i always got the feeling that Q was like the teacher you hated cause he always pushed you, but it turned out it was he knew you could do so much better.
Q went from the annoying filler "super alien disposable encounter" of the first episode to the must-have villain/character that ties everything up in the final episode, seven years later. Fantastic.
I like how Q smiles at Picard when he says, "the part about the helping hand was my idea." For whatever mischief he caused, he ended in Picard's corner.
@@katakurifan5213 He mentions it once when Picard quotes Shakespeare -- "What he said with irony I say with conviction -- What a piece of work is Man..." (I forgot the rest, curse my mortal brain for an incompetent!)
@@michaelmiller3996 I think the problem would have happened either way. The Q Continuum gave Q his directive. Q chose to take liberties with that directive and help Picard.
Q has always been in humanities corner. He said why they were interested to Riker the second time he showed up but it was dismissed as a ploy. Humanity is unique and advancing/evolving faster than anyone else. The Q want to test them and guide them so if they become Q-like beings one day that they arent a plague on the universe.
In my mind this comment thread is an excellent illustration of why they didn't. Q is an endlessly fascinating character, but his sheer omnipotence means that he had to be used both sparingly (or else 'Q ex machina' problems would constantly begin to rear their ugly heads) and carefully. You could write nearly any plot you like with him as an element, but you always had to have a *reason* for him to be in it, beyond enabling it. Overplay him, or play him with the wrong plots, and the magic he was invested with would vanish like morning mist in the sun. A prominent member of the writing team was quoted, I believe, as saying that once per season or so was just the right amount to use him, and I think it's true. Too little and he might have been an entertaining one-time or two-time character, memorable but not special. Too much and he'd have cheapened everything else in the series by his presence. His relationship with Picard had to walk that same line. If they made him too adversarial, too overtly a 'villain', tension would collapse. There's no meaningful drama (of the sort Star Trek aspired to) when your opponent is all-powerful. By the same token, if they made him too chummy with Picard, there'd constantly be the question of why their friend the god wasn't getting them out of every scrape they were in. So he had to be interested in Picard - fascinated, even, but not *invested* , not openly; he had to be willing to give Picard enough rope to either escape or hang himself with. And he had to never, ever, *ever* be SAFE. Occasionally outright benevolent, for the briefest flash of a moment - but never SAFE. Q put a face on the archetypal Trickster, infuriating and arrogant and yet somehow impossible to *completely* dislike, for all the chaos he caused, purportedly for his own amusement. (Possibly because if you tell somebody you're putting them through adversity to teach them, they'll try to spite your lesson - but if you make spiting you (their whimsical tormentor) the goal of the lesson, they'll go to the ends of the earth to fulfil it.) And even for all that, for my money, it's the last two Q episodes that are the most interesting. In those two episodes alone, Q pulls back the curtain a little bit - just a little - and reveals that, at the very least, he was always a *little* bit on Picard's side. In 'All Good Things...', it was as part of a directive from above, his way of balancing the scales, perhaps. But in 'Tapestry' - assuming it wasn't just Picard's mind playing tricks on him on the operating table - it was, strangely enough, a largely unselfish thing. Oh, Q got his amusement, as he often does, but Picard wasn't playing his game as a representative of humanity, or indeed with any larger stake in the matter than his own life and the choices he made. And if Q knew how it was going to turn out - and that little speech suggests he did - then the entire thing comes off as Q's peculiar idea of a birthday present. He gives Picard the one thing that - by his own admission - most mortals never get: a chance to know how it *would* have gone, a chance to do it all over again. And then, when, Monkey's-Paw style, it comes back to bite Picard, instead of leaving him with the consequences of his new choices, Q gives him his old life back again, just the way it was - but with one major difference. Now, Picard (of all mortals) knows how it *would have gone* - and he returns to his old life without any of the regrets he carried with him. No standing in for the whole of humanity, no ship-wide or species-wide or universe-wide ramifications... just a personal revelation, as a gift to a friend. But if none of those musings satisfy you as to why making a feature-length production with Q would have been a bad idea, consider this: given the length of the finale, you could argue that they *did* make a TNG movie with Q, and it was called 'All Good Things...'.
I don't know if anyone reading this is familiar with the tv show supernatural, but I think it's the same reason why they significantly de-powered the angels shortly after they were introduced to the series. At first they were portrayed as super powerful beings, but as the series went on they gradually (IMO) were portrayed as less powerful. And why castiel always had some issue going on where he couldn't be at his full power. I think the show writers/runners realized that if you have an all powerful being who can snap their fingers and fix everything, then there is no show. I was annoyed when the angels became weaker in SPN, (tho i understood it) and I'd have hated that to happen to the Q.
"It's wonderous. With treasures to satiate desires, both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid." Probably one of the greatest lines recorded to film.
I was really happy that Q (John de Lancie) returned in the second season of the Star Trek: Picard series! The series really wouldn't be complete without him! It will be an epic send-off for these two great actors! The character Picard and Patrick Stewart also deserved no less! It's only fair for them and the audience to see them perform together one last time!
@Audio Maverick Why do you think that a being that probably existed in the 11 dimensions of the Universe needs to follow human ethics? Can you judge what is right or wrong for a God? When God kills hundreds or thousands of people with a volcano or a hurricane, can we condemn him? Human logic and ethics do not apply to a supreme being like Q... A being like Q and his motivations are simply beyond our comprehension...
"For that one fraction of a second, you were open to options you had never considered. THAT is the exploration that awaits you. Not mapping starts or studying nebula. But charting the unknown possibilities...of existence!" One of the BEST speeches I've ever heard...anywhere on big or small screen!
@@stink5253 Perhaps, perhaps not. The Golem Picard might well be treated as the same Jean-Luc Picard that died of Irumodic Syndrome at the end of Season One. The Continuum may very well grant the spirit of Jean-Luc Picard the opportunity to inhabit the Golem body created by the latter Dr. Soong. It would be a singular opportunity for Jean-Luc to continue his existence for some time yet. It's all up to Picard -- who knows, but that the Q Continuum might grant him the unique and most rare privilege of becoming one of the Q himself. I see it like this -- in Season One Q arbitrarily gives Riker the powers of the Q as a test. Riker wasn't ready for it. But perhaps one day..... Jean-Luc Picard just might be ready.
@@locutusofscifi1033 What? You mean you don't accept it when Kurtzman says it is a literal impossibility to keep continuity after 50 years? Perish the thought...
He was about to Picard that the Q believe that humanity has the potential to become like the Q. That has the Q excited, worried, thrilled and scared shitless all at the same time.
and that big grin on his face like he is looking at a little kid and thinking you will find out ,you are on a good way little creature, his whole speech is gold and so true the unknown possibiltys of existence are the unknown possibiltys of our lives and you should keep you mind open to find them cause the trail and learning never ends and than his last words see you ...out there
Yeah, a really epic moment...it said a million things without saying anything at all. He had a genuine look on his face until the last minute, then that smirk and that eye blink. that eye blink said alot as well. I love it!
Imagine if the current series started out with Q telling Picard that humanity had regressed in his perpetual trial on them and that it was up to old man Picard to fix that and draw attention to what the Federation should be.
But why? I agree that the show itself has massive issues, but I dont think the new Picard as a character does anything reprehensible. He is actually seemingly one of the few who still hold the federation moral guidelines close to his heart. He is old and feeble and powerless. But his view on morality seems to be intact. I think Q would still accept him, if anyone on the writing team remembered that Picards relationship with Q continuum exists :D
Clearly Q has been messing around with the timeline because the Picard we see on STP is not the one we know from TNG, instead he's the "Blue Shirt Picard" that never got stabbed, the man bereft of passion and imagination. I keep waiting for Q to snap his fingers again so that he can restore the Trek universe as it was before JJ Abrams & Kurtzman...
I was about to say don’t be ridiculous he was in much more but on the wiki I found only 12 appearances… I suppose if you count Trelaine. That’s how much of an impact he had and how much his presence was felt.
Of all the guest stars on TNG, John de Lancie is one of the few whose acting chops rivaled Patrick Stewart's. Always a delight to see them on screen together.
+Josh Fredman To be fair, as far as subtle body language and "character-acting" go, I think Brent Spiner's performance as Data is absolutely legendary and worthy of modelling all our future androids on. That being said I know what you mean as far as the pure theatrical presence of these two!
Each episode he's been on was a treat. The interaction between their characters is by far one of my favorite ones, i've yet to see something that can match it in terms of acting and cadence. If there's a part of my childhood that i miss the most, then its TNG with its bad episodes and good episodes, and then, the spectacular, life changing episodes.
Yes yes and yes. Q, Picard, and Data are three of the best characters ever written in all of story telling. The acting skills are monumental and they play off each other so well. TNG is one of the best shows ever made if not the best.
“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!”- this is one of the possibilities of existence that Picard mentioned way back in Season 1
I rather doubt that, Herbert. Q has stated that he’s omnipotent, but also that he’s not omnipresent. He knew of the possibility, but didn’t know that it was definitely going to happen.
@@darrellbell8913 We know from this episode, that Q can, and has, travelled through time. He even ends the episode by saying he will see him from time to time. Q may very well have met Picards future robot self before the events of this episode. For all we know, his first meeting with Picard could have been in the future, and may well be the reason he has always taken such an interest in Picard to begin with.
When you are young, you hate Q because of how annoying he was with your fav. characters, when you are older, You realize how important are Q's lessons, and the real meaning of them.
I never hated Q as a kid. I found him amusing. But I didn’t understand why everyone on the enterprise hated Q so much. As I got older when I heard Picard get upset about things like 18 of his crew dying… I was at a mature enough understanding to see that when Q referred to those 18 deaths as a bloody nose he’s really not in the wrong. If Picard wanted a risk free life with zero consequences and death he wouldn’t be captain of the enterprise. Everyone on that ship knew what they were getting into when they signed up and 18 deaths isn’t a whole lot compared to the crew as a whole, it’s a bloody nose and that’s going to happen when you explore the unknown.
At first, I am certain that this particular Q was picking on humanity as a means of entertaining himself (As he did with many other races as gets revealed in Deja Q)... however, after he was bested in the Encounter At Farpoint, Q became frustrated with humanity proving him wrong and wanted to prove himself right about humanity and became borderline obsessed with Picard and the Enterprise, but after being foiled a few times, the greater Continuum which up to this point had largely ignored humanity (save for Quinn). It would be at this point that both Q and the Continuum saw far greater potential in humans. In All Good Things, the Continuum wanted to directly test the limits of human consciousness at this point and directed Q to administer the Paradox test... but by this point he had grown fond of humans and in the past, I'm certain he would have done everything in his power to make humanity fail, but by this point he had grown such respect for humans and Picard in particular that he did what little he could to ensure that he would instead succeed.
The Federation should be on their knees thanking Q. Without that first early encounter with the Borg, there would have been no time to prepare for the Borg, and the entire Alpha Quadrant would have been assimiliated.
Imagine a Starfleet as confident as Picard was before Q showed them to the Borg, believing themselves infallible... that ran headfirst into the Dominion.
Considering Q is all powerful and all knowing, and has been known to traverse time with no problem, I think we have to assume that everything he does is calculated. He's a god (possibly even humanities biblical god). He knows what he's doing, and the effect it will have. I think he's clearly guiding humanity with every interaction, and he knows how to act to push people into doing exactly what they need to do.
@@SkawarsXE I don’t think Q is “all powerful and all knowing”. He’s continually surprised by “humanity” and seems shocked the first time he sees Guinan at 10 Forward, so he must not be “All Knowing”. His power may be unrivaled but does seem to have SOME limitations. Especially considering it can just be taken away like in the episode “Deja Q”
"I would rather die as the man I was than live the life I just saw". That sentence encapsulates the power of regret and wishing for another life; there's always a better life until you live it.
I loved that exchange, between father and son. It also shows that of all the species in the cosmos, the Borg is probably the only one that the Q Continuum genuinely fears. Interesting, given that de Lancie's character accelerated the Borg conflict by a few centuries, just to teach Picard a lesson on humility.
If anything, Q ENCOURAGED the provocation. As a result, the Federation spent the next few years getting ready for the inevitable. And as a result of THAT... the Federation wasn't completely steamrolled by the Dominion. The Defiant "escort" class ships that were so effective against the Dominion were created by Sisko specifically to fight the Borg.
@@Lorgar64 And later, Starfleet created and almost ashamedly acknowledged, that the Defiant-class ships were for nothing but battle. Mass attacks on Borg cubes. Engines, guns and shields, very little else. Any exploration capacity they might have, was purely coincidental...
Yeah, he can be pure chaos if he wants too. He is just like Discord, god of chaos. Oh wait..... John De Lancey voice acts Discord on My Little Pony, heh.
5:33 - "The trial never ends..." He is so right. Life is a trial for us in so many ways. Yes, some people have less challenging lives than others but they too still have issues in their lives they need to overcome. And some people have lives so challenging that they can't handle it and end it all.
In order to find balance through the trials, it's good practice or playfulness to see fiction as reality and reality as fiction. The letter Q can be seen as an ancient symbol of the Matriarchal Egg and Patriarchal sperm union; or the ancient Egyptian Uraeus; the Re-birthing of infinite Consciousness along with the linearity of the finiteness of thought. When both are balanced within, we can see the Q Continuum (The Process) making itself known within the great awakening.
I don't think life itself has any greater purpose than what we create for ourselves We aren't special. Just a cosmic happenstance that likes to think big
"The trial never ends." I remember those words, in that exact voice, during the darkest times in my life. Pain, suffering, challenges and happiness will not end until my dying breath, and even then they will continue for others when I'm gone.
The one thing the Q and humanity have in common, is that with all of our technological marvels and achievements and the continuum's omnipotence, neither one of us has found a way to defeat boredom
berner - That really struck a nerve with me! I think it is the most profound truth of anything ever. And stated by you so simple and precise :-) Any suggestions to how we deal with this?
6:00 - THAT, THAT is the single, most important message of Star Trek. It's essence. In one sentence. It's really not about discovering new star systems as the main slogan says. It's about expanding ourselves as a species. Discovering new ways to look at the cosmos, learning new ways of thinking, evolving to our next stage of existence. THAT is Star Trek. It's not about the starships and the Klingons and the Romulans. That is just a bonus. That is why, in a way, DS9 was the ultimate Star Trek show, because it stopped focusing on humans and portaying us as the cream of the universe, but expanded the before mentioned philosophy upon other species. Each species has it's purpose for THEMSELVES. Each is unique in a sense that each has it's own place in the universe.
Well, I'd say that's where our opinions diverge, because, in my honest opinion, Star Trek is not _just_ about finding new life and civilizations, it's about evolving, moving forward, about how technology is helping us, about helping each other, and accepting eachother, about how even if you live in an utopian future, you still have people wanting to oppose peace, and you have to work hard to maintain that utopia, again, in my opinion, star trek is not just one single important message, but about many important messages, about life, discovery and humanity
“To boldly go where no one has gone before” that phrase has two meanings in my opinion. The first is of course the exploration aspect. Go where no humans have gone before in space. The second meaning is the advancement aspect. To boldly take the human race to new heights as a species where no one has gone before.
What an incredible performer John de Lancie is. Take the moment at 5:13 - so much conveyed in one brief expression change. Not big or intense, but deep and true. Just perfect.
ikr and smiles as if he noticed that picard may be playing dumb to get the awnser out of him then just play alongs and goes like that... so much intense beautiful subtletly
Q is the perfect person to teach a lesson. he's not evil but not good. Not your friend or your enemy. not a companion but not a rival. He may annoy you and hurt you, but you will turn TO him in a moment of desperation. and when you're desperate, you're open to change.
like someone might say: if you are in the neutral of the spectrum between good and bad then you have the ability to change something more than either good nor bad ever could neutral can be better than good, or worse than bad
+Douglas Murphy It is hard to believe that Q was only in a few episodes of ST:TNG considering the impact he had on the franchise in terms of fandom. He is by far, one of the most popular ST characters EVER. He is my favorite character, or maybe second to Spock.
5:47 "For that one fraction of a second you were open to options you would have never considered. THAT is the exploration that awaits you: ... charting the unknown possibilities of existence!"
Q really was trying to get Picard to think on a level that no human had before, sure he had to help him do it but like he said for a split second Picard's mind was open and expanded further than any before. Then after, Picard goes back to asking mundane "human" questions "Did it work?".."Did we collapse the anomaly?"..Q reacts to him as if to say "Have you learned nothing of what just happened, what you just accomplished?"....."I'm suppose you're worried about your pet fish too". lol Excellent writing and tying off loose ends with these two characters and the entire TNG series! Epic!
though whats the alternative? Picard standing up afterwards in the court room with glowing gold eyes "I see it now ... i understand everything. The past....the future..... Riker.....Lore.....it all makes so much more sense now."
another late reply, but i kind of figured wesley crusher was already started on the path to 'charting out the unknown possibilities of existence'. He's pure human born to human parents, yet he seems to be able to freeze time with his mind and travel to different planes of existence with the help of the Traveller. If anybody seems to have a head start on all this transcendance of human potential Q is proposing, its him.
Q didn't expand Picard's mind like you mentioned, I don't think it was a split second or yeah.... lol I literally think Q was like this guy will always be the best they have. Picard like you said doesn't even understand sometimes. He gave him the opportunity to show 'humanities' potential. Picard was dragged through the coals and forced to realize a paradox of time. Q didn't want us to get wiped by the Continuum. So he picked Picard...trained him and then got him to figure out a puzzle. Picard saved humanity as it is, and Q fulfilled the task the Continuum made him do (test us). It wasn't thinking on a level beyond. Picard was no super human or god forbid Wesley super brain Traveller.
He actually began changing his tune after the episode where he becomes human and Guinan stabs him in the hand with a fork. It was q's wake up call to humility. Q is by and far my favorite Star Trek character.
@@JimBob-ky8sm I honestly doubt he was human. That was probably another one of his tests. Everything he ever did on TNG was a test with a lesson to help humanity. On voyager they pointlessly wrote him into some episodes for fan service with no real story arc.
@@Bitchslapper316The Voyager episodes absolutely sucked!!! Even John de Lancie didn't seem enthralled by them after the fact. Basically he acknowledged that the episodes weren't effective for his character.
There are Klingons, Romulans, spiders, Daleks and Weeping Angels They scare me But the idea of being accidentally inadequate scares me more than anything
There's only one thing worse than being accidentally inadequate, and that's being made purposely inadequate. To discover that others had intended for you to be insufficient on your own, completely dependent upon others, but not to grow beyond that dependence like an infant, say, but to remain forever dependent upon your creators for your very existence, and to even have a purpose. That may very well be the worst fate imaginable, to realise that not only do you not matter, but that you never will.
@@Robert_Douglass nah thats inspiring it give you something to fight against a chance to prove that you can be more then intended. If you supass your intended limits your potential is truly infinite
@@Slowpoke3x In such a case one proves their own self-sufficiency. What I spoke of was the pitiful case of such a one that was purposefully designed to be unable to grow beyond their limits, those limits being imposed by greater beings who take delight in designing creatures that , either knowingly or otherwise, depend upon them completely for their continued survival.
"I cannot live out my days as that person! That man is bereft of passion and imagination." Oh Jean-Luc, what have you become. Little did we know Q was warning us about Picard.
I always loved how Q started out as a way to pad out the length of an episode, but he turned into kind of a "coping tool" for fans who felt depressed about how small our world is compared to all the exploration and intrigue of Star Trek. In a comparatively claustrophobic existence with hundreds of years of scientific advancement to go before we might see even a hint of the possibilities available in Star Trek, we're greeted with an immensely powerful, god-like alien - and, despite all the cosmic wonders, all it really cares about is how you as a person develop your character and explore your own life. John de Lancie was such a good pick for the role as well, he captured the mix of fervent curiosity and general lack of interest you'd expect from such a character perfectly.
I remember when John was talking his inspiration for the character. He said he had based it on a description of Lord Byron, as both being "Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know" - The scene were Q and Picard talk about everything, still gives me chills. Brilliant acting.
Q: The Continuum didn't think you had it in you, Jean-Luc. But I knew you did...We wanted to see if you had the ability to expand your mind and your horizons. And for one brief moment, you did. Picard: When I realized the paradox. Q: Exactly. For that one fraction of a second, you were open to options you had never considered. That is the exploration that awaits you. Not mapping stars and studying nebula, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence. Picard: Q, what is it that you're trying to tell me? Q: *Facepalm^
This discourse is the sole argument I need to state which franchise is better. And in case anyone ever actually wondered which one that is, It's fucking Star Trek.
"If we all die here now, you will not be able to gloat!" "Well actually, I've got no issues visiting people in the afterlife, as you'll soon find out!"
I think Q was waiting for Picard to stumble on the answer. Q wasn't impressed until Picard humbled himself, even to a person he felt was the villain, to save his crew. As Q said, the trial never ends, everything that happened was a test.
Q was such a very wise person even though he was very reckless. He was very fond of Picard because he saw a little bit of himself in him. Stubborn, always right, takes charge and doesn't wait for anyone to tell him what to do.
Q suspects that the human race will someday rival the power of the Q-Continuum. The continuum wants to know what it is that enables the progress of humanity to out-pace the progress of the continuum. Watch TNG Season01 Episode10 "Hide and Q".
“Space flights are merely an escape, a fleeing away from oneself, because it is easier to go to Mars or to the moon than it is to penetrate one's own being.” ~ Carl Jung
The second encounter with Q they show, I believe it was first in the show, is maybe my favorite in all of Star Trek, Q's line about how " If you can't take a little bloody nose maybe you'd better go home, it's not safe out here" is so true of life in general.
I think it was his third. It was after his appearance in the pilot and his spree letting Riker have the powers of the Q. Still, it's probably one of the most important episodes in the series: we meet the Borg, something terrible and strange never before seen in the universe of Star Trek. There are great wonders out there in the infinite void, but even greater dangers, ones you'd never think were possible.
I love Q at 3:44, throwing Picard's accusation right back in his face. Earlier in the episode he stated they were ready for whatever they might encounter. THAT was more arrogant than anything Q has ever said or done. The idea that nothing in the entire universe could possibly be beyond their capabilities. Say what you will about Q, but he is effectively a god. (Except when depowered by the rest of the Continuum.) Picard is the captain of one starship. Who has a greater right to think they can handle anything?
Big time WORD UP to your assessment, NC! Plus, down the road, he actually had given the Federation a heads up on what was coming. So Q was doing them in a favor, it was harsh how he did it, but he did it in a way they could not ignore.
+Mark Joergensen that is because if you pay attention the hints always there. The Q continuum is humanity evolved into a multiverse existence, out of time and place. I refer you to the scene "Q...what are you trying to say?" Q leans forward and is about to whsiper but holds back. I always saw that as Q abotu to reveal, "you're us, we're you." and the continuum was fulfilling their own self creation...to make sure they evolved as they should and Picard was key to that step.
I don't think he really would fit for any of the plots those movies were going for, except MAYBE Generations with the Nexus. But with a character like Q, you need the whole story to involve him, because he's such a big deal. Just showing up for a moment as a fun call-back doesn't do the gravity of his character justice. Besides, he was too good for those movies.
@@JackgarPrime honestly, I think Q could have worked perfectly in first contact. The idea being that he would be in the film, but he wouldn't say much. Characters would see him in the background or off on the side and question whether or not they just saw Q or not. This could all lead up to Q appearing before picard after his speech on the borg and him showing off his anger, and having him reprimand Picard to kingdom come. Why? Because in that moment, hell, throughout all of First contact, picard went against everything that he tried to explain to Q in regards to humans. Grievously savage. This leading to Q lecturing picard on how he needs to be better, do better, and be the person he was back on the enterprise d for the past 7 years. Which leads Picard to the change of heart where he's willing to sacrifice the enterprise for the survival of it's crew and all of humanity. Not only that, it would be poetic to have Q appear in the film with the borg, the species he himself introduced the federation to.
Star Trek as a feature film only really works in two genres. Action and or adventure. Any plot featuring the Q automatically puts the genre into intellectual thriller which would not make for a commercially viable star trek movie.
That first quote really inspires me, I swear it's actively changed my life for the better. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I need to do better, like there can be no giving up, no matter how bad about myself I may feel, how insignificant, how hopeless it may feel, I can't give up.
Q was really always my favorite character. The final episode where he explains to picard all the shit you do out in space doesn't matter if you dont grow as a person. Enjoy your friends and the short temporary life you have. All this exploring means nothing if you don't learn from it and grow internally. It's such an amazing send off for such a great show. One last great final lesson.
Picard: "Q, what are you trying to tell me?" Q leans in to whisper: "In 20 years, you're going to become a Golem just before you kill your buddy Data. Good luck!"
I loved how the series ended. Picard and Q actually admitting their friendship. The subtle facial expressions were so powerful. I put it right up there with Pacino and DeNiro in HEAT.
@@jamesf791Yes to friendship. Yes to mentorship. But also a definite YES to a love relationship. It is established canon that Q is madly in love with Picard. Google it, and do a little research. It's 100% true.
I met John de Lancie once, and told him that his portrayal of Q had impacted me greatly in my formative years. He seemed neither impressed nor remotely interested. When I asked him what he thought Gene Roddenberry was trying to accomplish with the Q character, de Lancie gave me a canned response: "infinite power with infinite irresponsibility." In that moment, it became clear to me that actors really are _just actors_. In my view, Q was a kind of zen master, delivering his lessons and ultimate truths via gravely serious farce. It seemed to me that Gene had intended Q to be a boundless hyper-mirror to the human species, reflecting our faults in grandiose caricature while simultaneously embossing our vast potential so as to challenge the limitations we inadvertently place on ourselves. Q is often perceived as little more than a cosmic prankster or a troublemaker, and indeed this seems to be the view John de Lancie himself accepts, but it seems more likely to me that Q had the wisdom and compassion of a Buddha.
+Ryan MacFarlane I directly had the same issue, myself when I met him as well. He was nice enough to sign the My Little Pony Season 2 DVD at least. I actually choked the words out, he is very approachable but I was... well nervous.
+Galileo7of9 Because people project character's qualities onto actors. For most actors I imagine it is difficult to understand why people get caught up in a character. I think it's because the audience sees the finished, whole product. And they are brought along, emotionally. Actors don't shoot or even rehearse in sequence, so it's disjointed. Sometimes they don't even see their work in the finished state. I think it's rare for an actor to have that perspective but Leonard Nimoy had it. Not at first but as the years went by, he really did understand the "Star Trek way of life" as I heard him say one time in an interview. He was very respectful of Trekkies. I do miss him; he was my favorite or Star Trek TOS.
yeah he is a bit of a prick in real life. When i was younger i was into my wwe and actually met both HHH and Cena. When me and my friend met HHH we told him we were big fans and everything and how we wanted to be in the WWE when we were older, how we used to pedegre each other and he was like "ok, whatever" When we met Cena and my mate fanboy'd out over how he loved doing the F-U on his brother, Cena was more polite and said "Well thats very flattering an all but you really shouldnt be doing it. We are trained athletes that spend years practising, you could cause yourself and your brother long term injuries. You should be more careful and not try it at home, as the program says" Never meet your heroes. Until then though HHH was awesome and cool and Cena was a thug, turns out its the other way around.
Maybe because Q was the source of your inspiration and not him. At least in the way you are wording it here. It must get to people to hear a fictional character they played get all the credit through out their life. You even asked him about Gene Roddenberry's thought process which is pretty much a double snub to any body you are talking to at this point.
The absolute Enormity.... The incredible Profoundness.... of this underestimated television series will speak to Future Generations of humans for all time....... listen wisely!
I love de Lancie's acting in the last scene - he subtly communicates that Q is genuinely surprised and touched by Jean Luc thanking him for the escape clause despite trying to remain aloof (like he's never been thanked before) before revealing a sense of not liking what the Continuum ordered him to do and taking some pride that he convinced them to let him help Picard just a little. Then of course the moment where he tries to get Jean Luc to realise just what the Q actually want from humanity and despite being tempted to just tell him he refuses in a "come on, work it out - I know you can and it'll mean more if you do it yourself" sort of way.
Lesson 3 you finally see the true form of Q. The true mystery of his power, greatness and enigmatic nature. Most the time it's always with that added flavor of humor to keep us grounded in our mortal flesh. In this instance he grandly displays his a side of himself that no one has really seen before, glory.
Q vs Picard is some of the best written and best critical thinking I've ever seen. That last part is basically Q telling Picard to expand his perception so that he can learn and understand more. It's a but vague how he puts it but we've finally caught up to the lesson he was trying to teach. Expand what you understand by thinking outside the box and question everything.
ethan rising Oh good. I suppose you don't want to exist anymore. I should turn you into a Cardassian desert worm. But I won't. I'm in a generous mood. However, I wouldn't invest in the stock market were I you.
This is one of the highest moments in the whole series: when we realize that Q, the trickster, the joker, the silly and sometimes prepotent, was in fact mankind's tutor. They closed the series on a perfect circle.
John De Lancie was just so electric in Star Trek. Q's a character you loved to hate. It's beautifully telling of human nature that once he's gone, you miss him.
As an aside, when I was a child my mother watched the soap opera "Days of our Lives" I would occasionally on sick days watch it with her. So John De Lancie was a cast member for a small time. A few decades later I ran into the room and told my mom, look! It's him! She had no recollection. Tough how Alzheimer's hits memory
The Star Trek TNG: The Q Continuum books would make a great film adaptation. It's got the history of Q, decent conflict that rises to a level that challenges Q's power. It also has some elements from older canonical characters that would be cool to watch.
That's how I saw Q; he was goofy, did whatever he wanted. But beneath it, there's a being of omnipotent power that's seeing the universe unfold at the atomic level, and he's got a lesson or two to teach a young race on their maiden voyage to the greater unknown.
Trek used to be so glorious. So subtle and thought provoking. Even the camera angle at the end of the last lesson, designed to so subtly cast Picard as such a tiny man in the face of what is 'out there' is just a touch of class that simply doesn't exist in modern Trek
@@saberiandream316 It's true, the writing in star trek discovery sucked and so did the show because of it but that doesn't mean this show is going to have the same fate. Us fans have been asking for a follow up to the TNG/DS9/Voyager timeline and characters for 20 years. The studio finally pulls the strings and brings back the actors we love to make that happen and they put out a sweet trailer for it. After that all these supposed star trek fans put out click bait youtube videos full of hatred for no other reason than views and get some fans all worked up. The show may be great or it may suck, if it does I'll be the first to say it but I'm going to wait and watch it first.
@@saberiandream316 The klingons in STD and the J.J films are nothing alike, neither are the films and STD, I'm not sure why so many people lump them together. While the J.J films were a reboot that took place in a new timeline, STD was just a really poorly written prequel. The only thing they have in common is that Kurtsman helped write the J.J prequels. And yes, the klingons in STD were really bad, they ruined that first season for me as soon as I seen them. It wasn't just the look, it was everything about them. They should have just called them something else, like the Hushnok or something and it wouldn't have been nearly as bad. Aside from a poorly written story and a terrible plot STD started getting some things right towards the end. Hopefully it improves.
"If you can't take a little bloody nose maybe you oughta go back home and crawl under your bed. Its not safe out here. It's wonderous with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross but it's not for the timid" is one of my favorite quotes ever because it just as true here on earth in real life. And in our current situation, it's a lesson that a lot of people need to get with.
De Lancie did an amazing job with Q. Think about it, someone tells you you're going to play the role of a god who is capable of moving stars and galaxies, killing and reviving millions of lives, and making time go backwards. De Lancie, in my opinion, nailed it without even trying. On the surface he seems to be taking the role lightly, just as a job, not really into Star Trek, and just having fun until the next better role comes along. But if you examine the role itself, this is integral to the plot of the series and a lot of thought went into it. His acting made it come to life and he knows this and acts like he should. I believe he worked very hard on it and made it look easy. "Oh, mon capitaine!"
And for all that power he's one of the funniest, most human characters on the show. I don't know quite how they initially conceived the character, but they managed to tap into the trickster god mythos in so many cultures as well as has ever been put on screen. Made all the power and wisdom more potent because he had so many sides.
I think Q's lesson is this, existance can be tricky, but it is by making the best of the unexpected (even in a losing situation) where we really manage to develop the best of ourselves.
Q's a favorite of mine. Yes, he's chaotic, but he's soooooo fun. And underneath all that "discord", a spirit that really seems to relish bringing out people's potentials. One of the greatest and most entertaining "teachers" going. Love him. Best Wishes All and to TheGodBen; thanks for uploading this. It's one of my faves here on YT.
Well hi there, we meet again. :D This vid rocks! I remember the old days watching ST NextGen like a kind of Sunday evening ritual, which was ambivalent emotionally as it signalled the oncoming Monday and having to face school while being such an odd one... I remember none of us in my family getting the "Camp" at all, which was a generalized lack (example "Tremors", we took it very literally, like being scared of the Monster and not noticing how the Humans were out of their depth there! Or - oh dear - "Top Gun"...... I began to change after "Legend" was aired, but there was unfortunately a lot of interference. I got rid of some of it after the cartoon version of Batman & Robin one day suddenly had my palms on fire, feeling like electricity, and the fire spread to my heart and stomach - I had no idea what this was, it felt like coming out of my ears even, and my face getting flushed - and knowing that I "knew" something very important and precious, like a secret).
I always got the sense that the Q were prepping humanity on some level for ascension to a higher plane/evolution. There's no other reason they'd give a crap about humanity enough to toss out these random trials.
When "Encounter at Farpoint" first aired, I thought Q was an evil guy. By the time "All Good Things" played, I realized he was actually a good guy, just a major pain in the neck.
The speech by Q in the Encounter at Far Point is one of my favorite quotations. And in the series finale, Lesson 3, I always thought that Q was telling Picard he would have the opportunity to become a Q.
@@zoser595 I mean as many things as Walt is guilty of that’s kind of unfair. First regardless of how traumatic it was, it is still his responsibility (forgetting the dad’s name) to focus given the importance of his job. Also Jessie and Jane herself are the main reason for the overdose.
actually you are completely wrong Q lessons work like this: 1) Encounter At Far Point - You need to grow up and learn to solve problems with your mind instead of violence. 2) Hide & Q - you must learn to make decision on your own because a leader may not always be available. 3) Q Who - Prepare for your future cause you cant assume you know the out come to every event. 4) Deja Q - You need to figure out the answer on your own and not rely on someone who has the answer for you. 5) Qpid - If you truly love someone you would put your own life on the line for that person. 6) True Q - with absolute power comes the learning of absolute reasonability 7) Tapestry - Your past is who made you who you are today don't be dissatisfied with aspects of your past. 8) All Good Things - Sometimes to accomplish something you have to think outside of the box.
Yeah I think they oversimplified things a bit when they made this episode about how if Picard didn't get into a bar fight and got his heart destroyed, then he wouldn't be a star fleet captain. I know plenty of looser hanging out in bars on friday nights and getting into fights and none of them got anywhere except work in a gas station or some trivial job. Star Fleet captain requires discipline, imagination, leadership, experience, upstanding morals, empathy, intelligence, thinking outside the box, negotiation. NONE of these are equivalent to a rash bar fight because you are too drunk and too young to understand the consequence.
aresaresares6 I also know Intelligent, Hardworking people that have minimum wage jobs. The point of this one was an appreciation for life, without being afraid of Risk (which when combined with Intelligence and Hard work is almost the definition of success).
Rensune Oh here comes the preacher, here to shame us to be humble. Maybe a nice place to preach is the church. Hey, I mean if you think getting into a dangerous bar fight is what you call bravery and intelligence and leadership quality....tsk tsk tsk.
Q is either Picard's teacher or Picard's student. The constant change of roles between the two and the momentum of gaining new perspectives from the other has always been one of my favourite aspects of Star Trek writing.
Wow, somebody else who gets Q and appreciates him for what he is! Q is a teacher.He is arbitrary and capricious; he's an imp, but he always leaves behind something of value. The challenge (implied) to Picard, is to see the worth in it. Q is my favorite recurring character, he utterly fascinated me. After Q, Data, because he gives us a look at ourselves, from the outside.
One thing you have to give Picard, he despised Q and often hated to see him show up, but at the same time he was always willing to admit when Q was right and in spite of his resentment he always learned the lessons Q had to teach him.
Q was by far the most important character in TNG. No other character had such an impact on the course of not only Picard's character but also the history of events in the voyages of the Enterprise.
5:44-6:05 "It is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, in a government ship, with five hundred men and boys to assist one, than it is to explore the private sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean of one's being alone. Be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought." -Thoreau
This reminds me of SG1 when Thor told O'Neill that humans would be met with nothing but danger and hostility in space, O'Neill's reply was simple "we are already out here". Q is probably the best character in the entire franchise. JDL's outstanding ability to portray him has given him the immortality of a God in some ways.
thank you for this video. From many years since my childhood with TNG, i always hate Q. But now i understand, actually Q is nurturing humanity. To always be prepare. Or perhaps Q already saw the 24 century Starfleet is to relaxed. With their main focus in exploration, but for military the became to relaxed. So Q decided to give Starfleet little bit of jolt, to awake and realize the oncoming threats from the Borg
One of best and most memorable recurring roles John Delaney was ever in,(at least in my own memory,anyway). I also liked how some other actors like Suzie Plakson,( hands down the prettiest Klingon btw), would be brought back,(even though her Klingon character was killed off in an earlier episode),as a Vulcan Physician. To put it in a often times frase used by Capt Picard,”Nicely Done” TNG producers!!
i always got the feeling that Q was like the teacher you hated cause he always pushed you, but it turned out it was he knew you could do so much better.
Q is Star Trek's representation of God
@@HereForAStorm
Q would be an angel or a representative of TNG's version of God.
Every. Drill Instructor. Ever!
you want to know the difference between a good teacher and a bad one? A good teacher guides, a bad one pushes.
He still prepared Picard for the test with humanity on the stake.
Q owned every scene he was in. Awesome actor
Too bad he made those planes collide over Albuquerque. Messed up Walter White's pool.
My good man, it is pronounced "pwned"...it's not safe out here
He did a voice in Starcraft 2 and he dominated every scene he was in there as well. Dude is a tour de force
Was great in Touched by an Angel.
Have you played Assassin's Creed 3, he's amazing in that.
Q went from the annoying filler "super alien disposable encounter" of the first episode to the must-have villain/character that ties everything up in the final episode, seven years later. Fantastic.
Q is in no way a villain. He is the drill instructor that pushes his troops to their breaking point to prepare them for the hell of war.
Q is not a villain.
I like how Q smiles at Picard when he says, "the part about the helping hand was my idea." For whatever mischief he caused, he ended in Picard's corner.
Perhaps he was once from a race not too from different from humans
@@katakurifan5213 He mentions it once when Picard quotes Shakespeare -- "What he said with irony I say with conviction -- What a piece of work is Man..." (I forgot the rest, curse my mortal brain for an incompetent!)
Q's helping is the very thing that led to the problem in the first place. Another paradox.
@@michaelmiller3996 I think the problem would have happened either way. The Q Continuum gave Q his directive. Q chose to take liberties with that directive and help Picard.
Q has always been in humanities corner. He said why they were interested to Riker the second time he showed up but it was dismissed as a ploy. Humanity is unique and advancing/evolving faster than anyone else. The Q want to test them and guide them so if they become Q-like beings one day that they arent a plague on the universe.
It's a crime they never made a TNG movie with Q. Missed a major opportunity there.
A q tng movie would have been great.
A Q film would be awkward to make without the whole "It could be over if Q snapped his fingers" arguement.
Only if they create an opponent with equal or more power...
In my mind this comment thread is an excellent illustration of why they didn't. Q is an endlessly fascinating character, but his sheer omnipotence means that he had to be used both sparingly (or else 'Q ex machina' problems would constantly begin to rear their ugly heads) and carefully. You could write nearly any plot you like with him as an element, but you always had to have a *reason* for him to be in it, beyond enabling it. Overplay him, or play him with the wrong plots, and the magic he was invested with would vanish like morning mist in the sun.
A prominent member of the writing team was quoted, I believe, as saying that once per season or so was just the right amount to use him, and I think it's true. Too little and he might have been an entertaining one-time or two-time character, memorable but not special. Too much and he'd have cheapened everything else in the series by his presence.
His relationship with Picard had to walk that same line. If they made him too adversarial, too overtly a 'villain', tension would collapse. There's no meaningful drama (of the sort Star Trek aspired to) when your opponent is all-powerful. By the same token, if they made him too chummy with Picard, there'd constantly be the question of why their friend the god wasn't getting them out of every scrape they were in. So he had to be interested in Picard - fascinated, even, but not *invested* , not openly; he had to be willing to give Picard enough rope to either escape or hang himself with. And he had to never, ever, *ever* be SAFE. Occasionally outright benevolent, for the briefest flash of a moment - but never SAFE.
Q put a face on the archetypal Trickster, infuriating and arrogant and yet somehow impossible to *completely* dislike, for all the chaos he caused, purportedly for his own amusement. (Possibly because if you tell somebody you're putting them through adversity to teach them, they'll try to spite your lesson - but if you make spiting you (their whimsical tormentor) the goal of the lesson, they'll go to the ends of the earth to fulfil it.)
And even for all that, for my money, it's the last two Q episodes that are the most interesting. In those two episodes alone, Q pulls back the curtain a little bit - just a little - and reveals that, at the very least, he was always a *little* bit on Picard's side. In 'All Good Things...', it was as part of a directive from above, his way of balancing the scales, perhaps.
But in 'Tapestry' - assuming it wasn't just Picard's mind playing tricks on him on the operating table - it was, strangely enough, a largely unselfish thing. Oh, Q got his amusement, as he often does, but Picard wasn't playing his game as a representative of humanity, or indeed with any larger stake in the matter than his own life and the choices he made. And if Q knew how it was going to turn out - and that little speech suggests he did - then the entire thing comes off as Q's peculiar idea of a birthday present.
He gives Picard the one thing that - by his own admission - most mortals never get: a chance to know how it *would* have gone, a chance to do it all over again. And then, when, Monkey's-Paw style, it comes back to bite Picard, instead of leaving him with the consequences of his new choices, Q gives him his old life back again, just the way it was - but with one major difference. Now, Picard (of all mortals) knows how it *would have gone* - and he returns to his old life without any of the regrets he carried with him. No standing in for the whole of humanity, no ship-wide or species-wide or universe-wide ramifications... just a personal revelation, as a gift to a friend.
But if none of those musings satisfy you as to why making a feature-length production with Q would have been a bad idea, consider this: given the length of the finale, you could argue that they *did* make a TNG movie with Q, and it was called 'All Good Things...'.
I don't know if anyone reading this is familiar with the tv show supernatural, but I think it's the same reason why they significantly de-powered the angels shortly after they were introduced to the series. At first they were portrayed as super powerful beings, but as the series went on they gradually (IMO) were portrayed as less powerful. And why castiel always had some issue going on where he couldn't be at his full power. I think the show writers/runners realized that if you have an all powerful being who can snap their fingers and fix everything, then there is no show. I was annoyed when the angels became weaker in SPN, (tho i understood it) and I'd have hated that to happen to the Q.
"It's wonderous. With treasures to satiate desires, both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid."
Probably one of the greatest lines recorded to film.
If you can't take a bloody nose then maybe you should go home.
@Audio Maverick 😆
I was really happy that Q (John de Lancie) returned in the second season of the Star Trek: Picard series! The series really wouldn't be complete without him!
It will be an epic send-off for these two great actors! The character Picard and Patrick Stewart also deserved no less!
It's only fair for them and the audience to see them perform together one last time!
BEST MOMENT: 6:06 - 6:17
@Audio Maverick Why do you think that a being that probably existed in the 11 dimensions of the Universe needs to follow human ethics? Can you judge what is right or wrong for a God? When God kills hundreds or thousands of people with a volcano or a hurricane, can we condemn him?
Human logic and ethics do not apply to a supreme being like Q... A being like Q and his motivations are simply beyond our comprehension...
"For that one fraction of a second, you were open to options you had never considered. THAT is the exploration that awaits you. Not mapping starts or studying nebula. But charting the unknown possibilities...of existence!" One of the BEST speeches I've ever heard...anywhere on big or small screen!
Only rivaled when Picard proves Data is a person, goosebumps
This great send off to the show and the writers dropped it.
I wonder..... at the end of Star Trek:Picard. Jean Luc is offered to join the Continuum. amd accepts.
Also what I think is a massive hint at Picards ultimate fate, that of being a Q in the end
"You just don't get it, do you Jean Luc; the trial never ends." TRUTH.
Actually it's gonna end in 20 years
@@stink5253 Perhaps, perhaps not. The Golem Picard might well be treated as the same Jean-Luc Picard that died of Irumodic Syndrome at the end of Season One. The Continuum may very well grant the spirit of Jean-Luc Picard the opportunity to inhabit the Golem body created by the latter Dr. Soong. It would be a singular opportunity for Jean-Luc to continue his existence for some time yet. It's all up to Picard -- who knows, but that the Q Continuum might grant him the unique and most rare privilege of becoming one of the Q himself.
I see it like this -- in Season One Q arbitrarily gives Riker the powers of the Q as a test. Riker wasn't ready for it.
But perhaps one day..... Jean-Luc Picard just might be ready.
@@Robert_Douglass maybe... but I dont think the writers of "Picard" have enough brain power to do anything like that...
@@derrickdinwiddie8759 The writers of Picard never watched TNG, so of course not.
@@locutusofscifi1033 What? You mean you don't accept it when Kurtzman says it is a literal impossibility to keep continuity after 50 years? Perish the thought...
To troll where no man has trolled before.
Haha God is the ultimate troll.
Is this 'god' person/thing you speak of in any way comparable to the greatness that is the Q?
Not God, the Devil.
God may be the ultimate troll buy space jesus obi wanis the master of trolling
God is Q
That moment when Q leans in and almost whispers in Picard's ear then changes his mind...goosebumps everytime.
He was about to Picard that the Q believe that humanity has the potential to become like the Q. That has the Q excited, worried, thrilled and scared shitless all at the same time.
The stuff fanfics are made of... =D
and that big grin on his face like he is looking at a little kid and thinking you will find out ,you are on a good way little creature, his whole speech is gold and so true the unknown possibiltys of existence are the unknown possibiltys of our lives and you should keep you mind open to find them cause the trail and learning never ends and than his last words see you ...out there
Yeah, a really epic moment...it said a million things without saying anything at all. He had a genuine look on his face until the last minute, then that smirk and that eye blink. that eye blink said alot as well. I love it!
+murilo ninj Yea that scene was epic
Current Picard needs to be dragged back to the court.
Imagine if the current series started out with Q telling Picard that humanity had regressed in his perpetual trial on them and that it was up to old man Picard to fix that and draw attention to what the Federation should be.
I liked the Symmetry of TNG, it started with Q and ended with Q.
You guys always see the truth. Now tell me about the stargate program, I know you know. My knees need Trinium.
But why? I agree that the show itself has massive issues, but I dont think the new Picard as a character does anything reprehensible. He is actually seemingly one of the few who still hold the federation moral guidelines close to his heart. He is old and feeble and powerless. But his view on morality seems to be intact. I think Q would still accept him, if anyone on the writing team remembered that Picards relationship with Q continuum exists :D
Clearly Q has been messing around with the timeline because the Picard we see on STP is not the one we know from TNG, instead he's the "Blue Shirt Picard" that never got stabbed, the man bereft of passion and imagination.
I keep waiting for Q to snap his fingers again so that he can restore the Trek universe as it was before JJ Abrams & Kurtzman...
Q was such a great character, it’s hard to believe he only was in 13 episodes over the whole StarTrek genre.
And that is why he's a great character, used sparingly and maximize his story potential.
I was about to say don’t be ridiculous he was in much more but on the wiki I found only 12 appearances… I suppose if you count Trelaine. That’s how much of an impact he had and how much his presence was felt.
Many of those were the very best episodes of the series (Tapestry, Q Who, arguably this finale, etc.), so that says a lot.
@@jetuber true. His episodes are still my favorite.
Highly recommend looking up the audiobooks about Q they John De Lancie. He does a great job and gives you some extra Q content
Of all the guest stars on TNG, John de Lancie is one of the few whose acting chops rivaled Patrick Stewart's. Always a delight to see them on screen together.
+Josh Fredman yes agree. he was the best recurring character by far.
+Josh Fredman To be fair, as far as subtle body language and "character-acting" go, I think Brent Spiner's performance as Data is absolutely legendary and worthy of modelling all our future androids on. That being said I know what you mean as far as the pure theatrical presence of these two!
Each episode he's been on was a treat. The interaction between their characters is by far one of my favorite ones, i've yet to see something that can match it in terms of acting and cadence.
If there's a part of my childhood that i miss the most, then its TNG with its bad episodes and good episodes, and then, the spectacular, life changing episodes.
he was awesome I loved his episodes...watched them over n over.
Yes yes and yes. Q, Picard, and Data are three of the best characters ever written in all of story telling. The acting skills are monumental and they play off each other so well. TNG is one of the best shows ever made if not the best.
"Thats the exploration that awaits you,not mapping stars or studying Nebula but charting the unknown possibilities of existence" - Fucking brilliant
“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!”- this is one of the possibilities of existence that Picard mentioned way back in Season 1
@@darrellbell8913 From the episode "Hide And Q"
And now he is exploring being a robot. Q knew!
I rather doubt that, Herbert. Q has stated that he’s omnipotent, but also that he’s not omnipresent. He knew of the possibility, but didn’t know that it was definitely going to happen.
@@darrellbell8913 We know from this episode, that Q can, and has, travelled through time. He even ends the episode by saying he will see him from time to time. Q may very well have met Picards future robot self before the events of this episode. For all we know, his first meeting with Picard could have been in the future, and may well be the reason he has always taken such an interest in Picard to begin with.
When Q is serious, he is absolutely impressive. You can just see Picard paying attention, fully understanding who he's talking to. Awesome acting.
When you are young, you hate Q because of how annoying he was with your fav. characters, when you are older, You realize how important are Q's lessons, and the real meaning of them.
You were supposed to hate Q? I thought he was either hilarious (Mon Capitan!) or hauntingly profound (Q Who, the trial of Humanity).
I never hated Q as a kid. I found him amusing. But I didn’t understand why everyone on the enterprise hated Q so much.
As I got older when I heard Picard get upset about things like 18 of his crew dying… I was at a mature enough understanding to see that when Q referred to those 18 deaths as a bloody nose he’s really not in the wrong.
If Picard wanted a risk free life with zero consequences and death he wouldn’t be captain of the enterprise. Everyone on that ship knew what they were getting into when they signed up and 18 deaths isn’t a whole lot compared to the crew as a whole, it’s a bloody nose and that’s going to happen when you explore the unknown.
I never hated Q! :D I started watching the series recently and he's already one of my most favorite characters!
Exactly
I always wished I had Qs powers. Growing up watching X-Men animated he trumped their powers.
You have to wonder if Q is picking on humanity, or giving us a much-needed kick in the butt to reach a higher potential.
Both.
there is no humanity. Humanity is concept thus a false idea of reality.
At first, I am certain that this particular Q was picking on humanity as a means of entertaining himself (As he did with many other races as gets revealed in Deja Q)... however, after he was bested in the Encounter At Farpoint, Q became frustrated with humanity proving him wrong and wanted to prove himself right about humanity and became borderline obsessed with Picard and the Enterprise, but after being foiled a few times, the greater Continuum which up to this point had largely ignored humanity (save for Quinn). It would be at this point that both Q and the Continuum saw far greater potential in humans. In All Good Things, the Continuum wanted to directly test the limits of human consciousness at this point and directed Q to administer the Paradox test... but by this point he had grown fond of humans and in the past, I'm certain he would have done everything in his power to make humanity fail, but by this point he had grown such respect for humans and Picard in particular that he did what little he could to ensure that he would instead succeed.
Hes bored.
Both maybe
The Federation should be on their knees thanking Q. Without that first early encounter with the Borg, there would have been no time to prepare for the Borg, and the entire Alpha Quadrant would have been assimiliated.
Imagine a Starfleet as confident as Picard was before Q showed them to the Borg, believing themselves infallible... that ran headfirst into the Dominion.
Considering Q is all powerful and all knowing, and has been known to traverse time with no problem, I think we have to assume that everything he does is calculated.
He's a god (possibly even humanities biblical god). He knows what he's doing, and the effect it will have.
I think he's clearly guiding humanity with every interaction, and he knows how to act to push people into doing exactly what they need to do.
@@SkawarsXE Possibly Q being that of the Biblical God??? Did you not see him on Voyager?
Not to worry tho, species 8472 would have destroyed the Borg in the end.
@@SkawarsXE I don’t think Q is “all powerful and all knowing”. He’s continually surprised by “humanity” and seems shocked the first time he sees Guinan at 10 Forward, so he must not be “All Knowing”. His power may be unrivaled but does seem to have SOME limitations. Especially considering it can just be taken away like in the episode “Deja Q”
John De Lancie was one of the few actors that ever appeared in ST TNG that could out act Patrick Stewart.
They made such a great pairing, too, with excellent writing to boot.
@@colinsmith1495 they compliment each other so well. Both their talents are outstanding.
I honestly think Avery Brooks is much better and half the time picard is a bit wooden
@@md-vq8sp I feel like being wooden was an important part of Picard's character, especially in the early seasons.
@@md-vq8sp lol
"I would rather die as the man I was than live the life I just saw".
That sentence encapsulates the power of regret and wishing for another life; there's always a better life until you live it.
You forgot one important lesson:
"If the Continnum's told you once, they've told you a thousand times. Don't Provoke the BORG!"
I loved that exchange, between father and son. It also shows that of all the species in the cosmos, the Borg is probably the only one that the Q Continuum genuinely fears. Interesting, given that de Lancie's character accelerated the Borg conflict by a few centuries, just to teach Picard a lesson on humility.
If anything, Q ENCOURAGED the provocation. As a result, the Federation spent the next few years getting ready for the inevitable. And as a result of THAT... the Federation wasn't completely steamrolled by the Dominion. The Defiant "escort" class ships that were so effective against the Dominion were created by Sisko specifically to fight the Borg.
"We've created this wonderful society that doesn't require warships."
Q: "Maybe you ahould make a few."
@@Lorgar64 And later, Starfleet created and almost ashamedly acknowledged, that the Defiant-class ships were for nothing but battle. Mass attacks on Borg cubes. Engines, guns and shields, very little else. Any exploration capacity they might have, was purely coincidental...
@@stardolphin2 And that cloaking device was also "purely coincidental".
Q is the perfect embodiment of the Trickster archetype.
Yeah, he can be pure chaos if he wants too. He is just like Discord, god of chaos. Oh wait..... John De Lancey voice acts Discord on My Little Pony, heh.
He's a mix of trickster and a sage character like Gandalf
a loki
@@Aldiggy2000 or coyote
Joseph Campbell. Loki.
5:33 - "The trial never ends..." He is so right. Life is a trial for us in so many ways. Yes, some people have less challenging lives than others but they too still have issues in their lives they need to overcome. And some people have lives so challenging that they can't handle it and end it all.
In order to find balance through the trials, it's good practice or playfulness to see fiction as reality and reality as fiction. The letter Q can be seen as an ancient symbol of the Matriarchal Egg and Patriarchal sperm union; or the ancient Egyptian Uraeus; the Re-birthing of infinite Consciousness along with the linearity of the finiteness of thought. When both are balanced within, we can see the Q Continuum (The Process) making itself known within the great awakening.
I don't think life itself has any greater purpose than what we create for ourselves
We aren't special. Just a cosmic happenstance that likes to think big
"The trial never ends." I remember those words, in that exact voice, during the darkest times in my life. Pain, suffering, challenges and happiness will not end until my dying breath, and even then they will continue for others when I'm gone.
And will you take it lying down?
Perhaps even after you physically die the trial still continues.
The one thing the Q and humanity have in common, is that with all of our technological marvels and achievements and the continuum's omnipotence, neither one of us has found a way to defeat boredom
I'm sure some of us have
berner - That really struck a nerve with me! I think it is the most profound truth of anything ever. And stated by you so simple and precise :-) Any suggestions to how we deal with this?
Actually i think the Bord did it - but at what cost ? :P
@Bocaan The Humble *Sigh* such drama over a typo - but still i like it :D Set the phasers for fun i say.
berner The Q did figure out how to defeat boredom, it was through suicide
6:00 - THAT, THAT is the single, most important message of Star Trek. It's essence. In one sentence. It's really not about discovering new star systems as the main slogan says. It's about expanding ourselves as a species. Discovering new ways to look at the cosmos, learning new ways of thinking, evolving to our next stage of existence. THAT is Star Trek. It's not about the starships and the Klingons and the Romulans. That is just a bonus. That is why, in a way, DS9 was the ultimate Star Trek show, because it stopped focusing on humans and portaying us as the cream of the universe, but expanded the before mentioned philosophy upon other species. Each species has it's purpose for THEMSELVES. Each is unique in a sense that each has it's own place in the universe.
Well, I'd say that's where our opinions diverge, because, in my honest opinion, Star Trek is not _just_ about finding new life and civilizations, it's about evolving, moving forward, about how technology is helping us, about helping each other, and accepting eachother, about how even if you live in an utopian future, you still have people wanting to oppose peace, and you have to work hard to maintain that utopia, again, in my opinion, star trek is not just one single important message, but about many important messages, about life, discovery and humanity
@@L1z43vr My opinion the grand plan was to open a Starbucks on everyworld.
“To boldly go where no one has gone before” that phrase has two meanings in my opinion. The first is of course the exploration aspect. Go where no humans have gone before in space. The second meaning is the advancement aspect. To boldly take the human race to new heights as a species where no one has gone before.
@@L1z43vr
Roddenberry was a humanist. Star trek has a humanist message and theme
The Best moment of vídeo: 6:06 - 6:17
Having Q bring " All Good Things" full circle like that was a brilliant way to end the series.
best sci-fi series finale ever
What an incredible performer John de Lancie is. Take the moment at 5:13 - so much conveyed in one brief expression change. Not big or intense, but deep and true. Just perfect.
That is a high class of acting. Incredible, incredible moment.
I love that at 6:11 Q wants to tell Picard what he’s talking about, but suddenly chooses not to. Such a brilliant scene
ikr and smiles as if he noticed that picard may be playing dumb to get the awnser out of him then just play alongs and goes like that... so much intense beautiful subtletly
Q is the perfect person to teach a lesson. he's not evil but not good. Not your friend or your enemy. not a companion but not a rival. He may annoy you and hurt you, but you will turn TO him in a moment of desperation. and when you're desperate, you're open to change.
Douglas Murphy Some people described him as a troll-teacher
like someone might say: if you are in the neutral of the spectrum between good and bad then you have the ability to change something more than either good nor bad ever could
neutral can be better than good, or worse than bad
+CyberDragon19 more like MASTER troll
+Douglas Murphy It is hard to believe that Q was only in a few episodes of ST:TNG considering the impact he had on the franchise in terms of fandom. He is by far, one of the most popular ST characters EVER. He is my favorite character, or maybe second to Spock.
hfontanez98 tuvok was coolr xd
5:47 "For that one fraction of a second you were open to options you would have never considered. THAT is the exploration that awaits you: ... charting the unknown possibilities of existence!"
Some people would say that you can do that now...
With mental control...
Wow. Remember when Star Trek was this amazing?
Q really was trying to get Picard to think on a level that no human had before, sure he had to help him do it but like he said for a split second Picard's mind was open and expanded further than any before. Then after, Picard goes back to asking mundane "human" questions "Did it work?".."Did we collapse the anomaly?"..Q reacts to him as if to say "Have you learned nothing of what just happened, what you just accomplished?"....."I'm suppose you're worried about your pet fish too". lol Excellent writing and tying off loose ends with these two characters and the entire TNG series! Epic!
Q is the best isn't he?
though whats the alternative? Picard standing up afterwards in the court room with glowing gold eyes "I see it now ... i understand everything. The past....the future..... Riker.....Lore.....it all makes so much more sense now."
another late reply, but i kind of figured wesley crusher was already started on the path to 'charting out the unknown possibilities of existence'. He's pure human born to human parents, yet he seems to be able to freeze time with his mind and travel to different planes of existence with the help of the Traveller. If anybody seems to have a head start on all this transcendance of human potential Q is proposing, its him.
@@spanishsupafly He's but a visitor, a traveler. He understands it, but isn't born to lead it like Piccard or Q is.
Q didn't expand Picard's mind like you mentioned, I don't think it was a split second or yeah.... lol I literally think Q was like this guy will always be the best they have. Picard like you said doesn't even understand sometimes. He gave him the opportunity to show 'humanities' potential. Picard was dragged through the coals and forced to realize a paradox of time. Q didn't want us to get wiped by the Continuum. So he picked Picard...trained him and then got him to figure out a puzzle. Picard saved humanity as it is, and Q fulfilled the task the Continuum made him do (test us).
It wasn't thinking on a level beyond. Picard was no super human or god forbid Wesley super brain Traveller.
At the end of "All Good Things...", Q actually seems genuine and sincere for once and almost, dare I say, looks at Picard as something more.
He actually began changing his tune after the episode where he becomes human and Guinan stabs him in the hand with a fork. It was q's wake up call to humility. Q is by and far my favorite Star Trek character.
@@JimBob-ky8sm I honestly doubt he was human. That was probably another one of his tests. Everything he ever did on TNG was a test with a lesson to help humanity. On voyager they pointlessly wrote him into some episodes for fan service with no real story arc.
@@Bitchslapper316The Voyager episodes absolutely sucked!!! Even John de Lancie didn't seem enthralled by them after the fact. Basically he acknowledged that the episodes weren't effective for his character.
Q is just fantastic.
Brilliantly written character
There are Klingons, Romulans, spiders, Daleks and Weeping Angels
They scare me
But the idea of being accidentally inadequate scares me more than anything
There's only one thing worse than being accidentally inadequate, and that's being made purposely inadequate. To discover that others had intended for you to be insufficient on your own, completely dependent upon others, but not to grow beyond that dependence like an infant, say, but to remain forever dependent upon your creators for your very existence, and to even have a purpose. That may very well be the worst fate imaginable, to realise that not only do you not matter, but that you never will.
@@Robert_Douglass have to agree on that one.
@@Robert_Douglass nah thats inspiring it give you something to fight against a chance to prove that you can be more then intended. If you supass your intended limits your potential is truly infinite
@@Slowpoke3x In such a case one proves their own self-sufficiency. What I spoke of was the pitiful case of such a one that was purposefully designed to be unable to grow beyond their limits, those limits being imposed by greater beings who take delight in designing creatures that , either knowingly or otherwise, depend upon them completely for their continued survival.
I rewatched that episode and realized I was Lt. Picard. It's a rough realization
"I suppose you're worried about your pet fish too"
Picard: "well, kinda"
"I cannot live out my days as that person! That man is bereft of passion and imagination." Oh Jean-Luc, what have you become. Little did we know Q was warning us about Picard.
Is the new star trek that bad?
@@7F0X7 worse
@@greenhat8978 worse than STD?
@@Noriko_riri just as bad but in a slightly different way
I always loved how Q started out as a way to pad out the length of an episode, but he turned into kind of a "coping tool" for fans who felt depressed about how small our world is compared to all the exploration and intrigue of Star Trek. In a comparatively claustrophobic existence with hundreds of years of scientific advancement to go before we might see even a hint of the possibilities available in Star Trek, we're greeted with an immensely powerful, god-like alien - and, despite all the cosmic wonders, all it really cares about is how you as a person develop your character and explore your own life. John de Lancie was such a good pick for the role as well, he captured the mix of fervent curiosity and general lack of interest you'd expect from such a character perfectly.
I remember when John was talking his inspiration for the character. He said he had based it on a description of Lord Byron, as both being "Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know" - The scene were Q and Picard talk about everything, still gives me chills. Brilliant acting.
Don't forget a healthy dash of Trelane.
Q: The Continuum didn't think you had it in you, Jean-Luc. But I knew you did...We wanted to see if you had the ability to expand your mind and your horizons. And for one brief moment, you did.
Picard: When I realized the paradox.
Q: Exactly. For that one fraction of a second, you were open to options you had never considered. That is the exploration that awaits you. Not mapping stars and studying nebula, but charting the unknown possibilities of existence.
Picard: Q, what is it that you're trying to tell me?
Q: *Facepalm^
*leans it and whispers* Sequels, John Luke, lots and lots of sequels.
Basically Mapping out the timeline or multiverse like The USS Relativity from the 29th century.
This discourse is the sole argument I need to state which franchise is better. And in case anyone ever actually wondered which one that is, It's fucking Star Trek.
Q be like:" ........."
Man would I love some more exploration to alternate timelines. Like the new Spiderman movie.
So Q offered Picard to become one with the Q Continuum.
"The part of the helping hand though, was my idea." That line right there is not a villain but that as a teacher and maybe even a friend.
"If we all die here now, you will not be able to gloat!"
"Well actually, I've got no issues visiting people in the afterlife, as you'll soon find out!"
I think Q was waiting for Picard to stumble on the answer. Q wasn't impressed until Picard humbled himself, even to a person he felt was the villain, to save his crew. As Q said, the trial never ends, everything that happened was a test.
he would most certainly not be above creating an afterlife for one specific person just to gloat at them and tell them how much better he is.
Q was such a very wise person even though he was very reckless. He was very fond of Picard because he saw a little bit of himself in him. Stubborn, always right, takes charge and doesn't wait for anyone to tell him what to do.
Picard:"Q, what is it that your trying to tell me? " Q:"That the Q race evolved from humanity and I'm here to make sure everything goes as planned."
***** no but the way this lesson pointed i would be willing to believe something like what baal zac said. :P
This is exactly what I suspected!
Not sure if I should congratulate you or destroy you.
YES! I'm not alone in my wild-ass assumptions!
Q suspects that the human race will someday rival the power of the Q-Continuum. The continuum wants to know what it is that enables the progress of humanity to out-pace the progress of the continuum. Watch TNG Season01 Episode10 "Hide and Q".
“Space flights are merely an escape, a fleeing away from oneself, because it is easier to go to Mars or to the moon than it is to penetrate one's own being.” ~ Carl Jung
« Say that after you built your own goddamn spaceship ! »
A sleep deprived underpaid NASA engineer, probably
"So why the frick we got tons of philosopher but zero human on Mars?"
- A rocket engineer...probably.
Its amazing watching this scene again. When Q whispers "see you out there" not many people realize it but Q was talking to picard as an equal.
The second encounter with Q they show, I believe it was first in the show, is maybe my favorite in all of Star Trek, Q's line about how " If you can't take a little bloody nose maybe you'd better go home, it's not safe out here" is so true of life in general.
I think it was his third. It was after his appearance in the pilot and his spree letting Riker have the powers of the Q. Still, it's probably one of the most important episodes in the series: we meet the Borg, something terrible and strange never before seen in the universe of Star Trek. There are great wonders out there in the infinite void, but even greater dangers, ones you'd never think were possible.
I love Q at 3:44, throwing Picard's accusation right back in his face. Earlier in the episode he stated they were ready for whatever they might encounter. THAT was more arrogant than anything Q has ever said or done. The idea that nothing in the entire universe could possibly be beyond their capabilities. Say what you will about Q, but he is effectively a god. (Except when depowered by the rest of the Continuum.) Picard is the captain of one starship. Who has a greater right to think they can handle anything?
Big time WORD UP to your assessment, NC! Plus, down the road, he actually had given the Federation a heads up on what was coming. So Q was doing them in a favor, it was harsh how he did it, but he did it in a way they could not ignore.
I would have responded back to Q saying that it was more than a bloody nose to those 18 people.
Q is very interested in humanity. Hence him teaching him all these lessons.
+RyanKCR
How many more might have been lost in the long term, sans warning?
+Mark Joergensen that is because if you pay attention the hints always there. The Q continuum is humanity evolved into a multiverse existence, out of time and place. I refer you to the scene "Q...what are you trying to say?" Q leans forward and is about to whsiper but holds back. I always saw that as Q abotu to reveal, "you're us, we're you." and the continuum was fulfilling their own self creation...to make sure they evolved as they should and Picard was key to that step.
I can never understand as to why Q was never featured in any of the TNG movies. Best recurring character ever.
It's difficult to write complex scenarios involving Q due to his omnipotent nature. The risk of lapsing into Deus Ex Machina is high.
I don't think he really would fit for any of the plots those movies were going for, except MAYBE Generations with the Nexus. But with a character like Q, you need the whole story to involve him, because he's such a big deal. Just showing up for a moment as a fun call-back doesn't do the gravity of his character justice. Besides, he was too good for those movies.
@@JackgarPrime honestly, I think Q could have worked perfectly in first contact. The idea being that he would be in the film, but he wouldn't say much. Characters would see him in the background or off on the side and question whether or not they just saw Q or not. This could all lead up to Q appearing before picard after his speech on the borg and him showing off his anger, and having him reprimand Picard to kingdom come. Why? Because in that moment, hell, throughout all of First contact, picard went against everything that he tried to explain to Q in regards to humans. Grievously savage. This leading to Q lecturing picard on how he needs to be better, do better, and be the person he was back on the enterprise d for the past 7 years. Which leads Picard to the change of heart where he's willing to sacrifice the enterprise for the survival of it's crew and all of humanity.
Not only that, it would be poetic to have Q appear in the film with the borg, the species he himself introduced the federation to.
Star Trek as a feature film only really works in two genres. Action and or adventure. Any plot featuring the Q automatically puts the genre into intellectual thriller which would not make for a commercially viable star trek movie.
That first quote really inspires me, I swear it's actively changed my life for the better. Just thinking about it makes me feel like I need to do better, like there can be no giving up, no matter how bad about myself I may feel, how insignificant, how hopeless it may feel, I can't give up.
Q was really always my favorite character. The final episode where he explains to picard all the shit you do out in space doesn't matter if you dont grow as a person. Enjoy your friends and the short temporary life you have. All this exploring means nothing if you don't learn from it and grow internally. It's such an amazing send off for such a great show. One last great final lesson.
Picard: "Q, what are you trying to tell me?"
Q leans in to whisper: "In 20 years, you're going to become a Golem just before you kill your buddy Data. Good luck!"
LOL.
"See you...Out There"
"See you... wouldn't wanna be you."
DurkMcGerk i garantuee you that is somewhere in the blooper reel 😂😂
Wouter d.B. Those are good words to put on a gravestone.
"See you....out there".
Something 2 think about.
I love the effect when Q moves the Enterprise. I like to imagine that he physically manifests and actually kicks the ship, just for his own amusement.
I loved how the series ended. Picard and Q actually admitting their friendship. The subtle facial expressions were so powerful. I put it right up there with Pacino and DeNiro in HEAT.
I wouldn't say a friendship, it's more of a mentorship.
Watch Star Trek Picard
@@MICROKNIGHT3000 Nope. Kurtzman doesn't care about continuity, and the writing is getting dumber, so I abstain.
@@jamesf791Yes to friendship. Yes to mentorship. But also a definite YES to a love relationship. It is established canon that Q is madly in love with Picard. Google it, and do a little research. It's 100% true.
I met John de Lancie once, and told him that his portrayal of Q had impacted me greatly in my formative years. He seemed neither impressed nor remotely interested. When I asked him what he thought Gene Roddenberry was trying to accomplish with the Q character, de Lancie gave me a canned response: "infinite power with infinite irresponsibility." In that moment, it became clear to me that actors really are _just actors_.
In my view, Q was a kind of zen master, delivering his lessons and ultimate truths via gravely serious farce. It seemed to me that Gene had intended Q to be a boundless hyper-mirror to the human species, reflecting our faults in grandiose caricature while simultaneously embossing our vast potential so as to challenge the limitations we inadvertently place on ourselves. Q is often perceived as little more than a cosmic prankster or a troublemaker, and indeed this seems to be the view John de Lancie himself accepts, but it seems more likely to me that Q had the wisdom and compassion of a Buddha.
+joehallenbeck75 Let Q be Q, I would say the same thing to such a post, for the reasons you stated
+Ryan MacFarlane I directly had the same issue, myself when I met him as well. He was nice enough to sign the My Little Pony Season 2 DVD at least. I actually choked the words out, he is very approachable but I was... well nervous.
+Galileo7of9 Because people project character's qualities onto actors. For most actors I imagine it is difficult to understand why people get caught up in a character. I think it's because the audience sees the finished, whole product. And they are brought along, emotionally. Actors don't shoot or even rehearse in sequence, so it's disjointed. Sometimes they don't even see their work in the finished state. I think it's rare for an actor to have that perspective but Leonard Nimoy had it. Not at first but as the years went by, he really did understand the "Star Trek way of life" as I heard him say one time in an interview. He was very respectful of Trekkies. I do miss him; he was my favorite or Star Trek TOS.
yeah he is a bit of a prick in real life. When i was younger i was into my wwe and actually met both HHH and Cena. When me and my friend met HHH we told him we were big fans and everything and how we wanted to be in the WWE when we were older, how we used to pedegre each other and he was like "ok, whatever" When we met Cena and my mate fanboy'd out over how he loved doing the F-U on his brother, Cena was more polite and said "Well thats very flattering an all but you really shouldnt be doing it. We are trained athletes that spend years practising, you could cause yourself and your brother long term injuries. You should be more careful and not try it at home, as the program says" Never meet your heroes. Until then though HHH was awesome and cool and Cena was a thug, turns out its the other way around.
Maybe because Q was the source of your inspiration and not him. At least in the way you are wording it here. It must get to people to hear a fictional character they played get all the credit through out their life. You even asked him about Gene Roddenberry's thought process which is pretty much a double snub to any body you are talking to at this point.
"Wonders both subtle and gross." Beautifully said.
The absolute Enormity.... The incredible Profoundness.... of this underestimated television series will speak to Future Generations of humans for all time....... listen wisely!
I love de Lancie's acting in the last scene - he subtly communicates that Q is genuinely surprised and touched by Jean Luc thanking him for the escape clause despite trying to remain aloof (like he's never been thanked before) before revealing a sense of not liking what the Continuum ordered him to do and taking some pride that he convinced them to let him help Picard just a little.
Then of course the moment where he tries to get Jean Luc to realise just what the Q actually want from humanity and despite being tempted to just tell him he refuses in a "come on, work it out - I know you can and it'll mean more if you do it yourself" sort of way.
Lesson 3 you finally see the true form of Q. The true mystery of his power, greatness and enigmatic nature. Most the time it's always with that added flavor of humor to keep us grounded in our mortal flesh. In this instance he grandly displays his a side of himself that no one has really seen before, glory.
Makes me feel like when Picard dies, Q will sponsor his membership to the Q continuum for being the first human to really challenge him as a god.
That final scene with q. I watch very often and I hope I never get tired of it.
Euuhh!
Q vs Picard is some of the best written and best critical thinking I've ever seen. That last part is basically Q telling Picard to expand his perception so that he can learn and understand more. It's a but vague how he puts it but we've finally caught up to the lesson he was trying to teach. Expand what you understand by thinking outside the box and question everything.
I wish to speak with the 234 people who gave this video a thumb down.
Forgive them Q, for they know not what they've done. (biblical ref that even the LORD is laughin at, promise.)
LMFAO!!
I gave it one
Kurt Wagner LOL
ethan rising Oh good. I suppose you don't want to exist anymore.
I should turn you into a Cardassian desert worm. But I won't. I'm in a generous mood.
However, I wouldn't invest in the stock market were I you.
This is one of the highest moments in the whole series: when we realize that Q, the trickster, the joker, the silly and sometimes prepotent, was in fact mankind's tutor. They closed the series on a perfect circle.
John De Lancie was just so electric in Star Trek. Q's a character you loved to hate. It's beautifully telling of human nature that once he's gone, you miss him.
As an aside, when I was a child my mother watched the soap opera "Days of our Lives"
I would occasionally on sick days watch it with her. So John De Lancie was a cast member for a small time.
A few decades later I ran into the room and told my mom, look! It's him!
She had no recollection. Tough how Alzheimer's hits memory
It's a shame they never did a Q based movie. It could've been so awesome.
All the TNG movies are spectacular letdowns
The Star Trek TNG: The Q Continuum books would make a great film adaptation. It's got the history of Q, decent conflict that rises to a level that challenges Q's power. It also has some elements from older canonical characters that would be cool to watch.
Noooo! Too many mariachi bands.
@@kalibos - I don't agree with that assessment. "First Contact" was an excellent film from start to finish.
Never say never...
“You just don’t get it do you, Jean-Luc. The trial never ends.”
This is the moment when Q became my favorite Star Trek character.
That's how I saw Q; he was goofy, did whatever he wanted. But beneath it, there's a being of omnipotent power that's seeing the universe unfold at the atomic level, and he's got a lesson or two to teach a young race on their maiden voyage to the greater unknown.
Lesson 2 was Q giving humanity a heads up about the Borg. Gave the Federation a chance to prepare
Trek used to be so glorious. So subtle and thought provoking. Even the camera angle at the end of the last lesson, designed to so subtly cast Picard as such a tiny man in the face of what is 'out there' is just a touch of class that simply doesn't exist in modern Trek
"Goodbye Jean-Luc. But all good things must come to an end!"
@@saberiandream316 You have no idea if it's going to suck.
@@saberiandream316 You're right, they showed the wreck of a borg cube for 3 seconds on a trailer, the show is doomed.
@@saberiandream316 It's true, the writing in star trek discovery sucked and so did the show because of it but that doesn't mean this show is going to have the same fate.
Us fans have been asking for a follow up to the TNG/DS9/Voyager timeline and characters for 20 years. The studio finally pulls the strings and brings back the actors we love to make that happen and they put out a sweet trailer for it. After that all these supposed star trek fans put out click bait youtube videos full of hatred for no other reason than views and get some fans all worked up.
The show may be great or it may suck, if it does I'll be the first to say it but I'm going to wait and watch it first.
@@saberiandream316 The klingons in STD and the J.J films are nothing alike, neither are the films and STD, I'm not sure why so many people lump them together. While the J.J films were a reboot that took place in a new timeline, STD was just a really poorly written prequel. The only thing they have in common is that Kurtsman helped write the J.J prequels. And yes, the klingons in STD were really bad, they ruined that first season for me as soon as I seen them. It wasn't just the look, it was everything about them. They should have just called them something else, like the Hushnok or something and it wouldn't have been nearly as bad.
Aside from a poorly written story and a terrible plot STD started getting some things right towards the end. Hopefully it improves.
"If you can't take a little bloody nose maybe you oughta go back home and crawl under your bed. Its not safe out here. It's wonderous with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross but it's not for the timid" is one of my favorite quotes ever because it just as true here on earth in real life. And in our current situation, it's a lesson that a lot of people need to get with.
De Lancie did an amazing job with Q. Think about it, someone tells you you're going to play the role of a god who is capable of moving stars and galaxies, killing and reviving millions of lives, and making time go backwards. De Lancie, in my opinion, nailed it without even trying.
On the surface he seems to be taking the role lightly, just as a job, not really into Star Trek, and just having fun until the next better role comes along. But if you examine the role itself, this is integral to the plot of the series and a lot of thought went into it. His acting made it come to life and he knows this and acts like he should. I believe he worked very hard on it and made it look easy.
"Oh, mon capitaine!"
And for all that power he's one of the funniest, most human characters on the show. I don't know quite how they initially conceived the character, but they managed to tap into the trickster god mythos in so many cultures as well as has ever been put on screen. Made all the power and wisdom more potent because he had so many sides.
I think Q's lesson is this, existance can be tricky, but it is by making the best of the unexpected (even in a losing situation) where we really manage to develop the best of ourselves.
Q´s lesson is that you are consciousness without and object, not a human being. Thus, god. A very different god that what religions talk about.
Oscar I couldn't agree more. Finally someone capable of putting this together :D
but what if the unexpected is also expected...ahhhhh
beautifully said!
Q's a favorite of mine. Yes, he's chaotic, but he's soooooo fun. And underneath all that "discord", a spirit that really seems to relish bringing out people's potentials. One of the greatest and most entertaining "teachers" going. Love him. Best Wishes All and to TheGodBen; thanks for uploading this. It's one of my faves here on YT.
Well hi there, we meet again. :D This vid rocks! I remember the old days watching ST NextGen like a kind of Sunday evening ritual, which was ambivalent emotionally as it signalled the oncoming Monday and having to face school while being such an odd one... I remember none of us in my family getting the "Camp" at all, which was a generalized lack (example "Tremors", we took it very literally, like being scared of the Monster and not noticing how the Humans were out of their depth there! Or - oh dear - "Top Gun"...... I began to change after "Legend" was aired, but there was unfortunately a lot of interference. I got rid of some of it after the cartoon version of Batman & Robin one day suddenly had my palms on fire, feeling like electricity, and the fire spread to my heart and stomach - I had no idea what this was, it felt like coming out of my ears even, and my face getting flushed - and knowing that I "knew" something very important and precious, like a secret).
I always got the sense that the Q were prepping humanity on some level for ascension to a higher plane/evolution. There's no other reason they'd give a crap about humanity enough to toss out these random trials.
When "Encounter at Farpoint" first aired, I thought Q was an evil guy. By the time "All Good Things" played, I realized he was actually a good guy, just a major pain in the neck.
I saw that Q is going to show up on Picard. I'm sorry Q, for what they are about to do to you. You were such a good character. Goodbye old friend.
if its that bad, why watch it?
The speech by Q in the Encounter at Far Point is one of my favorite quotations. And in the series finale, Lesson 3, I always thought that Q was telling Picard he would have the opportunity to become a Q.
Not to become. Has already and will. It's the same bootstrap paradox. The cause is the effect.
In a previous life, Q was just an average guy, an air traffic controller responsible for the deaths of an entire airliner full of people.
Bummer.
Donald Margolis
It was not his fault, but Walter White’s
@@zoser595 I mean as many things as Walt is guilty of that’s kind of unfair. First regardless of how traumatic it was, it is still his responsibility (forgetting the dad’s name) to focus given the importance of his job. Also Jessie and Jane herself are the main reason for the overdose.
Who's here after the finale of Picard S3? The trial never ends... 😉
That’s the Q I like. Never dull and always pushing the boundaries.
actually you are completely wrong Q lessons work like this:
1) Encounter At Far Point - You need to grow up and learn to solve problems with your mind instead of violence.
2) Hide & Q - you must learn to make decision on your own because a leader may not always be available.
3) Q Who - Prepare for your future cause you cant assume you know the out come to every event.
4) Deja Q - You need to figure out the answer on your own and not rely on someone who has the answer for you.
5) Qpid - If you truly love someone you would put your own life on the line for that person.
6) True Q - with absolute power comes the learning of absolute reasonability
7) Tapestry - Your past is who made you who you are today don't be dissatisfied with aspects of your past.
8) All Good Things - Sometimes to accomplish something you have to think outside of the box.
Yeah I think they oversimplified things a bit when they made this episode about how if Picard didn't get into a bar fight and got his heart destroyed, then he wouldn't be a star fleet captain. I know plenty of looser hanging out in bars on friday nights and getting into fights and none of them got anywhere except work in a gas station or some trivial job. Star Fleet captain requires discipline, imagination, leadership, experience, upstanding morals, empathy, intelligence, thinking outside the box, negotiation. NONE of these are equivalent to a rash bar fight because you are too drunk and too young to understand the consequence.
aresaresares6 I also know Intelligent, Hardworking people that have minimum wage jobs.
The point of this one was an appreciation for life, without being afraid of Risk (which when combined with Intelligence and Hard work is almost the definition of success).
Rensune Oh here comes the preacher, here to shame us to be humble. Maybe a nice place to preach is the church.
Hey, I mean if you think getting into a dangerous bar fight is what you call bravery and intelligence and leadership quality....tsk tsk tsk.
aresaresares6
You must never have made a mistake in your life.
Steve G :/ why do you choose to be a troll.
Q is either Picard's teacher or Picard's student. The constant change of roles between the two and the momentum of gaining new perspectives from the other has always been one of my favourite aspects of Star Trek writing.
This video always gives me a good kick in the ass whenever I need it.
"If we all die here... You will not be able to gloat!"
Always gets a chuckle out of me
Wow, somebody else who gets Q and appreciates him for what he is! Q is a teacher.He is arbitrary and capricious; he's an imp, but he always leaves behind something of value. The challenge (implied) to Picard, is to see the worth in it.
Q is my favorite recurring character, he utterly fascinated me. After Q, Data, because he gives us a look at ourselves, from the outside.
Q was a wonderful character! A gift to humanity!
One thing you have to give Picard, he despised Q and often hated to see him show up, but at the same time he was always willing to admit when Q was right and in spite of his resentment he always learned the lessons Q had to teach him.
Q was by far the most important character in TNG. No other character had such an impact on the course of not only Picard's character but also the history of events in the voyages of the Enterprise.
5:44-6:05 "It is easier to sail many thousand miles through cold and storm and cannibals, in a government ship, with five hundred men and boys to assist one, than it is to explore the private sea, the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean of one's being alone. Be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought." -Thoreau
Ow, but truer than could be
This reminds me of SG1 when Thor told O'Neill that humans would be met with nothing but danger and hostility in space, O'Neill's reply was simple "we are already out here".
Q is probably the best character in the entire franchise. JDL's outstanding ability to portray him has given him the immortality of a God in some ways.
"Meaning of life stuff."
His best Q performance was probably the FMV Star Trek game. And for an FMV game, it's actually well done.
Q is by far my most favorite Star Wars character!
Q is a teacher for humanity.Trying to get them to think outside of the box.
thank you for this video. From many years since my childhood with TNG, i always hate Q. But now i understand, actually Q is nurturing humanity. To always be prepare. Or perhaps Q already saw the 24 century Starfleet is to relaxed. With their main focus in exploration, but for military the became to relaxed. So Q decided to give Starfleet little bit of jolt, to awake and realize the oncoming threats from the Borg
One of best and most memorable recurring roles John Delaney was ever in,(at least in my own memory,anyway). I also liked how some other actors like Suzie Plakson,( hands down the prettiest Klingon btw), would be brought back,(even though her Klingon character was killed off in an earlier episode),as a Vulcan Physician. To put it in a often times frase used by Capt Picard,”Nicely Done” TNG producers!!
What I liked about that ending was a reveal that the Federation were not the only ones with a prime directive.