Q2

This is a fun episode that not only brings Q to Voyager but his son, Q2! Interestingly, the REAL son of actor John de Lancie (Keegan) plays the lad--and he's a lot of fun to watch. This is because Q2 is a total brat who EVERYONE soon hates! Q has decided to help the boy grow up by leaving him with the Captain--and soon Q2 shows that he's a nasty jerk! But, when his powers are stripped away (after all, the Continuum can only take so much), he quickly learns his lesson and becomes a bit less of a jerk!

Overall, this episode is good mindless fun--as are all the Q episodes. And, inexplicably, instead of just going with the experience and having a good time (as the experiences always end up working out fine and often even to the crew's advantage), they once again seem perturbed by Q and Q2's visit--at least initially. I say WELCOME them--they sure were welcome for me, as these shows always brighten up the show-- which, otherwise, can sometimes be a bit dreary.

Several hours ago I thought, VOYAGER - modern fairy tales (not too modern). Then this.

Good Q episode. A special treat to see a portrayal of father and son who look alike, act alike and who are father and son. Writing, acting and casting, a good job all around.

It's curious that another reviewer doesn't mention J de Lancie's appearances on Stargate.

And if true, kind of fascinating that K de Lancie went to work for the US State Department - his father portrayed a variant of a universal diplomat on Star Trek and a US civil servant (military?), if nefarious, on Stargate. Initially w/ a UN department concerning international migration . . . More recently as a Japanese Language Student as fact followed fiction. Well done, young man, and best wishes.

Hopefully Q2 learns to do the next right thing, an example I can use. A dose of hope with some humor. And behind the scenes, the story of a person inspired to see and serve the world.

Yes, I started and ended this review w/ sentences about myself. I'm self-centered and mentally ill; get over it. Enjoy the episode. Hope. Do Better.

I left out: Directed by LeVar Burton, our Reading Rainbow man. And, his father - daughter team-up now playing on Picard.

This was better than most Q episodes. I've said before that the fact that the Continuum exists makes it hard to think that anything that happens is important. Here, the son of Q is given over to Janeway to straighten him out. It turns out that having unlimited powers has spoiled him. So when his powers are taken away, he must act as a human and learn as a human would learn. It is good fun, but full of the same kind of shenanigans that every Q episode has.

First of all: The Q episodes on the Enterprise and the eloquent exchanges with Picard were better than the everyday problems that are on the agenda during Q's visits aboard Voyager. These basically just revolve around relationship and parenting problems.

However, one would imagine an omnipotent pubescent teenager just like Q's son. Basically a kid with a magnifying glass standing next to an ant hill not knowing what to do with his power and his time. A player on the chessboard of the cosmos for whom every sentient life form is merely a pawn that can be sacrificed without guilt to relieve the boredom and infinity of one's own immortality.

The change from Saul to Paul happens a little too quickly for my taste. A spoiled brat whose toys and privileges are taken away doesn't become a saint in a week. Unfortunately, Star Trek also usually falls short in emphasizing their powerful messages. If Q's son had ended up being banished from the continuum as a mortal without any omnipotence and had he joined the Voyager crew and then changed from a bad god to a better human, that would have been a bigger bang. Instead, there is sunshine again in house Q and father and son will travel the universes together in a spirit of adventure.

I don't know why the writers were always so afraid of setting a real, incisive counterpoint. If only episodes like this had been written after Game of Thrones came out. Red wedding and stuff. Have a main character walking the plank. Or confront them with the Q-lessness of life: illness, despair, loss and death. Breaking established rules of storytelling. A mortal Q as a member of the Voyager crew could have been an interesting change (ensign Q*bert for example). Although this then should have happened in an earlier season. Unfortunately, in the end this episode is just another short detour for Q on the Voyager without any long-term consequences.

Q leaves his son (also called Q) bereft of power on Voyager for a week to prove himself worthy of being part of the continuum.

When TNG was first broadcast on BBC2 many years ago, I liked the concept of the continuum, but as the seasons went on it felt like Q had lost most of the intrigue with so many appearances. Once I knew who he is and what powers he had, that impacted the interest level I had in the character, aside from the entertainment value of John de Lancie on screen.

In this episode we have a 'coming of age' style plot about cocky teenage Q with Daddy Q hovering about in the background. There is a little twist in the story towards the end that is quite good, but overall another Q story is a struggle for me.

All that said, if you are a fan of these characters and plots involving the continuum you will likely enjoy.

For me it's a 5.5/10, but I round upwards.