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"Q Who"
Star Trek: The Next Generationepisode
Episodeno.Season 2
Episode 16
Directed byRob Bowman
Written byMaurice Hurley
Featured musicRon Jones
Cinematography byEdward R. Brown
Production code142
Original air dateMay 8, 1989(1989-05-08)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"Q Who"is the 16th episode of thesecond seasonof theAmericanscience fiction televisionseriesStar Trek: The Next Generation.The episode first aired inbroadcast syndicationon May 5, 1989. It was written by executive producerMaurice Hurleyand directed byRob Bowman."Q Who" marked the first appearance of theBorg,who were designed by Hurley and originally intended to appear in thefirst seasonepisode "The Neutral Zone".

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of theStarfleetcrew of theFederation starship Enterprise-D.In this episode, the almost-omnipotententity known as "Q"(John de Lancie) arrives on theEnterpriseand decides that CaptainJean-Luc Picard(Patrick Stewart) is ignorant and overconfident. Q then sends the ship across the galaxy where the crew make first contact with thecyberneticallyenhanced assimilating race known as the Borg. After first trying to make peace and then trying to destroy the Borg ship, and failing at both, Picard is forced to beg for Q's help.

Costume designs were created by Dorinda Wood, whileMichael Westmoredeveloped the prosthetics worn on the actor's heads. The designs were reminiscent of creations ofH. R. Gigerand the character Lord Dread from the television seriesCaptain Power and the Soldiers of the Future.The episode went over budget and nearly required additional filming time. "Q Who" was watched by 10.3 million viewers. The critical reception has been positive, with the episode described as the first "great episode" of the series.[1]It was nominated for threeEmmy Awards,winning two.

Plot

[edit]

On his way back to his quarters, CaptainJean-Luc Picard(Patrick Stewart) steps off a turbolift and instead of finding himself in a corridor onboard theEnterprise,ends up on board ashuttlecraftwithQ(John de Lancie) at the controls. Picard demands to be returned to theEnterprise;Q calls him "an impossibly stubborn human" and refuses to take him back until he agrees to at least hear Q's requests. Q then transports them to Ten Forward, whereGuinan(Whoopi Goldberg), who recognizes him, warns Picard not to trust him. Q reveals that he wants to join the crew to assist them as they push further into unexplored regions of the galaxy, asserting they are not ready for the threats they will encounter. Picard chooses to make their own way into the unknown, and rejects Q's offer. Irritated by Picard's arrogance, Q sends theEnterprisethousands of light years across the galaxy, then disappears. Lt. CommanderData(Brent Spiner) reports that the nearest starbase is over two years away at maximum warp. A fearful Guinan warns Picard to set course for home immediately, but Picard is curious to explore.

The crew discover a nearby planet that shows signs of a previous civilization but has been stripped of all industrial and mechanical elements, similar todestruction found several months agoat Federation outposts bordering the Romulan Neutral Zone. Moments later, they detect and are then met by a large, cube-shaped vessel which does not answer their hails. Guinan warns Picard that the ship belongs to theBorg,a powerful, cyborg-like race that nearly wiped out her people, scattering the survivors across the galaxy, and again urges Picard to leave immediately or face certain destruction. Though Picard orders theEnterprise'sshieldsraised, a single, speechless Borgtransportsinto Engineering and begins to probe theEnterprise's computer systems. Lt.Worf(Michael Dorn) initially attempts to incapacitate the intruder with hisphaserset on stun, which has no effect. Worf is forced to use the kill setting in order to neutralize the Borg. Immediately afterwards, a second Borg appears and continues probing the computer, now proving to be completely immune to phaser fire. Completing its mission, it strips several components from the dead Borg, then transports itself and the dead Borg away. The Borg ship contacts theEnterpriseand demands their surrender. The Borg then immobilizes theEnterprisewith a tractor beam, disables the shields, and uses a cutting beam to slice into the saucer section to remove a cross-section of the ship, killing eighteen people.

Picard orders return fire, and theEnterpriseapparently disables the Borg ship. Against Guinan's advice, CommanderWilliam Riker(Jonathan Frakes) takes an away team to the immense Borg cube where they find mostly dormant Borg drones and a Borg nursery. Data discovers that the Borg ship is regenerating and repairing the damage made by theEnterprise.The away team is beamed directly to the bridge, and Picard orders that they depart at maximum warp. The Borg ship suddenly reactivates and begins pursuit, gaining on theEnterprise.Q appears on the bridge and warns Picard that the Borg will never stop chasing them, and cannot be defeated. Picard attempts to fight back against the Borg to no avail, and finally admits he needs Q's help. Q obliges, safely returning theEnterpriseto its last position in Federation space. Picard, though thankful for Q's lesson, blames Q for the deaths of his crew. Q disappears, but not before reminding them again of their ill-preparedness. Guinan warns Picard that now that the Borg are aware of the Federation's presence, they will be coming. Picard reflects that perhaps Q did the right thing for the wrong reasons by bringing forward their encounter with the Borg, as it has informed the Federation what lies ahead of them as they continue to explore.

Production

[edit]

The episode featured the third appearance of de Lancie as Q after "Encounter at Farpoint"and"Hide and Q",the latter of which had been written by Hurley under apseudonym.Lycia Naffwas introduced as the overeager young ensign Sonya Gomez, who was intended to be a recurring character in the same manner as ChiefMiles O'Brienplayed byColm Meaney(who also appeared in this episode). However, Naff made just one more appearance as Gomez, in the following episode, although the character later appeared in theStarfleet Corps of Engineersseries ofnovellasand, as a captain, inStar Trek: Lower Decks.[1]

"Q Who" went $50,000 over budget and at one point had an eighth day of shooting arranged, although this was subsequently canceled.[2]The overspending on this episode and "Elementary, Dear Data"resulted in the budget-saving production of theclip show"Shades of Gray".[3]DirectorRob Bowmanwas concerned with "Q Who" for a while, saying that "we didn't know day to day if we were making a stinker or a winner".[2]

The Borg

[edit]

Gene Roddenberrywas keen not to re-use aliens fromThe Original Series,and so theFerengiwere developed to be the main villains forThe Next Generation.After the new aliens' first few appearances, it was decided that they were too comical to suit such a role, and instead the production team began looking for a new adversary forStarfleet.[2]Writer and co-executive producerMaurice Hurleydeveloped the idea of an insectoid race with a sharedhive consciousness.[4][5]This idea would become the cybernetic Borg due to budget constraints,[6]with the idea of a hive mind remaining.[2][6]The new race would go on to appear in five further episodes ofThe Next Generation,as well as the filmStar Trek: First Contact.[6]The Borg also appeared in thepilotofStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,[7]theStar Trek: Enterpriseepisode "Regeneration,"and repeatedly inStar Trek: Voyagerfrom the middle of season three onwards.[8][9]

It had been originally planned to include the Borg in the first season episode "The Neutral Zone",but due to the1988 Writers Guild of America strike,the time to write the script was cut short. Hurley developed the episode over a day and a half with the Borg elements directly removed. The episode was originally conceived as having two parts, with theRomulansandFederationteaming up in the second part, but that plan was subsequently dropped.[10]This plot may have been linked to the aliens seen in "Conspiracy".[1]"The Neutral Zone" instead simply made reference to the destruction of a series of outposts by an unknown enemy.[6]

The design of the Borg was reminiscent of Lord Dread from the television seriesCaptain Power and the Soldiers of the Futureand the designs ofH. R. Giger.[6]The first designs for the new race were created by costume designer Dorinda Wood after she received the script to "Q Who". While her design showed a suit with tubes running in and out of it, she left the head design up to make-up supervisorMichael Westmore.The headpieces and the main costumes were made at the same time by the two different departments, with Wood and Westmore working together at times to ensure that they matched.[11]The base of the head pieces was made from foam, and while Westmore initially made casts of model kits usingpolyurethanefor the electronic parts, he found it more effective to use actual electronics from damaged equipment. He designed a latex attachment to allow for tubes to be attached to skin so that there was not a great deal of bare skin left on the actors' bodies. That skin was covered in a white base make-up in order to achieve azombie-like appearance.[12]

Awards and nominations

[edit]

The episode was nominated for threeEmmy Awardsin 1989, winning two for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Sound Mi xing for a Drama Series.[13]It was nominated for, but failed to win forOutstanding Special Visual Effects,with the award going to the miniseriesWar and Remembranceinstead.[14]

Reception

[edit]

I love the moment when a good show becomes great. I love feeling all your investment and increasingly desperate optimism suddenly pay off. We've had good TNG episodes before this, but "Q Who?" goes that one extra step, and finally, finally takes the show out from behindTOS'sshadow once and for all... before now, it was possible to legitimately question ifTNGcould ever stand on its own feet. That is no longer an issue.

Zack Handlen,The A.V. Club,July 8, 2010[15]

"Q Who" was first shown on May 5, 1989, inbroadcast syndicationwithin the United States. It was watched by 10.3 million viewers, making it the most watched episode since "The Royale"four episodes earlier in the season." Q Who "was watched by more viewers than any other episode for the rest of season two and the first five episodes ofseason three.[16][17]

Several reviewers re-watched the episode following the end of the series.Keith DeCandidoreviewed "Q Who" forTorin 2011, describing it as "one of the best hours ofTNG".[1]He called de Lancie's performance a "triumphant return", said that Goldberg brought "mystery and depth" to her role and that Stewart "just kills" as Picard.[1]He said that the introduction of the Borg was "phenomenal",[1]and gave the episode a score of ten out of ten.[1]Zack Handlen, writing forThe A.V. Clubsaid that the plot was "brilliant" because Q was proved right.[15]He thought that had the crew been able to come to some sort of solution then it would have been a "strong" episode, but because Picard is forced to plead with Q, it made it the first "great episode" of the series because "it admits that these humans... can be arrogant, and weak, and that they can be bested".[1]He gave the episode an "A" grade.[1]

SFXdescribed the episode as "thrilling" in their review of the season twoBlu-rayrelease,[18]whileIGNreferred to it as a "classic".[19]In a list of the great episodes ofThe Next Generationcreated by Juliette Harrison in 2012 forDen of Geek,"Q Who" was listed fifth – the earliest episode of the series to be featured in the list.[20]

Benjamin Ahr Harrison of The Greatest Generation podcast described the set design of the interior of the Borg cube as: "IfH. R. Gigerhad gone to work for, like,Black & Deckerand designed a microwave, this is sort of what it would have looked like. "[21]

"Q Who" was rated the 16th best episode of allStar Trektelevision up to 2016, in a ranking byThe Hollywood Reporter.[22]In 2015, they ranked the presentation of the fictional Borg cube spacecraft as one of the top ten "most stunning" moments of this television series.[23]

The Borg cube, which made its debut in this episode was rated as the 2nd best spacecraft ofStar TrekbySpacein 2017.[24]

In 2018,Tom's Guiderated "Q Who" one of the 15 best episodes featuring Captain Picard.[25]

In 2020,CBRranked this episode the 2nd best featuring Q, suggesting it was one of the most influential episodes of the franchise.[26]That same year they also ranked "Q Who" the 8th best episode ofStar Trek: The Next Generation.[27]

In 2021,Nerdistsaid this was one of the top tenStar Trekepisodes with first alien contact, pointing the introduction of the deadly Borg cybernetic aliens by a playfully malicious Q.[28]

In 2021ScreenRantsaid it was the second best Borg episode based on anIMDBrating of 9.0 out of 10 at that time, behind "Best of Both Worlds" which had rating of 9.4 out of 10.[29]

In 2021,Rolling Stonemagazine said that "Q Who" was an "incredible" episode from season 2 of the series, noting how Q introduces the Borg.[30]

In 2021,Tom's Guidesaid this was a "chilling introduction" to the Borg, and the second best episode for the character Q.[31]

Watch guides

[edit]

TheNerdistsuggested this episode as the starting point for a story arc of this TV show.[32]They propose a story arc with theEnterprise 1701-Dconfronting theBorg,that would include Q Who,Best of Both Worlds,I, Borg,andDescent.[32]

In 2020,IGNrecommended watching "Q Who" as background for anotherStar Trekuniverse show,Star Trek: Picard.[33]

Home media and cinematic release

[edit]

The first home media release of "Q Who" was onVHScassette, appearing on October 12, 1994, in the United States and Canada.[34]The episode has been included in threeDVDbox sets. The first was the Season Two set, released on May 7, 2002,[35]and subsequently as part of theStar Trek: Fan Collective – Borgon March 7, 2006[36]andStar Trek: Fan Collective – Qon June 6, 2006.[37]The most recent release was as part of the Season TwoBlu-rayset on December 4, 2012.[38]That release included an audio commentary for the episode featuring Rob Bowman, Dan Curry andMichaelandDenise Okuda.[19]"Q Who" received a cinematic release alongside an extended version of "The Measure of a Man"for one night on November 29, 2012, to promote the Blu-ray release.[39]This was the second time that a pair ofThe Next Generationepisodes received a cinematic release to promote the release of a Blu-ray season box set.[40]

This episode was released in the "Q Continuum" collection ofLaserDisc.[41]The collection was released on July 30, 1997 and was published byParamount Home Video;it retailed for 100 USD.[41]The set included the 2-part "Encounter at Farpoint", "Hide & Q", "Q Who?", and "Deja Q" on 12 inch optical discs inNTSCformat with a total runtime of 230 minutes.[41]The collection came in a Tri-Fold jacket that also included a letter from actor Jon De Lancie.[41]

References

[edit]
  1. ^abcdefghiDeCandido, Keith (October 7, 2011)."Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch:" Q Who "".Tor.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
  2. ^abcdNemecek (1993):p. 86
  3. ^Gross & Altman (1995):p. 182
  4. ^Gross & Altman (1995):p. 169
  5. ^Gross & Altman (1995):p. 180
  6. ^abcdeReeves-Stevens (1998):p. 64
  7. ^DeCandido, Keith (April 23, 2013)."Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Rewatch:" Emissary "".Tor.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
  8. ^"Assimilating into the 22nd Century".Star Trek. March 11, 2003. Archived fromthe originalon April 2, 2003.RetrievedJuly 9,2013.
  9. ^"Scorpion, Part I".Star Trek.RetrievedJuly 9,2013.
  10. ^Nemecek (1993):p. 60
  11. ^Westmor &, Nazzaro (1993):p. 24
  12. ^Westmore & Nazzaro (1993):p. 25
  13. ^Nemecek (1993):p. 95
  14. ^"Primetime Emmy Award Database".Emmys.RetrievedAugust 11,2013.
  15. ^abHandlen, Zack (July 8, 2010).""Q Who?" / "Samaritan Snare" / "Up The Long Ladder"".The A.V. Club.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
  16. ^"Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings – Seasons 1–2".TrekNation. Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2000.RetrievedJuly 8,2013.
  17. ^"Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings – Seasons 3–4".TrekNation. Archived fromthe originalon October 5, 2000.RetrievedJuly 8,2013.
  18. ^Berriman, Ian (November 26, 2012)."Star Trek: The Next Generation Season Two Review".SFX.RetrievedAugust 25,2013.
  19. ^abCollura, Scott (December 3, 2012)."Picard and his Crew Return in this Excellent Remastering of the Classic Series".IGN.RetrievedJuly 9,2013.
  20. ^Harrison, Juliette (November 7, 2012)."Five great Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes".Den of Geek. Archived fromthe originalon January 31, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
  21. ^"Ep 41: Karate Stance Bean Flickin' (S2E16) | Maximum Fun".maximumfun.org.Archived fromthe originalon September 22, 2017.RetrievedMarch 15,2017.
  22. ^""Q Who" - 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes ".The Hollywood Reporter.September 8, 2016.RetrievedMarch 24,2019.
  23. ^"'Star Trek: The Next Generation': 10 Most Stunning Moments ".The Hollywood Reporter.June 20, 2015.RetrievedJuly 27,2019.
  24. ^Entertainment, Elizabeth Howell 2017-09-22T12:02:15Z (September 22, 2017)."The 15 Best Ships on Star Trek, from V-ger to the Vengeance".Space.RetrievedFebruary 27,2019.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^"The 15 Best Capt. Picard Episodes of Star Trek".Tom's Guide.August 12, 2018.RetrievedMarch 26,2019.
  26. ^"Star Trek: 10 Best Q Episodes In The Series, Ranked".CBR.April 8, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 13,2021.
  27. ^"10 Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, According to IMDb".CBR.March 22, 2020.RetrievedFebruary 14,2021.
  28. ^"10 Perfect STAR TREK Episodes to Watch on First Contact Day".Nerdist.RetrievedApril 7,2021.
  29. ^"Star Trek: 10 Best Borg Episodes (According To IMDb)".ScreenRant.April 3, 2021.RetrievedApril 7,2021.
  30. ^Greene, Andy (April 6, 2021)."Flashback: Captain Picard Meets Q on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'".Rolling Stone.RetrievedApril 9,2021.
  31. ^April 2021, Marshall Honorof 12 (April 12, 2021)."Prepare for Picard Season 2 with every Q episode, ranked".Tom's Guide.RetrievedApril 17,2021.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ab"A Guide to Binge Watching 7 Great STAR TREK Arcs".Nerdist.RetrievedJune 20,2019.
  33. ^Star Trek: Picard Viewing Guide - The Essential Treks to Take Before the Show - IGN,retrievedJanuary 15,2020
  34. ^"Star Trek – The Next Generation, Episode 42: Q Who? (VHS)".Tower Video. Archived fromthe originalon July 8, 2013.RetrievedJuly 8,2013.
  35. ^Beierle, Aaron (May 3, 2002)."Star Trek: Next Generation season 2".DVD Talk.Archived fromthe originalon November 2, 2014.RetrievedJuly 5,2013.
  36. ^Douglass Jr., Todd (March 7, 2006)."Star Trek Fan Collective – Borg".DVD Talk.RetrievedOctober 31,2014.
  37. ^Douglass Jr., Todd (June 6, 2006)."Star Trek Fan Collective – Q".DVD Talk.RetrievedAugust 11,2013.
  38. ^Miller II, Randy (December 3, 2012)."Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season Two (Blu-ray)".DVD Talk.Archived fromthe originalon November 2, 2014.RetrievedJuly 5,2013.
  39. ^Nicholson, Max (November 8, 2012)."IGN and Fathom Present: Star Trek: TNG Beams Back Into Theaters for Season 2's Blu-ray Release".IGN.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
  40. ^Collura, Scott (July 24, 2012)."Star Trek: The Next Generation Lives Again on the Big Screen".IGN.RetrievedJanuary 30,2022.
  41. ^abcd"LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Next Generation: Q Continuum [LV15341-3]".lddb.RetrievedFebruary 18,2021.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Gross, Edward; Altman, Mark A. (1993).Captain's Logs: The Complete Trek Voyages.London: Boxtree.ISBN978-1-85283-899-7.
  • Nemecek, Larry (2003).Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion(3rd ed.). New York: Pocket Books.ISBN0-7434-5798-6.
  • Reeves-Stevens, Judith; Reeves-Stevens, Garfield (1998).Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Continuing Mission(2nd ed.). New York: Pocket Books.ISBN978-0671025595.
  • Westmore, Michael G; Nazzaro, Joe (1993).Star Trek: The Next Generation Make-Up FX Journal.London: Titan.ISBN978-1-85286-491-0.
[edit]
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