Star Trek: The Next Generation

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Q; An immensely powerful extradimensional entity. While possessing near-godlike powers, Q also exhibits a childlike petulance and sense of playfulness. "Encounter at Farpoint, Parts I and II". Q was a free spirit in the Q Continuum who rebelled against the stagnation that had grown there over the past ten millennia. Q's irrepressive nature made him something of an outcast in the Continuum, but his freedom of thought inspired another member of the Continuum who would one day be known as Quinn. "Death Wish" (VGR). The Enterprise-D made first contact with Q in 2364, when Q detained the ship, enacting a courtroom drama in which Q accused the ship's crew of being 'grievously savage.' "Encounter at Farpoint, Parts I and II".

On his second visit to the Enterprise-D, Q offered William Riker a gift of Q-like supernatural powers, although it was not clear if this was a further attempt to study the human species or merely another exercise in provoking humans to respond for his amusement. "Hide and Q".

Q later transported the Enterprise-D some seven thousand light years beyond Federation space to System J-25, where first contact was made with the powerful and dangerous Borg. "Q Who?".

Q was banished from the Q Continuum and stripped of his powers in 2366 for having spread chaos through the universe. Q sought refuge in human form aboard the Enterprise-D, claiming that Jean-Luc Picard was the nearest thing he had to a friend. Unfortunately, Q had made many enemies in this universe, and one of these, the Calamarain, attacked the Enterprise-D, attempting to exact revenge on Q. Quick action by Commander Data saved Q from the attack. Truly surprised by Data's selfless action to save him, Q stole a shuttlecraft in an attempt to protect the Enterprise-D crew from further hostile action. This altruistic act was enough to persuade the Continuum to return his powers. "Déjà Q".

Q always seemed to get a kick out of torchering Picard in particular and the officers in general. In 2368 he abducted the entire bridge crew as well as Vash to play out his version of 'Robin Hood' casting himself as the Sheriff of Notingham. "Qpid".

Q interrupted a symposium of the Federation Archaeology Council held aboard the Enterprise-D in 2367. He cast Picard, Vash, and members of the Enterprise-D crew into an elaborate fantasy based on the old Earth legends of Robin Hood. Q later vanished, taking Vash with him as his new partner in crime. "QPid". He returned to the Enterprise-D in 2369 to instruct and evaluate Amanda Rogers, whose biological parents were members of the Q Continuum who took human form. "True-Q".

After a period of time exploring the Gamma Quadrant, Vash left Q, and returned to Alpha Quadrant aboard the Starfleet runabout U.S.S. Ganges through the Bajoran worm hole. Q followed Vash to station Deep Space 9 in an attempt to convince her to return, but she once again rebuffed him. He amused himself with the crew of the station, provoking Benjamin Sisko into a 19th-century-style fistfight, and was shocked when Sisko knocked him to the floor. "Q-Less" (DS9).

Later that year, Q once again visited Captain Picard, following a disastrous away mission on which Picard was ambushed by Lenarians. In what Q claimed was the afterlife, Q offered Picard the opportunity to see what his life would have been like had he not made some of the rash choices of his youth. In particular, Picard was given the opportunity to relive the three-day period leading up to his injury at the Boneetell Recreation Facility in 2327. Using the knowledge of what was to come, Picard was able to avoid the fight that cost him his heart. However, Picard discovered that it was partly the brashness of his youth that had made him the man that he was. "Tapestry"

In 2370, the Q Continuum once again decided to test humanity. They devised a paradox, whereby Picard would be responsible for the destruction of mankind by creating an anti-time phenomenon. Q himself added the wrinkle of having Picard shift among three time periods, with awareness of what was happening in each. After Picard succeeded in solving the paradox, Q informed him that it had been a test. The Q Continuum had wanted to learn if Picard had the ability to expand his mind and explore the unknown possibilities of existence. "All Good Things..., Parts I and II"

Q encountered the Starship Voyager in 2372, when he was tasked with returning a member of the Q Continuum later known as Quinn back into custody. Ironically, when Quinn later affirmed his desire to assert his individuality by committing suicide, Q helped him, much to the dismay of the Continuum. "Death Wish" (VGR).

Q, inspired by Quinn's death, became a member of the Q freedom faction, advocating freedom of individual thought in the tradition-bound Q Continuum. In 2373, when friction with the freedom faction escalated into a great civil war, Q conceived a child with a female Q, in hopes that their child would bring peace to the Continuum. Q chose his female counterpart in the Continuum as the mother for his child only after considering a Klingon targ, the Romulan empress, and Voyager Captain Kathryn Janeway. "The Q and the Grey" (VGR).

Q later returned to Voyager because his son was being threatened by the Continuum and Q thought "Aunt Kathy" could straiten out the young man. After Janeway failed to teach Q2 anything Q took it upon himself to teach Q2 a lesson by causing Q2 to take his friend Echeb on a joy ride where Echeb was fatally injured. Janeway convinced Q2 to take responsibility and Q revealed that it was all a plot. "Q2" (VGR).

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