Deja Q (episode)

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"Deja Q"
TNG, Episode 3x13 Production number: 40273-161 First aired: 5 February 1990
←	60th of 176 produced in TNG	→
←	60th of 176 released in TNG	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered
←	167th of 726 released in all	→
Written By Richard Danus Directed By Les Landau
43539.1 (2366)
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As the Enterprise tries to stabilize a moon's orbit before it impacts a heavily populated planet, Q once again appears, only this time he's been stripped of his powers and is seeking asylum on the Enterprise.

Contents 1 Summary 1.1 Prologue 1.2 Act One 1.3 Act Two 1.4 Act Three 1.5 Act Four 1.6 Act Five 2 Memorable quotes 3 Background 3.1 Awards 3.2 Video and DVD releases 4 Links and references 4.1 Guest stars 4.2 Uncredited co-stars 4.3 References

[edit] Summary

[edit] Prologue

The Enterprise has been called to Bre'el IV to restore the orbit of its moon, which will soon collide with the planet. Q falls naked from the ceiling and Picard jumps to the conclusion that Q is responsible.

[edit] Act One

However, Q reveals he has been stripped of his powers and was given the choice to be turned into anything he so desires. He chooses to be human and sent to the Enterprise because "out of all the universe, Jean-Luc is the closest thing to a friend". When a desperate Q practically begs to know what he can do to convince the crew that he has lost his powers, Worf succinctly replies, "Die."

While not believing Q entirely, Picard has Worf throw him into the brig for safe keeping. Moments later, broadband emmissions illuminate the Enterprise until they shrink down to sneak into the brig, where Q falls asleep.

[edit] Act Two

Later, Q convinces Picard that he can help return the moon to its natural orbit with his knowledge of moons 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.

Data takes Q to Ten Forward, where Data suggests something chocolate as it is Deanna's favorite food when she's in a bad mood. Q orders ten sundaes, since he's "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 Humanity 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.

While Q sulks miserably in Ten Forward, the Calamarain, a species Q tormented in the past, tries to kill Q 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."

[edit] 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" from all the enemies he made as an omnipotent being.

Nonetheless, his knowledge is still useful in the task of moving the moon. Q's original suggestion of changing the gravitational constant of the universe is rejected but inspires La Forge to surround the moon in a subspace field. Its mass thus lowered, the moon can be moved. The Enterprise lacks the energy to move the moon to its original orbit, but they at least buy some more time.

During their attempt to do that, the Calamarain attack again, nearly killing Q. Data intervenes at great peril to himself.

[edit] Act Four

Q comes to the conclusion that being human has made him a miserable coward, so he goes to thank Data for saving him in sickbay, and tells him "You make a better Human than I". Q figures the ship and planet will never be safe so long as he is on board the Enterprise, so he takes a shuttlecraft and leaves the ship to distract the Calamarain.

[edit] Act Five

All attempts to rescue Q fail as Q2, who had Q stripped of his powers and was watching him to see how he reacted, disabled 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.

Q 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. He appears on the bridge with a mariachi band, cigars, and a pair of scantily-clad women "to celebrate". The crew rejects his thanks and Q leaves, vowing to return the favor sometime soon. Upon 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. Also it emerges that, as a final gesture of thanks, Q has returned Bre'el IV's errant moon to it's correct orbit. But as Picard says there may be a "residue of Humanity" in Q, he appears as a cigar in Picard's hand and tells him not to bet on it.

[edit] Memorable quotes

"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.

"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?"

- Picard, Q, and Worf

"What are you looking at?"
"I was considering the possibility that you are telling the truth, that you really are Human."
"It's the ghastly truth, Mr. Data. I can now stub my toe with the best of them."
"An irony. It means that you have achieved in disgrace what I have always aspired to be."

- Q and Data • Listen to this quote^file info

"This is getting on my nerves, now that I have them"

- Q, running into the force field of his detention cell

"Perspicacity incarnate. Please don't feel compelled to tell me the story of "the boy who cried Worf."
"Computer, activate force field."

- Q and Worf

"Sure, the robot who teaches the course in Humanities."
"I am an android, not a robot."
"I beg your pardon."

- Q and Data

"Simple: Change the gravitational constant of the universe."
"What?"
"Change the gravitational constant of the universe, thereby altering the mass of the asteroid."
"Redefine gravity. And how the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"You just DO it. GAHH! Where's that doctor, anyway?"
"Geordi is trying to say that changing the gravitational constant of the universe is beyond our capabilities."
"Well, then... never mind."

- Q, La Forge, and Data

"Your bedside manner is admirable, Doctor. I'm sure your patients recover quickly... just to get away from you"

- Q, to Dr. Beverly Crusher

"We know you're behind this, Q!"
"These aren't my colors! And what are you blathering about, Riker?!"

- Riker and Q

"Romulan!"

- Q, to Worf

"Help me! Somebody help me!"
"How the mighty have fallen."

- Q and Guinan, after the Calamarain attack Q

"I'm not good in groups. It's hard to work in groups when you're omnipotent."

- Q

"Not bad, Q. Not great, but not bad."
"Q!"
"Ah! Sacrificing yourself for these Humans? Do I detect a little selfless act?"
"You flatter me. I was only trying to put an end to a miserable existence."
"Ugh, what a dreadful color!"
"Yeah..."

- Q2 and Q

"Well, I suppose that is the end of Q."
"Au contraire, mon capitan! He's back!"

- Picard and Q

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

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

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

- Q and Riker, after Q appears on the bridge and surrounds Riker with scantily-clad females

"Q!"
"But I feel like celebrating!"
"I DON'T!"

- Picard and Q, in response to lit cigars and the mariachi band

"Data, I've decided to give you something very, very special."
"If your intention is to make me human..."
"No, no, no, no, no, no I would never curse you by making you Human. Think of it as a going-away present..."

- Q and Data

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

- La Forge and Data

"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

"Who does he thinks he is, giving me orders"
"Geordi thinks he is in command here, and he is correct."

- Data and Q

[edit] Background

• 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 VOY.
• 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 story originally concerned the prospect of a new Klingon-Federation war, caused by Q. In this version, Q only faked his loss of his powers, and later became a hero by preventing the conflict. It was Gene Roddenberry who suggested that the god-like Q should be "cut down to size". (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
• 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 "Calamarian Scientist". This is an error as the Calamarains were shown as non-corporeal.

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Links and references

[edit] Guest stars

• John de Lancie as Q
• Corbin Bernsen as Q2
• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan
• Richard Cansino as Garin
• Betty Muramoto as a Bre'el IV scientist

[edit] Uncredited co-stars

• Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Benny Gong as a Bre'el IV scientist

[edit] 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; Markoffian sea lizard; Nigala IV; plasma; Q Continuum; Sakharov; silicon; suicide; tachyons; tractor beam; tricycle; tsunami; type-7 shuttlecraft; 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"

Previous episode: "The High Ground"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3

Next episode: "A Matter of Perspective"