True Q

DVD, TNG S6 (True Q)

The first Q in Starfleet - it has a certain ring to it, but it wasn't to be, and for obvious reasons. We've seen the first Vulcan, the first Klingon, the first Ferengi, even the first Borg in Starfleet, but a Q just wouldn't work. It's hard to accept that Amanda lived out her life never twigging she might be a Q and never revealing her powers to anyone. If you've seen 'Smallville' you know how impossible it is to keep such abilities secret, and even on 24th Century Earth the weight of keeping it all inside would have been too much to bear and if she was so easily moved by the Warp Core explosion she must have had similar experiences when someone noticed her perform extraordinary acts.

It's a very Clark Kent situation, but it's probably the weakest Q episode on the series and that's because the visual trickery can't disguise that this is about someone we have no reason to care about. The title gives it all away so there's no mystery. The character works by the end, the story being closed out well - it was sad to see the weight of being a Q accepted as the only way out and a touching, but necessary farewell. But through most of the episode she's just a girl. It seemed clear early on that she couldn't just go on being treated as if she was no different, performing mundane tasks, learning in the slow, conventional manner - she didn't need to, it was a growth experience.

It was telling that once she chose to embrace her powers to get whatever she wanted (in this case Riker dressed up like Mr. Darcy!), she lost all the positive attributes she'd shown up to that point. The lure of personal power to fulfil every desire was too strong and this made an interesting point about the Q: they have empty, meaningless lives. It's no wonder our Q likes to pop in for a verbal duel with Picard once a year, though he must have found something else in the universe to occupy his time since he didn't appear in Season 5 at all. Positing any Q lore is an achievement because they are almost omnipotent (in Picard's words), and above our understanding, but there did seem to be some conflict with the 'Voyager' episode 'Death Wish' which I believe stated no Q had ever ceased to exist before and that Q2 doing so would destabilise the universe. Something like that. Anyway, we hear that Amanda's parents were also Q that had chosen to live without using their powers, failed and were executed by the Continuum. It's possible they were considered human when they were killed, but you can never really trust a Q, so how much do we really know for sure about them?

The common mistake of the series happens again: grey-garbed, grey-haired wheezing aliens which we're supposed to have some interest or investment in - no reason is given to care about them or their planet. At least the effects are there to entertain a little, with Q walking through walls, being chucked against walls, talking to a shadow on the wall, and best of all, turning Dr. Crusher into a dog without her noticing. Hiding in the Warp Core was a good gag, but I couldn't help the feeling the hide and seek game was a missed opportunity for some high-concept stunts - let's see the camera roaming the ship at super speed, a tiny Q in a tin compartment under Picard's desk, or a chase through the bulkheads. Maybe my wishes were too lavish for the technology of the time to accomplish, but I was set on that line of thought by the shot of Amanda and Q standing on the outer hull of the Enterprise, something which had never been done before.

Q episodes need a purpose and work best when they're all about a character we know. I'm also a little uncertain of the time period this is in - 'DS9' Season 1 started a few months after this and Q's shown to be still hanging out with Vash then, but she's not even mentioned in this one. Mind you, Vash did say she'd left Q so this may be after that, and it also explains what Q was up to for a season and why he didn't bother popping onto the Enterprise until now - in Vash he had someone to contend with, without her he was bored. The only other item of note is learning that Earth has a weather net that can regulate the weather. Very useful, especially in the UK!

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