2.16 Q Who

Rating: 3.5

Kicked out of the continuum and bored, Q kidnaps Picard and requests to join the crew of the Enterprise. When Picard refuses, Q decides to prove that humans are not ready for what awaits them in space. To makes his point, he transports the Enterprise seven thousand light-years to a sector of space occupied by The Borg, a ruthless ‘hive’ race intent on assimilating everyone in their way and consuming all technology.

Comments

John DeLancie as Q always breathes life into the show, and his banter with Picard is excellent as usual.

Q indicates that Guinan is not whom she seems to be. He says he has known her for a long time and calls her an ‘imp’. This particular storyline was never pursued.

Part of the wonder, terror, and the ‘unknown’ quality of the Borg in this episode is how methodical – and sometimes downright slow – they are to attack. Some of this lack of speed is sacrificed down the track for the sake of (supposed) action, as the Borg were revisited many times on NextGen and VOY, and in the 8^th feature film, Star Trek: First Contact.

Nits

After Ensign Gomez spills hot chocolate on Picard and herself, her shirt seems partly dried as she talks to Picard. When she turns to talk to Geordi, the stains are wet again.

Despite the presence of a Borg cube a short distance away, and even though the Enterprise has been attacked by two drones, the crew still finds time for two meetings in the conference room.

When the Borg cube arrives, we see it on the bridge viewscreen. The shot changes to Guinan in Ten-Forward. She sits by the window, and the Borg cube is clearly visible (and huge) outside her window. Yet Picard asks her to activate her viewscreen so she can see it and comment on what it is. She goes to an office and looks at the cube on a tiny screen instead of looking at it outside!

The interior of the Borg ship appears to be lit similarly to the Enterprise. However, in many future episodes of Star Trek, Borg ship interiors are a lot darker and more claustrophobic.

Memorable Moments

•    The waver in Picard’s voice when he almost pleads with Q to tell him that the death of 18 crewmembers was just one of his illusions

•    The pull-back shot of the away team on the inside of the Borg cube. This is a great matte painting.

Quotable Quotes

"The redoubtable Commander Riker! And Microbrain! Growl for me, let me know you still care!"
- Q

Picard: Guinan, your people have been in this part of the Galaxy.
Riker: What can you tell us?
Guinan: Only that if I were you, I’d start back now.

"They’re carving us up like a roast."
- Riker

Picard: I understand what you’ve done here, Q. But I think the lesson could have been learned without the cost of 18 members of my crew.
Q: If you can’t take a little bloody nose, maybe you’d better 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.

Guinan: Since they are aware of your existence…
Picard: …they will be coming.
Guinan: You can bet on it.