Q CONTINUUM
Description Entity/changeling
Size Any
Skin Pigment Any
Hair Any
Distinguishing Features Any
Series Many: see below.
Planet of Origin Q Continuum
Quadrant Unknown  (All?)
Background While possessing near-godlike powers, Q also exhibits a child-like petulance and sense of playfulness.  Q was named by Gene Roddenberry for English Star Trek fan Janet Quarton.  Many fans have speculated that Q may be related to Trelane, it has also been speculated that the entity known as "Apollo" may have been one of the first "Q's".
Appearances 1-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 "grieviously savage." (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint, Parts I and II")
2- On his second visit to the Enterprise-D, Q offered William Riker, the 1st officer of the Enterprise, a gift of Q-like supernatural powers, althought 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. (TNG: "Hide and Q")
3- Q later transported the Enterprise-D some 7,000 light years beyond Federation space to System J-25 in the Delta Quadrant, where first contact was made with the powerful and dangerous Borg. (TNG: "Q Who?")
4- 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 on board the Enterprise-D, claiming that Captain Picard was the nearsest 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 attacked.  Truly surprised by Data's selfless action to save him, Q stole a shuttlecraft in an attempt to save the Enterprise-D crew from further hostile action.  This altruistic act was enough to persuade the Continuum to return his powers. (TNG: "Deja Q")
5- 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. (TNG: "QPid").
6- Q returned in 2369 to instruct and evaluate Amanda Rogers, whose biological parents were members of the Continuum who had taken human form. (TNG: "True-Q").
7- After a period of time exploring the Gamma Quadrant, Vash left Q, and returned to the Alpha Quadrant aboard the Starfleet runabout U.S.S. Ganges through the Bajoran wormhole. Q followed Vash to station DS9 in an attempt to convince her to return, but she once again rebuffed him. (DS9: "Q-Less")
8- Later that year, Q once again visited Captain Picard, following a disasterous away mission on which Picard was ambushed by Lenarians.  In what Q claimed was the afterlife, he 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 in 2327 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. (TNG: "Tapestry").
9-++ The most recent appearances occured after he took a liking to another Starfleet Captain: Katherine Janeway of the USS Voyager.  Voyager is currently "lost" in the Delta Quadrant, and Q has appeared on several occasions.
Editors Notes
The "Q Continuum"
Extradimensional domain in which Q and others of his kind exist.  Q was breifly banished from the continuum in 2366, until another Q entered our existence, offering to restore his powers.  Those in charge of the continuum commanded Q to instruct and evaluate Amanda Rogers to see fi she could ignore her powers and live among humans. If she could not or if she refused to accompany Q back to the Continuum, she was to be destroyed.  The Continuum felt a moral obligation not to allow members of their kind to live with inferior beings and still use their awesome powers.
Star Trek Encylcopedia by Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, and Debbie Mirek
Copyright 1994 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved


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