Deja Q (episode)

Template:Realworld

Q is seeking asylum on the Enterprise after he has been thrown out of the Continuum and stripped of his powers.

Summary

Teaser

The USS Enterprise-D is called to Bre'el IV to help them with their moon that is falling out of orbit and threatening the planet. As they are trying to find a way to get the moon back into its orbit, Q suddenly drops in, literally, and Picard jumps to the conclusion that Q is responsible for what is happening to the Bre'el.

Act One

However, Q reveals that he had nothing to do with it and that he has been stripped of his powers and was given the choice to be turned into anything he so desired, as long as it was mortal. He chose to be Human and sent to the Enterprise because out of all the universe he considers "Jean-Luc" the closest thing to a friend he has. When a desperate Q practically begs to know what he can do to convince the crew that he has lost his powers, Worf succinctly suggests that he die.

Counselor Troi confirms that she can sense emotions from Q which reveal that he is terrified. While not believing Q entirely, Picard has Worf throw him into the brig for safekeeping. Moments later, broadband emissions illuminate the Enterprise until they shrink down to sneak into the brig, where Q has fallen asleep.

Act Two

Picard is suspicious of Q's motives and keeps asking him to stop torturing these people and get their moon back. Q insists that he has nothing to do with it. Q complains about how ordinary it is to be human. For instance, not realizing what "sleep" is, he describes it as suddenly feeling weak and being no longer able to stand. Q finally convinces Picard that he can help return the moon to its natural orbit with his knowledge of spatial phenomena from all over the universe. Picard, still in doubt that Q is Human, releases him from the brig and assigns Data to keep him out of trouble.

In Engineering, Q is not very helpful, as he complains mainly about his limited abilities as a Human and makes suggestions that no one on the Enterprise with their current level of scientific knowledge can follow. Still thinking as a Q, he suggests to Geordi that he just change the gravitational constant of the universe, thereby altering the mass of the moon. That suggestion is quickly dismissed as impossible, since clearly they cannot change the gravitational constant of the universe. However, Geordi realizes that even though they cannot change the gravitational constant of the universe, they could wrap a low-level warp field around the moon, reducing its gravitational constant, making it lighter so they can push it. Q is glad he could help and then suddenly starts complaining about back-pain. Dr. Crusher is called to Engineering and it seems that Q has back spasms. When Dr. Crusher heals him, he complains of a noisy stomach that, as Dr. Crusher tells him, is probably a sign that he is hungry.

Data takes Q to Ten Forward to get something to eat. Q asks Data what he eats, and since Data doesn't "eat" in the traditional sense, he suggests something chocolate to Q, as it is Deanna Troi's favorite food when she's in a bad mood. Q orders ten chocolate sundaes, since he certainly is in a "really bad" mood. Guinan enters, which gives Q a sense of uneasiness as this is not a moment he was looking forward to. Data explains Q's transformation to Guinan, who stabs him with a fork to test if he's really Human. The encounter understandably causes Q to lose his appetite, so he is unable to enjoy his huge chocolate treat. He warns them of Guinan being a dangerous creature.

While Q sulks miserably in Ten Forward, the Calamarain, a species Q tormented in the past, tries to kill him to return the favor. The crew is able to repel them and Q screams for help, while Guinan looks down on him and says, "How the mighty have fallen."

Act Three

While elaborating about the Calamarain, Q is forced to admit that for all his protestations of friendship, his real reason for being on the Enterprise is protection. He insists that he did not do the Calamarian any injustice, that they are intelligent beings, even if flighty. Riker accuses him of having tortured the Calamarain and hence they are after him. Riker supposes that since Q has made many enemies over his lifetime as an omnipotent being, the Enterprise would spend all its time fighting off the enemies of Q, which is not the job he (Riker) signed up for.

Warp field stress — The expanded forward end of the *Enterprise*-D's warp field.

Nonetheless, his knowledge is still useful in the task of moving the moon. When Q gets to Engineering, he thinks that because he has knowledge of how to move the moon, he is in charge. Obviously this is not the case, and when La Forge tells him what to do, Q tells La Forge that he will not take orders because he has never taken orders. Data tells him that it would be his wisest course of action to listen to Geordi. During their attempt to surround the moon in a warp field, the Calamarain attack again, nearly killing Q. Data intervenes at great peril to himself, and though he saves Q from being pulled through the hull, he himself is nearly electrocuted.

Act Four

In sick bay, Dr. Crusher works on fixing Data and reprimands Q for not even thinking that Data saved his life. Then Q is escorted of out sick bay. In the meantime, Picard and La Forge discuss how best to move the moon again, and La Forge says that they will have to wait until the moon reaches its perigee for their next try. Riker, though, realizes that they have the same dilemma of protecting Q or helping the people on Bre'el IV. Q comes to the conclusion that being Human has made him a miserable coward, so he goes back to sick bay to thank Data for saving him, and tells him that Data makes a better human than he does. Q figures the ship and planet will never be safe as long as he is on board the Enterprise, so he takes a shuttlecraft and leaves the ship to distract the Calamarain.

The Enterprise see Q is being chased again by the Calamarain but all attempts of trying to beam him back on board, extending the shields to the shuttlecraft, and putting a tractor beam on it fail. The Calamarain seem to be catching up to Q in his shuttlecraft.

Act Five

Bre'el Moon Orbit — The corrected orbit of the Bre'el IV moon.

All attempts to rescue Q fail as Q2, who had Q stripped of his powers and was watching him to see how he reacted, disables the tractor beam, transporters, shields, etc. He pops in to see Q and says that his display of selflessness has convinced him to give Q's powers back so long as he behaves himself. Q2 says he cannot go back to the Q Continuum and tell the others that Q was selfless right before he died because it would be un-Q-like. Q gets his powers back and is about to seek revenge on the Calamarain, but Q2 pops in again, so Q puts the Calamarain back, blowing them out like a candle.

With no sign of the Calamarain, or the shuttle, the Enterprise crew assumes they are dead, and Picard suggests that they had seen the last of Q. Q, however, appears on the bridge as a horn-player with a mariachi band, making cigars appear in Picard's and Riker's mouths, and materializing around Riker a pair of scantily-clad women to celebrate. After Riker denounces Q's materializing the scantily-clad females, Q transfers them to Worf, instead. Q protest that he "feels like celebrating", while Picard retorts "I don't!", and Q does away with both the scantily-clad females and the mariachi band, leaving only Q, wearing a uniform identical to Picard's, which elicits a disgusted look from Picard. Q declares that, as a human, he was "ill-equipped to thank you; but, as myself, you have my everlasting gratitude." Then, just prior to his departure, Q leaves Data a little "going-away present"--not using his powers to make him human, as Data suspects, but allowing him to experience laughter for a few surreal moments.

A grateful message comes in from Bre'el IV, thanking a stunned Picard for restoring the errant moon to its correct orbit--and, the captain, knowing it was not the Enterprise who accomplished this, says there may be a residue of Humanity left in Q. A visage of Q appears in the smoke rising from a lit cigar that had materialized in Picard's hand--and tells Picard not to bet on it.

Memorable Quotes

"... in all the universe, you're the closest thing I have to a friend, Jean-Luc."

- Q, followed by "the look" from Picard.

"Return that moon to its orbit"
"I have no powers. Q, the ordinary."
"Q, the liar. Q, the misanthrope."
"Q, the miserable. Q, the desperate. What must I do to convince you people?"
"Die."
"Oh, very clever, Worf. Eat any good books, lately?"

- Q, Picard and Worf on the bridge.

"Fine. You want to be treated as human?"
"Absolutely."
"All right. Mr. Worf, throw him in the brig."

- Picard and Q.

"As I learn more and more what it is to be human, I am more and more convinced that I would never make a good one. I don't have what it takes..without my powers I'm frightened of everything. I'm a coward...and I'm miserable. And I can't go on this way."

- Q, talking to Picard in his ready room.

"I've never seen anyone eat ten chocolate sundaes."
"I'm in a really bad mood. And since I've never eaten before, I ought to be very hungry."

- Q and Data, in Ten-Forward

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"How the mighty have fallen."

- Q crying helplessly on the floor in Ten-Forward while Guinan looks on.

"I'm immortal again! Omnipotent again!"
"Swell."

- Q and Riker, after Q appears on the bridge and blares a trumpet with a mariachi band

"Data, why are you laughing?"
"I do not know. But it was a wonderful... feeling."

- La Forge and Data, experiencing Q's gift

"I know human beings. They are all sopping over with compassion and forgiveness. They can't wait to absolve almost any offense. It's an inherent weakness of breed."

- Q

"You have brought nothing but pain and suffering to this crew. And, I am still not entirely convinced that all this isn't your latest attempt at a puerile joke."
"It is a joke. A joke on me. Joke of the universe. The king who would be man."

- Picard and Q, in the ready-room.

"There are creatures in the universe who would consider you the ultimate achievement, android. No feelings, no emotions, no pain – and yet you covet those qualities of Humanity. Believe me, you're missing nothing. But if it means anything to you, you're a better Human than I."

- Q, talking to the disabled Data

"This goes against my better judgment. Transporter room three, lock on to shuttle one. Beam it back into its bay...It's a perfectly good shuttlecraft."

- Captain Picard, to Riker after Q escapes in a shuttlecraft

"(Shouting) Q!!"
"But I feel like celebrating."
"I DON'T!"
"(Sighs) All right."

- Picard to a very festive Q.

"I don't need your fantasy women."
"Oh, you're so stolid. You weren't like that before the beard."

- Riker and Q, after Q materializes two scantily-clad women before Riker

"Perhaps there is a... residue of Humanity in Q after all."
"Don't bet on it, Picard."

- Jean-Luc Picard and Q, who mischievously causes a lit cigar to materialize in Picard's hand

Background

Story and production

Michael Piller recalled, "Our first take on it was that Q lost his powers, came on board and we developed a whole story about how we were about to come into a war with the Klingons. It turns out that Q didn't really lose his powers after all, he was just playing with us and pulling our strings just so that he could make himself a hero, become an officer and prove his value. It wasn't a bad story, but ultimately we sat down with Gene and Rick, and Gene said, 'If you're going to do a story – Godlike and brought to Earth – then do it. Do a story about what it's like to lose everything that you are and having to discover your own humanity.' He kind of threw cold water on us and suggested we do it straight forward and that's what we did. We made it a comedy, we made it fun, but I think it has some extraordinary things to say about humanity." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)
Melinda Snodgrass remarked, "I always think of Q as Loki. He's chaos. Maury Hurley always thought Q was here to teach us a lesson, to guide and instruct us. I can understand that to some extent, but I really see him as a mischief maker. He really just wants to foul Picard's head." (Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages)
John de Lancie considered the bridge scenes of this episode among his hardest to film. His simulated trumpet playing took several takes, and with no way found to fake the scene in which he appears suspended in the nude, he had to do it au naturel. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
The Mariachi band was playing the folk-song "La Paloma". The English version is called "No More", and was made popular by Elvis Presley in the movie Blue Hawaii (1961).

Continuity

This episode marks the first appearance by another member of the Q Continuum (Q2) besides "our" Q. Other members of the Continuum would later appear in "True Q" and various episodes of Star Trek: Voyager.

Props and costumes

A Bre'el IV scientist costume was auctioned off in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction. The tag mistakenly states that it was for use of portraying a "Calamarain Scientist". This is an error as the Calamarains were shown as non-corporeal.
Among the costumes and props from this episode which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, was Sandra Wild's costume which was re-used in further Trek episodes such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Sanctuary" as the dress Haneek found more than ugly. [1]
This is the first episode in which Q appears, albeit briefly, in the updated style of uniform introduced in "Evolution".

Awards

This episode was nominated for Emmy Awards for Outstanding Editing for a Series - Single Camera Production (Robert Lederman) and for Outstanding Achievement in Special Visual Effects.

Video and DVD releases

Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 31, 6 December 1991
As part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - Q Continuum: 5 December 1994
As part of the US VHS collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - Q Continuum: 8 September 1998
UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 3.5, 3 July 2000
As part of the TNG Season 3 DVD collection
As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Q collection

Links and references

Starring

Also starring

LeVar Burton as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf
Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner as Lieutenant Commander Data
Wil Wheaton as Ensign Wesley Crusher

Guest stars

Uncredited co-stars

References

ant; Belzoidian flea; berthold rays; black hole; Bre'el IV; Bre'el IV moon; Bre'el IV native; Calamarain; chocolate; chocolate sundae; Deltived asteroid belt; delta-vee; earthquake; father confessor; gravitational constant; IQ; Markoffian sea lizard; missionary; Nigala IV; perigee; plasma; Q Continuum; Sakharov; silicon; suicide; tachyons; tractor beam; tricycle; tsunami; type 7 shuttlecraft; starbase; warp field

Q-related episodes

TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint" • "Hide And Q" • "Q Who" • "Deja Q" • "Qpid" • "True Q" • "Tapestry" • "All Good Things..."

DS9: "Q-Less"

VOY: "Death Wish" • "The Q and the Grey" • "Q2"

LD: "Veritas"

Previous episode:
"The High Ground"

Star Trek: The Next Generation
Season 3

Next episode:
"A Matter of Perspective"