star trek voyager q folgen

Filed under:

Star Trek’s 12 most Q episodes, ranked by chaotic energy

A Q for every mood

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Star Trek’s 12 most Q episodes, ranked by chaotic energy

Decades before the letter “Q” gained a sinister political connotation (and during a rare fallow period for the James Bond film franchise), the alphabet’s most quizzical consonant became synonymous with Star Trek . Portrayed by actor John de Lancie, the omnipotent trickster god Q debuted in the series premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 and developed into the show’s signature antagonist, the perfect foil for disciplined, steadfastly moral Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Q has remained one of the most popular guest characters in the Star Trek franchise, appearing across five series including the new season of Star Trek: Picard .

Q owes his longevity as a character to de Lancie’s magnetic performance and to the multiple ways he can be employed in a Star Trek story. Q is an all-powerful authority, casting judgment over humanity and enforcing the cosmic status quo of the Q Continuum, but he’s also a cartoonish agent of chaos who takes delight in befuddling straight-laced Starfleet Captains . Most of the best Q episodes find a balance between Q’s two extremes, depicting him as part bully, part teacher, and part comic relief.

In recognition of the delicate chemistry that goes into creating a good Q episode, Polygon’s scientists have developed the Q Scale, a method of measuring the ratio of Authoritative Q to Chaotic Q in a given story. Like the pH Scale, the Q Scale starts at 0 (Fully Authoritarian) and ends at 14 (Fully Chaotic), with the median 7 representing a healthy neutral between the two extremes.

Excluding his cameo in the Lower Decks episode “Veritas” (which is too slight to include here) and his recurring role in Picard ’s second season (which shouldn’t be judged until it’s completed), we’ve ranked every appearance of Q based on where it sits on the Q Scale, ​​in ascending order of chaos.

12. “Encounter at Farpoint”

The Next Generation season 1, episode 1

In the series premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation , Q forces the crew of the Enterprise to stand trial on behalf of all of humanity. He introduces himself as a representative of a godlike ruling body who has determined that our species is too savage and violent to be permitted further expansion across the galaxy. The episode contains the seeds of the flamboyant, hedonistic Q of his later appearances — namely, his love of playing dress-up — but most of what makes Q pop in “Farpoint” comes from John de Lancie’s performance rather than from the script itself. de Lancie was hand-picked by Trek creator Gene Roddenberry for the role based on his ability to elevate the material, and future appearances would be written with his theatrical strengths in mind.

Q Level: 1 (Wholly authoritarian)

Q Fact: The character of Q was a late addition to the script for “Encounter at Farpoint.” Writer Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana had been instructed to write a script for a 90-minute series premiere, and when the episode was expanded to two hours, Roddenberry wrote a 30-minute “envelope” story to pad out the episode, adding the “trial for humanity” subplot. Fontana and fellow Trek writer David Gerrold later theorized that Roddenberry did this in order to deliberately pocket what would have been Fontana’s contractual bonus for writing a double-sized episode.

11. “True Q”

The Next Generation season 6, episode 6

In this Next Generation episode, young Enterprise intern Amanda Rogers (Olivia d’Abo) discovers that she’s actually a Q, born on Earth to two outcasts from the Continuum who chose to live as humans. Now that her powers are emerging, the Continuum sends our Q to retrieve her, but Captain Picard demands that she be allowed to determine her own fate. Once again, we see Q operating as an unquestioning agent of a higher authority, though this is also his sixth appearance on TNG and his familiarity and fondness for Picard has made him more amenable to compromise. Q attempts to sway Amanda by claiming that the point of being Q is to do whatever you want, but this doesn’t hold water given that he also threatens to kill her if she doesn’t cooperate with the Continuum. Notably, this is also Q at his least fun, as he spends most of the episode being a creep to a teenage girl.

Q Level: 2 (Highly authoritarian)

Q Fact: Writer René Echevarria tried to name the young Q “Samantha” after the protagonist of the 1960s sitcom Bewitched , but executive producer Rick Berman caught the reference and nixed the idea.

10. “Death Wish”

Voyager season 2, episode 18

After The Next Generation concluded, Q began guest starring on its subsequent spin-off, Star Trek: Voyager . His first Voyager episode, “Death Wish,” is undoubtedly his best, and the most successful attempt at exploring the internal politics of the Q Continuum. In “Death Wish,” Voyager encounters a second Q (who calls himself “Quinn” to avoid confusion) whose desire to become mortal has made him a political enemy of the Continuum. When Quinn applies for asylum aboard Voyager, the powers that be dispatch our old familiar Q to represent their interests in a hearing to determine Quinn’s fate. “Death Wish” is the best of the more authoritarian Q episodes, not only because it explores a complex moral dilemma in the classic Star Trek tradition, but because it interrogates the duality of Q’s character. Quinn forces Q to look at himself and realize that he’s lost his sense of mischief and sold out to The Man.

Q Level: 3 (Skeptically authoritarian)

Q Fact: John de Lancie and Kate Mulgrew ( Voyager ’s Captain Janeway) have been close friends since long before Star Trek, which no doubt contributed to the pair’s chemistry on screen.

Voyager season 7, episode 18

In Q’s final appearance on Voyager , we get acquainted with his son, Q (or “Junior,” played by John de Lancie’s real-life son Keegan). Since Junior is the first child born in the Continuum, the inexperienced Q ditches his unruly adolescent offspring with Captain “Aunt Kathy” Janeway in the hopes that she can teach him some discipline. The Continuum expects Junior to help maintain order in the universe and threatens him with severe punishment if he fails to shape up, but Q himself plays only a minor role in turning his son’s life around, letting the Voyager crew set the example for responsible behavior. When Q does finally participate, it’s by staging a cruel costume drama that tricks Junior into believing that he’s put his new friend Icheb’s life in danger. Q scares Junior into becoming more responsible by way of his classic hijinx, staging elaborate tests and deliberately annoying a Starfleet crew.

Q Level: 4 (Nominally authoritarian)

Q Fact: This is Keegan de Lancie’s final acting credit. He currently works for the US State Department .

8. “All Good Things…”

The Next Generation season 7, episode 25

The series finale of The Next Generation resumes the trial that began in “Encounter at Farpoint,” returning Picard to the scene of his first conflict with Q as well as showing him a glimpse of a possible future. As it turns out, Q has been directed by the Continuum to put Picard through one more deadly test that will either prove humanity’s potential or destroy all organic life in the galaxy. Q follows his orders, but also obtains permission to appear to Picard and occasionally drop subtle hints as to the nature of the deadly puzzle. After seven years of observing and pestering Picard, Q is now less interested in controlling or passing judgment over humanity and more invested in seeing us grow to our full potential.

Q Level: 5 (Barely authoritarian)

Q Fact: “All Good Things…” is, to date, the fourth and final Star Trek episode to win the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation . Twenty-five movies and episodes have been nominated between 1966 and 2018.

7. “Tapestry”

The Next Generation season 6, episode 15

In “Tapestry,” arguably the best Q episode of all time, Captain Picard dies after suffering damage to his artificial heart. Q greets Picard in the supposed afterlife and offers him the chance to relive a key moment from his reckless youth, the bar fight that resulted in his cardiac replacement. Q acts as Picard’s guardian angel on a time-bending journey painted with shades of A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life , teaching Picard to value the wilder parts of himself, the traits that he just happens to share with Q. Q finds the exercise amusing, sure, but he seems motivated primarily by the desire to help his “pet” human learn a difficult lesson, and to save his life in the process. Picard is permitted to make his own choices throughout the entire experience, and while he does encounter a cruel twist, it’s one of his own making and Q provides a way out of it.

Q Level: 6 (Benignly authoritarian)

Q Fact: Writer Roland D. Moore considered using “Tapestry” to visit more than one pivotal moment in Picard’s life, including the never-seen death of his best friend Jack Crusher aboard the USS Stargazer.

The Next Generation season 4, episode 20

Feeling he owes Picard a debt after their previous adventure, Q insists on doing Picard a favor in return. Since Picard refuses to offer any suggestions apart from “Go away,” Q decides to interject into Picard’s love life, forcing him to confront his feelings for the rogue archeologist Vash (Jennifer Hetrick). Q traps Picard, Vash, and the rest of the Enterprise senior staff in a recreation of the legend of Robin Hood. Once in motion, the fantasy is beyond even Q’s own control, and Picard and company have mere hours to storm Nottingham Castle and rescue Vash/Maid Marian from her scheduled execution. Q devises all the rules of this deadly game, but he also abides by them, and Picard, Q, and Vash all get something out of the experience.

Q Level: 7 (Equally authoritarian and chaotic)

Q Fact: In the episode’s climactic battle, all of the male Enterprise crew members draw swords while Dr. Crusher and Counselor Troi smash vases over the heads of their opponents. Ironically, Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis were the only members of the ensemble with fencing experience (save Patrick Stewart, who has been stage fighting since the 1970s ).

5. “Hide and Q”

The Next Generation season 1, episode 10

In his second appearance, Q endows Commander Riker with powers identical to his own and dares him to use them, while Picard insists that he resist the temptation. While Q is still acting on the authority of the Continuum and in the interests of better understanding humanity, “Hide and Q” doubles down on John de Lancie’s whimsy, casting Q even more like a tempestuous child who plays with the fates of individuals and entire species for his amusement. Q devises a high-stakes contest for the crew that is, by his own admission, “entirely unfair.” When his attempts to woo Riker to godhood fail anyway, the Continuum forces Q to abide by the conditions of his own game and leave the Enterprise alone.

Q Level: 9 (Noticeably chaotic)

Q Fact: An earlier draft of this episode would have established that there were only three members in the entire Q species .

4. “The Q and the Grey”

Voyager season 3, episode 11

Inspired by his experience with Quinn, Q leads a revolutionary movement that launches the Continuum into a civil war. Q seeks to upset the status quo he once upheld by fathering the first new Q in eons, and he wants Captain Janeway to be its mother. (This episode ignores the existence of Amanda Rogers.) Q’s maturity level swings wildly between adulthood and adolescence throughout the episode. His goal is to strike down the old order and establish a new one that is less restrictive to individual freedoms and more receptive to new ideas, but his plan hinges on some pretty wild assumptions, namely that a half-Q, half-human baby will be greeted as a messiah and that reproducing with one of his own, like his longtime “associate” Q (Suzie Plakson), would be impossible. His buffoonish attempts to seduce Janeway are embarrassing to watch.

Q Level: 10 (Actively chaotic)

Q Fact: Prior to playing a Q, Suzie Plakson portrayed Vulcan Dr. Selar the Klingon Ambassador K’Ehleyr on The Next Generation . There are winks to both of these roles in her dialogue in “The Q and the Grey.”

The Next Generation season 2, episode 16

On the outs with the Continuum, Q arrives on the Enterprise and offers to join the crew, even to renounce his powers if necessary. Picard declines, deciding that Q is too dangerous to trust. Q handles this rejection by shoving the Enterprise deep into unexplored space, where they encounter an enemy too powerful to confront without his help — the Borg . Q proves his point all too well, as the Enterprise makes first contact with a species that would threaten billions of lives and change the face of the Federation over the next 15 years. While there’s still plenty of “teacher Q” in this action, it’s also an impulsive, unilateral decision with massive repercussions that he barely seems to consider. So long as he’s properly shaken Picard, he’s satisfied.

Q Level: 11 (Maliciously chaotic)

Q Fact: Writer Maurice Hurley initially intended for the big bad revealed in Season Two to be a race of insects , but that idea proved too expensive. The Borg retained the hive mind of the original concept, but were portrayed as humanoid cyborgs instead.

2. “Deja Q”

The Next Generation season 3, episode 13

Embarrassed by his clownish antics and galaxy-spanning reputation for wanton cruelty, the Continuum casts Q out and drops him on Picard’s doorstep. Trapped in a human body, Q must now depend on the mercy and kindness of the Enterprise crew to survive when one of the civilizations he once tormented catches wind of his newfound mortality and comes looking for revenge. While he can’t get up to much trouble in his human form “Deja Q” is the first episode to depict Q as a liar and cheater who’s spent eternity tormenting weaker beings for sport. Much in the way that “Death Wish” makes Q second-guess his authoritarian bent, “Deja Q” challenges his desire to wreak havoc and force-feeds him some of his own medicine.

Q Level: 13 (Proudly chaotic)

Q Fact: In the teaser for this episode, the de-powered Q arrives on the bridge of the Enterprise totally naked. After director Les Landau struggled to find a way to achieve the desired effect via camera trickery, John de Lancie decided to simply perform the scene in the nude .

1. “Q-Less”

Deep Space Nine season 1, episode 6

Q makes a single appearance on TNG ’s first spin-off, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , in an episode that serves as a sequel to “Qpid.” After two years exploring the galaxy as Q’s companion, archeologist Vash catches a lift back to Federation space via the Bajoran Wormhole and arranges to spend some time aboard the show’s titular space station. Vash attempts to make a clean break from Q, but he refuses to leave her alone and spends most of the next week using his powers to harass her and any member of the DS9 crew who gets in his way. In “Q-Less,” Q has no goal beyond stalking a woman who’s rejected him, and has no involvement or interest in an existential threat to the station that rears its head during his visit. He’s purely there to goof off and make mischief. While the episode does offer one classic moment in which Sisko loses his patience and clocks him in the jaw, Q proved to be an ill fit for the setting and tone of DS9 and never returned.

Q Level: 14 (Bugs Bunny chaotic)

Q Fact: According to the Deep Space Nine Companion , John de Lancie was dissatisfied with the depiction of Q in this episode, feeling that “skirt-chasing” was a motivation unworthy of his character.

Star Trek: Discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants

The 10 horniest episodes of star trek, ranked by cultural impact, the picard legacy collection puts one of the greatest remasters of all time in sprawling context.

30 Best Episodes Of Star Trek: Voyager According To IMDb

The third spin-off for the franchise, "Star Trek: Voyager" launched not long after "The Next Generation" left the airwaves. Set aboard the U.S.S. Voyager, its first mission saw Captain Kathryn Janeway in pursuit of a group of renegade Maquis. But when both ships were hurled into the far off Delta Quadrant by a mysterious alien entity, the two crews were forced to join together as they embarked on their long journey back to Earth.

Airing for seven seasons on UPN, "Star Trek: Voyager" may not have been the ratings hit that "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was, but thanks to years of reruns and streaming, its popularity has grown in the years since its conclusion, with many episodes ranking among the franchise's most watched, according to StarTrek.com . During its time on Netflix, in fact, episodes centered on the Borg, and fan-favorite character Seven of Nine proved especially popular — so much so that Paramount+ made sure to include both in the revival series "Star Trek: Picard."

But which "Voyager" episodes rank the best among its entire 172-episode run? According to IMDb, the 30 we've collected here are the ones that top the charts.

30. Scientific Method (Season 4, Episode 7)

Janeway is pushed to the brink and Seven is left to save the day in the Season 4 episode  "Scientific Method." As the episode begins, the newest addition to the Voyager crew — ex-Borg Seven of Nine — is still learning to adjust to life aboard a Federation starship, unused to the hierarchy of command and the little social niceties of life in a human social structure. 

But while Voyager explores an unusual binary pulsar, a race of cloaked aliens have infiltrated the ship without anyone even realizing it. These aliens aren't looking to conquer however, and instead have been secretly experimenting on members of the crew — including the captain — as a gruesome form of medical testing without their knowledge. With only The Doctor and Seven of Nine able to detect them, it's up to a hologram and an uncertain former Borg to expose the alien threat and save the ship. 

29. Worst Case Scenario (Season 3, Episode 25)

In  "Worst Case Scenario"  B'Ellana discovers an apparent holo-novel that reanacts a disturbing takeover of the ship by its Maquis crewmembers, led by first officer Chakotay. More intrigued than disturbed, she shares it with Paris, then Kim, and before long the narrative becomes the center of ship-wide gossip as officers rush to play the interactive program for themselves. But it's soon revealed that the story was crafted by Tuvok as a training exercise and was abandoned when the Maquis became valued members of the crew.

Sent back in to finish the story for their own amusement, Paris and Tuvok discover that the program was co-opted by former Maquis crew member Seska and turned into a deadly form of payback. Suddenly the pair find themselves in a cat-and-mouse game with Seska's elaborate scenario that's been designed to torture them, while Janeway attempts to help them outside the confines of the holodeck. Racing against time, they'll have to play by Seska's rules if they want to stay alive.

28. Hope And Fear (Season 4, Episode 26)

In the fourth season finale  "Hope And Fear,"  Seven of Nine is forced to confront her humanity when it looks like Voyager has found a way home. It starts with the arrival of a man named Arturis who helps them finally repair and descramble the damaged message they received from Starfleet in "Hunters." In the message, Admiral Hayes claims they've sent an experimental new starship out to meet them just light years away, with a new slipstream engine capable of getting them home in a matter of months.

As Seven of Nine weighs staying behind — unsure if she'll fit in back on Earth — the crew discovers that the ship, the U.S.S. Dauntless , may not be what it appears. Now, the captain must balance her desire to get her crew back to Earth with her feeling that their ticket home may be a little too convenient.

27. Life Line (Season 6, Episode 24)

We're seeing double in  "Life Line"  when The Doctor comes face-to-face with his creator, Dr. Lewis Zimmerman. After his appearance in the "Deep Space Nine" episode "Doctor Bashir, I Presume," the famed scientist is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Voyager selflessly sends their holographic Doctor back to Earth via the Hirogen communication array to make a house call. But meeting his proverbial father isn't the jubilant family reunion that he'd expected as Zimmerman wants nothing to do with his own creation.

As The Doctor works to push past his creator's stubborn streak, Reg Barclay calls on the services of Counselor Deanna Troi to help the two work through their issues. But a problem in The Doctor's matrix forces Zimmerman to step in to save him, and The Doctor finally learns the basis for his father's ill feelings. A memorable episode that featured two long time cast members from "The Next Generation," it was ultimately a tale of an estranged father and son struggling to find common ground.

26. One (Season 4, Episode 25)

In "One," Seven of Nine is attempting to learn social skills with the help of The Doctor — and struggling with it — when the ship encounters an unusual nebula too vast to go around. But the nebula is found to contain a kind of subnucleonic radiation that proves deadly to the crew, save Seven of Nine and The Doctor. The only solution appears to be to put the entire crew, including the captain, into stasis pods for the duration of the journey, while Seven and The Doctor guide the ship.

Left alone, Seven at first enjoys the solitude, but the isolation soon begins to wear on her. Just as she needs companionship the most, The Doctor's program goes offline, and Seven is left to fend for herself as her mind begins to slowly erode. As hallucinations start to confuse her, she'll have to make a fateful choice if she wants to keep the crew alive.

25. Someone To Watch Over Me (Season 5, Episode 21)

"Someone To Watch Over Me"  sees The Doctor once again trying to help Seven of Nine improve her social skills, this time teaching her the art of dating. When Paris finds out, he makes a wager with The Doctor on whether Seven will be able to successfully find a date for an upcoming diplomatic reception. But as The Doctor spends more time with Seven of Nine, he finds himself developing romantic feelings for her himself.

Ultimately The Doctor asks Seven to the event, and when it comes out that he had made a bet with Paris over her love life, things go predictably wrong. Meanwhile, Neelix is tasked with entertaining Tomin, a Kadi diplomat, and struggles to stop the conservative, monk-like visitor from dangerously overindulging in the ship's leisure facilities. A more light-hearted affair, the episode is another key step in the development of both Seven of Nine and The Doctor and their common goal to learn to become more human.

24. Deadlock (Season 2, Episode 21)

It's double trouble in Season 2's  "Deadlock"  after Voyager encounters subspace turbulence that seems to be the cause of problems throughout the ship, as the warp core is rapidly being drained. But when B'Ellanna uses a series of proton bursts to restart the anti-matter reaction, it makes things worse, and Ensign Wildman's impending childbirth in sickbay is endangered. After a catastrophic hull break kills Ensign Kim, B'Ellana discovers that the subspace field they passed through has actually created a quantum duplicate of the ship and its crew, and there are now two U.S.S. Voyagers, slightly out of phase but sharing the same anti-matter reserves. 

Unfortunately, just as they think they have figured a way out of the situation they come under attack from the organ-stealing Vidiians. Thanks to the discovery of a small rift that allows passage between the two Voyagers, the duplicate crews find a new way to work together to fend off the alien attack while severing the link between their two ships. But for one of them to survive, the other may have to make the ultimate sacrifice. 

23. Equinox, Part II (Season 6, Episode 1)

It's an all-out war with Captain Ransom in the sixth season premiere,  "Equinox, Part II."  After the renegade Starfleet commander reprograms The Doctor and takes Seven of Nine hostage, he sets off to parts unknown to continue his torture of the alien creatures he needs to power his ship. Back on Voyager, Janeway is determined to get back her crewmen — and to do it she threatens to cross the line between justice and revenge. 

With members of the Equinox left aboard the ship, the captain will do whatever it takes to get them to tell her Ransom's plans. While Ransom's EMH secretly attempts to sabotage Voyager, an unexpected ally surfaces and could be key to stopping the Equinox. But as Janeway's methods continue to become more vicious, first officer Chakotay becomes increasingly uneasy, leading to a confrontation that could change the nature of their relationship forever. 

22. Eye Of The Needle (Season 1, Episode 7)

Early in "Star Trek: Voyager" the crew was still hopeful of finding a shortcut back to Earth, and they almost find one in the first season installment,  "Eye of the Needle."  Encountering a micro wormhole, they realize they can't get the ship through, but may be able to transmit a message, and potentially use their transporters to send the crew back to the Alpha Quadrant. Unfortunately, the ship they find on the other side of the galactic gateway isn't a friendly Federation starship but a secretive Romulan cargo ship.

Attempting to convince the Romulan captain that they aren't some kind of Starfleet deception is the first hurdle they encounter, as the adversaries have little reason to trust one another. But once they finally earn the captain's confidence they discover that the wormhole isn't all that it seems to be. With hopes diminishing, they realize that getting home may be more complicated than activating their transporters.

21. Future's End (Season 3, Episode 8)

Season 3's  "Future's End"  is another classic "Star Trek" time travel adventure that sees the crew of the starship Voyager hurled back in time to the then-present day of 1996. It all happens when the Timeship Aeon emerges from the 29th century and its captain, a man called Braxton, claims that Voyager is responsible for a disaster in his time that will annihilate Earth's solar system. His attempts to destroy Voyager fail, and the two ships are instead sent through a spatial rift, nearly 400 years into the past. 

Arriving in 1990s Los Angeles, Janeway is disturbed to discover that Braxton has been trapped there for 30 years already, and the technology aboard his ship has fallen into the hands of a Steve Jobs-like industrialist named Henry Starling (Ed Begley, Jr.) who is using it to amass his fortune. Realizing that it was future technology that was responsible for the '90s tech-boom, Janeway must find a way to retrieve Braxton's ship and get back to the 24th century, all while Starling hopes to collect Voyager's technology for himself.

20. Future's End: Part II (Season 3, Episode 9)

Still trapped in 1996,  "Future's End: Part 2" sees tech mogul Henry Starling finally getting Braxton's ship operational. Janeway realizes that it's Starling's use of the Aeon that will destroy the solar system, and must find a way to stop him. But Starling manages to steal The Doctor's program, and using 29th century tech taken from Braxton outfits him with an autonomous holo-emitter, allowing him the freedom to walk about unfettered for the first time.  

To get The Doctor back, Paris and Tuvok find a friend in a young astronomer named Rain Robinson (guest star Sarah Silverman), while Janeway makes contact with Captain Braxton himself, now a vagrant living in the city's underbelly. Chakotay and B'Elanna try to locate Braxton's ship, but become prisoner's of right-wing militants. To save Earth and return to the 24th century, Voyager's crew may have to risk exposing themselves to the people of the past.

19. Shattered (Season 7, Episode 10)

Another sci-fi time-bender, the Season 7 episode  "Shattered"  sees the ship pass through a temporal distortion field that fractures the ship into different time periods. Awakening in sickbay more than four years in the past, Chakotay is given a newly developed chroniton serum by The Doctor that allows him to pass through the various time shifts aboard the ship. To bring Voyager back into temporal sync he'll need to spread the serum throughout the ship's own circuitry, but he can't do it alone.

Traveling to the bridge, he finds a version of Captain Janeway from before they met, and he must somehow gain her trust to recruit her to execute his plan. But it's easier said than done with they discover the villainous Seska and her Kazon allies are in control of engineering, during the events of the Season 2 episode "Basics." A nostalgic look back at Voyager's seven-season run, "Shattered" sees the return of several former heroes and villains from past episodes.

18. Death Wish (Season 2, Episode 18)

The immortal all-powerful trickster Q finds a new ship to annoy in the Season 3 episode  "Death Wish."  Coming upon a rogue comet, Voyager discovers that it's actually home to a member of the Q Continuum, a being who has grown bored with his endless life and wishes to commit suicide. Dubbed "Quinn," he seeks asylum aboard Voyager when Q arrives to put him back in his cosmic prison cell. Though Janeway doesn't want to get involved in their god-like squabbles, she feels ethically obligated to consider Quinn's request, and grants them a hearing aboard the ship.

While Q summons the likes of Commander Riker, Isaac Newton, and a hippie from Woodstock to give statements, Tuvok defends Q's right to not exist, should he so choose. Disturbed by the fact that granting asylum would mean Quinn's suicide, Janeway attempts to convince Quinn that life is worth living. Undergoing his own crisis of faith, Q is forced to acknowledge the problems his people face, and makes a decision that will change the Q Continuum forever.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.

17. Latent Image (Season 5, Episode 11)

  "Latent Image"  begins with The Doctor finding evidence of a surgical procedure on Ensign Kim that seems to have no explanation. What starts out as an investigation into a minor mystery leads to the disturbing realization that it was he who performed the surgery, but he has no recollection of it. Soon he learns that someone has been tampering with his program, erasing his memory — and perhaps the memories of the entire crew. But with the help of Seven of Nine, he discovers that the problem is even bigger than he feared, and everyone on the ship may be lying to him.

An episode that explores the problems that come with the holographic Doctor's existence as a growing sentient being, the story shows the crew slowly discovering that he has become more than just a program. It's also an intriguing allegory for how society often treats mental illness, and gives actor Robert Picardo some of his best work in his role as the ship's resident artificial surgeon.

16. Equinox (Season 5, Episode 25)

Janeway and Voyager are shocked to encounter another Federation vessel in the Delta Quadrant in  "Equinox,"  the dramatic fifth season finale. Commanded by the revered Captain Ransom (guest star John Savage), the U.S.S. Equinox is a science vessel that was catapulted to the region by the same entity that sent Voyager there. Ill-equipped for deep space assignments, Ransom and his crew have barely been able to survive on their slow journey home, and both crews seem buoyed and hopeful by the chance meeting. 

But the happy reunion is cut short when Seven of Nine uncovers evidence of corruption aboard Equinox, and the discovery that Ransom has been capturing and killing alien creatures and using their corpses to fuel their warp drive. Furious at the violation of Federation ideals, Janeway attempts to take control of his ship. But unwilling to go quietly, Ransom kidnaps Seven of Nine, and along with The Doctor's program, escapes aboard the Equinox. 

15. Pathfinder (Season 6, Episode 10)

In a surprising episode set almost entirely off of Voyager,  "Pathfinder"  follows "TNG" standout Reginald Barclay as he seeks help from his old friend, Counselor Troi. Now working at Starfleet HQ, he's part of the Pathfinder Project, which hopes to find a way to communicate with Voyager in the Delta Quadrant. Certain that he can use an itinerant pulsar to open a fissure that would allow two-way communication, he uses holodeck simulations to test his theories. But Barclay hit a wall when his superiors didn't believe in the potential of his ideas. 

After his boss, Commander Harkins, discovered that Barclay was living inside a simulation of Voyager and grows concerned for his mental stability, he was kicked off the project. Barclay approached Admiral Paris — who was running the project — about a second chance, but didn't get the response he was looking for. After speaking to Troi, Barclay breaks into the lab to put his plan into action before the pulsar moves out of range.

14. Dark Frontier (Season 5, Episode 15)

Janeway comes up with a bold scheme to attack a Borg ship in the double length episode  "Dark Frontier,"  that saw the Borg Queen's debut on the series. The plan is to steal a Borg ship's transwarp technology, capable of getting them back to Earth much faster than their conventional engines, and Janeway will stop at nothing to succeed. But the presence of Seven of Nine on the mission causes her some concern. 

Because Seven of Nine is still adjusting to being fully human Janeway fears the experience of returning to the Borg could be traumatic for her. Unbeknownst to Voyager, though, the Borg Queen has already learned of their daring plan, and finds a way of secretly communicating with Seven of Nine. The Queen offers her former drone a tempting deal: She will allow Voyager to succeed, effectively handing them an easy way home, in exchange for Seven of Nine rejoining the Borg. 

13. Endgame (Season 7, Episode 24)

The epic feature length series finale  "Endgame"  opens in the future on Earth, with an older Admiral Janeway unhappy with how history has turned out. She did get Voyager home, but it took more than 20 years and cost them the lives of several crewmen, including Seven of Nine. But when she finds a way to travel back in time to visit her past self, she devises a plan to change history and get Voyager home much sooner.

Visited by the older, more cynical Admiral Janeway, Voyager's Captain Janeway finds her future self's story hard to believe, but the plan she proposes makes sense: sneak into the heart of a Borg Uni-complex and use one of their transwarp hubs to travel back to Earth in an instant. The plan hits a snag, however, when the younger Janeway instead wants to use the opportunity to deal the Borg a crippling blow. Now the two Janeways find themselves at odds over the choice between defeating a mortal enemy or getting Voyager home.

12. Distant Origin (Season 3, Episode 23)

A story that explores the battle between religious dogma and scientific discovery,  "Distant Origin"  is told from the surprising perspective of an alien culture. We first meet a pair of Voth scientists named Gegen and Veer, who discover the remnants of one of Voyager's earlier ill-fated away missions. Studying the remains of a human crew member, they match its genetic structure to their own, providing evidence for a theory that their people originally evolved on Earth millions of years ago.

The two scientists show their evidence to their leaders, but are ostracized for challenging long-held doctrine that the Voth are a supreme form of life. Now facing persecution for their scientific discovery, they finally track Voyager itself, and capture Chakotay. With his help they hope to convince their people that they are actually descended from intelligent dinosaurs that roamed the Earth before the first ice age.

11. Drone (Season 5, Episode 2)

A transporter accident fuses Borg nano-probes from Seven of Nine with the 29th century technology of The Doctor's mobile emitter in the fifth season episode  "Drone."   Using the emitter, the nanoprobes steal genetic material from a passing crew member to create an advanced, 29th century Borg drone unlike anything that had been seen before. Unconnected from the Borg hive mind, the newly born Borg — who takes the name One — is a blank slate, and Janeway wants Seven of Nine to be his teacher and guide to humanity.

But when the Borg Collective discovers his existence they come to assimilate him, putting the ship, crew, and entire galaxy in jeopardy as they fear the Borg getting access to even more advanced technology. As the drone begins to question her about the Borg, Janeway fears he may want to join them, forcing Seven of Nine to finally answer the question of where she belongs.

10. Relativity (Season 5, Episode 23)

A mind-bending time travel adventure,  "Relativity"  opens aboard Voyager before its first mission when Captain Janeway is touring the ship in spacedock. But somehow Seven of Nine is present, and is secretly searching for a dangerous weapon at the direction of Captain Braxton. But before she can locate it she's discovered, and Braxton pulls her out of time, killing her. Flashing back to the present, a series of space-time fractures are causing temporal paradoxes all over Voyager when they discover a highly volatile temporal disrupter hidden in a bulkhead.

Just before it destroys the ship, Braxton's men abduct Seven again and send her back to find the disrupter in the past, figure out who planted it, and why. But if she's going to save the ship, Seven may have to do the one thing she's been ordered not to: tell Captain Janeway in the past about their future and recruit her to help complete Braxton's mission. 

9. Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy (Season 6, Episode 4)

When The Doctor starts experimenting with a daydreaming program in  "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy"  things go wrong, and he finds himself unable to distinguish between reality and fantasy. But when a low-ranking alien agent unwittingly taps into his daydreams, he believes The Doctor is actually the captain of the ship, and devises a plan to invade and conquer Voyager. 

After the bumbling alien spy realizes that he's gotten things wrong, he tries to call off the attack but it's too late to convince his superiors. As The Doctor's fantasy's are spinning out of control, the alien makes contact in the hopes of averting an embarrassing incident. To avoid confrontation, The Doctor must convince Janeway to let him take command. A more playful episode, it successfully mixes the kind of light-hearted comedy that works well with The Doctor, with the best adventure elements the show has to offer. 

8. Year Of Hell, Part II (Season 4, Episode 9)

"Year Of Hell, Part II"  picks up two months after the events of Part I. Voyager is in ruins and manned by a skeleton crew, while Janeway herself is in rough shape, barely able to survive repeated assaults from the Krenim. Tuvok has lost his sight, and requires Seven as his guide, while much of the ship itself is falling apart. Aboard Annorax's temporal warship, Chakotay and Paris are at odds, with Paris wanting to attempt escape while Chakotay wants to help find a way to use the ship's history-altering power to save Voyager.

Janeway meanwhile is attempting to assemble a loose alliance of friendly ships in the hopes of mounting an attack on Annorax. Seven of Nine successfully develops a new kind of temporal shield that they believe will be able to protect them against the Krenim's weapons. But if their plan doesn't work, it could mean Voyager never existed.

7. Living Witness (Season 4, Episode 23)

In the closest thing "Voyager" got to a Mirror Universe episode, the fifth season episode  "Living Witness"  saw The Doctor's program activated by an alien civilization some 700 years in the future. There, two neighboring species have been arguing over who started their centuries-old war, and believe that Voyager may have played a part in sparking it. Now with The Doctor active, one historian believes that he could hold the key to discovering just what happened.

Through the use of a holodeck of sorts we view the historical account of how they believed the crew of Voyager started the war. In the recreation, a tyrannical Captain Janeway brutally attacks the Kyrian people with biogenic weapons developed by The Doctor, wiping out entire populations. Now it's up to The Doctor to set the record straight, and if he can't convince them of what really happened, he may be put on trial for the crimes that Voyager is thought to have committed against their people. 

6. Message In A Bottle (Season 4, Episode 14)

Controversial comedian Andy Dick makes an unexpected appearance in the Season 4 episode  "Message In A Bottle"  that also marks Voyager's first communication with Starfleet. Upon discovering a Federation starship on the edges of hailing range of a deep space alien communication array, they fail to make contact, so instead send The Doctor's holographic program. Aboard the experimental U.S.S. Prometheus, The Doctor also finds that the ship has been taken over by Romulans, and its entire crew killed.

But with the help of that ship's own EMH, a dismissive and snarky Mark II, it's up to The Doctor to fight back and retake the ship. Once successful, he manages to get in touch with Starfleet and finally let them know that Voyager is alive and well in the Delta Quadrant. An offbeat episode that once again mixes humor and adventure, the highlight is the impeccable comedic chemistry between the two EMH's played by Robert Picardo and guest star Andy Dick.

5. Timeless (Season 5, Episode 6)

Opening on the stunning visual of the starship Voyager buried beneath the surface of a mysterious ice planet in  "Timeless,"  we meet a small group of explorers trying to excavate it. Breaking into the ship we learn that the space-bound archeologists are none other than Chakotay and Harry Kim, 15 years into the future. Finding The Doctor's mobile emitter, they've come back to the site of a disaster that destroyed the ship, with the hopes of changing history.

Flashing back to the "present" we see that Ensign Kim has spearheaded a project to retrofit Voyager with the same slipstream technology they were introduced to in "Hope And Fear." To use it, Chakotay and Kim man a shuttle ahead of the ship, to guide Voyager through the slipstream. But a miscalculation sends Voyager off-course and while the shuttle made it safely to Earth, Voyager was doomed. With the help of Borg technology from Seven of Nine's corpse, an older and remorseful Kim must evade Captain Geordi La Forge and the U.S.S. Challenger if he hopes to succeed in his quest for redemption.

4. Scorpion, Part II (Season 4, Episode 1)

After successfully negotiating an alliance with the Borg in the Season 3 finale, "Scorpion, Part II" kicks off the fourth season with the Borg agreeing to give Voyager safe passage through their vast territory in exchange for their help in defeating an emerging new threat: Species 8472. Chakotay firmly opposes the collaboration, especially when the collective sends a Borg aboard to act as a liaison, a female drone named Seven of Nine. Despite their agreement, Janeway's first officer doesn't believe they can trust their new allies.

But thanks to the neural link that Chakotay has retained from the events of "Unity," he proves to be the key to a plan to stop the Borg should they betray them. And once Species 8472 is dealt with that's exactly what they do, with Seven of Nine attempting to assimilate the ship. Remembered for the introduction of Seven of Nine , the character helped reinvigorate the series, and would go on to become one of the franchise's most beloved characters, returning in 2020 in the spin-off "Star Trek: Picard."

3. Year Of Hell (Season 4, Episode 8)

In "Year Of Hell" Voyager encounters the Krenim Imperium, a powerful empire that rules a region of space they are attempting to pass through. But little do they know that the key to the Krenim's power is a man named Annorax (guest star Kurtwood Smith), a scientist who has developed a devastating weapon capable of altering history. Annorax has been using the weapon to alter the past in the hopes of restoring his people's empire to their former glory and resurrect his long-dead wife.

While Janeway and the crew are helpless against the Krenim's weapons, they go on the run, mercilessly attacked by the Imperium wherever they try to hide. But when Annorax continues annihilating entire planets in his quest, his calculations are thrown off by Voyager's anomalous presence and they suddenly find themselves his newest target. With the ship falling apart, and time running out, Janeway may have to abandon Voyager if they are to survive. 

2. Scorpion (Season 3, Episode 26)

In the third season finale  "Scorpion"  comes face-to-face with the Borg Collective for the first time after they discover that their territory is too big to go around on their journey home. But when they discover a corridor devoid of Borg ships they at first think it's good news. Until they discover an even bigger threat: a new race of inter-dimensional beings known as Species 8472, who are destroying the Borg, and threaten Voyager as well. 

But when The Doctor develops a biological weapon capable of defeating 8472, Janeway hatches a plan to exploit the conflict between the two warring species. Though the crew is conflicted, Janeway hopes to form an alliance with the Borg, and give them the weapon that could defeat 8472. But will Janeway really help the Federation's greatest enemy defeat the only ones who have ever been able to stop them?

1. Blink Of An Eye (Season 6, Episode 12)

In Season 6's "Blink Of An Eye"  Voyager encounters a strange planet where time passes at an increased rate where one second for Voyager is nearly a day on the planet. Approaching to take a closer look, Voyager is pulled into its orbit and trapped there, disrupting the planet's natural energy field, and causing frequent seismic disruptions on the surface. Below, the people who live on the planet are in awe at the shining new star in their night's sky, not realizing that it's Voyager. 

Over the next thousand years, the planet's civilization evolves, while just days pass aboard the ship, and Voyager — which they called "the sky ship" slowly becomes part of their society's mythology. But when a brave astronaut from the planet comes to visit (guest star Daniel Dae Kim), he's suddenly confronted with the reality that his childhood heroes aren't at all what he imagined.

Star Trek - Raumschiff Voyager

Die USS Voyager wird bei einer Mission in den fernen Delta-Quadranten verschlagen. Bei ihrem langen Weg nach Hause treffen sie auf neue Freunde aber auch zahlreiche Feinde.

False Profits (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Introductory details
• 4.2 Story and script
• 4.3 Cast and characters
• 4.4 Production
• 4.5 Continuity and trivia
• 4.6 Reception
• 4.7 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest stars
• 5.4 Co-star
• 5.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.6 Stunt doubles
• 5.7 Stand-ins
• 5.8 References
• 5.9 External links

Summary [ ]

The crew of USS Voyager find evidence of a wormhole having recently appeared and disappeared in a nearby solar system, and reason that, since it has been there at least twice, the other end could be fixed. Events take a mysterious turn when Tuvok detects evidence that a nearby primitive planet , whose civilization is still in the Bronze Age , contains an energy discharge consistent with those that come from Alpha Quadrant replicators .

Act One [ ]

Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Junior Grade Tom Paris are sent to the planet to investigate. When they get to the town, they are soon accosted by people asking them to either buy or sell things. These people also reference "seers" and the "Sages" as they speak to them. Chakotay detects the energy signature coming from a nearby temple of sorts, but a merchant tells them they need to wear a set of 'ears' (a necklace with ear-shaped charms) and manages to get them to sell their shoes. Meanwhile, on Voyager , Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Torres confirm to Captain Janeway that the wormhole does, in fact, lead to the Alpha Quadrant, and they are working on a way to attract the entrance back to their position.

Chakotay and Paris continue to explore the town, now wearing 'ears' around their neck. Suddenly, a commotion begins when it is announced that the two Holy Sages are about to emerge. Chakotay and Paris are shocked to recognize them: the two Sages are Ferengi ! The Sages lead the townspeople in chanting "Greed is Eternal" , which is one of the Rules of Acquisition .

Act Two [ ]

The Ferengi then accept pleas from the crowd. It is soon clear that the Ferengi use the replicator they possess to rule over the townspeople, keeping themselves in obscene luxury, while everyone else is destitute and struggling to even feed themselves or keep a roof over their heads. The two Ferengi listen as a man, a sandal maker, begs for food and medicine to help him care for his wife's ill mother and young children. Instead of helping, the Ferengi rebuke him for not putting them to work and provide him with a copy of the written Rules of Acquisition, forcing him to pay for it. After that, the two swindlers decide to retire for the day.

Chakotay and Paris report this to the rest of the Voyager crew, explaining how the Ferengi have used their advanced technology to exploit the local myth , which foretold that Great Sages were prophesied to come from the sky in a ball of fire. Tuvok has solved the mystery of how the Ferengi arrived in the Delta Quadrant : several years earlier , while the USS Enterprise -D was hosting negotiations for the rights to the Barzan wormhole (negotiations that collapsed when it was discovered that one of its endpoints wasn't fixed) the two Ferengi, Arridor and Kol , who were minor functionaries, became trapped in the Delta Quadrant during an ill-thought out attempt to secure it for themselves. Janeway decides that they're not going to just leave the innocent Takarians to be used and exploited any longer, feeling that the Federation is partially responsible for what has happened, since they were the ones to have hosted the negotiations in the first place. The plan is to take Arridor and Kol back to the Alpha Quadrant and turn them over to the Ferengi authorities.

As Arridor and Kol celebrate another good day's lack of work, they are beamed up by Voyager , and Captain Janeway explains that they're trying to attract the Barzan Wormhole back, but even if they don't succeed the Ferengi are leaving the Takarians for good. Arridor and Kol, obviously unhappy at being snatched from their opulence, explain that they could easily actually be the Great Sages… their burning ship provided the ball of fire, their replicator provides 'miracles', and for the Takarians, if their gods were to just vanish, it could lead to disaster for the people. Realizing that just removing the Ferengi could completely destroy the Takarians' religious beliefs, Janeway orders them beamed back down.

Act Three [ ]

The crew discuss the situation, agreeing they can't kidnap the two Ferengi but can't leave them behind either. Janeway suggests thinking of a way to get them to leave voluntarily; not only would the Takarians be prepared for it but they might also think it's part of the legend about the sages. Begging the question of how to get the Ferengi to voluntarily leave behind a planet which they've completely monopolized, the Voyager officers come to the conclusion that since a Ferengi is driven by profit, they need to make it profitable for them to leave, or at least less profitable to stay.

Neelix then attempts to imitate the Grand Proxy , representative of the Grand Nagus , telling Arridor and Kol that Zek has recalled them. They are shocked, but their servant, Kafar , is pleased. The Ferengi are told the Grand Nagus wants to appropriate their holdings and replace them on the planet. The two try to argue they are themselves required for their endeavor, and they will give the Nagus a cut of their profits, but the Proxy has his orders. He orders them to give a speech in which they intend to leave, so as to not upset the local population. Arridor is determined to use the Rules and all its commentary to find a loophole, but to no avail. Arridor decides to invoke the 'unwritten rule' – if no rules apply, make one up. In this case, he wants to kill the messenger.

Outside, Neelix is giving out part of the profits to the local people, then comes back in to approve their speech. Shockingly, he finds that the two now are trying to kill him with swords . Neelix immediately drops his cover and admits he is a Talaxian from Voyager . The Ferengi let him go instead, then announce happily that they've won again.

Act Four [ ]

Neelix leaves the temple and informs Chakotay and Paris of his failure. However, his Ferengi disguise would still pay off, as he was believed to be a "holy one", or "Greater Sage" by the Takarian bard they met earlier. He recites the songs to them, hoping for payment, however, Chakotay suspects this could help them. Once Chakotay paid off the bard, they realize there's a verse about the Sages' departure from the planet. The bard excitedly points to Neelix and knows who he is, and this gives them a plan.

Later, the three get ready and Neelix steps up to the temple entrance. Posing as the Holy Pilgrim , Neelix drew on myth in the Song of the Sages about their departure. The Ferengi hear the commotion and come out, though, fortunately, they don't know the whole song. Arridor tries to convince the people Neelix is a false Pilgrim, but then Voyager utilizes three photon bursts to further fulfill the part about the appearance of three new stars in the sky. Arridor then appeals to Kafar, however, Kafar has had it with how he's been treated and starts ringing the gong, as per the song.

The plan goes awry, soon, though, when Kafar also recites the part when the Sages will go "riding on the wings of fire". The Takarians attempt to burn Arridor, Kol, and Neelix at the stake. Unfortunately, the Ferengi's dampening field is preventing them from being able to beam out.

Act Five [ ]

Voyager near a Delta Quadrant terminus of the Barzan wormhole

Chakotay and Paris hurriedly ask where the field is being generated from, and they successfully find it and destroy it. They are all promptly beamed out, and Kafar announces they've left, fulfilling the Takarian prophecies about the Sages returning to the skies.

The shuttle flying uncontrollably through the wormhole

Voyager is now ready to pass through the wormhole and return in the Alpha Quadrant, but Arridor and Kol manage to overwhelm two security guards and to escape from the ship with their shuttle. Voyager tries to beam them back, but they emit a graviton impulse in order to avoid transport. As the two Ferengi are pulled into the wormhole, Voyager tries to pursue them, but soon discovers that the graviton impulse has further destabilized the wormhole, knocking it off its axis, so that it begins jumping erratically on both ends. This not only allows the Ferengi to flee, but also leaves Voyager and its crew still stranded in the Delta Quadrant . With nothing they can do to retrieve the Ferengi or stabilize the wormhole, the disappointed crew has no choice but to resume their long journey home.

Log entries [ ]

• " Captain's log, stardate 50074.3. We have detected evidence that a wormhole recently appeared, and then disappeared, in a nearby solar system. We're on our way there to investigate. "
• " Captain's log, stardate 50074.5. Based on information provided by the probe, we have replicated local attire for Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris. They have gone to the surface to investigate. "
• " Captain's log, supplemental. I've been asked to join Lieutenant Torres and Ensign Kim in the science lab to hear what they've termed as 'very exciting news'. "
• " Captain's log, supplemental. The away team has returned with some very disturbing observations about the situation on the planet. "

Memorable quotes [ ]

" My sandal shop is failing. I can no longer feed my family. " " Same old song. " " My wife and her mother, my five children, the baby. " " That's seven employees – eight, if you count the infant. How can your shop be failing? " " You're not paying them, are you? "

" What are we going to do? " " What a Ferengi always does in a situation this grave. " " Panic? " " No, you idiot! He goes to the Rules of Acquisition. Unabridged and fully annotated with all 47 commentaries, all 900 major and minor judgments, all 10,000 considered opinions. There's a rule for every conceivable situation. "

" Grand proxy, avoidance of… Mm-mm. " " Grand proxy, censure by… " " Grand proxy, encounters with… " " See… 'hopeless situation.' "

"I told you there was no rule. " " Then it's time to invoke the unwritten rule. " " The unwritten rule? " " When no appropriate rule applies… make one up. " " That's a very good rule. "

" Who's to say we aren't their sages, captain? " " Don't be ridiculous. " " You mean… we really are the sages? "

" We won. We won! " " No, my friend. Not exactly. To be precise… we won again. "

" But how do we get two Ferengi to just walk away from a monopoly on an entire economy? " " What motivates a Ferengi? " " Profit. " " Then we must find a way to make it more profitable for them to leave. " " Or less profitable to stay. " " How do we do that? " " We have to out-Ferengi… the Ferengi. "

" And may I say gentlemen, you both have very fine shoes. " " Excuse me? " " Well, the sages say you can tell a great deal about a man from his shoes, and I can tell from your shoes, you're men of refinement. "

" Arridor? " " What is it now? " " We had seven years of pure profit. " (laughing) " We did, didn't we? "

Background information [ ]

Introductory details [ ].

• This episode is a sequel to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode " The Price ", which also features the characters of Arridor and Kol.
• This episode was the second (in production order) of four episodes that were written and produced during Star Trek: Voyager 's second season but intentionally held back for inclusion in its third season , the other episodes being " Sacred Ground ", " Flashback " and " Basics, Part II ". ( Star Trek: Voyager Companion  (p. ? ))

Story and script [ ]

• This episode had the working titles "The Visitors", "Penitence", and "Untitled Ferengi Story". [1]
• This was the first episode that returning Star Trek staff writer Joe Menosky was involved in writing after a four-year stint of working and living in France, he having previously served as a staff writer on Star Trek: The Next Generation . ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 20 ) In fact, this Star Trek episode was one of several that Menosky wrote while still in Europe, prior to him joining the writing staff of Voyager for its third season. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 90)
• The development of this episode was an attempt to appeal to the popularity of the sinister Ferengi and to utilize their comedic potential. Director Cliff Bole explained, " This was the producers' attempt to get some of the little, evil Ferengi into the series because they're so well-liked and accepted by the fans. We call them the ' Peter Lorre s of space,' you know? The producers wanted some lightness, some comedy. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 15 )
• This episode's final script draft was submitted on 15 March 1996 . [2]

Cast and characters [ ]

Arridor actor Dan Shor talks with director Cliff Bole

• For this episode, the producers of Voyager went to the trouble of bringing back actor Dan Shor to reprise his role of Arridor but – because Kol is portrayed, in "The Price," by uncredited, non-speaking extra J.R. Quinonez – that role had to be recast ; actor Leslie Jordan plays Kol here.
• Because Neelix poses as the Ferengi Grand Proxy in this episode, Neelix actor Ethan Phillips portrayed the faux Ferengi. Phillips previously played a real Ferengi, Dr. Farek , in TNG : " Ménage à Troi ", and would later play another one, Ulis , in ENT : " Acquisition ". Phillips said of this episode, " It was a lot of fun to do. I actually played a Ferengi before […] so it was funny to get the Ferengi make-up on again. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 20 ) On the other hand, Phillips also recalled, " I was sick as a dog right throughout the filming of that episode, which was a shame because I wanted to have more fun with it than I did. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 21 ) Cliff Bole said of Phillips' performance here, " Ethan was fun as a Ferengi. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 15 )
• Other than appearing as Kafar here, actor Rob LaBelle also portrayed two Talaxians in Star Trek: Voyager , portraying a Talaxian prisoner in the first season episode " Faces " and Oxilon in Season 7's " Homestead ". LaBelle, who had been an avid watcher of original series Star Trek reruns while in graduate school, enjoyed appearing in this installment. " It was terrific yet again to be part of the show, " he said. ( TV Zone , special #23, p. 17)

Production [ ]

• The marketplace set for this episode was built on Paramount Stage 6 . According to set designer Richard James , the set was "practically constructed in 24 hours." ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 111 , p. 54)
• The exterior of the Ferengi shuttle in this episode was a reuse of the Ferengi shuttle studio model . ( Delta Quadrant , p. 141)
• According to the unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant (p. 141), most of the Ferengi props in this episode were also reused items – specifically, from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

Richard James, Robert Beltran and Robert Duncan McNeill during a break from filming this episode

• Richard James visited the marketplace set during a break from filming, at which time the actors wearing Ferengi makeup were reading magazines, the scantily-clad female extras playing the Takarian females were anxiously waiting at the sides of the set, and main cast members Robert Beltran and Robert Duncan McNeill were standing around, laughing and playing practical jokes such as McNeill making rabbit ears over James' head at one point. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 111 , p. 54)

Continuity and trivia [ ]

• Despite being the 5th episode in this season, the stardate establishes the events of this episode as having occurred after the season premiere " Basics, Part II " but before the next three episodes (" Flashback ", " The Chute ", and " The Swarm "). The stardate also places the events of this episode after those of the 7th episode " Sacred Ground ".
• Arridor and Kol previously appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation in its third-season episode TNG : " The Price ". The Barzan wormhole also featured in that episode.
• This episode features several aspects of Ferengi culture introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , including the Grand Nagus and Rules of Acquisition , both introduced in the first-season episode " The Nagus ", and the Ferengi afterlife the Divine Treasury , introduced in the fourth-season episode " Little Green Men ".
• Much of the premise of Voyager is based on elements from TNG : " The Price ", the first episode to refer to the "Delta Quadrant" and establish its extreme distance (Picard suggests it would take 80 years to reach Arridor and Kol).
• The concept of Ferengi posing as gods harkens back to " Ferengi Gold ", an abandoned two-parter planned by Gene Roddenberry to be included in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's second season . ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 26 , p. 27)
• Reference to 47: It is revealed here that there are 47 commentaries on the Rules of Acquisition, along with 900 major and minor judgements and over 10,000 interpretive opinions derived from the Rules. Obviously, these figures would have been accurate only as of the time that Kol and Arridor became stranded in the Delta Quadrant.
• Referenced Rules of Acquisition : #95 ("Expand or die"). Rule #299 is also cited ("Whenever you exploit someone, it never hurts to thank them. That way, it's easier to exploit them the next time") but this is invented as a deception.
• Kol states that there are 285 Rules of Acquisition. This number is also given in the Deep Space 9 episode " Rules of Acquisition ", implying that no further rules had been created between TNG : " The Price " and that episode.
• Arridor claims that "there's a rule for every conceivable situation", but later invokes "the unwritten rule" ("When no appropriate rule applies, make one up"), which conveniently allows for itself.
• A Ferengi replicator is seen for the first time in this episode.
• This is the fifth time the crew of Voyager discover a direct connection between the Alpha Quadrant and Delta Quadrant, having previously discovered a wormhole connecting the two quadrants (" Eye of the Needle "), descendants of human abductees (" The 37's "), descendants of aliens who have visited Earth (" Tattoo "), and a Cardassian weapon (" Dreadnought ").
• The Barzan wormhole represents the seventh time besides the series premiere (after " Eye of the Needle ", " Prime Factors ", " The 37's ", " Cold Fire ", " Threshold ", and " Death Wish ") that the Voyager crew is presented with the possibility of returning home much faster than by conventional warp travel. In this case, the wormhole promises a shortcut all the way, but destabilises before Voyager can use it.
• While Dan Shor reprises his role of Arridor, as well as the Ferengi shuttle exterior appearing the same as in "The Price", the interior cockpit of the Ferengi shuttle is completely different from that seen in the prequel episode.

Reception [ ]

• This episode achieved a Nielsen rating of 4.3 million homes, and a 7% share. [3] (X)
• Cinefantastique rated this episode 1 out of 4 stars. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 90)
• Star Trek Monthly scored this episode 2 out of 5 stars, defined as "Impulse Power only". Additionally, Lou Anders , a writer of the magazine, wrote a review of the episode, in which he stated, " 'False Profits' is a wonderful premise that doesn't quite live up to its expectations. There are some great comedic moments, but all in all, 'False Profits' seems more in keeping with Star Trek: Voyager 's first two seasons, and does not match the bold work done in the rest of season three to date. " ( Star Trek Monthly  issue 24 , p. 59)
• The book Delta Quadrant (p. 143) gives this installment a rating of 8 out of 10.
• After having directed this episode, Cliff Bole came to the opinion that he had made the installment somewhat too silly. " That one is 'Cliff's Folly,' " he said of the episode. " In fact, everyone should join in on that. " Moments later, Bole remarked that this episode's level of comedy "went overboard." He continued by saying of the installment, " I don't think the studio was too happy with it, but they did get a lot of positive mail on it. It's not one of my favorites [....] It just got a little bit too silly. I'll take the hit for it, because I let everyone go a little too far. We were all enjoying the fact that it wasn't another new villainous character. And those damn Ferengi are so much fun to work with. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine  issue 15 )
• This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Costume Design for a Series ( Robert Blackman ).
• Among the items from this episode which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay is a Ferengi ear jewelry lot. [4] [5]

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 3.3, 24 February 1997
• As part of the VOY Season 3 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

Also starring [ ]

• Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay
• Roxann Biggs-Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres
• Jennifer Lien as Kes
• Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris
• Ethan Phillips as Neelix
• Robert Picardo as The Doctor
• Tim Russ as Lieutenant Tuvok
• Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim

Guest stars [ ]

• Dan Shor as Arridor
• Leslie Jordan as Kol
• Michael Ensign as the bard
• Rob LaBelle as Kafar
• Alan Altshuld as the sandal maker

Co-star [ ]

• John Walter Davis as Merchant

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Christine Artecona as Takarian temple woman
• Kimm Collinsworth as Takarian temple woman
• Maria Dykstra as Takarian
• Tarik Ergin as Ayala
• Angela Lloyd as Takarian temple woman
• Heather Rattray as operations officer
• Shepard Ross as Murphy
• Bob Shuttleworth as Takarian
• Linnea Soohoo as Takarian
• Unknown performers as two Takarians

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Doc Charbonneau as stunt double for Leslie Jordan
• George Colucci as stunt double for Dan Shor
• Rick Sawaya as stunt double for Ethan Phillips

Stand-ins [ ]

• Debbie David – stand-in for Robert Duncan McNeill
• Ron Cummings
• J.R. Quinonez

References [ ]

47 ; 2366 ; 2371 ; adulation ; Alpha Quadrant ; annotated ; annular confinement beam ; Arridor's shuttle ; Barzan wormhole ; bell ; binding ; Bronze Age ; child labor ; class M ; cloud ; concussion ; containment field ; dampening field ; Delta Quadrant ; demigod ; discount ; Divine Treasury ; divine vault ; dog ; duty bound ; ear (fetish) ; Eastern lights ; Enterprise -D, USS ; epic poem ; eyepatch ; Federation ; Ferengi ; Fetish ; Rules of Acquisition ; Ferengi shuttle ; frang ; Ga'nah Province ; Grand Nagus ; Grand Nagus' staff ; Grand Proxy ; gravimetric shift ; gravitational eddy ; graviton ; Great Sage (aka Greater Sage ); groveling ; Holy icon ; Holy Pilgrim ; Holy Sages ; hood ; impulse burst ; internal affairs ; Intrepid class decks ; ionic disruption field ; Lesser Sage ; lobes ( lobeless ); logic ; masses, the ; matter-antimatter generator ; messenger ; metallurgic analysis ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mining ; minor functionary ; miracle worker ; mother-in-law ; ointment ; phase profile ; photon burst ; plasma ; pre-industrial civilization ; Prime Directive ; quadruple lobe rub ; reconnaissance probe ; replicator ; ribbon ; sad ; sandal maker ; seer ; sentry ; shuttlebay door ; sky ; solar flare ; Song of the Sages ; subspace axis ; subspace carrier wave ; subspace frequency ; subspace instability ; sue ; tail ; Takar ; Takarian ; Takarian city ; Takarian homeworld ; Takarian homeworld sector ; Takarian homeworld system ; Takarian sandal maker's children ; Takarian sandal maker's mother-in-law ; Takarian sandal maker's wife ; Talaxian ; technology ; temple ; temple square / town square ; verteron ; wagging ; white ; wormhole ; year ; Zek

External links [ ]

• "False Profits" at StarTrek.com
• " False Profits " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " False Profits " at Wikipedia
• " "False Profits" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Q and the Grey Stardate: 50384.2 27 November 1996

<Back to the episode listing

Star Trek ® is copyright of CBS Studios Inc . Copyright © 1966, Present. The Star Trek web pages on this site are for educational and entertainment purposes only. All other copyrights property of their respective holders.

10 Best Episodes of Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Voyager tells the story of a Federation ship lost in the Delta quadrant. These episodes detail the crew's most compelling adventures.

Star Trek: Voyager made history with its first female Captain in the form of Katherine Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew. Transported across the galaxy by a mysterious entity, the crew of the Intrepid Class ship, the USS Voyager, must make their journey home across unknown space.

Voyager has arguably one of the best theme tunes of any of the Star Trek series, a swelling orchestral number that fills audiences with hope for the Voyager crew on their long journey. Spanning seven years, this series had a mostly successful run. There were some notable bumps in the road, but some highlights as well. Here are the best episodes of Star Trek: Voyager .

10 "Hope and Fear," S4 Ep26

In this episode, a shady alien appears with the too-good-to-be-true promise of getting Voyager home must faster than they had previously expected. This revelation causes everyone to wonder about what it will mean to finally go home. This episode marks a turning point in Janeway and Seven of Nine's relationship , putting the two in conflict and then bringing them together in the end.

RELATED: The Best Star Trek Captains

Voyager's crew's hopes are dashed when it is revealed that the alien's promise of help is actually a plan of revenge. The would-be savior is in fact a survivor of a Borg attack, seeking revenge on Seven. This episode ends with an overcoming of despair and a renewed determination to reach home.

9 "Distant Origin," S3 Ep23

This episode explores the theory of evolution in other worlds. The Voyager crew encounter the Voth species, who have descended from the Dinosaurs on Earth, having left earth millennia ago to wander space on their City Ship. The majority refuses to believe this theory, advanced by Professor Gegen, who faces disgrace and dishonor for daring to contradict doctrine.

In spite of the scientific support from Voyager and Chakotay, Gegen is forced to withdraw his findings, and swear to never publish them again. The Voth draw parallels with humanity in the middle-ages, struggling to accept scientific facts put forward by progressive thinkers that contradict the accepted doctrine of the Catholic Church.

8 "Equinox," S5 Ep26 / S6 Ep1

Voyager’s season five finale brought with it the arrival of the USS Equinox, a Federation vessel also dragged to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker. While Voyager’s journey was not without perils, the Equinox experience found no allies, and lost half their crew to a warlike species known as the Crotonan Guard.

The Equinox quickly abandons the Prime Directive. After encountering a species of extra-dimensional beings, the Ankari, they find that their bodies can be used as fuel, increasing the power of their Warp Core. These barbaric actions lead to confrontation with the ethics of Voyager’s captain and crew. This episode delivers stellar performances from Janeway and Chakotay, clashing fiercely on the upholding of the Prime Directive and of survival versus morality.

7 "Message In A Bottle," S4 Ep14

The Doctor goes on his longest away mission in this episode: back to the Alpha Quadrant aboard the highly secret and hi-tech vessel The USS Prometheus. Here he meets his upgrade, the EMH Mark-II. Together the holograms battle to retake the ship from the Romulans.

RELATED: What Is Q?

With both Doctors providing many moments of comedic gold throughout the episode, this installment is a key moment for the Voyager crew. The episode ends with the Doctor returning home triumphant with a message from Earth: they are not alone in the Delta Quadrant. Starfleet is working to bring them home.

6 "Dark Frontier," S5 Ep15/16

This episode explores Seven of Nine’s backstory, and her exobiologist parents who brought their daughter along to study the Borg, which would lead to their assimilation . This episode also introduces viewers to the Borg Queen: cold, mechanical, and ruthlessly determined to get Seven back into the collective.

Although Jeri Ryan’s character is firmly established as a member of the crew by this point, her Borg origins continually threw up social obstacles which held her back from accepting her place on Voyager. This episode serves to integrate Seven fully with the rest of the crew, and helps Voyager shave a few years off its journey home, with the help of a Borg transwarp coil.

5 "Living Witness," S4 Ep23

This is Voyager’s take on a Mirror Universe concept, most recently done in Star Trek: Discovery with the Terran Empire. The normally compassionate and open-minded crew are portrayed as brutal savages. This depiction takes place not in a parallel universe, but in the history books of the Kyrian people. After hundreds of years on standby, a backup file of the Doctor is awakened in a museum and is horrified at Voyager’s place in history.

The cast provides chilling performances as their evil counterparts, while the Doctor strives to educate the Kyrian people about Voyager’s true nature, to no avail. Accepting defeat, he returns to Voyager on their journey home. This episode is a keen reminder of the lesson that history is written by the victors.

4 Timeless S5 Ep6

Harry Kim drives this episode forward in a race against time to save Voyager and her crew. 15 years in the future, Kim and the survivors of Voyager’s crash and destruction travel to find Voyager’s remains on the frozen planet where it crashed.

RELATED: Is Captain Kathryn Janeway a War Criminal?

Kim is filled with agony and regret over the fate of Voyager, as he feels it was his mistake that led to the crash and will do anything he can to rectify that mistake. Sending a message through time using slipstream technology, Harry Kim attempts to change the course of history and prevent the crash from ever happening.

3 "Blink Of An Eye," S6 Ep12

This episode is a favorite of both fans and critics, and offers a scintillating segment of science fiction. Voyager becomes stuck in orbit over a world where time moves much faster, with Voyager’s presence over the planet spanning many different eras in the planet’s history.

While on an away mission to the planet’s surface, the Doctor learns that Voyager has played a central role in the planet’s historical, technological, and cultural development. This time dilation gives the series an opportunity to explore the effect that Starfleet and the Federation can have on the development of pre-warp planets , despite the importance of the Prime Directive.

2 "Year Of Hell," S4 Ep 8/9

This two-part episode showed the true resilience and endurance of Voyager’s crew. In another episode dealing with time alteration, Voyager encounters the Krenim, who possess a temporal weapon that can change history. The Krenim push Voyager’s crew to the limits in relentless attacks.

Kate Mulgrew, who plays Janeway, shines in this episode. She keeps Voyager flying through sheer force of will, forever rallying her crew to fight against insurmountable odds. In a final act of courage, Janeway rams the episode in the hopes of resetting history and bringing those she has lost back to Voyager. "Year of Hell" is Voyager at its most visceral.

1 Scorpion S3 Ep26/ S4 E1

"Scorpion" was a pivotal episode in Voyager’s story, featuring the first real appearance of the Borg and debuting a fan-favorite character: Seven of Nine. This episode details the discovery of a threat worse than the Borg Collective: Species 8472.

This species poses so great a danger to the galaxy that Janeway is forced to make a temporary alliance with the Borg in order to defeat them, a move that does not go down well among Voyager’s crew. Chakotay’s speech against this play, in which he compares the Borg to a scorpion, gives the episode its name. This two-part episode ends with Seven being rescued from the Borg’s mechanical clutches and the beginning of her role on Voyager .

MORE: Why Voyager Deserves More Credit Than It Gets

Star Trek: Voyager

The Q and the Grey

Cast & crew.

John de Lancie

Suzie Plakson

Harve Presnell

Information

© 2009 CBS Corp. All Rights Reserved.

Accessibility

Copyright © 2024 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.

Internet Service Terms Apple TV & Privacy Cookie Policy Support

Screen Rant

Every q appearance in star trek tng, ds9, voyager & picard.

Q's one of the best-loved of Star Trek's cosmic beings, and he's appeared in multiple Trek shows, to wildly differing responses from each Captain.

Q (John de Lancie), Star Trek 's omnipotent being has appeared across multiple shows since his debut in the 1987 pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation . Q's strongest connection was with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), and it was a relationship that would last for the rest of Q's apparently infinite lifespan. However, Q has also set his sights on other Star Trek leads, from Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) to Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome).

Star Trek: Picard season 3's end credits scene has revealed that Q shows no signs of stopping, despite his apparent death in season 2. With Q now setting his sights on Jean-Luc's son, Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), he's set to be a part of Terry Matalas' proposed Star Trek: Legacy show. Here's every Q appearance from "Encounter at Farpoint" to "The Last Generation", which signals the start of a brand-new story for Star Trek 's beloved trickster god.

RELATED: Star Trek May Have Introduced The Q Continuum In TOS

15 Star Trek: TNG Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2: "Encounter At Farpoint"

Q appeared to Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D during their very first mission. The omnipotent being believed that the human race was not evolved enough for further exploration of the universe. Picard convinced Q that humanity wasn't the " savage child-race " that the cosmic being believed them to be, and used the Farpoint mission to prove it. Realizing that the Bandi were exploiting an alien life form, Picard proved to Q that humanity had reached an evolved state of being, but it was far from the end of humanity's trials.

14 Star Trek: TNG Season 1, Episode 10, "Hide And Q"

Q continued testing humanity by bestowing the powers of the Continuum on Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). It was a test of how susceptible humanity is to temptation, as Q is keen for Riker to explore the possibilities that his new powers offer him. Picard bet Q that he would fail to turn Will Riker into one of his own, and while Riker did succumb to temptation by sharing his gifts, he swiftly realized his mistake. The price of the bet was that Q would stay out of humanity's way forever, but Q would very quickly renege on that promise.

13 Star Trek: TNG Season 2, Episode 16, "Q Who"

Ostracized from the Continuum, Q offered to be Picard's guide to the uncharted areas of the galaxy that the Enterprise would soon encounter. Picard understood just how chaotic it would be to have Q aboard as a full-time crew member, and rejected his application. Q petulantly decided to prove just how badly Picard and the Enterprise needed him by propelling them into the Delta Quadrant, into the path of the Borg Collective, setting up their future conflict. It's the most seismic impact that Q has made on the Star Trek universe, and his reckless actions saw him punished in his next Star Trek: The Next Generation appearance.

12 Star Trek: TNG Season 3, Episode 13, "Deja Q"

The first hint of Q's softer side comes in "Deja Q" when he was forced to live as a human after being stripped of his powers and immortality. Expecting this to be another of Q's tests, Picard tentatively agreed to grant the cosmic trickster asylum aboard Enterprise. While there, Q formed a bond with Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), whom he dubbed " professor of the Humanities ". Q and Data's bond was so strong that the mortal Q risked his life to save the android. This selfless act was enough to convince the Continuum that Q had learned his lesson, and his powers and immortality were returned to him.

11 Star Trek: TNG Season 4, Episode 20, "Qpid"

In a storyline that foreshadows Q's Star Trek: Picard season 2 story , "Qpid" sees the trickster god become involved in Jean-Luc's love life. Creating an elaborate take on the legend of Robin Hood, Q set out to teach Picard about love, after detecting romantic tension between Jean-Luc and the archaeologist Vash (Jennifer Hetrick). Over the course of Q's lesson, he too became fascinated with Vash, and ultimately offered her the chance to travel with him. While Jean-Luc was put out by Q seducing the object of his desire, he insisted that the omnipotent trickster ensure Vash's safety.

RELATED: Every Picard TNG Love Interest (Before Laris)

10 Star Trek: TNG Season 6, Episode 6, "True Q"

Q returned to the Enterprise during the strange case of Amanda Rogers (Olivia d'Abo), a human being who manifested Q powers. It transpired that her biological parents were a male and female Q who left the Collective to live life as human beings. They were tracked down by the Collective and executed, leaving Amanda an orphan. It was only when Amanda began an internship on the Enterprise with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) that she learned her true origins. Q eventually convinced Amanda to join the Collective when she used her powers to save the life of Riker and his away team on Tagra IV.

9 Star Trek: DS9 Season 1, Episode 7, "Q-Less"

In one of many examples of Benjamin Sisko and Jean-Luc Picard's differences, Q and Sisko did not like each other. Q arrived aboard Deep Space Nine to try and win back Vash, who he'd left stranded in the Gamma Quadrant. After the discovery of the wormhole, Vash was brought to DS9 where the archaeologist attempted to sell some of the artifacts she'd unearthed in the Gamma Quadrant. Q's presence aboard DS9 caught the attention of Sisko, who had no time for his games. After being punched in the face by DS9's commanding officer, Q decided that Sisko was too easy to provoke and left the station, never to return.

8 Star Trek: TNG Season 6, Episode 15, "Tapestry"

When Jean-Luc briefly died on the operating table in sickbay, Q appeared to him as God, ushering Picard into the afterlife. To save Picard's life in the present, Q offered him the chance to change his fate, by avoiding the bar brawl that resulted in the installation of his defective artificial heart. Picard accepted his second chance, only to find himself back in the present where he was still a junior lieutenant. This made Jean-Luc realize that he wouldn't be captain of the Enterprise without first being the headstrong risk-taker whose recklessness had got him stabbed in the heart by a Nausicaan.

7 Star Trek: The Next Generation Finale, "All Good Things"

Q returned for Star Trek: The Next Generation 's final test of humanity, which was designed to find out if they were capable of understanding advanced temporal concepts. The test saw Jean-Luc Picard split across past, present, and future to investigate a temporal anomaly that was expanding backward through time. Thanks to Q's gentle hints, Picard solved the problem and saved humanity from its own destruction. There was also the underlying suggestion that Q was also teaching Picard about the value of having a trusted crew of friends in each time zone, further evidence of the trickster's sensitive side.

RELATED: 12 Ways Picard Season 3 Mirrors TNG's Finale

6 Star Trek: Voyager Season 2, Episode 18, "Death Wish"

Q's meddling with Starfleet's best and brightest didn't end with Jean-Luc and the crew of the Enterprise, or his aborted attempt to befriend Sisko. Instead, he set his sights on Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) when Quinn (Gerrit Graham) sought asylum on the USS Voyager. Quinn had been exiled from the Continuum after he was inspired to experience death by Q's own time spent as a mortal. Q was initially dispatched to Voyager to stop Quinn from ending his life during a trial overseen by Janeway. However, the trial had a profound effect on Q, who finally agreed to help Quinn end his life, setting up his own fascination with death in Star Trek: Picard season 2.

5 Star Trek: Voyager Season 3, Episode 11, "The Q and the Grey"

Q was so impressed by Janeway, that he sought her help when Quinn's suicide caused chaos within the Continuum. Believing that the birth of a new Q would restore balance and end the civil war that plagued the Continuum, Q tried to persuade Janeway to mate with him. Janeway refused and instead attempted to bring an end to hostilities, with the aid of Q's ex-girlfriend and the crew of Voyager. Reunited with his ex, Q decided that they should mate instead, resulting in the birth of Q Jr. - the first new Q in a millennia - who brought a swift end to the civil war.

4 Star Trek: Voyager Season 7, Episode 19, "Q2"

Q Jr. (Keegan de Lancie), the son of Star Trek 's Q , was sent to the USS Voyager when he proved to be too much for the Continuum to handle. As Junior's godmother, Q believed that Janeway could teach his son the discipline and order that he had been unable to display while living in the Continuum. While Janeway's tutelage certainly made an impact on the youngster, it was Q finally accepting his responsibilities as a father that convinced the Continuum to reinstate Junior.

3 Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1, Episode 8, "Veritas"

Q briefly appeared in Star Trek: Lower Decks to challenge the USS Cerritos' senior staff to one of his more bizarre games. Dressed as chess pieces, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and her crew were thrown into a living chess game against sentient playing cards who were armed with hockey sticks. Q also tried to challenge Ensign Mariner and the Lower Deckers, but Beckett had no time for the cosmic trickster, flatly telling him that she wasn't in the mood for his games, much to Q's disappointment.

2 Star Trek: Picard Season 2

In the most personal of Q's tests for Picard, the dying god resolved to finally teach his old sparring partner how to be loved. While it was a convoluted plot involving dystopian futures, new species of Borg, and the progenitor of Khan Noonien-Singh, it was deceptively simple in its lesson. Q's meddling allowed Jean-Luc to come to terms with his childhood trauma, make peace with his dead mother and father, and finally look to the future with Laris (Orla Brady). Picard was so thankful to Q for his unconventional approach to psychotherapy that the two men warmly embraced, as Q seemingly prepared to die.

RELATED: Star Trek Picard Season 3 Ignored Season 2 Finale’s Khan Tease

1 Star Trek: Picard Season 3

After he appeared in his quarters on the Enterprise-G, Jack Crusher questioned how Q could still be alive, but the cosmic trickster chided Picard's son for thinking too linearly. This implies that the dying Q from Star Trek: Picard season 2 is actually from a point after the season 3 finale's credits tease. Q teased that, for Jack Crusher at least, humanity's trial is just beginning, meaning that the trickster god will be around to cause chaos in the Star Trek universe for years to come.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Episode list

Star trek: voyager.

S5.E11 ∙ Latent Image

S5.E12 ∙ Bride Of Chaotica!

S5.E13 ∙ Gravity

S5.E14 ∙ Bliss

S5.E15 ∙ Dark Frontier

S5.E16 ∙ The Disease

S5.E17 ∙ Course: Oblivion

S5.E18 ∙ The Fight

S5.E19 ∙ Think Tank

S5.E20 ∙ Juggernaut

S5.E21 ∙ Someone To Watch Over Me

S5.E22 ∙ 11:59

S5.E23 ∙ Relativity

S5.E24 ∙ Warhead

S5.E25 ∙ Equinox

S6.E1 ∙ Equinox, Part II

S6.E2 ∙ Survival Instinct

S6.E3 ∙ Barge of the Dead

S6.E4 ∙ Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy

S6.E5 ∙ Alice

S6.E6 ∙ Riddles

S6.E7 ∙ Dragon's Teeth

S6.E8 ∙ One Small Step

S6.E9 ∙ The Voyager Conspiracy

S6.E10 ∙ Pathfinder

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More from this title

More to explore.

Recently viewed