The Q and the Grey
Stardate: 50384.2
Original Airdates: Nov 27, 1996
By Chakoteya
The Story
The senior staff are all on the bridge to become only the third
StarFleet crew ever to witness a supernova actually take place,
and the first to see one quite this close up. Kes, the EMH and
Neelix are also present, and the phenomenon has got Kes interested
in learning more, although the EMH claims that the real action
will always be in sickbay. Janeway has just put in a fourteen
hour shift, so she gives in to Chakotay’s suggestion that
she rest while he and Harry analyse the data.
At her quarters, Kathryn walks in to see a rose-red bed in the
main room, and Q in a dressing gown waiting for her. Her attempts
to contact security fail, and her rebuffs of his attentions simply
result in her uniform being exchanged for a nightgown. He assures
her, however, that this is not just a one night stand. Out of
all the females of all the species in all the galaxies, he has
chosen her to be the mother of his child. Kathryn is adamant that
as far as he is concerned, she is impossible to get. Q accepts
the challenge of ‘playing hard to get’ and leaves
her alone to inform Chakotay of her visitor and give orders that
she is to be notified if he returns or if anything strange happens.
Next day in the ready room, Janeway admits to Chakotay what Q
wants, and he confesses to her that, although he has no right
to feel that way, it does bother him. Then Q reappears and assumes
that the Commander is his rival for her affections. Is it the
tattoo, because his is bigger. Not big enough, comes Janeway's
rebuff.
‘Captain's Log, Stardate 50384.2. Q's unannounced visits
continue. Since I suspect he's up to something more than pursuing
me, I've instructed the crew to take every opportunity to uncover
his true motives.’
Tom and Harry are doing crew evaluations at the Paxau holo-resort
when Q stops by to ask their advice on how to woo the Captain.
They tell him not to bother, and Neelix tells him that she appreciates
qualities like respect, loyalty and sincerity, none of which he
possesses. So Kathryn finds a puppy in her ready room, and still
turns Q down, but she does agree to talk. He tries to be sincere,
and share his true feelings with her, claiming to be lonely and
in need of a relationship. It doesn’t work, so he reminds
her of her own dream of having a child. Then a female Q turns
up, and asks him what he is doing with that dog. Not the puppy.
She is, apparently, his girlfriend of about 4 billion years and
somewhat annoyed about Q’s interest in Janeway. The Captain
is called to the bridge.
Against all probability, two stars are about to go supernova
nearby, and quite correctly Janeway deduces that there is a connection
with Q. She appeals to him to help save Voyager from the multiple
approaching shockwaves – and the two vanish from the bridge.
Kathryn finds herself in a colonial manor house. Q walks in wearing
a Confederate blue uniform and tells her that this is the Q Continuum
in a way that she can relate to more easily. From being a boring
way station by a desert road, the Q are now in the middle of a
Civil War because of Quinn’s suicide on Voyager a year ago.
His followers have rebelled against the status quo, and part of
the cross fire of their war are the supernovas that Voyager has
been witnessing. Q wants her help to end this war, by mating with
him to create a new kind of Q, incorporating human DNA. Then an
explosion hits the house, and he is wounded.
Voyager is badly damaged, with a big hull breach and no warp
drive, but only minor casualties. The female Q is still on the
bridge and Chakotay guesses that the only reason she is still
there is that she has somehow lost her power. So she explains
about the Q war and then is forced to concede that this ‘rickety
barge and half-witted crew’ are her only hope of getting
home, and reluctantly agrees to assist them in getting their Captain
back.
In the Continuum, the attacking forces offer a truce and Janeway
urges him to accept. Q’s reply is to fire his revolver,
and point out to her that if Q weapons can make him bleed, what
does she think they will do to her. They make their escape from
the house.
‘First Officer's Log, Stardate 50392.7. While we don't
fully understand the astrophysics underlying her plan, the female
Q has suggested several modifications which may allow Voyager
to enter the Continuum.’
Miss Q is impatient with Torres and how long it takes mere mortals
to make the necessary adjustments in order to get her to the Continuum.
They trade insults then Q admits that she’s always liked
Klingon females – they have such spunk.
Q wakes in a rebel encampment, his life saved by Kathryn. She
has been thinking about his idea of creating a new race of Q,
and suggests that he mates with his lady friend instead. He rubbishes
the idea. The Q don’t copulate, and he certainly has no
intention of caring for an infant. Kathryn patiently explains
that the best qualities of humanity are not genetically inherited
but taught by parents to their children. If he wants offspring
to share his ideals, he’ll have to teach it himself. She
is tempted by the idea of exploring whole new galaxies, but she
has her responsibility to her crew. Q meanwhile has to try and
work out how a Q can mate with a Q, while Janeway takes a while
flag and visits the opposing camp.
‘First Officer's Log, supplemental. We've laid in a course
for the point in space where the female Q says we can enter the
Continuum and find the Captain.’
The way into the Continuum is through an imploding star, provided
they time it perfectly and can make the enhance the shield bubble
by a factor of 10 according to Miss Q’s specifications.
In the Union camp, the Colonel agrees that the fighting must
stop soon, before the damage to subspace is irreparable. Kathryn
tries to persuade him to listen to Q’s plan, but soldiers
have captured him in her absence, and they are both to be put
to death as enemies of the Continuum.
Next morning, Q and Kathryn are lead out of the tent, tied to
trees and asked if they have any last requests. Kathryn uses the
opportunity to plead with them to stop using force to resolve
their differences, to set an example to the rest of the galaxy,
while Q accepts his fate for his fight for freedom and individuality
but asks that Janeway be set free. The Colonel turns down their
requests, and gives the firing squad their orders. Shots ring
out, and Q believes himself to be dying, but Kathryn points out
that the soldiers are not firing at them. Voyager’s crew
have taken the offensive, with Q weapons, and Miss Q runs to free
her love. He tells her of his plan for them to become Parents
of Peace. A cease fire is called while the pair work out how to
perform the deed and invite Kathryn to watch as they touch fingers
then sigh deeply with satisfaction.
Back on board Voyager, sensors show calm space ahead. All crew
are accounted for so once the systems have been checked out, Janeway
orders warp 6. In her ready room, Q is bouncing his son on his
lap. He invites her to be the godmother and warns her that babysitting
could be a hazardous task. Then the pair pop out of her life.
For the time being?
Review
It’s a sequel – to Death Wish. It’s a comedy,
because it has not just one Q but two, with the splendid Suzy
Plaxton playing opposite John De Lancie with style and relish.
It’s a sort of moral tale, that love conquers all and violence
solves nothing, really. Yet the whole thing skips along very well,
with minimum technobabble and plenty of engaging, occasionally
self-referencing dialogue. If you’re wondering where you’ve
seen Miss Q before, she was Worf’s love, K'Ehleyr (Alexander’s
mother) way back in The Next Generation. Hence her liking of Klingon
women.
It’s always interesting to see how events play out from
earlier stories. Quinn’s suicide has shaken the Continuum
up a lot. Instead of terminal boredom at a remote way station,
everyone is dodging bullets in the American Civil War, status
quo versus the rights of the individual, and the resolution, apparently,
is to have a baby Q to replace Quinn. One has to wonder if this
is the middle part of a Q trilogy for Voyager – will Aunty
Kathy get asked to babysit? How will she stop an unruly toddler
from knocking small planets out of their orbits?
This is a Janeway show, and the rest of the crew only get a small
look in, although Chakotay does get a chance to be sarcastic back
to Miss Q once he’s in charge, as a small revenge for Q’s
earlier comments. We also get to hear the line that throws all
those J/C post Resolution relationship dreams out of the airlock
– he has no right to feel jealous of her being with someone
else. There is nothing going on between Commander and Captain
except a professional relationship now. Her early intent to maintain
some sort of emotional distance from the crew is firmly in place,
and shows no signs of softening.
All in all, a fun way to spend time in front of the television
screen. Nothing desperately deep and thought provoking, but not
dull and boring either.
Grade: 7/10
Cast:
Kate Mulgrew as Kathryn Janeway
Robert Beltran as Chakotay
Roxanne Biggs-Dawson as B'Elanna Torres
Jennifer Lien as Kes
Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris
Ethan Phillips as Neelix
Robert Picardo as The Doctor
Tim Russ as Tuvok
Garrett Wang as Harry Kim
Guest Cast:
John De Lancie as Q
Suzie Plakson as Female Q
Harve Presnell as Colonel Q
Creative Staff:
Director: Cliff Bole
Teleplay By: Kenneth Biller
Story By: Shawn Piller
