Why did Q, an omnipotent entity, even bother with the Enterprise crew? Even being bored can’t explain his / their focus on the crew. Does anyone understand this?

On Monday, July 10th 2006 9:42 pm, FuManchu wrote:

Why did Q, an omnipotent entity, even bother with the Enterprise crew? Even being bored can’t explain his / their focus on the crew. Does anyone understand this?

I understand, Why in the world with someone one that can be anywhere and everywhere, have unlimited powers be fascinated by just one crew.

But I might say he might of been on several other places, we know he use to torment a race of gaseous aliens from one episode (the episode were he gets "fired" from being a Q and turns into a human); We also know from Ghinen's (spelling arg... Whoopi Goldberg's) race, Q use to torment them as well. ... but that was a long time ago. Which leads me to ask. Does time exist for a Q?

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Maybe he wasn't interested like as being bored but as in like... this is the crew that destroys the universe type of fascination?
Maybe he was sort of Ordered to train the crew of the Enterprise for what was to come from their last episode..
Maybe he couldn't really interfere with stuff in a galactic scale (like in another show) and had

The humanity on trial thing was no more then something Q made up to hide the bigger reality. The enterprise was going to kill all forms of humanity if the so called "test" were to fail.

As i said erlier. Although their was an episode were he lost his powers, and we know it wasn't intentional. So who knows for sure

On Tuesday, July 11th 2006 4:27 am, gakhandal wrote:

On Monday, July 10th 2006 9:42 pm, FuManchu wrote: Why did Q, an omnipotent entity, even bother with the Enterprise crew? Even being bored can’t explain his / their focus on the crew. Does anyone understand this? I understand, Why in the world with someone one that can be anywhere and everywhere, have unlimited powers be fascinated by just one crew. But I might say he might of been on several other places, we know he use to torment a race of gaseous aliens from one episode (the episode were he gets "fired" from being a Q and turns into a human); We also know from Ghinen's (spelling arg... Whoopi Goldberg's) race, Q use to torment them as well. ... but that was a long time ago. Which leads me to ask. Does time exist for a Q? ______________________ Maybe he wasn't interested like as being bored but as in like... this is the crew that destroys the universe type of fascination? Maybe he was sort of Ordered to train the crew of the Enterprise for what was to come from their last episode.. Maybe he couldn't really interfere with stuff in a galactic scale (like in another show) and had The humanity on trial thing was no more then something Q made up to hide the bigger reality. The enterprise was going to kill all forms of humanity if the so called "test" were to fail. As i said erlier. Although their was an episode were he lost his powers, and we know it wasn't intentional. So who knows for sure

Good answer. I just think about the ascended Ancients from the Stargate series; they found once they became omnipotent, they would be mostly a hands off race. Whereas, we see the Q constantly medaling in earthly matters. Strange.

However yes, I did love the whole Q theme in the series in an entertainment sort of way, I just had a conceptual problem with the idea of the need for Q’s interaction with Enterprise and Voyager.

Actually, I’m scratching my head to remember if the Q also interacted with the crew of DS9? Does anyone remember if they / he did?

All of Q's actions stem from his first contact with humans in "Encounter at Farpoint" where not just him, but the Q Continuum have put humanity on trial for their past crimes. He was merely the one who carried out the assignment. In "Hide and Q", Q says that the Continuum became interested in Picard and the Enterprise for their help with the alien lifeform at Farpoint Station.

What happens after "Hide and Q" is more Q than the Continuum. Q enjoyed his tête á têtes with Picard. His request in "Q Who?" was no joke. He really wanted to join the Enterprise crew, but he didn't realise that joining the crew meant actually doing work. As a Q, he's not prone to doing any more than he has to. Plus, what he really wanted to do was best Picard in a contest of wits. Of course, Q's not that smart.

I'm watching DS9 right now and working on the guide, but unfortunately I had to read some trivia on the episode "Q-LESS" where I learned that "Q-LESS" is the only episode in which Q is shown in DS9. It may be that Q was scared away from the fact that Sisko actually hit him when Q believe that Picard wouldn't.

On Tuesday, July 11th 2006 9:39 am, Umibouzu wrote:

All of Q's actions stem from his first contact with humans in "Encounter at Farpoint" where not just him, but the Q Continuum have put humanity on trial for their past crimes. He was merely the one who carried out the assignment. In "Hide and Q", Q says that the Continuum became interested in Picard and the Enterprise for their help with the alien lifeform at Farpoint Station. What happens after "Hide and Q" is more Q than the Continuum. Q enjoyed his tête á têtes with Picard. His request in "Q Who?" was no joke. He really wanted to join the Enterprise crew, but he didn't realise that joining the crew meant actually doing work. As a Q, he's not prone to doing any more than he has to. Plus, what he really wanted to do was best Picard in a contest of wits. Of course, Q's not that smart. I'm watching DS9 right now and working on the guide, but unfortunately I had to read some trivia on the episode "Q-LESS" where I learned that "Q-LESS" is the only episode in which Q is shown in DS9. It may be that Q was scared away from the fact that Sisko actually hit him when Q believe that Picard wouldn't.

Yes, you got me there. I was focused on the Stargate Ancients, who are separate entities, versus the Q, which is a continuum. However, the ST:V episode where the crew visits the continuum showed the continuum as being made up of separate entities, but were they really separate? The Q is a confusing, but interesting “thing.”

I do agree it is interesting that DS9 was the rouge series where the “Q” didn’t really have a reoccurring influence. However, DS9 was in itself a very rouge series, which in the end, made it great.

One of my absolute favourite lines in TNG comes from Q's arrival in a meeting between Picard and his officers to discuss Amanda's powers in the season 6 episode "True Q".

Picard: (In a perfectly pissed off voice) Q!
Q: Mon Capitan.

By Season 6, thier "greeting" to each other had been established to a point: Picard would always say Q's name with contempt while Q would always play the perfect foil to Picard. So hearing them "greet" each other in "True Q" was hilarious.

On Monday, July 10th 2006 9:42 pm, FuManchu wrote:

Why did Q, an omnipotent entity, even bother with the Enterprise crew? Even being bored can’t explain his / their focus on the crew. Does anyone understand this?

Well, remember in "All Good Things", Picard said "Q has always had a certain fascination with humanity and with myself in particular." Perhaps he was so fascinated with Picard as he was the captain of the Federation flagship and, in a sense, emblematic of the best of humanity, as Q saw it. That's my opinion, anyway.

On Tuesday, July 11th 2006 9:39 am, Umibouzu wrote:

"Q-LESS" is the only episode in which Q is shown in DS9. It may be that Q was scared away from the fact that Sisko actually hit him when Q believe that Picard wouldn't.

Ah, Q didn't really work on DS9. He and Avery Brooks had practically no chemistry. There was really no good reason for him to there in the first place, anyway.

Q may have worked early in DS9, but Q would not have worked once the Founders entered the picture. I mean you can have one or the other, but not both at that point. JMHO.

(This is sort of off on topic)
Could it be guilt? --probably not--

Q was responsible for informing the Borg in the sense that Q sent the Enterprise to meet with them ahead of their time. Making Q responsible for informing prematurely the Borg of humanoid existence in the Alpha quadrant.

Well, I don't think its about guilt.... but Q both helped and condemned many lives from what happened that day. He prepared Star Fleet about the Borg threat, then again the Borg came because of his meddling with the Enterprise.

The Borg could of eventually came to the Alpha Quadrant, but "when" would be a good question. Could of star fleet been better prepared if Q would of butted out?

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I forgot the details of the episode, Did Q explain that the Borg were coming, or did he just say that Picard has no idea what lies ahead, so Q shows him what will happen by sending the Enterprise to a Borg ship location... ARgh

Q did say that Picard and company had no idea what lay ahead. At the very end of the episode, Picard and Guinan are playing that funky chess game, which I think has name but I don't know it, and Guinan says that since the Borg now know about the humans, and Picard finishes by saying that they'll be coming and adds, "Perhaps we needed a kick in our complacency." Q was teaching them a lesson because he did not like hearing such bravado coming out of all the crew's mouths when he said that they weren't ready for what lay ahead.

Now, could Starfleet have been better prepared if Q hadn't interfered? Well, I'd say that's something to ponder. The Borg nearly destroyed the Federation in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II". The incredible loss of life at Wolf 359 was bad enough, but the Borg were that close to wiping out humanity, assimilating them into their collective. Would it have been better for Q not to have interfered and the Federation to keep on going until the actually ran into the Borg? Remember this too, in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Jem'Hadar", the Jem'Hadar soldier said that the Dominion was not expecting to meet the Federation for another 200 years. The Gamma Quadrant is technically closer than the Delta Quadrant in terms of areas the Federation has explored so the Federation may have been ready for the Borg since they most likely would have met the Dominion first.

BTW, the next episode to star Q after "Q Who?", where Q "tosses" the Enterprise into the Delta Quadrant, is "Deja Q" where Q has been kicked out of the Continuum. Another Q advised that he be thrown out because of all the damage that he has caused to other lifeforms. One of those charges against Q, of course, is the interference with the Federation by placing them directly in the Borg's path.

How can we really understand the reasons and intentions of such beings?
After all, they've "all the the pot plant".
How the Q let humans perceive their intentions and behaviour may have been done on purpose and perceived by them as in our best intentions?
They understand death and life differently to us and so see a bigger picture.