CRASH COURSE: Star Trek: The Next Generation follows the lives of the crew of the Enterprise NCC701-D as they seek out new life and civilizations, create split infinitives, and spawn lots of merchandise.

Q is an omniscient, all-powerful being that appears in the first episode of TNG to threaten, torment and otherwise harass the crew. Q returns eight more times (as well as popping up on Deep Space Nine and twice on Voyager). Apparantly, the being is an emmisary of his species (know as the Q Continuum), sent to test the pitiful Human race for reasons that are somewhat unclear. The creature develops an especially strong interest in the Enterprise's captain, Jean-Luc Picard. Q often appears to the crew in the form of a slender, 6'4", Caucasian Human male that looks suspiciously like actor John de Lancie (who happens to be the man that plays him). Q's personality is characterized by his supreme arrogance, disarming sense of sardonic humor, and perpetual boredom. He's also a helluva lot of fun.

LEMME COUNT THE WAYS... : I discovered I was completely obsessed with Q a year or two after I first got into TNG. I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but I'd liked the character ever since I first saw him (I think) at the end of "Qpid". He was the kind of roguish, fun character that I'd always been drawn to. Somehow or another, I really took a shine to the character; he basically represented my animus at the time. I also love flamboyant characters that are downplayed realistically by the actor.

Q. He's bad and sarcastic enough to provide a refreshing foil to the crew, funny enough to stay likeable, and enigmatic enough to keep interest. That, and he's got great lines. Too bad "The Q And The Gray" had to saddle him with a family and turn him into comic fodder. Let's hope for a (sinister) movie.



SOME GOOD BOOKS/etc. DEALING WITH Q:

Q-SQUARED by Peter David: Excellent. Mesmerizing. Trelane wreaks havoc. Q is in deep shit. I can't explain more without ruining the plot. Peter David consistently gets the Trek band completely and utterly in-character, and he effortlessly mixes humor with gut-twisting drama. Why no Trek movies have been made based on his books is the 8th mystery of the universe. I dare you to be able to put this book down. Get thee to a bookstore.
ISBN: 0671891510

Q-IN-LAW by Peter David: The two most annoying people in the Universe to Jean-Luc Picard --that would be Q and Lwaxana Troi-- visit the Enterprise during an important conference. Lust is in the air. Hilarious.
ISBN: 0671733893

[Note: While the de Lancie-voiced audio versions of the above books are wonderful, I beg you to read the books as well, preferrably first, as the audio versions cut out some great stuff.]

I, Q by Peter David and John de Lancie: (Yes, THAT John de Lancie.) The story of the end of the Universe told exclusively from Q's viewpoint. Quite a page-turner, although unfortunately not as rereadable as Q-Squared. I would have liked to see more evidence of the more evolved Picard-Q relationship that had developed after "Tapestry" and "All Good Things..." -- and sometimes Q's voice alone becomes strangely tiresome. Still, not a bad book at all. I think it could've been a masterpiece if "The Q And The Grey" had never aired.
ISBN: 0671024434

ONLY HUMAN by Alara Rogers: An alternate to "Deja Q" in which Q doesn't get his powers back. Very long and very well-written. Q is completely in-character. Expect to call in sick to work, this puppy is ENGROSSING.

INSEQURITY by Alara Rogers and Mercutio: An alternate to Only Human(!) where Q is found by Naomi after his assault, rather than Security. Page-turning (or would that be scrolling?) and gut-wrenching as well. I like 'em that way.

FAMILIAR STRANGERS by Alara Rogers: Yet ANOTHER alternate to "Deja Q". Don't you love it? Picard finds his adversary in a very compromising position. Literally.

To Tell The Q by The Anon Sisters: Dammit, I like H/C. And the reason they give for Q being the "C" side of the equation here works for me. (Q as the "C"?! What? Where!?) The story also portrays an evolved relationship between Q and Picard, which neither the Greg Cox trilogy or even, at times, I, Q, managed to do.

The Star Trek Scriptbooks: The Q CHRONICLES by Gene Roddenberry: Anthology of every Trek script involving Q.
ISBN: 0671034464

Q RULES! An Unauthorized Guide by atara stein: An in-depth look at our favorite alphabet letter.

MINDING ONE'S P's AND Q's: Homoeroticism in Star Trek: The Next Generation also by atara stein: A scholarly article discussing the Picard/Q subtext.

Proper Misconduct by Queriana: Who else could pull off a plot (assigned by the PiQuante FuQfest) where Q is captain of the Enterprise and Picard is a representative of the P Continuum? Who? WHO?! Queriana, that's who. And not only does she manage to pull this sucker off, but she reveals refreshing insights on the NextGen crew. Oh, and the sex scenes are great, too.


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