Template:Realworld Template:Disambiguate1 A member of the Q Continuum comes aboard Voyager, seeking asylum so he can commit suicide. Q appears to stop him, leaving Captain Janeway to mediate a moral dilemma.
Summary
The crew has been surveying an unusual object in space which looks like a comet but doesn't act like one. Captain Janeway orders B'Elanna Torres to go to transporter room two and beam aboard a sample for future study. Torres energizes the transporter, but instead of a comet fragment, she beams aboard a man in a Starfleet uniform who walks through the force field she put up with little effort. The man says his name is "Q", a member of the Q Continuum.
Act One
Torres summons Janeway to the transporter room, and explains about Q. Janeway initiates a red alert, but he assures her that there is no need, and he promptly brings her to the mess hall. He explains that he has been held in captivity because he keeps trying to commit suicide. Janeway assumes that he's the Q who had been visiting the USS Enterprise-D, but he says he's not. After making a small speech he spent three hundred years preparing for, he attempts to commit suicide, but only succeeds in making all the male crew members disappear, which he is unable to undo. Shortly afterward, the "original" Q appears.
- Note that from this point on, the new "Q" will be referred to as "Quinn", even though he does not take this name until the end of the episode.
Act Two
Q is less than thrilled about Voyager's presence in the Delta Quadrant, and remarks that Humans shouldn't be in that area of space for another hundred years. When prompted to explain what happened to all of the men, Quinn describes it as "a slight accident". Q correctly guesses that he was attempting suicide, and, in disgust, brings the men back. Janeway attempts to dismiss the two omnipotent annoyances, but Quinn demands asylum.
Trying to get away from Q, Quinn transports Voyager to the time of the Big Bang. When Kim reports that there are no stars outside, Quinn corrects him, saying that there is no universe outside. Tuvok deduces that they have been transported to the birth of the universe. Q appears, commenting that Quinn cannot escape him, just as Torres reports that Voyager will not survive the formation of the cosmos. Q attempts to allay her fears by inviting them to think of the honor of having their DNA spread all over the universe, and perhaps even being the origin of humanoid life. Janeway demands that either Q get them back. Q attempts to do so, saying that it is time for Quinn to go back to his confinement, but before he can do anything, Quinn transports the ship and crew away again.
Voyager is reduced to an ornament on a Christmas tree
Voyager has now been reduced to subatomic proportions, and the ship is under attack by protons. Janeway tells Tuvok to try to repel them by using a positive ion charge, but Q has found them, and they are transported once more, this time to being an ornament on a Christmas tree attached to a string. Q picks them, saying there is nowhere to hide. Janeway is, by now, very angry at the two Q for endangering her ship and crew in their personal game of tug-of-war. Janeway agrees that if Quinn wants asylum, she will grant him a hearing, following Starfleet regulations. The two Qs agree, but each have their own conditions. If Q wins, Quinn will spend eternity in captivity. If Quinn wins, he will be granted mortality so that he may commit suicide.
Act Three
Quinn enters Tuvok's office to find him studying an okudagram. Quinn requests that Tuvok act as his counsel during the hearing, because Vulcans approve of suicide. Tuvok protests, saying that even though Vulcans who are infirm do practice ritual suicide, he has no legal expertise. Quinn persists, however, and Tuvok finally says he will speak to Captain Janeway. She agrees, reluctantly, and confides to him that she, personally, abhors suicide in any way, and she is worried about possibly helping Quinn end his life. Tuvok requests that she at least keep an open mind, and she agrees.
The hearing begins with Janeway asking the Qs to promise not to turn the hearing into a circus. They both agree, and Janeway begins by asking Quinn one of the most pressing questions: Why does he want to commit suicide? He says that he doesn't agree with the fact that each individual of the Continuum is obligated to follow the path that his or her life will follow; he wants his path to lead to death, and doesn't think that the Continuum should be able to interfere in his choices.
Q calls himself to the stand as a witness, creating an identical him. Q the lawyer and Q the witness discuss the impact a suicide would have on the life of the Q as a species. It would be an interruption to society, but neither part of Q's personality can specify, because they have never had to deal with the kind of action Quinn is contemplating before. Quinn accuses the Continuum of being afraid of the unknown, but Q characterizes his remarks as that of a mentally unbalanced person, and says that no one can justify the suicide of a mentally unbalanced person. Tuvok, however, challenges that statement, as the sole reasoning behind it is that Quinn wants to kill himself.
Tuvok points out that the Continuum has, in the past, executed some of its members as punishment and inquires if their deaths also created interruption in the society. Q contradicts that, saying that their crimes created the interruption and their deaths ended it. He also says that that is an unfair comparison, as Tuvok is comparing the preservation of social order and anarchy. When Tuvok asks about Q's own record of being deemed mentally unstable, he hotly retorts that his record has been cleared, which Tuvok takes as a yes. The witness Q is dismissed.
Maury Ginsberg, one of the witnesses
Q brings more witnesses to help his case: Isaac Newton, Maury Ginsberg, and William T. Riker. Upon seeing Q, Riker becomes agitated, and demands to know what Q is up to. As much as Janeway wishes to have Riker return to Starfleet to inform them of Voyager's situation, the witnesses have to be mind-wiped afterward. The two former have a hard time believing that they are on a starship, so Janeway tells them to pretend they are having a very strange dream, in which they are seeing the same man they've all met before. Q explains that Quinn helped shape the life of all of these men: he helped Newton discover gravity, helped Ginsberg make sure that the concert at Woodstock would go on as planned and introduced him to his future wife, and saved Colonel Thaddius Riker, therefore ensuring the life of Will Riker and the Federation's escape from assimilation by the Borg.
Quinn takes himself, Q, Janeway, and Tuvok to a replicated interior of the comet in an effort to help his case. Q tells him that it is his own fault that he's been held in captivity, and he could be free if he didn't want to commit suicide. Back on Voyager, Janeway struggles to find a way to justify ruling in Quinn's favor, saying that the one thing she has found is the "double effect" principle, which justifies the release from suffering, age, or infirmity even if it also causes death. Quinn and Tuvok are asked to prove that this principle applies to Quinn, and Tuvok requests a recess.
In the mess hall, the two men discuss their failure to prove their case. Quinn is grateful to Tuvok for believing in him, but Tuvok says that Quinn's position is not his own. Quinn remarks that Tuvok has managed to surprise him, which is unusual; he also says that if Tuvok lived the life of a Q, he would understand the logic behind his position. Tuvok then proposes visiting the Continuum itself.
Act Four
Quinn's column argues against immortality
Q attempts to give Janeway some "persuasion" in order to help her rule in his favor: the Continuum will return Voyager to Earth. Later, he and Quinn bring Janeway and Tuvok to a desert road with a road house, a manifestation of the Q Continuum, in an effort to help them understand what life there is like. Everyone there is busy reading and playing games and are not great conversationalists. The road represents the ends of the universe. Quinn had traveled the road many times, played the games, been the dog and scarecrow because he hasn't done it before. Quinn describes the stagnant, pointless monotony that comes with immortality: he has seen everything and done everything, leaving nothing new or interesting that hasn't been experienced before. Q weakly tries to defend the benefits of tranquil constancy, but is forced to admit that the boredom has cramped his style, too.
Act Five
- "Captain's log, supplemental. I'm determined to find a better alternative to suicide or endless prison, so I've summoned the advocate Q to make him a proposal."
As Janeway tries to sleep, Q appears in her quarters and asks her if she had thought anymore about his offer to bring Voyager home if she rules in his favor. She dismisses it as a bribe, and tells him it will play no part in her decision. However, Q has talked to the members of the Continuum, and persuaded them into giving Janeway what she asked for: Quinn will not go back into his cell, someone will be assigned to look after him, to bring him back into the normal life of the Q. Q tells her that she has won, and that he thinks the two of them should celebrate together. She, however, doesn't like that at all, and orders him to leave.
In the hearing room once again, Janeway rules in Quinn's favor. Q is disappointed, but he honors the agreement made at the beginning of the trial and turns Quinn mortal. Janeway then tells Quinn that, rather that committing suicide, maybe he could give mortality a try? Quinn thinks about it, and agrees to try.
- "Captain's log, stardate 49301.2. We have assigned quarters to our new passenger, who has entered his name on our crew manifest as Quinn. I am eager to engage him in interesting ship activities as soon as possible."
In her ready room, Janeway and Chakotay are trying to figure out a post for Quinn when The Doctor calls her down to sickbay: Quinn is dying. Janeway arrives in sickbay, where Tuvok and the Doctor are waiting for her, just before Quinn dies. The Doctor informs Janeway that Quinn ingested a form of Nogatch hemlock, for which there is no known cure. Quinn tells her that he would only be pretending to fit into mortal life, that his death is his final gift to his people, and he was grateful to Janeway for making his death possible.
The Doctor tells Janeway that he doesn't store the hemlock, and Tuvok points out that the replicators won't produce it either. Janeway wonders how Quinn obtained the hemlock, just as Q shows up again. He tells the startled officers that he was the one who assisted Quinn in his suicide. Q remarks that it was Quinn, not he, who was truly irrepressible. He hopes that he could be a worthy student of Quinn's ways, and when Janeway remarks that the Continuum won't be happy with him, his only response is, "I certainly hope not". He bids Janeway goodbye, tells her they will meet again, and disappears.
Memorable Quotes
"Welsh Rabbit, just like your Grandfather use to make."
"Rabbit? She never told me she likes rabbit. What is a rabbit anyway? Is this some new chef she's interviewing?"
- - Neelix and Quinn, about Janeway
"Say, is this the ship of the Valkyries? Or have you Human women finally done away with your men altogether?"
- - Q, after noticing there were no men on the bridge
"Facial art. Ooh, how very wilderness of you."
- - Q, to Chakotay
"Did anyone ever tell you you're angry when you're beautiful?"
- - Q, to Captain Janeway
"I am curious. Have the Q always had an absence of manners, or is it the result of some natural evolutionary process that comes with omnipotence?"
- - Tuvok, after Quinn makes an unannounced visit to his quarters
"You mustn't think of us as omnipotent, no matter what The Continuum would like you to believe. You and your ship seem incredibly powerful to lifeforms without your technological expertise! It's no different with us; we may appear omnipotent to you, but believe me, we're not!"
- - Quinn, in response to Tuvok's referring to the Q as omnipotent
"Have you heard about little me? Do tell. Has Jean-Luc been whispering about me behind my back?"
- - Q, to Captain Janeway
"This ship will not survive the formation of the cosmos!"
- - Torres
"God, if you let me live through this, I promise, I'll clean up my act. I swear."
- - Maury Ginsberg, after being brought to Voyager by Q
"Why are you dressed like that?"
"Man, have you looked in a mirror lately?"
- - Newton and Ginsberg, eying each other's odd clothing
"Q has had a profound impact on these three lives. Without Q, Isaac Newton would've died forgotten in a Liverpool debtor's prison, a suspect in several prostitute murders. Without Q, there would've been no concert at, uh..."
(meekly)"Woodstock!"
"Whereever – more importantly, Mr. Ginsberg would never have met his future wife – the 'groovy chick' with the long red beads - and he would never have become a successful orthodontist, and settled in Scarsdale with four kids."
"Far out!"
"Yes...without Q, there would've been no William T. Riker at all, and I would have lost at least a dozen really good opportunities to insult him over the years – and lest I forget, without Q, the Borg would've assimiliated the Federation."
- - Q, with small interruptions by Quinn and Ginsberg, explaining what Quinn has done for the people brought aboard Voyager
"May I speak to you in your chambers, captain?"
"You've been in my chambers enough for one visit, sir."
- - Q and Janeway
"Q! What the hell is going on?!"
- - Commander Riker
"Ugh, Vulcans."
- - Q, covering his eyes and shaking his head while questioning himself at the trial
"You can't hide from me, Q."
"And you can't take me either. I'll stalemate you for all of eternity if I have to!"
"The hell you will!"
"The vaunted Q Continuum, self anointed guardians of the universe!"
- - Q, Quinn, and Janeway
"You could live a perfectly normal life if you were just willing to live a perfectly normal life!"
- - Q
"I traveled the road many times, sat on the porch, played the games, been the dog, everything! I was even the scarecrow for a while."
"Why?"
"Because I hadn't done it."
"Oh, we've all done the scarecrow, big deal!"
- - Quinn, Janeway, and Q
"By demanding to end his life, he taught me a little something about my own. He was right when he said the Continuum scared me back in line. I didn't have his courage or his convictions. He called me irrepressible. This was a man who was truly irrepressible. I only hope I make a worthy student."
"I imagine the Continuum won't be very happy with you, Q."
"I certainly hope not."
- - Q and Janeway
Background Information
Production
- According to the short article entitled "Bringing Back Q", appearing in the Feb. 17-23, 1996 issue of TV Guide, Michael Piller originally wanted to bring on more guest stars for this episode than actually had appeared. According to Piller, "We tried to get Michael Jordan, but he wants to be hired as an actor, not as himself. We also wanted to get Cal Ripken, Jr., Bill Gates, Henry Kissinger, or Frank Sinatra," adding, "hey, we aim high."
- Regarding his appearance in this episode, as stated in another article of the same TV Guide issue entitled "Rendezvous with Riker", Jonathan Frakes stated, "These Trek series crossovers are handled with great trepidation. They can't be stunt casting done simply to raise ratings. They've got to make sense to the Star Trek viewers or otherwise they'll bust you. But I had no reservations about this story. I was very happy to return." According to Frakes, he almost didn't get a chance to return because the early draft of the script slated LeVar Burton to make an appearance instead. Frakes added, "but LeVar has his head shaved these days. He doesn't look much like Geordi – so I lucked out." La Forge eventually got his chance to appear on Voyager in the Season 5 episode "Timeless", after audiences had already seen the changes in Burton's appearance in Star Trek: First Contact.
- The image of Earth Q shows Janeway is the famous Blue Marble picture.
- This episode is the fourth of a few Q-related episodes without a Q-play-on-word as title. The others are "Encounter at Farpoint", "Tapestry", and "All Good Things...".
Continuity
- This episode marks the only appearance of the round TNG-style combadge on the series (worn by Commander Riker). This indicates Q took him from sometime between 2366 and 2370. However this creates a continuity error, as Riker remembers Janeway as being captain of the USS Voyager. By the time Janeway got command of the Voyager and the ship got lost in the Delta Quadrant, Starfleet personnel were already wearing the new-style combadge.
- Q peers into the bridge of Voyager through the viewscreen, much like Captain Kirk did when Flint shrunk the USS Enterprise in size in TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah".
- Q claims that without Q (Quinn), there would have been no William Riker at all, and by extension, the Borg would have assimilated the Federation. Janeway also mentions Q's involvement in throwing the USS Enterprise-D into the path of a Borg cube in the TNG episode "Q Who", which ultimately led to the Borg's attempt to assimilate Humanity. This marks the first mention of the race in the series who became a regular threat from Season 3 onwards.
- The repercussions of Quinn's suicide are depicted in "The Q and the Grey".
- This episode makes several references to when Q was turned human in "Deja Q" which also showed the first other Q known as (Q2).
- The events of this episode represent the sixth time (aside from the series premiere) that the Voyager crew has a possibility of returning home.
Notable appearances
- As of this episode, John de Lancie (Q) has played the same character on three different Star Trek series. The only other actors to do so are Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker/Thomas Riker), Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi), Armin Shimerman (Quark), Michael Ansara (Kang), Richard Poe (Gul Evek) and Mark Allen Shepherd (Morn).
- Gerrit Graham previously played a Hunter in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Captive Pursuit". John de Lancie also played Q in the episode immediately following it, "Q-Less".
Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.7, 22 July 1996
- As part of the VOY Season 2 DVD collection
- As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Q collection
Links and references
Guest stars
- And
- John de Lancie as Q
Special appearance by
Uncredited co-stars
- Tarik Ergin as Ayala
- Louis Ortiz as Culhane
- Lou Slaughter as a command division officer
- L.R. Stegman as Thaddius Riker (photo)
- John Tampoya as Kashimuro Nozawa
- Unknown performer as Murphy
References
Baryonic particles; Battle of Pine Mountain; Big Bang; Bolians; Borg; Christmas tree; colonel; comet; Earth; Enterprise-D, USS; general; Gorokian midwife toad; Johnson, Mark; Kylerian goat milk; Liverpool; My Corner of the Continuum; New York; Nogatch hemlock; Ocampa; Picard, Jean-Luc; proton; Q Continuum; Q species; rabbit; Romulan history; Scarsdale; Sherman, William Tecumseh; Sherman's March; Sri Lanka Boulevard; stellar cartography; suicide; ticker tape parade; Valkyrie; Vulcan history; Welsh rarebit; Woodstock
| 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: "Dreadnought" |
Star Trek: Voyager Season 2 |
Next episode: "Lifesigns" |