Star Trek: The Next Generation — 3x13 — Déjà Q

Aired 1990-02-05

SpaceOpera.com rating:8

Average reader rating:5.26

Synopsis

Q is condemned to live as a mortal.

Remarkable scenes

Q's appearance. John DeLancie is such a great actor.
Q: "What must I do to convince you people!" Worf: "Die." Q: "Oh very clever Worf. Eat any good books lately?"
Every moment of Q in this episode is great.
Q describing sleep.
Data to Q regarding his becoming human: "You have achieved in disgrace what I have always aspired to be."
Q's solution to the asteroid. "Change the cosmological constant of the universe." Duh...
Beverly and Q.
Guinan and Q.
Data mimicking the term "little trained minions" Q used to describe the crew.
Q: "It's difficult to work in groups when you're omnipotent."
Data saving Q's life.
Q to Data: "If it means anything to you, you're a better human than I."
The two Qs.
Q's celebration in the end.
Data laughing.
Q in the end.

Review

A race that doesn't looks exactly like humans! Yay! :) I love the show's initial dilemma. A decaying moon orbit on an alien planet and the Federation steps in to assist. This premise by itself is good, but the added appearance of Q makes it even better. Not only that, but a helpless and powerless Q adds new flavor. This is truly a recipe for what is indeed a great episode with a phenomenal ending.

7 reader comments

If there was a voting pool for the funniest Star Trek episode ever, this should take first place! I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. Q minus his powers was more irritable than an Andorian and more fun than a Ferengi. And again, as it was the case with "The Survivors", we learn a little something about what makes us human with the help of a superbeing… as unlikely as that may seem.
Oh, and Corbin Bernsen's otrageous appearance as Q at the end was an added bonus. What an amazing actor he is!
by Vlad | 05/22/2006 at 1:41 pm

When Worf takes Q to the brig, Worf has to press a button on a panel beside the door before it opens. Later in the episode, Data simply walks through the doorway. Why the difference?
When Q hurts his back in Engineering, Data taps his communicator and calls for a medical team. Note: He TAPS his communicator. If badge tapping is simply habitual, why is Data tapping his badge? He is an android. Data doesn't do things out of habit. Data always "does things by the book." If the book says that a badge tap is unnecessary, Data would not tap his badge.
Dr Crusher fixes Q's back with a tool that looks exactly like a hypospray. But it doesn't make a hypospray sound. Maybe the hypospray is a mulipurpose machine. Then again, maybe the prop department didn't have time to make another medical device.
by DSOmo | 07/23/2007 at 5:26 am

This is one of the top 10 episodes of all time. Q is hilarious, the writing is crisp, the Calamarain are interesting, Guinan's response to Q is great, as is Picard's, and this is all-around top-notch.
by JRPoole | 04/14/2008 at 1:21 pm

There were definitely a few jokes I liked, but in general I found Q's complaints about humanity tiresome and overly exaggerated.
by Christopher Alexander | 04/20/2011 at 11:55 pm

Sooooo, what about the Prime Directive? If the idea of the Prime Directive is to allow a sentient species's society to evolve naturally, wouldn't preventing natural catastrophe be exactly the type of interference to short circuit evolution? Indeed, this exact point is made in TNG: Pen Pals where there is a huge debate over saving a species whose planet is threatened by geological activity. Why no debate here? Perhaps the Enterprise folks have decided to Hell with either Prime Directive.
by Jeff Browning | 10/21/2011 at 9:22 am

Solid episode. Another excellent Q edition. Love the premise of Q becoming human and stumbling through all the physiological and psychological pitfalls. And a nice little ironic reversal with Q suddenly helpless and at Picard's mercy.
The other story arc, with a Japanese-like alien race ( I think they were even played by Asian actors ), worrying about a moon-related Tsunami, was also nicely done. Same for the rather nondescript aliens seeking revenge on Q.
As one would expect in any good Q episode, this one is chock full of witticisms and clever lines. One of my favorites is Picard's "It's a perfectly good shuttlecraft." The Mariachi sequence at the end is ridiculously appropriate, though the final "Engage" cigar gag was just a little bit much.
by Ggen | 03/16/2012 at 7:57 pm

Great and fun episode. I guess showing some orphans or grieving friends and familiy of the 18 people Q got killed last time around would have ruined the good times.
by Amelia Obumhardt | 07/24/2021 at 9:50 am