Q Who 

Q tries to prove that Picard needs him as part of their crew by hurling the Enterprise 7,000 light years away where they encounter the Borg for the first time.

Director:

Rob Bowman

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (created by), Maurice Hurley

Stars:

Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Patrick Stewart	...	Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes	...	Cmdr. William Riker
LeVar Burton	...	Lt. Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn	...	Lt. Worf
Marina Sirtis	...	Counselor Deanna Troi
Brent Spiner	...	Lt. Commander Data
Wil Wheaton	...	Wesley Crusher
John de Lancie	...	Q (as John deLancie)
Lycia Naff	...	Ensign Sonya Gomez
Colm Meaney	...	Chief Miles O'Brien
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Guinan

Storyline

Q pays the Enterprise another visit, much to Captain Picard's disapproval. He wants Q to keep his part of their earlier bargain and stay away. Q insists that Picard needs him on his side and to prove his point, hurls the Enterprise far into the galaxy. There, the Enterprise crew meet the Borg and their strange, cube-like space craft. The Borg are a race that is part biological and part machine that exists within a collective consciousness. They are also a formidable foe that can out power, out run and out fight the Enterprise. With their shields weakened, it's left to Picard to decide if they really do need Q's help.

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Plot Keywords:

u.s.s. enterprise ncc 1701 d | starship | outer space | male lieutenant | human | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 May 1989 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

46 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the episode in which the Borg make their debut. They would eventually go on to become this series' ultimate nemesis (an honour originally meant for the Ferengi, but never materialised since fans took them as "too comical" for this title). Originally, they were not intended to have a queen, and the two-part episode in which they appear later, Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Best of Both Worlds (1990)/Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Best of Both Worlds: Part II (1990), reflects this. The Borg Queen was created because the writers were having difficulty in writing dialogue for what was intended to be the Borg's central computer. The Borg Queen first appears in Star Trek: First Contact (1996), and queens would make several appearances through the later seasons of Star Trek: Voyager (1995).

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Goofs

Picard requested to be taken to Deck 9, crew quarters on the Turbolift, yet his quarters are on Deck 8.

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Quotes

[Riker prepares to beam over to the Borg ship with an away team]
Guinan: I wouldn't go there if I were you.
Commander William T. Riker: I don't know, Guinan. They paid us a visit; it seems only fair that we return the courtesy.

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Crazy Credits

The episode's credits begin a full minute after the theme music.

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Connections

Referenced in Glee: Saturday Night Glee-ver (2012)

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Soundtracks

Star Trek: The Next Generation End Credits
Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User Reviews

Q was right.

he may have been cocky, sarcastic, amusing etc. but he was right:they were not ready. But he also did us a hidden favor.The Borg were apparently coming anyway and now we know what we'd be up against, or at least know that they are out there. in my opinion it was more than a "kick in our complacency". this episode had at least one other interesting feature.

I found myself disagreeing with the protagonists. Picard said it was "not smugness not arrogance!", but that's what it seemed like to me. OK I'd seen the other Borg episodes before this one so I KNEW they weren't ready. I realize that I am giving a lower rating than my comment might indicate but there is some really dull and ultimately pointless stuff in the episode before Q shows up. it is unfortunate that the "dealings" were never explained. The ending is great! 3 of 5 stars. And what happened to the Borg not having a single leader.