- This article concerns a member of the Q Continuum. For the Starfleet Admiral, please see Gregory Quinn.
Quinn
Quinn was a name chosen by Q, a member of the Q Continuum who decided that he wanted to commit suicide. Once a respected philosopher among the Q, he caused quite a stir within the Continuum when he "published" his views. Quinn claimed he was bored with his life as a Q and that he wished to die rather than remain immortal. He was imprisoned in a comet, purportedly for eternity, because his views could cause a disruption within the Continuum, and ultimately did.
The starship USS Voyager encountered Quinn and released him from his imprisonment. When he told them who he was, Captain Kathryn Janeway mistook him for the Q who had visited the USS Enterprise-D. He then tried to commit suicide again but made all the men disappear instead. The Enterprise Q turned up to apprehend him, and restored the men to Voyager but Quinn attempted to hide by whisking himself and Voyager to various places in the universe such as the beginning of the universe, sub-atomic proportions, even a Christmas tree. Q knew all the hiding places, but before he was able to re-imprison him, Quinn made a plea for political asylum to Captain Janeway. A courtroom hearing took place aboard Voyager to determine if asylum should be granted. Lieutenant Tuvok served as his defense. He stated that he was sick of immortality. There was nothing left for him to explore, his life was pointless, and a torturous bore. Q tried to prove the worth of Quinn's life by calling witnesses such as Isaac Newton, Maury Ginsberg and William T. Riker, pointing out how Quinn had affected their lives for the better. For Newton, he jousted the tree before the apple fell, leading to the discovery of gravity; Maury so that he could get to Woodstock to save it and then live a successful life; saving Riker's ancestor, Thaddius, so that his descendant would be born and save the Federation from the Borg (and so that Q could insult him).
Quinn attempted to prove his suffering life is pointless by taking Janeway to the Q Continuum, which was presented in the human form of a house in the middle of a desert with a road running by it. The road, he told her, represented the universe's edge and there is nothing left for him to explore. None of the Q's in the Continuum talk anymore, because all things have been discussed and all things are known. Quinn tells Janeway he does not want to end up like that. Captain Janeway ruled in favor of Quinn, despite Q's attempted bribe of whisking Voyager back to Earth. Reluctantly keeping his word, Q turned Quinn into a human, with mortality, after the verdict. Janeway then convinces Quinn not to immediately commit suicide, since he now had a whole new non-Q life to experience. As a human, Quinn briefly served as a crewman aboard Voyager. Janeway and Chakotay wondered whether he should be assigned to stellar cartography, noting that they might as well shut down that department given Quinn's vast knowledge. Perhaps knowing he would never truly fit in as a human, Quinn nevertheless committed suicide with a sample of Nogatch hemlock procured by Q, who was inspired by Quinn's "rebelliousness". (VOY: "Death Wish")
Quinn's death ultimately caused a disruption in the Continuum as predicted by Q. Many of his followers asked the status quo for changes and Q led dissidents in a civil war. (VOY: "The Q and the Grey")
Background
Quinn was played by Gerrit Graham. While still a Q, Quinn was referred to as "Q" just like all other Q. He assumed the name "Quinn" only after becoming Human.
Hemlock, the poison Quinn is given by Q, was often used for public executions in ancient Greece. The most notable was Socrates, who was also convicted of heresy.
Apocrypha
In the non-canon novels of Greg Cox, Quinn participated in the Continuum war against "0". Q alluded to him being a mentor of sorts.