Death Wish

DVD, Voyager S2 (Death Wish)

Supposedly a forum for the discussion on the ethics of suicide, this isn't really the open-minded debate that it's often remembered as, and I'm glad about that as it would have seemed plain wrong to have these characters advocate such a practice. Janeway makes it clear she doesn't support suicide, as does Tuvok, though his race do sometimes practice ritual suicide. This is at odds with what we know of Vulcan culture and their views on the sanctity of life, but maybe they just sling their katra into someone else and live on in that way? It may be that this isn't a widely practiced or accepted doctrine, rather like the nude pagan holiday Neelix mentioned in a recent episode!

The story starts in a surprising way, and if you didn't know what was coming it could seem quite a threat: investigating a rogue comet they beam a fragment aboard, but it's actually a man, in Starfleet uniform, who walks right through the containment field and announces himself as 'Q'. We know it's not 'the' Q of 'TNG', but true to the constraints of the ship and crew, they don't realise he isn't the Q they've heard of until 'our' Q appears. There are fun and games for a short while as Quinn (the name he chooses) tries to hide from Q in places as diverse as the 'birth of the universe' or as an ornament on a Christmas tree. You could begin to assume that only characters whose names begin with Q are allowed to crossover to this series, since Quark is the only major one to appear to this point, were it not for the fact that Q brings Commander Riker as one of his witnesses in the asylum hearing. That he and the other witnesses pulled from history won't remember when they return to their proper places makes sense to protect the timeline, but it would have helped the Captain to know Starfleet had been informed of Voyager's status.

In the timeline Will Riker's current assignment is unknown since this is the year after 'Star Trek: Generations' when the Enterprise-D crash-landed on a planet, but before the next film which unveiled the Enterprise-E, so it would have been fun to hear exactly what Riker had been snatched away from. Regardless, it's always good to see familiar faces pop up, and Jonathan Frakes was one of the most prolific, appearing in all the spin-offs, the only main character to do that! Q is the other established participant, but although we know so little about his race, the Q Continuum, this episode gives us plenty of fill-in details, even allowing us to see a representation of their own existence. It's so simply done, with the desert road and the filling station, and manages to sum up this supposed omnipotent race succinctly, quite an achievement, since trying to characterise all-powerful beings has always been difficult in the Trek universe. Ah, but they're not omnipotent, as Quinn tells us, saying they are to humans as humans are to races that aren't as advanced. I've always suspected they weren't all they seemed, so often lacking details, that this adds reality to what has always been a difficult concept to ground.

Having Q on board could easily have become ridiculous, since it nullifies the trials Janeway and crew have gone through when he can so easily snap his fingers and take them home. But that's cleverly circumvented by the main issue of asylum and the idea of the Q Continuum versus Quinn, with Janeway as judge. The trip home becomes a bargaining chip for Q to try and win over the Captain, so she'll rule in his favour, forcing Quinn to stay in his comet prison forever. The moment we see Earth, the goal they have strived for, outside the window, and more to the point, Janeway sees it, is one of the most heartbreaking moments. But Q either doesn't understand Janeway or refuses to play a subtler game, evidence that he doesn't really want to win. Janeway ended up stranded simply because she took such a decision of sacrifice and sticking to principles in the first place, this situation is no different, except instead of many lives it's just one. She still makes the same decision, the one she thinks is morally right, granting Quinn asylum even though he wants to die, urging him to live out the mortal life he now has. It would have been useful to have a former Q on board, and Gerrit Graham's self-deprecating, puppy-eyed performance would have been so good to see on a recurring basis.

Q himself has a change of heart, hearing that Quinn's philosophical views were inspired by his own radical behaviour, going against the 'state' as it were, causing mischief for his own amusement until he was punished, as seen on 'TNG' which apparently bent him back into shape, and making him realise he believes more in the individual expression he had before than fitting in with his people. So he says and does all the wrong things he could do, to Janeway, and though this could be attributed to his usual arrogant persona, we gradually see more and more that he opposes the Continuum's view against change. The change being of a Q killing themself, which could alter the society (and would, as we'd find out later), going as far as assisting Quinn's plan. So suicide as an issue isn't really the focus of the story - Quinn didn't even have a good reason, if there could be one, since he was bored with existence, having done everything. The real hub of the debate is about the individual rights as opposed to the directives of the state.

I like that the ongoing story arcs aren't evident in this, and it's a purely one-off tale, though it did have so many connections with other episodes. It's good to have single episodes that tell their story, as well as arcs and continuity, as variety is the spice of life, something the Q Continuum seems to have forgotten, and something that, sadly, Quinn seems incapable of experiencing. It's difficult to comprehend the idea of having done everything and it's a testament to the skill of the writing that these beings are made understandable and sympathetic to us. It helps when such things are mentioned as when Q introduced the Federation to the Borg (though he makes no mention of the impending attack on Earth which was to happen the following year on film!), or that Quinn ignited a hundred year war between Vulcans and Romulans, made the apple drop on Sir Isaac Newton's head, or saved Riker's ancestor, thus being responsible for Will's very existence! There's plenty to enjoy, and previously I thought badly of the episode because I felt it supported suicide. On viewing it now it is definitely anti-, and makes for a thoughtful story even with the circus of fun and games Q episodes generally bring.

***