(upbeat music)
- Oh contrare, mon capitan!
He's back!
(trumpet blaring)
- [Commentator] "Picard" season two teaser
brings back next gen villain, trickster Q returns
to "Star Trek" and "Picard" season two.
This is a small sample of the many headlines
that hit the internet the moment the world learned
John de Lancie would be reprising his role
as fan favorite Q in "Picard."
While we don't know exactly what Q's role will be
in the upcoming season of "Picard,"
we do know that anytime Q is involved,
things get a little crazy.
But when we saw those headlines,
it got us thinking, is Q a notorious villain?
Sure, he's a trickster
and perhaps even a bit villainous at times,
but is he a "Star Trek villain?
Q is featured in 13 episodes of "Star Trek"
and appeared in all three series based in the 24th century,
"The Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine," and "Voyager."
He is interwoven into the very fabric
of the "Star Trek" story.
His actions have had huge implications
on the franchise and much of canon, as we know it,
is shaped by his very hands.
"Star Trek" history would look significantly different
without him, but do his dastardly hi-jinks
and continuous thorn in the side
of "Star Trek" captains make him a villain?
Are his motives in the upcoming "Picard" series pure
or are they purely selfish, narcissistic,
and a means to his own end?
We believe we have the answers to these questions.
And as a result,
what you might be able to expect to see
during "Picard" seasons two and three,
and Q's ultimate motivation
will be revealed in the middle of it all.
Is Q a no-good, meddlesome pain in Picard's butt?
Or, is he actually the hero of the story?
All will be revealed in the upcoming season of "Picard."
So, you don't wanna miss this video.
But, before we unveil Q's true motivation,
as it will soon be revealed,
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- He's devious, and amoral, and unreliable,
and irresponsible, and definitely not to be trusted.
- [Commentator] From the first moment we meet Q
it's game on.
With his God-like abilities,
he put humanity on trial
with only a Starfleet captain standing
between the human race and oblivion,
or so we're led to believe.
Q is a fantastic foil, a fan favorite,
and credit John de Lancie for breathing life
into the iconic character.
Without de Lancie nailing the mocking and cynical contempt
for humankind's attempt to elevate itself above its station,
it's unlikely we would have seen the character again
after "Encounter at Far Point."
And hold onto that word foil for a few moments
because it's more important to Q's role in "Star Trek"
than most fans realize.
Before we can show you where Q is going
in the upcoming "Picard" season,
we need to explain why he's here in the first place.
Q is either manifest destiny or a complete accident.
Roddenberry didn't set out to create Q
to kick off "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
Gene was aiming for an hour long pilot,
but Paramount wanted a two-hour show.
So, the "Star Trek" creator had to go back
to the drawing board
and come up with something
that would capture fans right away.
And Roddenberry's writing room absolutely hated it.
David Gerald, who wrote on both "The Original Series"
and "The Next Generation," said everyone in the room
was looking at each other and saying,
it's Trelane from "The Original Series" all over again.
Gene simply said, "Trust me.
The way I'll do it, the fans will love it."
And he was right.
De Lancie would later confirm the parallels
between Q and Trelane, saying that Roddenberry explored
his storehouse of effective creations
and found one that he thought would be highly successful
again in "The Next Generation."
It's important to note that Roddenberry worked
with de Lancie to develop Q and Gene knew exactly
what he wanted this character to be.
Remember when we describe Q as the perfect foil,
the definition specifically means
to prevent something considered wrong
or undesirable from succeeding.
Well, how can that be Q?
Why would he be a foil to Starfleet
or humanity for that matter?
And what does it have to do
with the upcoming season of "Picard?"
But, before we reveal that to you,
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Q is a vehicle to deliver Roddenberry's bigger message.
Yes, the future is optimistic and hopeful for humanity,
but don't get too big for your britches.
As Gene wrote in "Earth, Final Conflict,"
"It's 1492 and this time we're the natives."
- Where's your stubbornness now, Picard, your arrogance?
Do you still profess to be prepared for what awaits you?
- [Commentator] Just when you start to pat yourself
on the back from becoming the masters of the universe,
someone comes along and knocks you down a couple pegs.
This was a common theme in Roddenberry's writing.
Gene was a child of the Great Depression
who would go on to fight during World War II.
He would witness firsthand the incredible recovery, growth,
and success of the United States in the 1940s and 50s,
but he'd also witness the mistakes,
both globally and socially the country was making
while busy patting itself on the back
after becoming a global power.
And in Roddenberry's future ideal society among the stars,
humans would need to remember not to become
so proud of how far they've come
that they are blind to their mistakes.
- I would have taken my own life, but for you.
- We all make mistakes.
- [Commentator] If Q was created to foil,
it was to foil Starfleet and humanity's growing head.
Q is humanity's annoying sounding board,
a constant reminder not to pat yourself too hard
on the back or you might break your arm
or perhaps the board or dominion will do it for you.
- We mean you no harm.
Do you understand me?
- [Commentator] What we will learn in "Picard" seasons two
and three is that Q's annoying interruptions
to Starfleet operations have been well disguised attempts
to guide, teach, and help humanity along.
And we have proof for you.
Picard's new android body,
coupled with Starfleet's questionable decision-making
in 2399 would be enough to get the Continuum's attention
and send Q to an aging mon capitan
for one more lesson and possibly
a course correction for humanity.
And based on what we've heard from John de Lancie,
we believe it will be a huge cliffhanger for season two
with a resolution in season three,
but more on that in a moment.
The proof that Q is guiding and helping the Federation
is in several episodes of "Star Trek" we've seen him in.
In "Encounter at Far Point," Q forces Picard to consider
whether humanity should be exploring the galaxy at all,
forcing the captain to consider the question
while holding humanity at gunpoint
would be a highly effective teaching moment.
In this first episode of TNG,
Picard successfully proves humanity's value,
but also gains a perspective to proceed with caution
as there may be all powerful foes in the future.
And, of course, just when Picard has a great season
under his belt and things are going smoothly,
Q shows up during season two to introduce humanity
to the Borg.
This event alone will create a domino effect
that saves humanity and the Federation multiple times over.
The episode "Q Who?" would have you believe Q wanted
to scare Picard into staying in his little corner
of the galaxy, but we don't believe that was the purpose.
Q's lesson here was to make Picard
and the Federation aware of the eminent Borg threat
that had already sampled the neutral zone outposts.
The alpha quadrant was a sitting duck
and without this warning and the series of events
that followed, Wolf 359 would have been child's play.
Without the crash course in Borg 101
that the Enterprise received,
it would have been too late for humanity
once assimilation began.
Also because of Q's Borg introduction,
Sisko was assigned to DS Nine following Wolf 359.
He finds the Bajoran Wormhole and the Dominion is formed.
The USS Defiant is created to thwart the Borg
and is used often at DS Nine.
As a result, the Val Jean, a raider-type craft
is created inspired by the Defiant.
The Val Jean is captain by ex-Starfleet officer Chakotay
and his band of Maquis.
They will go into the Badlands, followed by USS Voyager.
That event will send both ships to the Delta Quadrant.
Yes, Q was responsible for Voyager going
to the Delta Quadrant.
(Data laughing)
Which means, in a way, he also saves humanity from the Borg,
as well as species 8472, who were even worse than the Borg.
These huge events in "Star Trek" canon all happened
because of something Q did.
Could Q have seen this domino effect?
Who knows?
But, we have to give Q credit here.
His intervention at least proves he is not a villain,
regardless of how many times he interrupts Picard,
Janeway, or Sisko, it's obvious that Q regards humanity
with a lot more respect than he shows them.
There are several instances that Q leans on humanity
for his own needs.
When he is stripped of his powers by the Continuum,
he seeks protection on Enterprise.
Q allows Janeway to be the judge for another Q
who wants to commit suicide
and agrees to live by her decision.
Q goes to Janeway for help parenting his child.
There are several instances of Q's growth as a being
because of his relationship with humanity.
Is this the act of a villain?
No.
Does a villain offer to let Picard change his past
so that the captain can learn his past
is what makes him the amazing person he is today?
Does a villain help Picard
when the Continuum wants him tested to see if humanity
is capable of expanding its horizons?
No matter how you look at it,
Q and the Continuum are very interested in humanity,
and you can bet that Q's appearance in "Picard"
will not only include a test,
but it will also include some unexpected help.
We also know that John de Lancie
will be reprising his role as Q in six episodes.
We know we can expect him in the first episode,
but in an interview on "Star Trek Day," this year,
he also said they were filming seasons two and three
at the same time.
We believe this means that whatever mess Q has created
will come to a climax at the end of season two
and he will return in season three with a reveal
that despite the chaos,
he was helping Picard and humanity the whole time.
As this is likely the last time we will see John de Lancie,
as Q cue on "Star Trek,"
there is a good chance that we are also given answers
to questions like what is his
and the Continuum's real purpose with humanity?
And perhaps even more important than that,
maybe we will find out who Guinan is
and why she hates Q so much.
Whatever happens during "Picard" season two,
we know for sure that the relationship between Q
and Jean-Luc will likely be a key for the next two seasons.
Being able to see those two on screen together once again
will be a treat in any century.
How do you feel about "Picard" seasons two and three?
Do you think Q wants to save humanity?
Let's talk about it in the comments below.
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- Think of it as a going away present.
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- I suppose we could travel back in time.
You could see what Tagus was like 2 billion years ago.
They really knew how to party back in those days.
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