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Star Trek: The Next Generation
S2.E16
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IMDbPro

Q Who

  • Episode aired May 6, 1989
  • TV-PG
  • 46m
IMDb RATING
8.9/10
5.6K
YOUR RATING
Q Who (1989)
ActionAdventureDramaSci-Fi

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

  • Director
    • Rob Bowman
  • Writers
    • Gene Roddenberry
    • Maurice Hurley
    • Melinda M. Snodgrass
  • Stars
    • Patrick Stewart
    • Jonathan Frakes
    • LeVar Burton
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.9/10
    5.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Rob Bowman
    • Writers
      • Gene Roddenberry
      • Maurice Hurley
      • Melinda M. Snodgrass
    • Stars
      • Patrick Stewart
      • Jonathan Frakes
      • LeVar Burton
    • 23User reviews
    • 11Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos31

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    Top cast17

    Edit
    Patrick Stewart
    Patrick Stewart
    • Captain Jean-Luc Picard
    Jonathan Frakes
    Jonathan Frakes
    • Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker
    LeVar Burton
    LeVar Burton
    • Lieutenant Geordi La Forge
    Michael Dorn
    Michael Dorn
    • Lieutenant Worf
    Marina Sirtis
    Marina Sirtis
    • Counselor Deanna Troi
    Brent Spiner
    Brent Spiner
    • Lieutenant Commander Data
    Wil Wheaton
    Wil Wheaton
    • Wesley Crusher
    John de Lancie
    John de Lancie
    • Q
    • (as John deLancie)
    Lycia Naff
    Lycia Naff
    • Ensign Sonya Gomez
    Colm Meaney
    Colm Meaney
    • Chief Miles O'Brien
    Whoopi Goldberg
    Whoopi Goldberg
    • Guinan
    Majel Barrett
    Majel Barrett
    • Enterprise Computer
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Rob Bowman
    Rob Bowman
    • Borg
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Michael Braveheart
    • Crewman Martinez
    • (uncredited)
    Jeffrey Deacon
    • Command Division Officer
    • (uncredited)
    Maurice Hurley
    • Borg
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Tim Trella
    Tim Trella
    • Borg
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Rob Bowman
    • Writers
      • Gene Roddenberry
      • Maurice Hurley
      • Melinda M. Snodgrass
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews23

    8.95.5K
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    Featured reviews

    7Eradan

    Memorable But Flawed Episode

    As all Trek fans know, "Q Who" is the episode that introduced the Borg, arguably the greatest antagonist the Federation ever faced. Besides it's significance in the development of the Trek franchise, the ep boasts some pretty memorable lines, mostly delivered by Q (played by John de Lancie).

    Unfortunately the episode is also flawed by several scenes (totaling about five minutes) devoted to introducing Ensign Sonya Gomez, a meaningless throwaway character. Perhaps the producers were auditioning the character for a larger role but if so nothing ever came of it.

    The episode is also flawed by the showrunner's bizarre decision to have Picard stop in the middle of the battle with the Borg to leave the bridge and have a conference. The whole thing comes off as a joke on corporate culture in the Eighties.

    Interestingly, "Q Who" was first shown on May 6, 1989 which is about six weeks after the beginning of the long-running Dilbert cartoon series. Ridiculing Eighties corporate culture was the original driving force of the Dilbert series. Given that Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert is a science fiction fan, it is highly likely he saw this ep and found it as ridiculous as many other Trek fans did.

    "Q Who" is one of the ten most important episodes in the "Next Generations" series, and one of the top twenty in the development of the franchise, but for itself, as a dramatic production, I cannot rate this ep any higher than '7' on the IMDb scale.
    8snoozejonc

    Strong and memorable episode

    Q wants to be part of the Enterprise crew and attempts to force Captain Picard into admitting he is needed.

    This is a memorable episode with a strong introduction to an important villain for the franchise and a number of great performances.

    The plot involves Q making an appearance and using his power to prove a point to Picard. This is the best of the Q episodes so far in TNG as it isn't the standard Godlike being v Enterprise as it involves a different main antagonist.

    There are memorable moments for characters like Picard, Q, Riker and Guinan who all have important contributions to the story.

    The visuals are fantastic, particularly the ship designs, sets and make-up effects. I enjoyed the lighting on the space shuttle scenes and during other interior locations. Also the scene where Guinan notices something isn't quite right is done well.

    All performances are strong but for me Patrick Stewart is excellent as ever. John de Lancie as Q and Caryn Johnson as Guinan give the next best performances with charisma levels almost on par with Stewart.
    8lisawea

    Q was right.

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

    I found myself disagreeing with the protagonists. Picard said it was "not smugness not arrogance!", but that's what it seemed like to me. OK I'd seen the other Borg episodes before this one so I KNEW they weren't ready. I realize that I am giving a lower rating than my comment might indicate but there is some really dull and ultimately pointless stuff in the episode before Q shows up. it is unfortunate that the "dealings" were never explained. The ending is great! 3 of 5 stars. And what happened to the Borg not having a single leader.
    9Hitchcoc

    A New "Borg"inning

    While "Q" drives me crazy (because of his omnipotence stealing free will from the Enterprise), this episode is still quite startling. John Delancy's character shows up demanding to be made part of the crew. Picard can see nothing positive about this. He rejects the great one's offer and the next thing we know, the ship is sent 700 light years from there, into another quadrant that should not have been explored for years. Q continues to taunt the crew and Picard holds firm. It's probably that he sees the reality that if he relents, there is no purpose any more. The sad thing is that the Enterprise now meets the Borg, one of the most creative entities produced in fiction. They, of course, are a bee-like culture where there is a collective rather than individuals. They act in concert rather than alone. They are also a humorless juggernaut, beyond reason, whose sole purpose is to absorb other species and add this information to their collective. When attacked and damaged, they move quickly to repair and move on their insidious journey. Unfortunately, in the process of investigating this thing, a number of crew members are killed. Picard is largely responsible and must look inward to see if his ego was central to this loss of life. This is a pivotal episode, setting up an amazing series of encounters that will take place along the way.
    9anarchistica

    We Are The Borg

    The episode starts with a nice misdirect in the form of Ensign Gomez, a clumsy proto-Barclay who is new to the ship. You expect the episode to be about someone integrating into the crew, but instead Q shows up.

    While we never really got to know who or what Guinan was, her interactions with Q are always fun and she was interesting and 'powerful' in a different way. Here she is used mostly to deliver exposé, which works really well. Whoopi might be a terrible person but she did a fine job here.

    The Borg themselves are fantastic. Sure, they are somewhat derivative of the Daleks and Cybermen from Doctor Who, but they transcend both. Some people think they represent the threat of Communism, with their lack of individuality. In the episode itself they are ironically called the ultimate consumers, who absorb who and what they want.

    Their design is fantastic, with their weird ship and their odd implants. Having seen Voyager it is easy to forget how menacing they originally were, especially because they methodically study the Enterprise and practically ignore the crew - even when they're boarded! Now humans have become the new life that is sought out.

    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    James Earl Jones and David Prowse in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
    Sci-Fi

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Borg were originally conceived as being a race of insects (as featured in the previous season's Conspiracy (1988)). Budget restrictions meant that the decision was made to go with cyborgs instead. Nevertheless, Q Who still went $50,000 over budget. Insectoid races would appear as enemies in the subsequent series Star Trek: Voyager (1995) and Star Trek: Enterprise (2001).
    • Goofs
      As Guinan warns Picard to protect the Enterprise from the Borg, Picard orders the shields raised. Moments later, even though the shields are active, the Borg beam over. Considering that they are technologically much more advanced, it is conceivable that they may have found a way to transport through shields.
    • Quotes

      Capt. Picard: I understand what you've done here, Q. But I think the lesson could have been learned without the loss of 18 members of my crew.

      Q: If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out here. It's wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it's not for the timid.

    • Crazy credits
      The episode's credits begin a full minute after the theme music.
    • Alternate versions
      To fit more commercial time, BBC America cuts bits and scenes from episodes. In their edit for this episode, the final conversation between Guinan and Picard while played chess is completely excised.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Borg (2004)
    • Soundtracks
      Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title
      Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 6, 1989 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Paramount Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 46m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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