Prepare for Picard Season 2 with every Q episode, ranked
Set for Picard Season 2 with every Q episode, ranked
Star Trek fans got an unexpected care for on First Contact Twenty-four hours (April v), when a teaser trailer for Star Trek: Picard Flavor 2 debuted. There'southward some narration from Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) about the nature of time, and our choices, and all the other human-condition philosophizing you lot'd look from a Star Trek series. But the existent surprise came at the end of the trailer, with a brief voice-over from anybody's favorite almighty trickster: John de Lancie as Q.
For Star Trek neophytes (why they're watching Picard rather than starting with The Side by side Generation, i tin only estimate), Q was a recurring antagonist on Star Expedition: The Next Generation, which ran betwixt 1987 and 1994. Acquit in heed, nosotros telephone call him an "antagonist," non a "villain." That's because Q isn't evil in any meaningful sense of the word. He simply wants to challenge Picard, and humanity in full general, to better themselves by developing a deeper understanding of the universe. Granted, if members of the Enterprise crew get hurt — or killed — along the way, so be it.
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Since we know we'll exist getting a long overdue visit from Q when Picard Season 2 debuts in 2022, we figured now would be an platonic fourth dimension to gather upwardly our favorite Q episodes and rank them from worst to all-time. To determine the order of this list, I've employed the highly scientific method of "request my coworkers what they think."
For such a significant figure in the Trek canon, he doesn't really prove up that oftentimes — but that just makes his rare appearances all the more memorable. Here's every Q episode of Star Trek, ranked from worst to best.
Encounter at Farpoint (TNG: S1, E1 & E2)
Believe information technology or not, Q's kickoff appearance is ane of his weakest — or, at to the lowest degree, the overall episode is pretty weak. Run across at Farpoint was the series debut for Star Trek: The Side by side Generation, and the evidence didn't start off on the right human foot. With dreary pacing, a predictable story and thin characterizations, See at Farpoint doesn't have much going for it. Still, this two-parter positively perks upwards when the enigmatic Q appears onscreen, with his rapier wit, gaudy costumes and playfully threatening attitude. It's fair to say that without the free energy Q brought to the TNG premiere, the bear witness might not have worked at all.
Q-Less (DS9: S1, E6)
Q is a groovy grapheme; Star Expedition: Deep Infinite Nine was a cracking testify. Simply if we're existence brutally honest, they were probably never meant to go together. Something most Q'south teasing nature and Cmdr. Benjamin Sisko'due south forthright attitude just don't gel together. When Q irritates Picard, information technology's funny; when Q irritates Sisko, it's a little exasperating. In any example, the episode might besides accept been amend if the core plot — something about a magic crystal draining DS9'south energy — had been a little more exciting. Props for Q and Sisko in an old-timey boxing lucifer, though. That was fun.
The Q and the Grey (VOY: S3, E11)
Generally speaking, Q'due south presence — like to guest appearances by Geordi LaForge and Reginald Barclay —helped to liven up the middle seasons of Star Expedition: Voyager. Something virtually The Q and the Grey didn't actually work, though. In this episode, the Q Continuum is in a state of civil war, and Q hopes that creating a new member of the species might help settle the hostilities. Q'south attempts to flirt with Capt. Kathryn Janeway are admittedly entertaining, but the American Ceremonious War metaphor feels a picayune confused, and never sits quite right with the rest of the episode's sci-fi trappings.
Truthful Q (TNG: S6, E6)
True Q is an oddity, since the whole episode is rather down-to-Earth and low-stakes. Usually, Q episodes feel like big events, only True Q has an easygoing "episode of the week" quality that'south both endearing and a little forgettable. The Enterprise picks up a teenage girl named Amanda, who has strange powers. Q shows upwardly to explain that Amanda was conceived by two Q living as humans, and that she needs to make up one's mind whether to accept her powers or alive out a normal life. It's fun to see Q as a parental figure (more on that afterwards), but the episode's stakes are pretty low overall.
Q2 (VOY: S7, E19)
One of the "just-for-fun" Q episodes, Q2 picks up where The Q and the Grey left off. Q's offspring is now a teenager (or the Q Continuum equivalent of one, at least), and completely out of control. The elder Q reasons that the stern, patient Capt. Janeway tin help the boy acquire some responsibleness. Seeing Janeway grapple with a recalcitrant young Q is as entertaining equally it sounds, and de Lancie'south Q is as tricky and mercurial equally ever. The episode even moves Voyager'due south overall narrative frontwards a fleck. In a fun touch, Keegan de Lancie — John's son — plays the young Q.
TNG had a rough first season, but a few episodes were perfectly serviceable Star Trek stories. Hide and Q is i of those. In information technology, Q sees great potential in Cmdr. William Riker, and offers to make Riker a member of the Q Continuum. In the episode, Riker must grapple with the morality of using his fantastic new powers, and learns a few lessons virtually human fallibility along the manner. If y'all guessed that the episode would be an allegory about the value of difficult piece of work, well, you lot've clearly seen at least i episode of Star Trek before. Just Hide and Q fleshes out two of import TNG characters, and so that's worth watching.
Deja Q (TNG: S3, E13)
Deja Q is a fun episode, as it finally makes Q answer for some of his bad behavior. After angering the rest of the Q Continuum, Q finds himself stripped of his omnipotent powers, and forced to live as a regular human aboard the Enterprise. There, he predictably clashes with just about everyone on board — especially Whoopi Goldberg equally Guinan, who memorably jams a fork into his hand. Nevertheless, it's rewarding to acquire that Q can be inventive, helpful and even selfless when the situation calls for information technology. He gets his powers back in the end, merely we wouldn't have it any other manner.
Qpid (TNG: S4, E20)
Qpid polled well among the whole Tom's Guide staff. While it's not the deepest or almost thoughtful episode of TNG, information technology's easily one of the most lovable. Q once once again shows up to annoy Picard, but this time, there's no deep, philosophical reason. He just wants to have some fun. Every bit such, he transports Picard and the span crew to a fantastical Sherwood Woods, where they must live out a Robin Hood fantasy in club to save Picard'due south love involvement from the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham — played, of course, by Q. Come for the swordfights; stay to hear Lt. Worf proclaim that he is NOT a merry man.
Death Wish (VOY: S2, E18)
Death Wish asks the same question that many Star Trek fans have asked about the Q Continuum: If y'all have the power to become anywhere and exercise annihilation, at all times, what kind of meaning would your life take? For Quinn, an outcast from the Q Continuum, the respond is "not much." Quinn has grown tired of his existence as a Q, and wishes to die. Q admittedly forbids it, but Capt. Janeway isn't sure what to recollect. Death Wish is a dark and thoughtful episode about the merits of euthanasia, only it also takes a harsh look at the Q Continuum itself.
Tapestry (TNG: S6, E15)
Star Trek'due south answer to Frank Capra'southward It's a Wonderful Life, Tapestry lets Capt. Picard reshape a pivotal moment from his by. After Picard dies due to a malfunction in his artificial heart, Q lets him relive the day that cost him his biological eye in the showtime identify. Picard discovers that small choices can dictate the class of our whole lives — and Q exacts a high price for that lesson. While Q himself is decidedly not the central character in this episode, his running commentary and chemistry with Picard elevate the whole experience. Information technology also shows u.s. that maybe Q is non as cynical as he seems.
Q Who (TNG: S2, E16)
Up until Q Who, TNG viewers saw Q every bit a trickster, at best, and a villain, at worst. He showed up explicitly to brand life miserable for the Enterprise crew, and was satisfied only when he'd fabricated his signal. Q Who was our outset hint that, perhaps, the godlike being had some affinity for humanity after all. In this episode, he takes the Enterprise crew far beyond Federation space, where they meet the ruthless Borg Collective for the first time. When the Enterprise finds itself outmatched, Q spirits the ship back home, but warns the coiffure that they can't evade the Borg forever. It's a chilling introduction for 1 of Star Trek's pivotal species.
All Good Things… (TNG: S7, E25 & E26)
While Encounter at Farpoint may not be TNG'due south near dear episode, All Good Things… could not have happened without information technology. In the TNG serial finale, Picard finds himself existing in three time periods simultaneously: the by, during the Farpoint mission; the present, investigating a spacetime anomaly; and the future, equally an old man who left Starfleet behind long ago. Q shows up to explain that Picard's temporally displaced actions take doomed humanity one time and for all. Now, Q has given Picard one last hazard to set things right, in his most listen-bending and aggressive trial yet. It'southward a great sendoff for a dearest antagonist.
BONUS: Veritas (LOW: S1, E8)
We tin't actually count Veritas as a Q episode — simply we couldn't leave it off the listing, either. In this episode of the blithe comedy Lower Decks, the crew of the Cerritos finds themselves on trial (sort of) for a host of seemingly unrelated Starfleet "crimes." During Ens. Brad Boimler's testimony, he points out that Q has apparently challenged the Cerritos coiffure on occasion. What'south more, Q himself shows upwards at the finish of the episode — only to whine petulantly when Ens. Beckett Mariner refuses to play along with his games. She suggests that he go bother Picard instead, so perhaps the almighty existence finally took her advice.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/star-trek-every-q-episode
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