Déjà Q

TNG Season 3 Episode 13
Air Date: February 5th, 1990

Plot

While the Enterprise is trying to prevent the moon of Bre'el IV from falling into the planet killing most of the population, Q shows up powerless. He chose the Enterprise as his exile location and human as the form knowing that the Federation would not kill him for the things he had done in the past and might even protect him from his enemies.

Reluctantly the crew accept Q and even enlist his help to save Bre'el IV. Unfortunately a energy being known as the Calamarain show up and try to kill Q. Eventually Q realizes that he is jeopardizing the Enterprise and the people on the planet below and steals a shuttle craft. This would ultimately result in his death which he welcomes now that he realize he can't live as a mortal. This makes the Q realize that he has changed and shown a selfless act and they give Q his powers back.

Q celebrates by restoring the moon's orbit, bringing a mariachi band onto the bridge and some woman for Worf (Riker refuses). As he leaves, he gives on gift to Data whom was supportive of Q, a fit of laughter.

Commentary

This episode was the best Q episode I can remember. The quips that we can get from Q were so good. It was interesting to see Data and Q interact as Data is probably the only member of the crew that didn't have some kind of dislike for Q and honestly was trying to help him. The episode is best appreciated by quotes.

Corbin Bernsen makes a guest appearance as another Q.

Quotes

"My superiors have decided to punish me." - Q
"And punish us as well, it would seem." - Picard

"They made you human as part of your punishment?" - Troi
"No, it was my request. I could have chosen to exist as a Markoffian sea lizard or a Belzoidian flea. Anything I wished as long as it was mortal. And since I only had a fraction of a second to mull and I chose this and asked them to bring me here." - Q
"Why?" - Troi
"Because in all the universe you're the closest thing I have to a friend, Jean-Luc." - Q

"Return that moon to its orbit." - Picard
"I have no powers. Q the ordinary." - Q
"Q the liar. Q the misanthrope." - Picard
"Q the miserable. Q the desperate. What must I do to convince you people?" - Q
"Die." - Worf
"Oh, very clever, Worf. Eat any good books lately?" - Q

"It was a mistake. I never should have picked human. I knew it the minute I said it. To think of the future in this shell. Forced to cover myself with fabric because of some outdated human morality. To say nothing of being too hot or too cold, growing feeble with age, losing my hair, catching a disease, being ticklish, sneezing, having an itch, a pimple, bad breath. Having to bathe." - Q
"Too bad." - Worf

"Would I permit you to lock me away if I still had all my powers?" - Q
"You have fooled us too often, Q." - Worf
"Perspicacity incarnate. Please don't feel compelled now to tell me the story of the boy who cried Worf." - Q

"Truthfully, Jean-Luc. I have been entirely preoccupied by a most frightening experience of my own. A couple of hours ago, I realizing that my body was no longer functioning properly. I felt weak. I could no longer stand. The life was oozing out of me. I lost consciousness." - Q
"You fell asleep." - Picard
"Terrifying. How can you stand it day after day?" - Q
"You get used to it." - Picard

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

"Q says he has hurt his back." - Data
"Ah ha. Well, if I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it. According to this, he has classic back trauma. Muscle spasms." - Doctor Crusher
"I've been under a lot of pressure lately. Family problems." - Q
"Well. don't expect too much sympathy from me. You've been a pain in our backside often enough." - Doctor Crusher
"Your bedside manner is admirable, Doctor. I'm sure your patients recover quickly just to get away from you." - Q

"Q, get to the controls or get the hell out of here. Data, you're my liaison to the Bridge. I'll need you with me." - La Forge
"Who does he think he is, giving me orders." - Q
"Geordi thinks he is in command here, and he is correct." - Data

"There are creatures in the universe who would consider you the ultimate achievement, android. No feelings, no emotions, no pain. And yet you covet those qualities of humanity. Believe me, you're missing nothing. But if it means anything to you, you're a better human than I." - Q