3.13 Deja Q After being swiftly dressed while the intro is happening (not that swiftly, admittedly. They don’t make intros like that anymore…) Q announces that he has been kicked out of the Q Continuum for being a mischief-maker, and forced to become mortal, has chosen to become human. No-one buys it for a second, even with Counselor Troi’s expert testimony (“I am sensing an emotional presence”) so Picard gets Worf to throw Q in the brig. While there, Q falls asleep, but the Enterprise is bathed in a bright light which appears to be some kind of scan. The scan focuses on Q, then disappears. Picard heads to talk to Q, and eventually gives in to his pleas that he be allowed to make himself useful. He assigns Data to be Q’s babysitter, and the pair head down to Engineering to try and figure out how to move the moon. After experiencing hunger, Data takes Q to Ten-Forward where he bumps into Guinan. Sadly, she doesn’t do her kung-fu hand guard this time, but she does stab Q with a fork to check that he’s not joking. Once again (and for the final time ever) Q alludes to Guinan being a mysterious figure he’s dealt with before. Er, you’ll have to make up your own backstory there. While Q sulks, he is suddenly attacked by a glowing white light. It’s an alien cloud called The Calamarain who Q has tortured in the past. After the Enterprise repels it, Picard realises the only reason Q came to the Enterprise is because they’re the only ones who’ll protect him from his many enemies, all of whom will eventually hear on the space-grapevine that he’s now mortal. Although the crew attempt to save him, their efforts all mysteriously fail as if blocked by an outside entity. Suddenly, on the shuttle, a second Q appears. Q2 explains that Q has learned his lesson by performing a selfless act to save the Enterprise (despite his own, more selfish justification) and readmits him to the Continuum, restoring his powers. After banishing the Calamarain, Q transports himself to the bridge and proceeds to go full Marx Brothers on it, leading a mariachi band and handing out cigars. Then he makes fun of Riker’s beard. It’s too much for Picard, who is enraged by the cheer and tells Q to leave. Q thanks him for his hospitality and repays his debt to Data by giving the gift of laughter, which is cut short when Geordi asks what’s so funny (thanks, buzz-killer).Realising that Q has also fixed the crashing moon for them, Picard ends the episode by musing about the nature of humanity, concluding that maybe Q really did learn some humility. But I wouldn’t be so sure. TNG WTF: The weirdest thing in this episode (aside from the additional allusions to a Q/Guinan history that never get paid off) is the Brig’s security guard being completely blasé about a strange energy scan affecting his charge. Presumably he was facing the wrong way, or playing Freecell or something. Or just resting his eyes. TNG LOL: Q is always a great source of comedy in the way he punctures TNG’s occasionally too-serious air. The final scene with the mariachi band and cigars is gold, as are Q’s superior-yet-miserable jibes (wait, is Q Morrissey?). This is definitely an episode you laugh with, instead of at. Who’s that face?: Q2 is Corbin Dean Bernsen, famous for playing Arnie Becker in LA Law. And also doing a passable impression of an American Drop Dead Fred in this episode. Captain’s Log: Although it’s easy to remember Q as one of the series’ great recurring characters, it’s not until his fourth appearance on the show that he actually gets anything resembling a story of his own. In Encounter At Farpoint he’s much less mischievous, in Hide And Q the focus is on Riker, and in Q Who he’s basically incidental to the plot. This time around, he gets some actual material to work with, and John De Lancie completely goes with it, imbuing considerable depth into his character. The high concept is good, the execution is good, and it’s a story that could only really work with Q in the guest star role. Contrasting his struggle to be human against Data’s struggle to become human was a great idea, and his interactions with every crew member are as funny as TNG ever got, especially in that final scene. Watch or Skip?: Watch. Great episode. Read James’s look-back at the previous episode, The High Ground, here.
