Captain Picard will never admit it, but the Star Trek captain is far more like Q than he realizes. Q, Star Trek’s resident trickster, has been annoying Picard since the Enterprise’s first mission. Over the years, Q has developed a fondness for Picard, but in 2009’s Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Q, the tables are temporarily turned, revealing the captain and Q share more in common than fans think.
Q was played by actor John De Lancie.
Star Trek: Alien Spotlight: Q #1 was written by Scott and David Tipton and drawn by Elena Casagrande. Q wants to experience Picard's life, and all of its ups and downs, so he takes over the captain’s body, shunting Jean-Luc’s mind aside. As the day unfolds, Picard begins to goad Q. Q has made a career out of tormenting Picard, but now Picard is poking at him. In one scene, a frustrated Q vents to Picard about respect from the crew, and Picard puts him in his place over the matter.
Q and Picard's Star Trek Friendship, Explained
Q's Interest in Captain Picard is Never Explained
Q’s interest in Picard began with “Encounter at Farpoint,” the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Q puts Picard and his officers on trial for the crimes of humanity. Even though they were exonerated, Q continued to take an interest in the Enterprise and Picard, popping in to visit several times. After decades of an uneasy friendship, Q and Jean-Luc say their goodbyes in the season two finale of Picard. Years of tension came to a poignant end as the two embraced one another one last time, as Q was dying.
In Star Trek: Aliens Spotlight: Q #1, Picard confesses that it was an “unexpected pleasure” to be able to subvert their traditional dynamic by tormenting Q for once.
In Star Trek: Aliens Spotlight: Q #1, Picard confesses that it was an “unexpected pleasure” to be able to subvert their traditional dynamic by tormenting Q for once. Most of the time, Q uses his vast powers to simply torment Picard, but as a trickster figure, there is often a method to Q’s madness:. For example, he initiated formal first contact with the Borg as a means of preparing for the aliens, who were already beginning to make inroads in the Alpha Quadrant. If Q had not done so, then the Federation may have very well been destroyed not long thereafter.
While "Q Who?" is regarded as the first appearance of the Borg, Star Trek: The Next Generation began hinting at them in season one.
It is situations like these, where Q jeopardizes life and liberty in the name of teaching a lesson, that has contributed to the friction between him and Picard. After the aforementioned first contact with the Borg, an incident that led to the deaths of 18 people, Picard asks Q why he felt the need to use such extreme measures to get his point across. It was a valid question, and Q danced around the answer, never giving Jean-Luc clear justification for his actions. Given Picard’s later treatment by the Borg, this one cuts deep.
It Took Q Losing His Powers toTrust Picard
Q Got a Lesson In Humility From Picard
After first contact with the Borg, Q seemingly softened up, never again using lethal force. He kept an edgy, petulant and attention-seeking attitude, but no one died on his watch ever again. In one instance, in the third season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Deja Q”, Q received a taste of his own medicine, when his fellow Q stripped him of his powers, leaving him a mortal man. On this occasion, it was Q who learned a lesson, this one in humility, thanks in part to Captain Picard. Q’s fellows then restore his powers.
Some Star Trek fans have pointed to “Deja Q” as a turning point for the trickster god and his relationship with Picard by putting them on more equal footing.
Some Star Trek fans have pointed to “Deja Q” as a turning point for the trickster god and his relationship with Picard by putting them on more equal footing. In “Deja Q,” Picard had no obligation to help Q, but he did. While this was motivated by his lawful good ideals, it impressed Q nonetheless. From that point onwards, Q still taught lessons and dropped knowledge, just without the loss of life. When Q would meet Captains Sisko and Janeway later, he took a similar approach with them as well.
Picard Became Like Q When They Traded Places
Only Captain Picard Can Talk Back to Q
And it is this familiarity between them that allows Captain Picard to talk back to Q in Alien Spotlight with no repercussions. Some Star Trek fans have joked that Picard and Q bicker like “an old married couple,” and the scene from Alien Spotlight reinforces this notion. Q and Picard trade barbs, and the latter makes good points about the nature of respect. Q’s respect for Picard is strengthened in this scene as well, as he realizes just how hard Picard has it when compared to him. This realization alters the dynamic between them.
Yet at the same time, this reversal of roles between Picard and Q shows just how alike they are. Q is essentially “piloting” Picard’s body, and Picard, still aware, is able to critique the trickster’s actions. While Picard is trying to teach Q a lesson, he couches his knowledge in snarky comments. Q operates in much the same fashion, and it is interesting to watch Star Trek’s Picard, when left to his own devices, adopt a similar attitude, as well as see Q roll his eyes when getting a taste of his own medicine.
