5)
This still leaves open the question, which comes up so often in Trekdom, of why humanity is so awesome, as opposed to the Vulcans/Klingons/Romulans/Cardassians/Bajorans/Betazoids/whatever. I like Grumpy's idea that maybe Q was lumping all these races in with humans, but All Good Things suggests that it's Earth in particular that is in jeopardy.
Fri, Apr 19, 2013, 9:59pm (UTC -5)
An anomaly in the Romulan Neutral Zone that disrupts all life isn't going to affect Earth alone. However, I'm not so sure there was ever any threat at all...
Q doesn't evolve from judge to trickster, I'm now convinced. He was *never* a judge; the trial was a sham. It was his way of tormenting humanity. The most exquisite torment Roddenberry conceived for his evolved humans is to accuse them of not evolving enough. This is especially hurtful to Picard, ever the mouthpiece for Roddenberry's humanism. Q's needling in "All Good Things..." brings it full circle: his examples of *not* trying to change and grow -- Riker's career and Data's quest -- are precisely how most humans would try to better themselves.
In other words, Q is neither judge nor teacher. He is, as Picard observes, "next of kin to chaos," and his only motivation is to screw with people. The screwing takes the form of a thorough humbling in "Q Who?" and (barring events outside his control in "Deja Q") that's all he ever did in one form or another. No wonder Picard hated him.
Fair to bring Voyager into it, William B, especially the contrast with the Borg in "Scorpion." In that sense, perhaps "Endgame" should be read as extending the theme of "All Good Things..." but in a way that was muddled by its crappiness.
Fri, Apr 19, 2013, 10:07pm (UTC -5)
I agree about Q as trickster, though I think he actually is a bit of a teacher and a judge in some ways too -- he's ... a bit of everything. I do think humanity (and other races) would have been destroyed had Picard not resolved the dilemma, but then again I think Q always suspected (knew?) Picard would win, so....
"The most exquisite torment Roddenberry conceived for his evolved humans is to accuse them of not evolving enough. This is especially hurtful to Picard, ever the mouthpiece for Roddenberry's humanism. Q's needling in "All Good Things..." brings it full circle: his examples of *not* trying to change and grow -- Riker's career and Data's quest -- are precisely how most humans would try to better themselves."
Agreed -- I would go further and say that that is what the show is arguing too. Picard needs to use his personal connections as resources to solve the mystery; if he hadn't worried about Commander Riker's career future!Riker wouldn't be the admiral ready to save him despite an unstable political situation based on Picard's role in getting him to admiralty (though we also know that future didn't end up coming to pass), for example.
Sun, May 26, 2013, 5:18pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Jul 8, 2013, 10:16pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jul 30, 2013, 11:07pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Jul 31, 2013, 12:51am (UTC -5)
Sun, Aug 11, 2013, 6:57pm (UTC -5)
And since I'm a musician, I have to call out Ron Jones here for special acclaim. Whenever I consider what was lost when he was removed before season 5, I think of this episode. The music is inventive and communicates the feelings of the characters clearly and without taking attention away from them. Just the variety of tools he uses from his original instrumentation to stark dissonance .... it's very impressive.
And at the end - for total contrast - once the Enterprise is safe, he introduces a sweeping theme (the "They will be coming" theme) that at once is reassuring but suggestive and hauntingly beautiful. To me, it suggests that the crew has entered a new paradigm now that they've encountered the Borg.
Hear it here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxklAsl2v2I
Just watch a few fifth season episodes where the music is mostly wallpaper, and hop back to this episode. It was a serious loss for the series to have that change in values about what the music could bring the show.
What an episode.
Fri, Sep 6, 2013, 8:57am (UTC -5)
Tue, Sep 24, 2013, 6:00pm (UTC -5)
With those two words, and years before the words Deep Space 9 were ever uttered, Gene Roddenberry's magical utopia finally and thankfully died.
I'm not one of those people who think that morally gray storylines, edgy stories, and corrupt societies automatically make stories better; quite the opposite in fact. I like the broad optimism of Star Trek. I like the moral decency of Picard. It's a strong and necessary part of Trek, and one I agree with completely. But there's a difference between a generally positive look to the future and a silly perfectionist world that Roddenberry envisioned for TNG. That just reeks of smug superiority, as if he knew better than the rest of us how to live. It made for insufferable speeches and boring stories. It's difficult to write for Superman; not impossible, but difficult. And if done incorrectly, it reeks of arrogance and a holier-than-thou attitude. I don't want to hear about how much smarter and better Gene Roddenberry is. I want to see wondrous sci fi stories set in a fun space opera universe. Optimism is fine, perfection isn't.
Think about it. What was the theme of this episode, once you get past the awesome music and the fun Q antics and the bizarre and incredible presence of the Borg? Q humbling Picard. Picard, who represents all that is right with humanity, "evolved" past all frailties and irrationalities and failures of us simple modern day humans, thought he was ready for anything. Thought the Enterprise was the pinnacle of existence. And Q simply proved him wrong. And Picard admitted it. He was smug. He was arrogant. He needed to be humbled.
"Perhaps what we needed was a kick in our own complacency, to prepare us for what lies ahead"
It is, in fact, the exact opposite of the first two Q episodes. In both of them, it ends with Picard proving Q wrong (first about humanity in general, then about Riker). And in both of them, Q acts very much like Trelane by the end of the episode, essentially a whiny petulant child. It's all part of the greatness of humanity in that we're even better than an omnipresent being with an IQ of 2,005. But Q here, being smarter than Picard and more importantly being right works so much better. Of course, he's still a complete jerk about the whole thing. He's certainly not llikable. But by providing a more than adequate foil for Picard, a foil that he can at best tolerate but never defeat, works so much better. Sure, it regresses a bit after this, but Tapestry and True Q have Q right back in the mode he was in here. A mode he is perfect for. And a mode that sets up All Good Things very very well. In any case, the first two Q episodes were emblematic of Roddenberry's view of humanity, which is completely rewritten with this episode.
And it doesn't go too far in cutting down the utopia either (Like DS9 arguably did). Despite being wrong, Picard's still the hero. And he's still the hero by the end of the episode, and he's still the best that humanity has to offer. He is absolutely right to be concerned and angry about the death of 18 people. But Q is absolutely right that, in the grand scheme of things, 18 people is nothing. It is to Picard, because he's responsible for them. But Q's actions here may have saved all of humanity by preparing the Federation for the Borg. So in that perspective, the death of 18 people may have led to a greater good.
And so Picard doesn't press the point. He doesn't let his pride get in the way. He begs for his life from Q. And he recognizes the value of what Q did. He recognizes his mistakes and moves on. Just like Trek. And so we can still maintain the optimism of the Trek world, we can still maintain hope in the future. We just need to understand that it's "good", not "perfect". It's Spider-Man instead of Superman. And this action by Q was all that was needed to get TNG to that point, and thus allowing the series to shine.
And even if my thematic interpretation is way off base, this is the best episode of the series so far, hands down. An absolute joy to watch from beginning to end.
Tue, Sep 24, 2013, 8:32pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Sep 30, 2013, 7:29pm (UTC -5)
One other minor thing I noticed. In Q Who, Tapestry, and All Good Things, Q is generally fond of Picard and is trying to help him out, albeit in his own alien way that is difficult for Picard to accept. And indeed, Picard is very opposed to Q throughout the episode(s), but ends up at least understanding Q at the end. It's probably the best portrayal of Q. It's also the portrayal in QPid, but I guess it didn't really work out in that one...
Fri, Mar 28, 2014, 4:30am (UTC -5)
As SkepticalMI stated, I agree that this is a watershed moment, or at least, since I haven't watched the rest of the series yet, it's the first time that the Enterprise crew gets its own smugness rubbed in its face. I think this is especially welcome after all the arrogance displayed in the previous episode, Pen Pals.
The Enterprise is vulnerable, not invincible. It's the first time that we see it being defeated. Picard has to beg Q. I think that this is much better than in previous episodes when the Federation super heroes were shown defeating Q, who is supposed to be an all-powerful being after all. They also don't get their 18 crew members back. That hurts.
I also love the brilliant acting by John de Lancie.
My only criticism is when Guinan is shown as potentially having magical powers like Q. That seemed to come out of nowhere.
Sat, Apr 5, 2014, 2:09pm (UTC -5)
Tue, May 27, 2014, 10:38pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Jun 5, 2014, 8:14am (UTC -5)
I love your analysis, particularly the part about the "broad optimism" of Trek. I don't think the "magical utopia" ever truly died, especially in TNG.
Case in point: Picard not destroying the collective when presented with the opportunity. I guess the writers didn't have the courage to let him go through with it. A pity, because that's as close as TNG could have come to a "In The Pale Moonlight" moment, discounting alternate (Yesterday's Enterprise) timelines and such.
The Borg were hands down the scariest Trek villains. One could have lived under Dominion Rule, with hope of a better tomorrow. Not so in the Borg Collective. I can watch this episode and BoBW two decades after the fact and still get chills up my spine. Can't say that any of the Dominion episodes invoke that sort of response.
Mon, Jun 9, 2014, 11:47pm (UTC -5)
Great episode, best use of Q since "Hide and Q" and still sends chills down my spine on repeat viewings despite the relatively cheap effects and costumes by today's standards.
I guess that goes to say there's only so much CGI can do and in the end, it all depends on good writers. If I ever run a TV show, I would splurge extra money to get the best writers possible even if it meant below average effects. Just look at Doctor Who, or even the original Star Trek.
This is the one episode that can end with our heroes on the NCC-1701-D getting their ass handed to them and it still comes off as awesome. TNG solves problems usually with some variance of negotiation and technology. The Borg won't negotiate - they just want your ship and won't listen to you - and their tech is light years ahead of Starfleet's, knocking out their main advantage. And no matter what ingenious solution you come up with, the Borg will just adapt and keep on coming. At the root, I think that's what made the Borg so scary this time around.
Best line goes to Q: "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."
(I had that quote in mind during the closing scene of VOY's lame "Friendship One".)
Tue, Jun 10, 2014, 9:47am (UTC -5)
Thu, Jul 24, 2014, 7:04am (UTC -5)
Sat, Aug 9, 2014, 11:50pm (UTC -5)
Other than that, this episode is good. The Borg are interesting, Q is Q, and the annoying girl in engineering isn't that bad.
Wed, Aug 13, 2014, 4:17pm (UTC -5)
Guinan isn't more concerned because she knows that the events of "Time's Arrow II" have not yet occurred from Picard's point of view, and therefore Picard and the Enterprise will survive their encounter with the Borg for their future to intersect with her past.
[/unconvincing rationalization]
Mon, Sep 29, 2014, 6:28am (UTC -5)
Fri, Jan 9, 2015, 8:20am (UTC -5)
Oh well, at least she liked DS9's "The Visitor" so there's some hope.
Tue, May 5, 2015, 6:02pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Aug 19, 2015, 10:43pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Aug 19, 2015, 11:09pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Aug 27, 2015, 10:54am (UTC -5)
The seriousness of the threat is nailed home by having the crew fail to overcome the problem - and Picard forced to beg to Q to get them out of trouble subverts our expectations of the series.
Elsewhere, the back story for Guinan gives sudden and unexpected depth to that character. The score, as noted above, is excellent. The character design - while it will be still improved in the future - is right there, and the Borg cube design is genius. These are not beings who care about form - just brutal, efficient functionality.
You also have to wonder why Gomez was introduced and not the first to be assimilated - perhaps a further clever twist on our expectations? A worthy 4 stars.
Sun, Sep 27, 2015, 7:24pm (UTC -5)
1) yes, brilliant score!
2) Sonya dying would have been too predictable and I think it was smart to not kill her.
3) great shot when the away team is on the Borg cube and it pans out so show layer upon layer of Borg chambers. Seems The Matrix would borrow this idea. Great wow factor.
Mon, Oct 19, 2015, 5:52pm (UTC -5)
Mon, Oct 19, 2015, 5:54pm (UTC -5)
THANK YOU!
And that includes Jammer, of course.
The best part of this site is that the original reviews are never the end. Lots of smart and insightful people come and say smart and insightful things. I just love it. The first comment on this episode was 6 years ago and still we talk! Yay!
I've been sick for a couple of days, so have been forced to do nothing--I am not too unhappy since I just started rewatching some TNG and coming here to comment. My tummy is sick but my brain is happy. Thank you to all who contribute here.
And now my input. Q is a psychopathic toddler squatting over an anthill with a magnifying glass, and not half as interesting.
Tue, Oct 20, 2015, 4:42am (UTC -5)
Would we murder several innocent work colleagues of that person to prove a point... Perhaps not.
I actually think Picard is a little arrogant at the start and Q, being Q, is bang on by teaching them a lesson.
Picard: Yeah we're awesome.
Q: Shit gets real out here.
Picard: Bring it...
Q: *Rolls eyes*
The fact that Picard realises this at the end is smart writing as well.
I never tire of this episode and even among the likes of Breaking Bad, Walking Dead or Game of Thrones this is quality, timeless TV.
Mon, Dec 21, 2015, 10:20pm (UTC -5)
Sir, I totally agree with you.
Wed, May 4, 2016, 11:05am (UTC -5)
Wed, May 18, 2016, 12:58pm (UTC -5)
Q points out the pitfalls of sprinting blindly into something new. This can apply as much to Sonya's over-enthusiasm on the Enterprise as it does to the crew exploring space. Another fine touch for what is a great episode.
Sat, Oct 1, 2016, 5:23pm (UTC -5)
Most people don't read the novels post TNG/DS9/VOY, but I like the take on the Borg, except for Voyager novel with Janeway's stupid death.
Q is actually trying to help humanity in this initial encounter, giving the Enterprise a clear first contact with the Borg, not in our own backyard, but in the Delta Quadrant itself. It's semantics, but it could have been the key factor for why the Borg invasion did not occur earlier in Season 2/3 and it gave people like Commander Shelby a chance to prepare along with others in Starfleet, I wonder what Section 31 would have done at the last moment if the Enterprise didn't stop the cube in BoBw-2 (probably throw out a planet killer to take on the cube or launch a protomatter bomb).
Also to address an interesting discussion from years back on this blog, the novels explained a reason why Q do not judge theBorg in the same way they do other species. In the Novel series Canon, Destiny Series, the Borg originated from a species called the Caeliar, who have mastered the control of Omega molecules, the very essence of what created the universe itself. Basically, we're talking God-Like equivalent species, so the Q Continuum would not have oversight over another advanced civilization's messes, they got their screw ups and others have their problems. The Q, specifically De Lancie's Q and maybe even Graham Q from Voy Death Wish, though are guiding mankind on a path and destiny towards some kind of future, potentially to the same state of evolutionary advancement, so their interest only intersect up to a certain point as teachers.
Even the novels don't explain everything, there's a lot of guesswork in Star Trek and we can argue for eternity or into "Forever" without a clear answer as to the Borg or what Q intent was.
Sun, Oct 2, 2016, 3:59am (UTC -5)
If I will ever re-watch Star Trek from start to finish, I will make sure to skip ANY episode with Q or Lwaxana Troi.
What I hate most about Star Trek is god-like, omnipotent, invulnerable characters, who you can't seemingly oppose in any way. And for the necessity of plot to go through, you have to invent either Deus Ex Machina, or some unbelievable piece of influential speech which affects such characters, when in reality, with IQ of Q and his disregard of most life forms (especially petty humans... why is he interested in us so much anyway?), it would be impossible for any minor humanoid to influence or change his mind in any way.
Like there's no way that earth-worm will do anything to convince me to not use it for fishing purposes when I can.
I loath Q with passion and any episode he is in, is zero for me
Mon, Nov 21, 2016, 2:22pm (UTC -5)
Incidentally, I saw the Enterprise D cross-section model (the one the Borg carve out) at the Star Trek exhibit in Seattle, it was impressively detailed. I got the chills all over again. No sign of the 18 crew members though :(
Thu, May 11, 2017, 4:10pm (UTC -5)
Q's deflation of the egos of those smugly arrogant pompous 24th century humans was long overdue but very satisfying.
The episode was well paced and John de Lancie's acting was top notch.
There were some low points-Whoopi Goldberg's super powered magic posing with Q in ten forward was just dead silly-what ,so Guinan is another god like creature is she?
The eager-to- please ensign really ought to have been killed or assimilated to justify her presence.
These are minor points though-this episode shines like a beacon in the first two seasons and the Borg really are scary for their first outing.
Tue, May 16, 2017, 3:35pm (UTC -5)
However, I'm not a fan of Q. To have an alien with the power to do whatever he wants gives a convenient solution when needed. He does prove to be an interesting character though.
The episode makes a great point about the smugness/arrogance of Picard and the Enterprise and the encounter with the Borg does instill some humility in the crew which is much-needed. For this purpose, Q's role is useful.
Great Trek episodes sometimes get the added boost from a great soundtrack - this episode gets that added benefit. I'll have to watch this one a few more times and see how it measures up with some of the great TOS soundtracks.
The early part of the episode with "Selena" Gomez was wasteful - an annoying ensign who had no bearing on the rest of the episode other than being annoying. Could have done without that. How about some more background on Q/Guinan to kick off the episode? Didn't realize she had some power to fend off Q...
This is one of the very important TNG episodes - the Borg are a terrific creation. Seeing the baby getting implants was...interesting.
I give this a strong 3.5 stars out of 4. Almost perfect episode.
Tue, May 16, 2017, 3:44pm (UTC -5)
Not that it adds anything to the episode, but I believe Gomez spilling the coffee on Picard while being eager to please is meant to be representative of the human race bungling through space, optimistically unaware that they're about to get burned by their own enthusiasm. Q's point, which Picard seems to not even compute by the end, is that humanity *actually isn't* prepared for everything that's out there, and that being too aggressive in expansion can have serious risks. It is probably factually the case that any number of things in the galaxy could wipe out the Federation, and that their positive attitude can't overcome all odds.
It's counterfactual since Q showed them the Borg here, but imagining that he hadn't, maybe the real first contact would have been when a Borg ship happened by Earth one day. The Borg may have been alerted to the Federation's presence earlier than it should have because of Q, but the Federation was made aware of them sooner too. Maybe the net effect was that Q saved the Federation, who knows.
Tue, May 16, 2017, 3:56pm (UTC -5)
I also found the plot detail about the destroyed Romulan and Federation bases curious. If the Borg already assimilated a Federation base, wouldn't that mean they already knew about earth and the Federation before Q Who?
Wed, May 24, 2017, 10:17pm (UTC -5)
Yes, I can see your point about Gomez and spilling coffee on Picard -- I guess I didn't make that connection with it being sort of a microcosm of the broader theme of this terrific episode. However, Picard doesn't react like the Borg did toward the Enterprise (fortunately for Gomez!) I just thought the Gomez part dragged on too long and the Guinan/Q/Borg backstory could have used that airtime.
No doubt introducing Q into TNG gives the writers the ability to create some interesting situations for Picard & Co., given Q's incredible powers. But I still think the best episodes come about where there is no "waving of a magic wand" and it's just dealing with the situation in the "normal" paradigm of Trek sci-fi.
Wed, May 24, 2017, 11:33pm (UTC -5)
I think the question of why the Borg were interested in the Federation is a decent one, but perhaps one best left to the imagination rather than somehow to be found in series lore. I could suggest a few scenarios, with the proviso that they are all products of my imagination and have no basis in fact:
-The Federation was in some way more advanced than most races out there, and had something or other the Borg wanted to assimilate. (this would be later contradicted in Voyager, but for the purposes of "Q Who" that's not really relevant. I think Voyager jumped the shark big-time in making any kind of sense of what the Borg do in the Delta Quadrant, which should properly have been a massive warzone and interstellar graveyard).
-The Borg had access to some weird information, maybe even from the future, telling them the Federation would eventually be a threat to them.
-The Borg remembered the probe they repaired which went back to Earth (V'Ger) and when they came in contact with the Enterprise realized that for some reason the probe didn't destroy the Earth, and wanted to know why. Note that this is real fan-fiction stuff, since the Borg being the race that repaired the probe is two steps separated from canon, since it was only an idea Gene had that never materialized.
-Maybe Q whisking the Enterprise away is what made the Borg antsy, since how could they possibly know it was Q that rescued them at the end? They probably thought that in scanning the ship they failed to note some crazy advanced gadget that could hurl the Enteprise across the galaxy. No kidding they wanted to ransack Earth to find it! If this is the right answer then Q actually instigated the confrontation, which maybe made the Federation take a bit more seriously developing weapons of war like the Defiant. I think (in hindsight) we could say that while losing 39 ships sucks, without those advances (and the Defiant) the Federation wouldn't have beaten the Dominion.
Yeah, that's all I got for now. As to your second question, it is undoubtedly a plot hole. "The Neutral Zone" made is clear the Borg had already learned about them, but that point was utterly forgotten. I think back then the "Conspiracy" aliens were meant to be the threat that took out some colonies, and once they decided to switch it to a cyborg race they scrapped whatever continuity had come before and started over.
@ Rahul,
I agree with you that the Gomez parts don't amount to much more than being tedious, despite the attempt to show the episode message though them. But about Q and the magic wand ending, I think the main takeaway to me is that Picard was forced into a situation where he had to admit he was helpless and they needed Q. The issue of Q himself isn't so much the point but rather that up until that point in the series the crew was pretty darn cocky and needed to be put in their place. For an atheistic Starfleet captain to be reduced to basically saying "God help us!" is a statement to the effect that no matter how advanced your technology is, there's always a bigger fish as Qui-Gon said, so don't let the size of your phasors make you think you're all that. The quality of the race should be in its enlightenment, not in its technology, and that theme bookends the series in the pilot and the finale. "Q Who" seems to underline that theme by showing them that they still have a lot of learning to do.
Thu, May 25, 2017, 6:17am (UTC -5)
I was watching Peak Performance yesterday and the part where Data notes the Zackdorn were renowned in the galaxy as master strategists for FIVE THOUSAND years. So basically they were intergalactic celebrities at a time when earth was still marvelling the wonder of agrigulture and written language. And yet these guys are just some aliens that belongs to a Federation run by humans from Earth...
Even in Encounter at Farpoint (and certainly in subsequent episodes like Hide and Q) we get this sense that the Gods themselves must be weary of mighty mankind.
Q Who is the first episode to my mind that really takes seriously the idea that man is not the centre of the universe. Even previous episodes (like EAF) which SAY this never quite SHOW it or convince us that the story really believes it. Part of this is just due to the conventions of TV at the time and maybe part of it is due to Rodenberry's influence? I can't rightly say.
Thu, May 25, 2017, 9:09am (UTC -5)
It's definitely a premise in Trek that there is some sort of manifest destiny for the humans/Federation. They're not just another of infinite random species. There is something definitively American about that premise, I think.
Sat, Jun 10, 2017, 2:25am (UTC -5)
{ I was watching Peak Performance yesterday and the part where Data notes the Zackdorn were renowned in the galaxy as master strategists for FIVE THOUSAND years. So basically they were intergalactic celebrities at a time when earth was still marvelling the wonder of agrigulture and written language. And yet these guys are just some aliens that belongs to a Federation run by humans from Earth... }
It's really Worf who shines there. First he (possibly correctly) calls out the Zakdorns by saying that maybe they are just coasting on reputation - a reputation which has kept people from challenging them. Then it's his genius that saves the day, not the humans'
Sun, Jul 30, 2017, 5:54pm (UTC -5)
When the Enterprise was catapulted 2000 light years. I could viscerally feel the sense of isolation. It also felt that the crew had genuinely been thrown into the Unknown--in a way Voyager, who was in a similiar situation, didn't do nearly as well as was done here. There was a genuine sense of awe and wonder to the proceedings
The Borg were another fantastic idea featured. The idea of a race which functioned as a whole with no emotion and no leader characterized as a force of nature with none of the common human motives--a truly alien race--something we should have seen more of and I was hoping for when Voyager was first announced would be set in the unexplored Demta Quadrant. And the Borg's superior knowledge and technology that overpowered the Enterprise--a true genuine terrifying threat . I loved their alien design and the background actors used for the Borg did a really great job looking truly androgynous. The Borg cube design was so iconic and atypical. I loved the Borg nursery I loved the neat idea of literally thinking their ship fixed and seeing it repairing itself.
Q could be hit or miss but here he was out to good use. Q would definitely lash out when his request to become a part of the crew is rejected by Picard. I also enjoyed the introduction of a secret mysterious history between Q and Guinan. It was an intriguing added wrinkle that made the story all that great. A willingness by Mauruce Hurley to go that extra mile and is a clever story detail and shows Maurice's skills as a writer and was one of TNG's best writers.
By the same token bringing Guinan in as a consultant and revealing her species history with the Borg was a smart way to provide information on the Borg. And the episode further adds to Guinan's mysterious abilities from her defensive stance when it appears Q is about to act against her or her gut instinct something amiss when Picard first disappears
The episode also featured some of the most sophisticated and descriptive dialog--pretty much everything out of Q's mouth throughout the episode
I loved to pieces seeing some action and battle sequences on TNG. And the carving up of the enterprise. I also loved when the first Borg beamed to Engineering and began accessing the ship systems--Picard approaches the Borg but his requests fall on deaf ears, the drone continues his probing with that cold stare. I much preferred this depiction of the Borg with each drone a true threat with the collective intelligence visible in their stare rather than post First Contact with the drones behaving like mindless servants acting on commands from a Borg Queen, lumbering around. I also preferred the idea here that the Borg were an actual species with offspring that they augment with technology and that the Collective is a composer of "born" Borg as well as assimilated species
The music was great especially the music accompanying the first pan out from the away team aboard the cube to the massive interior of the borg vessel.
And you can't beat the Picard/Guinan conversation in the final scene with the realization that now that the Borg are aware of the Federation then the Borg will be coming. Terrifying
Sun, Jul 30, 2017, 6:08pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Oct 20, 2017, 3:26am (UTC -5)
Guinan putting it out there, almost shy. "Since they are aware of your existence..."
Picard's hesitation in moving the pawn, the sudden realisation of an awful truth. "...they will be coming."
"You can bet on it."
Picard taking it in for a moment and seamingly hiding nervousness standing up from of his seat.
Oh yeah, space will never be the same again.
Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 7:12am (UTC -5)
That said, this is the amazing and breathtakingly scary introduction to the greatest sci-fi enemy of all time.
Fri, Mar 16, 2018, 7:41am (UTC -5)
btw, what is Riker doing in that scene? He's leaning so steeply over the bar and looking unwaveringly into her eyes. Is he trying to seduce her? LOL!
Sun, Mar 18, 2018, 7:57pm (UTC -5)
I liked even better than I remembered. Excellent direction. Q at his best. Great script and lines for Q and Picard. Yeah, the Sonya Gomez thing could have been better, but still, a Next Gen classic.
The episode that introduces the Borg has to be!
Mon, Mar 19, 2018, 7:33am (UTC -5)
Mon, Mar 19, 2018, 6:13pm (UTC -5)
Yes, the whole Borg thing was reduced to banality by Voyager and its familiarity breeds boredom, yea even unto the point of a Borg Brady Bunch, but that only strengthens the solemnity and impact of this debut performance.
Speaking of the score, I particularly liked the moments where complete silence was employed whilst contemplating the Borg Cube (which BTW has to rank as one of the most audacious and iconic spacecraft deaigns since Disovery in 2001).
So much has been said, I can't find much to add, except that if there is one little moment that doesn t work for me, it,s when Guinan faces off against Q, with her fingers poised like cats claws. It looked really corny. I half expected lightning to suddenly shoot out of her fingers. Were we supposed to believe that she has some powers which would have serioualy threatened Q? It's implied here, but I don't remember it being taken up again; at least not in 'wizard battle' sort of way.
But it's a minor thing, and I admit that Guinan is capable of periodically annoying me a little.
Fri, May 25, 2018, 2:50am (UTC -5)
Dr. Who introduced a species more terrifying than the Borg called Weeping Angels. That first episode for me is probably the single greatest scifi horror writing for a tv show. But as far as scifi series go, STTNG has never been matched after The Borg came on the scene.
Fri, Nov 30, 2018, 6:49pm (UTC -5)
SONYA: Hot chocolate, please.
GEORDI: We don't ordinarily say please to food dispensers around here.
SONYA: Who gives a shit!
COMPUTER: *ptooey!* your coffee is ready, Geordi
GEORDI: not-thanx a lot, computer. []-)
Poor Geordi. My clumsiness with girls is not so "spectacular" :-P
Mon, Feb 4, 2019, 3:46pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Feb 8, 2019, 6:24pm (UTC -5)
Q: "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."
I've used this line or variations of it in a number of instances. Often as self-motivation.
Whenever I get into a rut where things seem harder than usual, or life feels particularly unfair, I like to use this quote as a reminder that life as an adult isn't always fair. It's not easy. It's not safe. And it's not supposed to be.
Q is being brash in his normally abrasive way, but he isn't just being a jerk. He poetically acknowledges the
Life IS, as Q says, "Wondrous!" And there are many great treasures out there in the world to be found and explored and enjoyed in life. But it is not for the timid. There will be setbacks in life. There will be pitfalls. There will be completely unfair times where you are going along happily minding your own business--and then suddenly, out of nowhere, Q/Life will just throw you into a dangerous encounter you weren't ready for, for absolutely no reason. But that is how the world goes sometimes. And if you can't handle a little bloody nose from time to time and you only want to stay where it's safe, you will never be able to experience or enjoy all the great treasures that can only be experienced if you come out from underneath the covers and expose yourself to the potential for being hurt.
This is peak Trek for me....a great episode with a fun and engaging story, thought-provoking characters, and it culminates with a line that provides an immutable rule of thumb for life itself--struggle and sacrifice are necessary parts of the journey of existence, but the rewards are worth it.
Fri, Feb 8, 2019, 7:02pm (UTC -5)
There's also an old TOS novel called "The Disinherited" that was one of my favourites as a kid. There's a scene where Kirk gives a similar speech to some colonists who've just been brutally attacked:
---
"We should move somplace safer!"
"There is no safe place."
The last statement came not from any of the colonists but from Kirk. "Nowhere is safe," he said again, more quietly but with no less conviction.
One of the colonists - a short, belligerent-looking man - stepped forward. "Starfleet is supposed to make it safe!" he said.
"Starfleet makes it safer," said Kirk. "But to live is to face hazards every day. If you want utter safety, climb into a sensory deprivation capsule and live your life cut off from humanity - and even then, a building could fall on you or a groundquake could open up under you and swallow you. Or an undetected blood clot could cause you to drop dead on the spot, with no warning, at any time. The only safety in life is death."
---
Trek taught me a lot of life lessons as a kid. This kind of message was one of them. The future is unknown, life is uncertain, and all you can do is put your best foot forward, keep your chin up and roll with the punches.
Tue, Mar 12, 2019, 7:59pm (UTC -5)
This was a good intro to the Borg. I usually don't enjoy Q episodes but this one wasn't so bad.
A couple of nitpicks: Picard telling the Borg to stop using the computers like he is addressing a naughty child. Seriously a being beams into your ship and you let them have access? wouldn't they have tactics and policies for encountering new life forms and what activities would not be allowed?
second nitpick was about Riker and his response to the first Borg attack. He seemed a little too cavalier in commenting on them slicing open the Saucer section.
Tue, Jun 4, 2019, 5:28pm (UTC -5)
The naivety of Picard & co. upon seeing the first Borg drone examining their systems in engineering is shocking in retrospect knowing what we know of the Borg now. But it is entirely in keeping with the innocent, green, and somewhat smug nature the crew had at this point in their adventures. It takes forever for Worf to use deadly force with his phaser on the 1st Borg drone invader.
A couple of nitpicks jumped out at me though: Just prior to the first Borg beaming aboard the Enterprise into engineering where Geordi first spots him, Riker had ordered the shields to be raised. So are the Borg able to transport thru shields?
Also, the ship reaches warp 9.65 even with force fields holding its hull integrity after the Borg cut out a section of the saucer. Technically, I don't think this should be possible but we can suspend disbelief. The story would have still worked if the ship could only reach full impulse, for example. They're still totally overmatched and would have to beg Q to save them.
I still feel the "Selena" Gomez parts are a bit of a drawback on the episode but as has been discussed before -- she is a microcosm (innocence, curiosity, eagerness, complacency) of the Enterprise. I think it's been said by some others that she should have been 1 of the 18 to die -- I agree that that would be more impactful. Now we just kind of wonder what becomes of her.
The first two acts of this episode are ordinary at best, but once it gets going it's riveting. A top-10 TNG episode.
Tue, Jun 4, 2019, 7:49pm (UTC -5)
"Also, the ship reaches warp 9.65 even with force fields holding its hull integrity after the Borg cut out a section of the saucer. Technically, I don't think this should be possible but we can suspend disbelief."
Why not? From what I understand, warp doesn't propel the ship any faster it just changes the space around it. So it's really no different from impulse in terms of whatever forces would be acting on it. And since there is no friction in space a hull breach shouldn't make any difference unless it affects the integrity of the structure connecting the engines.
Tue, Jun 4, 2019, 8:40pm (UTC -5)
I think you still need considerable propulsion forces to accelerate the ship and then create the warp subspace field which then shifts space/time around it. My thinking is the inertial dampers might not or should not work if hull integrity is relying on force fields during the propulsion.
So I guess I should correct myself and say that the acceleration/propulsion should be iffy with force fields holding the hull together. But I get what you're saying about hull integrity not being affected by being at warp -- it's just getting to warp [or full impulse] that I'd take issue with.
Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 10:25am (UTC -5)
I got the sense that maybe Guinan is somehow capable of thwarting Q (at least if he does something directly to her, she can't seem to stop him from sending the ship vast distances away), but doesn't have any active powers similar to his. But yeah it was weird how they introduced that and then never developed it.
Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 11:08am (UTC -5)
Q's description of Guinan was reminiscent of Kevin Uxbridge's description of himself. Another Douwd?
Mon, Jun 17, 2019, 11:14am (UTC -5)
Mon, Sep 2, 2019, 9:57pm (UTC -5)
--Ensign Sonja, Q -- everyone wants to serve on The Enterprise.
--I like the Guinan connection stuff.
--"You're not prepared for what awaits you," says Q. OH. Oh, oh, oh. I'd forgotten what this was all about. Oh, oh, oh, oh.
--Oh, oh, oh, oh - the Cube. Lord. So very disturbing. "They're called The Borg. Protect yourself, Captain, or they'll destroy you," says Guinan.
--Nicely done. So eerie. Love Whoopi.
--The Borg is truly the best ST enemy ever. Nothing they came up with on Voyager or DS9 or Enterprise really compares. They all had some good stuff. But wow.
--Q saves the day and they're back where they started.
--The introduction of The Borg. A classic.
-Really got lost in the story on this one - a good thing. I've got little comment on parallels being drawn or this week's theme - though The Borg is certainly a fantastical and wonderful culmination of all the "what is life, are androids alive, individual identity vs the need for community" stuff we've seen all Season.
So we've been prepped, yet we are not prepared. And here we are now: Face to face with this abomination, this unholy, absolutely literal combination of the biological and mechanical, the individual and the collective. Only all has been subverted, distorted - the biological made secondary to the mechanical, the individual made slave to the collective.
Hang on humanity, and buckle up Trekeroonies: We're in for a bumpy ride.
Tue, Sep 3, 2019, 11:34am (UTC -5)
I agree that the Borg probably the most implacable foe of the TNG era, and for the most part, they're the most difficult villain for Federation values to handle. They work similarly to Federation in that they're comprised of a unique mixture of different intelligent species. Yet unlike the Federation, they don't grow by learning from others - they grow by conquering and acquiring. The Borg's really a society that works in complete antithesis to the Trek mantra, with humanism being thrown out the window in favor of authoritarian and single-minded purpose. That the Borg even work so well as a society might be hinted at in Trek as early as TOS's "Patterns of Force" where Nazism was chosen as a form of government because it ostensibly was the most efficient way for a torn people to unite and be productive.
I think this week's theme is supposed to be indictment of the series as we knew it to this point. Prior to this episode, Gene's TNG ideals baked into season 1 gave us the impression that the Enterprise could do *anything*, that humanity's flaws had largely been surpassed, and they may be on their way to transcending existence, similar to the Q. 'Q Who" puts the brakes on that naïve idealism to a degree. Sure, humanity has accomplished much and is very powerful in the 24th century, but without accepting help from even scoundrels like Q who in some ways know the universe better, humanity may be overwhelmed by the very forces it looks to explore.
Tue, Sep 3, 2019, 12:00pm (UTC -5)
Another thing I think this episode touches on is the need for Starfleet to stop pretending it's on a purely peaceful mission. We don't hear word about it all the time, but Starfleet obviously begins making defensive plans for the Borg immediately after this and ramping up its military capabilities to some extent.
SPOILERS
Although it wasn't in the heads of the creators this early in the franchise, obviously it was very important for Starfleet to have been ready for the Borg because otherwise they would have been totally hammered by the Dominion later on.
Thu, Sep 5, 2019, 3:48pm (UTC -5)
When it comes to Sonja, agree she's a stand in for humanity, as Picard is. I think her first encounter with Picard somewhat parallels Picard's with the Borg. She thought she was totally prepared, but she wasn't. She screws up her first encounter, Geordi (sorta) comes to the rescue, etc.
I think there's some suggestion, too, that like Geordi with Sonja, Q doesn't randomly choose Picard for his little visits.
There's a bunch of references to experience vs first time . . . Q knows Guinan, it's Guinan's first time to call the bridge and such.
I always wonder about the ep title, though I'm not sure where to go with this one. There's no question mark in Q Who, but tacklin and identifying the unknown is a big part of the ep.
"Who" as a last name makes me think of the Whos in Whoville, thinking they're the whole Universe when they're really just a speck. But if they were going for that, you'd think there'd be another reference or two, sneaking in.
Other thoughts but a five year old is tugging at me. Onward to the next ep.
Thu, Sep 5, 2019, 4:41pm (UTC -5)
1) It's some kind of reference to Dr. Who, except instead of a doctor helping humanity it's Q-Who. This may be a bit of a stretch since I'm not sure how on the radar for Americans Dr. Who was in the late 80's.
2) It's some kind of play on the phrase "yoo-hoo", as in trying to get someone's attention playfully. In this case, it would be saying 'yoo-hoo' to the Borg as if to pique their interest in a Q-esque sort of playful way that turns into a nightmare for the Enterprise. Or maybe it's even Q saying 'yoo-hoo' to Picard, as if to say "we beings that are far beyond you are out here and you're not ready".
I dunno if either of these holds water.
Thu, Sep 5, 2019, 6:10pm (UTC -5)
It plays into Q's claim to want to join the crew, which is the setup for his little demonstration. A total role reversal, but one that is a disguise for something more interesting.
And let's be frank - Q's role fundamentally changes in this episode. After Q Who he is a very different character from what we knew before (I'll just ignore Q Pid here)
One thing though that is weird about the continuity that always bugged me is that Q Who takes place *before* Deja Q yet the crew asks him if he has been kicked out by the continuum again?! Totally weird.
This episode feels like it should be after Q Pid. Indeed imagine how cool it would have been if throwing the Enterprise into Borg space was him paying his debt to Picard? Now that would have been neat. Again I am just going to edit Q Pid 9ut of my head canon on this.
Thu, Sep 5, 2019, 6:11pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Sep 6, 2019, 8:24am (UTC -5)
Jason wrote:
“One thing though that is weird about the continuity that always bugged me is that Q Who takes place *before* Deja Q yet the crew asks him if he has been kicked out by the continuum again?! Totally weird.”
Yes, this was a bit confusing and read as a straight chain of events it feels like a plot hole. I suppose the correct way to interpret Deja Q is that offscreen Q was toying with species like those light beings which got him in even more serious trouble. And in that case, we could just say the events of Hide and Q put him on probation.
Fri, Sep 6, 2019, 9:38am (UTC -5)
Sat, Sep 7, 2019, 6:32am (UTC -5)
ON Q'S HELPFULNESS:
I think he's like the parent who decides to help a kid learn to swim by throwing him into the deep-end.
But he's an impatient, sub-optimal parent with a sadistic streak: Sure, really wants to teach the kid a lesson, and sure he really is watching closely and he's not going to let the kid drown. But he deliberately picks this drastic method, and even taunts the kid and even lets him go down a third time. Why? Because he's got issues, and he genuinely enjoys watching the kid struggle. He takes glee in it, and his immaturity and lack of empathy means he has no patience or motivation for using kinder but slower methods.
There's some Q in Kyle Riker.
Sat, Sep 7, 2019, 8:26am (UTC -5)
I assume, prior to S1, Q (only DeLancie Q will be referred to as Q here) was already on thin ice with the Q Continuum. Presumably, he's been mucking with races and shirking his Q duties (Quties?) or whatever. However, at Encounter at Farpoint, I assume he was under the direction of the QC, at least to some extent. They had become interested in humanity recently (conveniently ignoring Quinn being involved in humanity and Amanda's parents becoming human and the fact that the QC had become uber boring with nothing new under the sun, but there just ain't no way to close all the plotholes), and so sent Q to test them. Maybe they weren't THAT interested, and thus thought this was a "minor" job that they could trust the delinQuent person to do as a way of Q getting back into the QC's good graces.
But Q had a lot of freedom in this job, and I'd say he did it poorly, mainly due to his dismissive attitude toward humans (which coincides with his role as a "tormentor"). It seemed Q made up the Farpoint Station test on the spot, and even afterwards lamented that it was too easy (indeed, compared to the temporal paradox in AGT, that plot did seem kinda beneath the Q...). I think it's safe to that, at this time, Q didn't care at all about humanity.
("'At this time'? How little do you mortals understand time. Must you be so linear, Skeptical?" Shut up Q! The idea of an immortal, omnipotent, omniscient being having a story arc over 7 years is already kinda dumb, but it happened so we have to use linear time to deal with it!)
But, perhaps because he was bested, it did spark an interest. I wouldn't say he fell in love with humans at this point; perhaps he was just frustrated and wanted a second round. So Hide and Q happened, where he again tested humanity, or Riker in this case. I imagine this was NOT at the behest of the QC, and they may not have known about it at first. But he also made a bet with Picard about the outcome of his test, and he lost that one too. But when the time came, he refused to honor his side of the bargain (leave humanity alone forever), and IIRC it was the QC that forcefully removed him.
I imagine, at some point around here, the QC started coming down in judgement against Q. Like I said, he was on thin ice beforehand, but the ice is now cracking. Maybe it was botching the first trial of humanity, maybe it was intervening with humanity a second time in unauthorized ways despite humanity still being "on trial" (particularly with a bet that the Q would avoid humanity forever, which the QC had no intention of holding up), or perhaps it had nothing to do with humanity at all. Either way, Q was kicked out of the QC, and perhaps it wasn't the first time. He was presumably a troublemaker for quite a while. So I don't think it's a mistake in the script here. Guinan correctly noted that Q was in trouble again.
But in any case, Q is starting to show his interest in humanity now. But enough to help them? I don't think so. He's bored, listless, and decides to go hang out with the strange people that bested him twice and he's not sure why. Perhaps, at this point, he's now curious about them. But Picard outright rejects him. And rejects him by saying they don't need him.
"In your own paltry, limited way, you have no idea how far you still have to go."
That quote from AGT was even more true in S2 of TNG. And maybe now Q is just frustrated. Humans obviously have some potential, they outsmarted him twice. But Picard was just so overly arrogant and smug. Q knew the QC was interested in seeing just where humanity would go, but thanks to their arrogance at this point they weren't going to go anywhere. You can't learn something if you already think you know everything. And while Q is not an agent of the QC anymore, he can't help but be annoyed at the smugness going on here and wanted to push Picard down a peg or so.
So no, I DON'T think that QWho is part of the grand scheme of Q, or that it was his subtle way of pushing humanity along. I do think it worked out in that way, that Picard and company did learn their lesson. And I do think Q was happy they learned their lesson, but not necessarily to prepare them for AGT or whatever, or even to prepare them for BoBW. He was just happy that HIS point, that humanity was still kinda dumb, was proven for once.
It's not until later, perhaps after the events of Deja Q, that Q actually becomes humanity's advocate. He treated Picard with kid gloves during True Q when humanity was tangentially in the way of QC business (being willing to take Picard's advice on how to approach Amanda, etc), and he helped Picard out in Tapestry (my personal theory is that it was less about Picard learning his lesson regarding the stabbing, and more about subtly expanding Picard's understanding of cause and effect in preparation for AGT, and of course he acted as Picard's aide in AGT. It wasn't there from the beginning, but Q sort of grew attached to humanity throughout the course of TNG, rather than just having different ways of showing it.
Or, in TLDR format:
EF: Q completely dismissive of humanity, but on QC business
HQ: Q wounded and angry at humanity for beating him, not on QC business
QW: Q curious about yet frustrated at humanity, not on QC business
DQ: Q coming to acceptance of humanity, gaining empathy with humanity
TQ: Q chummy with humanity while on QC business
Tapestry: Q secretly prepping humanity for the upcoming QC trial
AGT: Q secretly aiding humanity while on QC business
Thu, Oct 10, 2019, 1:40pm (UTC -5)
There are however a number of discordant points.
The introduction of Sonia Gomez was amusing but played no subsequent part in the story. I really don't think her presence was allegorical; it's not the Trek way, their social messages are pretty 'in-yourface' rather than allusive allegories more appropriate to a Tudor period portrait. It might have carried more punch if she'd been one of the 18 lost in the incident, but actually I saw she was engaged for three stories and dropped after two.
Guinan's prior relationship with Q was hinted at but sadly, never picked up which makes you wonder why the scene was there at all. Her odd defensive stance makes it seem more like a Harry potter type battle. Even more strange, Guinan knew all about the Borg but despite her close relationship with Picard, never saw fit to mention them or give the Federation a heads-up on them!
If Q hadn't taken the trouble, The Fed would have had no warning of them at all. Two years journey sounds a lot, but to a collective bent upon adding new species to their flock, it's nothing. If we could send a ship to the next star on a four years round journey, there would have been no shortage of volunteers and it would have been long accomplished.
Q always seems to me overall a beneficial entity, but the attitude of the Enterprise (and later Voyager) is quite unbelievable. Despite his incredible powers, he is always treated with undisguised contempt. Is that wise? Quite apart from the benefits he could confer (and which are almost always pointlessly spurned by the needy beneficiaries), he is one of the few beings (like the Dawd) with the power to annihilate at will. Remember what Kevin did to the Husnock? Presumably Q could do the same, so why not take the trouble to show a little respect? (It's pretty worrying to discover that teenage Q are no better than human teenagers....bye bye, world?)
The trouble with beings with virtually infinite power is what to do with them. In trek, they never seem to have wisdom appropriate, despite the fact they presumably have a several billion years head start on us. There seem to be few other Organians...
Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 2:00am (UTC -5)
Nothing anyone does in this episode actually makes any sense. Picard sees that the Borg are apparently technologically superior but also apparently inferior in materials and tactics. Deanna says there is a communal mind but never mentions how that is a weakness they could take advantage of by creating dissent within the collective mind or making use of group think that would prevent the Borg from considering alternatives. The lack of shielding on the Borg cube before they had scanned the Enterprise or learned of its defensive capabilities was a grave tactical error which calls the threat of the Borg into question. Suppose Q had sent over Klingons or Romulans instead. They would have immediately destroyed the Cube while its shields were down and then taken home the technology to study as a prize. Or what if Picard had ordered the away team to place a bomb inside the cube as a backup plan in case the Borg cube wasn't actually disabled. Instead the Borg leave themselves completely vulnerable and only survive destruction because Picard makes just as many grievous tactical errors as the Borg.
Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 8:56am (UTC -5)
As for beaming over bombs to the borg ship - has a Federation captain ever done such a thing in a first contact scenario? Not exactly the Trek ethos...
Regarding Guinan, her failure to provide a more urgent warning is strange. The best explanation I can come up with is much like my original point - once they were there, they needed to learn their lesson. That wouldn't happen if they were convinced to hightail it and run at the outset.
Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 11:33am (UTC -5)
You have to look at it from the perspective of classic storytelling, and forget about such silly modern notions as 'plot holes'.
Take for example Picard's initial assertion that Starfleet is prepared for whatever is out there. This is admittedly out of character for Picard and outright silly. But it is nothing but an instance of Classical hamartia, the hero's 'tragic flaw', moving the plot forward and leading to catharsis as he is humbled by Q and learns his lesson: "I need you!"
We know Picard to be better than this. And therein lies the greatness of this episode. Facing Q and letting his animosity toward that entity get the better of him, Picard, our hero, errs. And it costs him eighteen of his crew to learn that. In other words, his over-confident initial stance is not a 'plot hole', it is a time-honoured plot device.
Star Trek is rife with such classic storytelling devices, which we must know to recognise in order to fully appreciate many of the stories told. Star Trek, more often than not, is not about 'realism': it is about archetypes, classic tropes, and ancient lessons. This was understood thirty years ago when this episode aired. The problem is that viewers these days have an exaggerated appetite for realism, all while they seem to have forgotten all about classic dramaturgy and apparently only know how to shout 'plot hole!'
Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 11:44am (UTC -5)
You are misquoting Picard.
What he says is:
"How can we be prepared for that which we do not know? But I do know we are ready to encounter it."
Picard never claimed to be *prepared*; he claimed they were *ready*.
In this context, giving Picard the full benefit of the doubt, I'd say that readiness suggests that whatever the dangers, mankind belongs out there, that the project of exploration is worthy and wise. It is a rebuke of Q's original assertion from EAF that mankind had gone too far and should retreat.
It is not an assertion of infallibility or a denial of certain risk, but simply the claim that exploration, whatever its risk, is worthwhile.
The encounter with the Borg in Q Who us the first time that assertion of readiness ever came into real question, possibly in the entire Trek canon. The Borg can't be reasoned with and they can't be tricked or defeated through conventional means. They cannot be overcome by the usual magical plot contrivances of a 45 minute episode. They are utterly implacable .
As I see it, until Q Who mankind was the Mary Sue of the galaxy even when encountering seemingly superior beings (like Q). Q Who was the first splash of cold water on that notion.
Until, sigh, Voyager.......
Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 12:17pm (UTC -5)
PICARD: Absolutely. That's why we are out here.
That is what causes Q's response: Picard's nonchalant 'absolute' certainty. For it is (to be blunt) sheer nonsense: Starfleet could of course never be 'ready to encounter' all things, and Picard should have known this. So in the end, while I appreciate the difference between being 'prepared' and being 'ready' that you mention, it is largely academic, and beside the point. Other than that, you are obviously right.
Mon, Nov 18, 2019, 12:34pm (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 24, 2020, 9:32pm (UTC -5)
As to her powers and what they might mean, again, I didn't think much of it, but this quote popped into my mind. "They're called The Borg. Protect yourself, Captain, or they'll destroy you." The choice of "protect YOURSELF," and "or they'll destroy YOU," is very telling dialog. She's not concerned for her own well-being, because she has the power to escape. She's acting like an observer more than a participant, not unlike her time in 19th century San Francisco.
Now, that does raise the question, if she's so powerful and unconcerned, then what of the rest of her species that was wiped out or assimilated? Why couldn't they elude the Borg? Maybe she's a more evolved individual, or what she says of her history isn't entirely true, or she's learned how to protect herself in the last few centuries, or something else. Either way, the backstory here is quite intriguing.
Fri, May 1, 2020, 6:31am (UTC -5)
Did the whole planet say "Yep, in!"
I can't help but think the first race The Borg assimilated against it's will was it's own.
Fri, May 1, 2020, 7:14am (UTC -5)
Thu, Nov 5, 2020, 12:04am (UTC -5)
Although heck, if Guinan doesn't move in linear time, she could appear on Discovery. Q too. But since Guinan is so closely associated with Jean-Luc, it makes more organic sense to have her there, and less like fan service. Again, Q too.
Re: The Neutral Zone colonies that were 'scooped off' (both Federation and Romulan), we just have to accept that the Borg knew about at least two Alpha Quadrant powers, and didn't consider their assimilation a priority until Q tossed them into the DQ and then whisked them away. I'm okay with this.
One could say it's Early Installment Weirdness, but then would have to add Late Installment Weirdness into the mix because of First Contact's events, Seven's family debacle in Voyager, and "Regeneration" in Enterprise, all of which are earlier in the timeline than The Neutral Zone.
So I'm going with 'Not worth a full scale invasion' until Q made it appear the Federation had something very advanced the Borg wanted.
Remember that the Borg had no interest in the Kazon. (But really, who did?) I always find that interesting. Why detract from perfection, as Seven would say? I assume they'd be uninterested in the Packleds too.
So...maybe the best defense against the Borg is to be entirely unremarkable.
Thu, Dec 24, 2020, 5:45pm (UTC -5)
One of the great episodes, to be sure, but—
Prime Directive?
One episode of many that shows Starfleet’s hypocrisy. No, no, we can’t give technology to primitive races, because it will screw them up. There is a lot of sense to that.
But when the shoe is on the other foot? “Hello, godlike figure, tell us EVERYTHING!!!!”
Tue, Mar 2, 2021, 1:18pm (UTC -5)
Well as an audiance we can only be happy that he did not listen otherwis we wouldn't have hat so many Borg encounters.
Q then? I find him as irritating as Picard does. I must admit that his accting is excellent and mostly funny but to me his character really doesn't have a place in star trek.
Wed, Mar 3, 2021, 4:14pm (UTC -5)
This one is as good as it gets because it introduces the Borg and it finally feels like we're starting to hit our stride. Soon we'll be in all the good episodes when Klingon episodes and time travel episodes were fun and interesting and not tedious.
Also, Ensign Gomez is a goddamn smokeshow. The little hint of rasp to her voice makes me want to have private holodeck time.
Too bad they made her a joke. I cannot stand how the writers of this show can't seem to give us a character who is nuanced. Instead we end up with Gomez babbling inanely and spilling coffee on her captain or Lt. Barclay who suffers from so much nervousness I'm pretty sure he has a routine built to transport the diarrhea out of his pants every time he makes eye contact with a superior officer.
Imagine giving this actress a character who is new on the Enterprise and who has flaws and strengths that aren't shown to us in such an over-the-top fashion. Show us that she's someone who deserves to be on the FLAGSHIP of Starfleet don't give us some terrible trope of the airheaded chick who won't shut up.
Yeah, I'm mad, I could listen to her talk all day and just wish the actress had been given this character. I can't remember her story maybe she's redeemed later.
Wed, Mar 3, 2021, 4:26pm (UTC -5)
FYI: Lycia Naff (Sonya Gomez) played a very memorable character in Total Recall (1990).
Sun, Mar 21, 2021, 3:24pm (UTC -5)
I think they finally got it right with Ro.
Fri, May 7, 2021, 3:55pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Jul 14, 2021, 2:09am (UTC -5)
Q’s dialogue with Picard is unwaveringly good, and Guinan’s role is brilliant support to the development of the story. The best touch is the introduction of the neurotically driven ensign Sonia Gomez who initially provides a comic touch (you think the episode is going somewhere else), then is absorbed into the crew in a most un-Borglike way.
There’s little more to add. 4 stars.
Wed, Jul 14, 2021, 2:53am (UTC -5)
@Lado
I also can’t stand either Q or Troi’s mother. However, the dialogue given to John de Lancie is usually top notch, and his acting is equally so. And in this episode he really shines. Having said that, we didn’t actually need Q for an encounter with the Borg, though it’s difficult to imagine how the ship would have escaped without him.
I noticed that there is no mention of assimilation in this episode - the Borg are regarded as a separate species rather than a collective of absorbed species as we clearly got by the time of BOBW, and later in Voyager’s Seven Of Nine.
I agree with the reviewers who pointed out that Q destroys the smugly arrogant perfection of the Roddenberry universe so even though he is an un-Treklike imp, he does fulfill a very useful role. Less mysterious and nebulous compared to the Traveller perhaps, but a good counterbalance to the “humanity has eliminated all negative traits” thing which gets SO irritating!
Wed, Jul 14, 2021, 3:33pm (UTC -5)
That's a great point and one that must be remembered going into BOBW. The crew had no idea assimilation was a thing at first, nor did they know that the assimilated individual's knowledge and experiences would be folded into the Borg collective consciousness. That makes Locutus' statement "The knowledge and experience of the human Picard is part of us now. It has prepared us for all possible courses of action. Your resistance is hopeless, Number One." all the more chilling since for all they knew, the Borg had only taken Picard's body, not his mind.
Tue, Jul 27, 2021, 2:41am (UTC -5)
And that resolution also serves quite well to make the the potential Borg threat even more terrifying. It's clear that Q won't be around to save their ass next time.
@Daniel Blumentritt
Q's "oh please" line isn't loved as much as it makes it clear that despite Q's prior shenanigans, this encounter is quite bloody real.
And Q was absolutely right, the Enterprise and Starfleet at large ARE smug and arrogant.
In a broader sense, Q likely was giving Starfleet a heads up, because, as referenced in this very episode, the Borg have already staged incursions deep in/near the Federation.
Tue, Jul 27, 2021, 2:21pm (UTC -5)
It could be that they didn't have anything for her to do at the time. Other than being very pretty and rambling to Geordi, she's only barely helping him. Watch later in the episode and she's just standing around staring at the warp core.
It's possible the character was in some way a casualty of the 1989 writer strike.
I really liked Guinan wandering around looking worried, and didn't blatantly lay out her worries. For whatever reason, she holds her cards quite close and reveals very little.
I also liked the use of Troi here when she comes to the bridge and asks where Picard is. For some reason (perhaps just her empathy) she's aware Picard is missing, but I like the economy of story here by not going into why.
Why doesn't Guinan tell Picard or Starfleet about the Borg? It's not specified, but she may well be worried that doing so would simply make Starfleet extremely curious of the Borg and that it would trigger a disastrous encounter, more or less like this. It's likely true considering Picard immediately dismisses her advice and they go exploring. Later, he again ignores her advice to explore the ship with an away team.
"Q Who", a possible unique reference to Doctor Who? Maybe. Doctor Who was widely shown on PBS stations. As a teenager in the south, I watched it and even went to a Doctor Who convention (with Tom Baker and Colin Baker) around 1985 or so. Certainly the TNG producers and writers would be aware of it.
Q actually does behave a lot like a Doctor in this episode, albeit far more aggressively and overtly and of course with substantially more powers.
Tue, Jul 27, 2021, 2:25pm (UTC -5)
One nitpick for me- Gomez goes on and about still seeing the faces of the 18 killed. But she just got assigned to the ship. Had she even met them? That line just seemed off.
Tue, Jul 27, 2021, 5:50pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jul 27, 2021, 6:06pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Jul 27, 2021, 6:57pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Jul 29, 2021, 8:28pm (UTC -5)
"btw, what is Riker doing in that scene? He's leaning so steeply over the bar and looking unwaveringly into her eyes."
I think it was just for cinematography reasons. Jonathan Frakes is 5 inches taller than Patrick Stewart and it's a tight shot. If Frakes weren't leaning over, much of his head wouldn't be in shot.
I was watching a season one (IIRC) episode and at one point, Geordi and Riker stand facing each other, and it's almost comical because Burton is 8 inches shorter than Frakes. I think they rarely used them both in the same shot like that later on for this reason.
Fri, Jul 30, 2021, 5:01pm (UTC -5)
So on the one hand Q (and the episode) is teaching us that the Federation is *so* not ready for what's out there. But Riker on the other hand, to Guinan's shock, seems *completely* ready to encounter it on his terms, no matter how overwhelming it is. So whereas Q is claiming the human's arrogance is a danger to them, in fact Riker's arrogance (later showing big in BoBW) is the only reason they learn as much as they do and have any chance at all against them.
Sun, Dec 5, 2021, 6:58am (UTC -5)
Gomez as "a proto-Barclay" ; perceptive, wish that her character had been retained. The coffee scene still resonates. The actresses comedic talent is evident, although it got squelched by the Borg disaster.
A similar thing happened with a female character named Kaplan in Voyager....introduced, used in a few episodes, then dispatched.
Tue, Mar 15, 2022, 7:26pm (UTC -5)
Wed, May 18, 2022, 9:02pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Jun 18, 2022, 3:21am (UTC -5)
Sun, Nov 20, 2022, 11:04am (UTC -5)
Wed, Dec 14, 2022, 4:27am (UTC -5)
Tue, Mar 14, 2023, 3:52pm (UTC -5)
I’ve gotten curious about this now and might go back and look at TOS episodes.
Thu, May 4, 2023, 12:24am (UTC -5)
PICARD: I understand what you've done here, Q, but I think the lesson could have been learned without the loss of eighteen members of my crew.
Q: 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.
To Q the lost crewmen are like spilling coffee on a shirt, something trivial in the grand scheme. I think his argument isn't only about human arrogance and its presumption that it's ready for anything out there, but also in its expectation that things can avoid getting messy and unpleasant. Going out into space and exploring could mean opening up a Pandora's box that could even permanently make things far less pleasant.
As a little aside, the online transcript for this episode does have a question mark in the episode title. I'm not sure if that's relevant to anything or represents some canonical original version of the title that existed prior to airing.
Submit a comment
◄ Season Index