ST: Voyager Review: Q2

Q’s back! And this time he’s brought the family! Click “Read More” to do so.

Q2

Cast and Crew

Directed by: LeVar Burton
Story By: Kenneth Biller
Teleplay By: Robert Doherty

Starring:
Kate Mulgrew as Kathryn Janeway
Robert Beltran as Chakotay
Roxann Dawson as B’Elanna Torres
Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris
Ethan Phillips as Neelix
Robert Picardo as The Doctor
Tim Russ as Tuvok
Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
Garrett Wang as Harry Kim

Guest Cast:
John de Lancie as Q
Keegan de Lancie as Q2
Michael Kagan as Alien Commander
Lorna Rauer as Q-Judge
Manu Intiraymi as Icheb

Original Airdate

April 11, 2001

What Happened

Q is having trouble rearing his young son and he needs "Aunt Kathy’s" help.

Q and Q2 show up, unexpectedly (when are they expected?), in Janeway’s ready room. It appears that the Continuum has had enough of Q2’s juvenille behavior and has decided he needs to grow up. Q turns to the only maternal figure he can think of at the moment, Janeway, and asks her help in showing Junior that there are consquences to every action.

What follows, after Q leaves, is Q2 making a general pest of himself, starting wars, disrobing 7 of 9, removing Neelix’s mouth and vocal chords, turning engineering into a dance club, and aggrevating the borg. Just before the entire crew is assimilated, Q returns to chastize his son: “If the Continuum has told you once, they’ve told you a thousand times: DON’T AGGREVATE THE BORG!” Words to live by.

After spending some time as an amoeba, Q2 vows to be good and goes off to spend more time with his father. Ten minutes later, Q is back complaining that his son doesn’t worship the cosmos he walks on. Janeway convinces Q that his son needs to learn respect first. At this suggestion, Q2 is stripped of his powers and forced to stay onboard Voyager to learn some humanity.

Things start off badly, he reprograms a diplomatic simulation (a la James T. Kirk) and gets Icheb to do his homework. Obviously none of this impresses Janeway and she sets Q2 to harder tasks, with a reminder that if he fails, it’s back to the petri dish as an amoeba. He redoubles his efforts, impressing Janeway and even striking up a friendship with Icheb.

Q2’s final assignment is a history of the Continuum which Janeway finds fascinating, but Q finds silly and pedantic. Q2 storms off, and Janeway chides Q for not being proud of his son. “He just haven’t that certain ‘Q-ness!’ he complains.

Bored and frustrated, Q2 steals the Delta Flyer (dragging Icheb along for the ride). Creating sub-space rift, he takes the Flyer to a remote section of space where “the women are beyond compare.” Icheb is obviously unamused. When a patrolling warship orders them to surrender, Q2 refuses and fires on the ship while retreating. During the attack Icheb is severely wounded and Q2 takes the flyer back to Voyager. Back aboard the ship, the Doctor is unable to treat Icheb’s wounds without more information about the weapons that were used.

Q appears, but refuses to clean up after another one of his son’s messes. Q2 and the captain return to meet with alien captain for information on his weapon systems. He agrees, but Janeway must turn herself over for punishment, since she’s the adult responsible for Q2’s behavior. Q2 refuses to let her go, claiming he is responsible for his own actions. The alien captain laughs and it is revealed to be Q in disguise.

Q2 stands before the Continuum council for judgement. He is deemed still too reckless for the Continuum, but will not be turned into an amoeba, but next worse thing…a human. They vanish and Q follows, angry with their decision.

Q2 accepts the captains earlier offer of staying onboard Voyager as a cadet. Q abruptly returns, informing them that the Continuum has changed their minds and have let the boy back in. Q2 thanks the captain (with a roomful of flowers, no less) and vanishes. Q explains how he groveled to get the boy back in, and gives Janeway a thank you gift: A padd with directions to shave off a few years of their trip.

Review

I like Q episodes, I really do. The prospect of omnipotence without omniscience is just fun. I enjoyed this episode by and large, it was great to see Q confounded with a problem. The pacing was a little off, but not by much. LeVar Burton directs good episodes, and he seems to have a good relationship with the actors and they all seem to enjoy themselves this time around.

The episode does get a little heavy-handed with its issues of responsibility (both for the parent and the child), but they are delivered in an intelligent manner.

High Point

Naked 7 of 9? No (though it did illicit a juvenille giggle from me). It would actually have to be the final scene, specifically where Q gives Janeway a shortcut for their trip home. Q has finally come to understand Janeway. “I could’ve given you a way all the way home, but you would’ve refused.” Two points for StarFleet morality.

Low Point

The trial scene was weak. There was no tension, no real passion. Just kinda blah.

The Scores

Originality: This has been done before with Q turning human, but the fact that he now has to be a father was unique. 4 out of 6.

Effects: Not a whole lot, except a lot of Q flashing. There was one sharp sequence with the Delta Flyer blasting the shuttle bay open. 4 out of 6.

Story: Good scripting and dialog. Few pace problems. 5 out of 6

Acting: Kudos to Keenan de Lancie on his first major outing as an actor. He captured the feel of a young Q to a tee. Everyone else was good, John de Lancie proves that he is Q. 5 out of 6.

Emotional Response: No real tension developed, but there was a bit of humor to go around. 3 out of 6.

Production: Everything flows well, Burton reaffirms Berman’s decision to have him direct several Voyager episodes. 4 out of 6.

Overall: A great outing for Voyager and company. 4 out of 6.

Total: 29 out of 42

Stills

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5 replies on “ST: Voyager Review: Q2”

  1. Q2 was not convincing
    I like how one incident changes Q2 into a respectful obediant kid. I just didn’t buy it. The one week should’ve been one month and there should’ve been more tension and pain as he adjusted. I mean, a real teenager probably wouldn’t have adjusted at all! Especially one in his situation. Plus, if Q knows everything, shouldn’t he know how to be a good parent?

  2. Omnipotence vs. Omniscience
    Q is omnipotent, meaning he can DO anything (master of matter, space, and time). Omniscience means you know all which Q isn’t. This combo is what makes his character so much fun. It often reminds me of the gods in greek mythology…powerful, yet fallable.

  3. re: omnitpotentce vs. omniscience
    But didn’t he say in the TNG episode where he loses his

    powers that he has an IQ of “a billion” implying that

    he knew everything? Also, if he can do everything,

    can’t he make himself a good parent, or make himself

    know everything?


    Maybe I’m spoiling the fun…..

  4. Reading too much into this…
    Just relax and go with the flow. Most SciFi doesn’t stand up to close scutiny (especially Trek).

    Besides, Q is probably the biggest liar in the Star Trek universe (with Quark giving him a good run for his money). If he said he had an IQ of “a billion” I’d take it with a large helping of Sodium Chloride suppliment pills.

  5. Are there 2 different cuts of the show?
    You said the following:

    Q has finally come to understand Janeway. “I could’ve given you a way all the way home, but you would’ve refused.” Two points for StarFleet morality.

    But when I saw the episode wednesday night, that’s not how it happened. Q handed Janeway the Padd, saying it was a reward for her help. She read it, and saidm “But this will only take a few years off our journey, why not just send us the whole way?” Q replied with a smirk, “You said so yourself Captain, what kind of example would that set if I did all the work for you?”

    It was a very good line, and personally, better than the one you saw. My question is, why did we see two different lines?

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