TF01 3,"Q Who?" 4,Season 2, Episode 16 Reviewed by Sven Harvey ------------------------- After Ensign Gomez makes her first appearance (and spills hot chocolate all over Captain Picard) Q reappears and decides to give the Enterprise a taste of what is really out there. The Enterprise is thrown across the Galaxy to a solar system known to Starfleet as J25. There they find a planet where all the cities have been carried off in exactly the same way as the outposts in "The Neutral Zone". The first contact with a nearby vessel reveals that the vessels occupants, the Borg, are only interested gathering technology, including the technology in Enterprise! Unfortunately the Borg attack and after several volleys of phaser fire the Borg vessel is seemingly incapacitated so Riker takes an away team over to discover the single entity make up of the Borg. But the Borg are repairing the ship and as the Enterprise tries to escape with the away team back on the bridge at high warp the cubical Borg ship follows them, regenerating their damaged systems en-route. A couple of volleys of photon torpedos has no effect on the warping cube and the Borg disable the Enterprises shields. It is very clear that the Enterprise cannot win (well that's what you are supposed to think). Picard persuades Q to return the Enterprise to Federation space. Unfortunately this means that the Borg know of the Federation and the Borg begin to make their way to assimilate the Federation. A few things worry me about this episode. Firstly, surely the Borg already know of the Federation (and the Romulan Empire) through information gleamed from the outposts in the Neutral Zone? Secondly, even after the Borg have all the information about the Enterprise the ships phasers are able to disable 20% of the Borg ship with three hits! Surely the Borg would have adapted. Yet the phasers did all that damage. If so a trio of Galaxy class starships would have been able to completely destroy the vessel. Later when the Enterprise is fleeing only photon torpedos are used. This suggests that the phasers are still effective up until "Best of Both Worlds". Even if the Borg did sort out some way of defending themselves against phasers, 40 starships if they kept phasering the ship together would have destroyed it EASILY. Projectile weapons such as photon torpedos are easier to defend against, but phasers are pure energy weapons and EVERY system has its energy threshold. Surely the Borg vessel would have been destroyed if 40 vessels had fire continuous phasers on the vessel simultaneously. Lastly is the amount of time that it take the Borg to arrive for "The Best of Both Worlds". If they had already attacked the Neutral Zone whey didn't they attack the Federation earlier, even before "Q Who?"? Okay, some people don't like the idea of an unbeatable enemy but the Federation will come up against a race that dangerous sooner or later. Unfortunately the weak points in the plots of the Borg stories show that the Borg are NOT the unbeatable enemy. In fact compared with some of the other enemies Enterprise-D and her ancestors have come up against, the Borg are wimps. Richard Shelford ------------------ This episode combines two of TNG's most popular and exciting and potentially devastating characters, those of Q and the Borg. In some respects it is difficult to review this episode as objectively as I would wish to in the light of recently viewing the season 6/7 episode, "Descent". Although "Q Who" looks somewhat dated in comparison, what with the characters still developing, for instance, it is still one of the most thrilling episodes made so far. It introduces a race which will have several re-occurring appearances over the next five seasons, which turn out to threaten the very existence, not only of the Enterprise and its crew, but of the entire Federation. This episode also provides information and explanations of characters and previous events, notably of Guinan and the solution to the as yet unexplained mystery of the destruction of the outposts Delta Zero Five and Tarod Nine along the Neutral Zone, first mentioned in the season one episode, "Neutral Zone". The destruction of Guinan's race is also explained during the course of the story. Q is also given a slightly darker image as the Borg cause the deaths of 18 crew members "Tell me this is another one of your elaborate tricks Q," asks Picard. "Out here Picard there are wonders beyond your imagination, treasures to relieve the most insatiable of desires, but it is not for the weak-hearted," returns Q. Whilst on the outskirts of Federation space the Enterprise encounters Q, who requests the chance to become a member of the crew. When Picard refuses, Q offers his experience as a guide to the unexplored depths of space. Whatever is out there "We are ready to encounter it", Picard tells Q, who replies, "Oh, the arrogance. Your experiences so far are based on your pitiful adversaries, the Romulans, the Klingons." "They will learn, that is their greatest strength," retorts Guinan. Deciding a lesson is in order, Q then proceeds to hurl the ship 7000 light years across the Galaxy to the unexplored system of J25. Here, the Enterprise detects scars on a planets surface, similar to those discovered along the Neutral Zone. It is at this point that they encounter a cube shaped alien ship, many times the size of the Enterprise. One of its crew, a cyborg beams aboard, and attempts to access systems in Engineering. It is killed by Worf, but another takes its place, and this one is invunerable to phaser fire. When a segment of the saucer section is sliced out by the Borg, resulting in the loss of 18 lives, a brief volley of photon torpedoes succeeds in damaging the Borg vessel, giving Riker an opportunity to take an away team to the Borg ship to discover more about this new enemy. Discovering the Borg are repairing their ship they beam back, and the Enterprise leaves the sector, and heads for home, which is approximately 2 years, 9 months away at warp nine. The Borg give chase, and as the Enterprise is about to surrender, Q appears once more.... The rest, well, you'll just have to watch it for yourself. The background on Guinan is particularly welcome. The sector J25 was where Guinans people lived, before the Borg came. "I wasn't there personally," she says of the Borg attack, but, "my people were scattered throughout the Galaxy." We also learn that Q and Guinan have met before, "We have had dealings," Guinan tells Picard. "Guinan. Is that what you call yourself now?" asks Q. He also states that their dealings were over two hundred years ago. Q would come to regret this run in with Guinan, as she attempts revenge in "Deja Q", when Q is at the disadvantage of being human. What exactly their relationship is, we are left unsure. However, return to Issue 5 of The Final Frontier, and read the interview with Q, alias John de Lancie, for his opinion on their association. The season one episode, "The Neutral Zone" left a story in the balance. It was this episode that was originally meant to introduce the Borg, to replace the Ferengi, as a new alien race. However, this was delayed, due to the writers strike which was occurring at the time, and the teaser was placed in instead. Here, we discover that some sort of Borg vessel has been in Federation space before. (Probably a scout vessel of some kind.) Between this episode, and the next appearance of Q, in "Deja Q", there are some inconsistencies, which appear at the beginnings of the episodes. These are not so much inconsistencies, as inverse contradictions, perhaps. Q tells Picard that he is no longer a member of the continuum, and asks if he has a "home for a wandering entity". However in "Deja Q", he has been further reduced, by having his powers taken away. He again tells Picard, "I am no longer a member of the continuum." In "Q Less" it appears that members of the continuum cannot leave the Continuum. Yet not only has Q been kicked out and left to wander around the Universe, he also has his powers taken from him in "Deja Q". This breaches the question, why couldn't Q just take Amanda's powers away from her? Maybe it was a subtle ploy on Q's part. Also, why couldn't the Continuum just take away Amanda's parents powers, as they did to Q, instead of killing them? The effects of this episode, were, as usual, stunning. The Borg vessel, and the race is something entirely new, and more deadly than any seen before on Star Trek. They are a real feat of imagination, and whoever dreamt them up, well, we bow down to them. The Borg vessel is certainly blindingly impressive as far as effects go, and the interiors, presumably shot on Planet Hell, are extraordinary. The shots of the interior, especially the shot that focuses on the away team, and then pulls back to show the enourmity of the Borg vessel are particularly well done. The ship looks endless, and the shot is viewed through conduits, which adds to the idea of the Borg image that is attempting to be portrayed. The make-up is perhaps one of the most ambitious I have seen on any Star Trek episode, and carried the idea of a cyborg, half human, half mechanical/electrical, very well, so the race looked particularly believable, and quite frightening. Their culture is also a novel idea. A race that wants neither political power, nor money, only to improve the quality of their lives, is frightening. To live as a Borg, no matter how advanced they are, is a scary concept. To be devoid of emotion, individuality, and self determination, these are all the worst fears of most human beings. What is left to say, except watch the episode for yourself, if you haven't already. Reviewed by John Kitts ------------------------ Stardate 42761.3, first broadcast 6th May 1989 On his way back to his cabin for a uniform change Picard steps from a turbolift to find himself suddenly in a shuttlecraft with the Enterprise nowhere to be found and the only other passenger... Q. Picard refuses to even talk to Q until he is returned to his ship. Upon returning to the ship we learn that Guinan and Q have had past dealings and that she even has some limited control over Q. Much to Picard's surprise, Q offers himself as a member of the crew. Despite all his powers and abilities, Picard turns Q down because he believes he would not follow orders. Outraged, Q challenges Picard that he is not ready for what awaits him and casts the ship 7,000 light years to face an enemy the Enterprise cannot beat... The Borg. I'm sure you've all see "The Best Of Both Worlds". Well, this is the Borg's first appearance and though not as much action as "The Best Of Both Worlds", it's as good to watch which is saying quite something. Q is far more of a menace than in his previous wishy-washy visits, gleefully watching as the Borg adapt to anything the Enterprise can come up with whilst wearing down their shields. And at the end when defeat seems inevitable, it was a stroke of genius for the solution to be for Picard to simply tell Q that he needs him and his help - top marks to Picard for swallowing his pride for the good of others. The real stars of this episode are the faceless, unstoppable Borg - great idea to make the individuals worthless so the collective can sacrifice them to learn and great effects and costumes. A nice touch at the end when Picard realises now the Borg know of the Federation they will be coming, although one thing that bothers me is it highlights how the Federation can be TOO good for its own good. If Picard had destroyed the Borg ship when he had the chance (and they had killed 18 of his crew in their unprovoked attack) all the death and destruction in "The Best Of Both Worlds" would have been prevented. Overall this, with "Conspiracy" and "Measure Of A Man", is the finest example of The Next Generation's first two years and still stands as a great example for others to follow.