Q, the all-powerful cosmic joker, is returning to Star Trek. Having played the role of harasser and devil’s advocate to Captain Picard throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, and other Starfleet captains in subsequent series, Q became a fan favorite. He was the one being who could really get under Picard’s skin. It looks like he may return yet again to torment Jean-Luc again.
Recently, John de Lancie hinted of his return to the Star Trek franchise. In a video posted to Cameo.com (where fans can purchase personalized video messages from celebrities), while talking about his experiences with Star Trek, de Lancie said, “Here is a little stocking stuffer … You are going to be seeing more of me.”
Q did make a short appearance in this first season of Star Trek: Lower Decks in episode 8 “Veritas.” We expect Q to drop in on the crew of Cerritos from time to time since Lower Decks is the perfect setting for Q’s high jinks. However, de Lancie’s hint seems to confirm that he’ll be making a more substantial appearance in a live-action Star Trek series.
STAR TREK: PICARD
The most likely Star Trek series for Q’s return is Star Trek: Picard. After the dark grittiness of Season 1 of Picard, it would be great to add some levity in the form of Q. Jean-Luc is a little wiser and more relaxed in the new series, so it would be interesting to see how the dynamics between the two love-hate adversaries have evolved.
The second season of Star Trek: Picard is scheduled to begin shooting in January, so de Lancie would already know if he’s making an appearance. However, there is a wide choice of other Star Trek series in play.
In addition to the three currently on CBS All-Access (Picard, Lower Decks, and Discovery), there are three other series in production: Strange New Worlds, Prodigy, and the Section 31 spinoff starring Michelle Yeoh as former Emperor from the Mirror Universe Philippa Georgiou.
Perhaps Q will show up on multiple Star Trek series. He is an omni-powerful entity after all.
Q THE NEXT GENERATION?
Q’s first appearance in the Star Trek franchise was the pilot episode of The Next Generation: “Encounter at Farpoint.” That episode first aired on Sept. 28, 1987. His last appearance on a live-action Star Trek series was in “Q2” the 19th episode of Season 7 of Star Trek: Voyager, which aired April 11, 2001—twenty years ago!
Unlike Q, John de Lancie is not an eternal being. Obviously de Lancie has aged since his first appearance as Q some 34 years ago. The question is how he’ll appear now. Will the producers opt for an aged Q with an excuse that he makes himself look old because Picard is now old? Or will they use heavy CGI de-aging like they did for Brent Spiner in Picard’s first season?
De-aging visual effects are good for short scenes, especially when actors being de-aged are sitting or standing still. Anything more active makes the illusion difficult to sell.
For now, we’ll have to wait and see which Q we get and where he pops up next in the Star Trek universe.
