| The Next Generation | |
| 61 | |
| Deja Q | |
| 43539.1 | |
The potato is back! In the last episode it was an asteroid that Data carelessly lost a ship behind, but this time it is an errant moon about to crash into a planet. I understand that they have a limited budget, but you would think that Paramount could afford more than one shot of a moon or asteroid.
It turns out that the aliens who are going to be planet smashed are Japanese froggies, who, by pure coincidence speak English. They plead with Picard to do something for them. Stuff 'em I say. Seems like another prime directive assault is about to occur. Surely stopping the impact will affect their social development and so is not allowed. Doesn't really matter as the Enterprise can't move it anyway.
Hummmm. Whistle.... Q! Q has appeared floating naked on the bridge. "Red Alert" he japes. It looks like this episode may be worthwhile after all. Q has be thrown out of the Q-continuum for spreading chaos throughout the universe. Nothing unbelievable yet. The question arises as to why he is on the Enterprise, but this is easily answered when he says: "In all the universe you are the closest thing I have to a friend". Now this is laughable. But if we assume it is sarcastic, then...
Q is a whinger. At least to the point that he doesn't like being human. Mind you he makes up for it with some of the best one-liners that I have ever heard on TNG. He is thrown into the brig and while there, something scans the ship and settles on him. The crew is still suspicious that this is all just another one of his practical jokes.
Q is enlisted to help solve the problem of the miscreant moon, and suggests that all would be well if they just "changed the gravitational constant of the universe"! I laughed and laughed. Lets see you do that one Ray Charles and Talkie-Toaster.
Q is puzzled by the feeling of hunger, and Data suggests to him that when Troi is feeling depressed she eats something chocolatey - and doesn't it show. Guinan, in a foul mood tests Q's humanity by stabbing a cocktail fork into his hand. If this isn't enough, Q is now assaulted by a blue plasma alien which wraps him in a field of energetic tachyons. Yep, you read right - TACHYONS. I wondered at this point what Wesley had been doing, but then corrected myself... I need to wonder what he will be doing. Amazingly the shields were able to be modulated to repulse the tachyon field.
Of all the ironies, Data councils Q on humanity. The time for musing between them is cut short as the Enterprise decides to go atmosphere surfing, and in the panic, Q is once again assaulted by the tachyon field. Data saves him, and Q comes to the conclusion that Data is a better human than he is.
In what looks like an altruistic move, Q takes a shuttle craft off the Enterprise so it will not be destroyed when the aliens finally do him in. Arnold Becker appears suddenly! Is this Q's legal council grabbed from the past, or is it just Corbin Bernsen as another member of the Q-continuum. After a bit of droll conversation, Q is given his powers back.
A tense moment on the Enterprise bridge is broken up by - a mexican band! Q is back with a vengence. As a parting gift to his "friends" he makes Data laugh and puts the moon back on track.
