Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Next Generation, Episode 61: Deja Q [VHS]

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The main plot of the story is that Q is turned to a mortal. When a gaseos entity,called the Calmarain, gains knowlegde of this attempts to kill Q. Q had a prior experience with the entity some years ago. Now the Calmarain seeks vengance.

This is one of the episodes of Star Trek:TNG with one of my favorite characters of the show: Q! This is the episode for everyone who is a newcomer to Star Trek to watch and be in awe and total amazement. After watching this episode, you will become a die-hard Star Trek fan like me and want to watch as many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (and maybe even the other series) as you possibly can. This episode, I truly believe, displays Q's best acting and dialogue performance, EVER, from all of his appearances on all the series. He is incredible here in his ability to rouse the other members of the crew and in his acting and, especially, speaking, abilities. He is, dare I say, hilarious in what he says to Capt. Picard, Data, and Worf....and how he says it! But, don't forget about the storyline of the asteroidal moon falling from the sky to its respective planet, Bre'el Four. Can, or, more precisely, will, Q save the planet and restore the moon to its proper orbit? "There are millions of lives at risk. If you have the power...."

I have, as of late, seen countless episodes of STar Trek: TNG thanks to my room-mate unfortunately coming across about 100 episodes at a clearance sale. Most of the episodes are entertaining enough and after spending time with the characters you generally do start to feel for them. However I find most episodes either too timid to celebrate their weirdness or too afraid to truly explore the philisophical undertones they present.

This episode is guilty of none of these things, this episode is merely a really good time. I don't know if the writers were having a good day or if John de Lancie is just a brilliant improvisationalist, whichever it is, this is the only episode of Star Trek that I actually laughed out loud at,that is laughed out loud at things that were supposed to be funny. (Yes the miniature model of the Exxon disaster that kills Tasha Yar is a laugh a minute but I doubt that it was intentionally so.)

I have seen about 50 episodes so far and this is by far my favorite. Yes that is fifty hours of my life ripped away in the span of a month. Now that I am an official Trekkie I'll never get a date again, oh wait, I never get them anyway, at least now I have an excuse.

It is easy to understand the popularity of the Q character in the Star Trek: The Next Generation series. The myths of cultures from Africa to Native Americans all contain tales of the trickster. Mythology experts Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz wrote:

"Of all the characters in myths and legends told around the world through the centuries-courageous heroes, scary monsters, rapturous virgins-it's the Trickster who provides the real spark in the action -"

which indicates that most people are more interested and influenced by gods that are obnoxiously omnipotent rather than the detached unemotional overseer. The dialog of the Q episodes also seems to be crisper, both in content and in delivery.
This episode begins with the Enterprise desperately trying to alter the course of a moon that is about to crash into an inhabited planet. Q suddenly arrives and claims to have been stripped of his powers and turned into a human. Of course, the Enterprise crew doesn't believe him, thinking that this is just another of his charades. Although Q is portrayed as being self-centered, his actions are quite human, as suddenly he finds himself subject to pains in the stomach, back and hands. After being omnipotent and capable of moving planets, sudden mortality would be very hard to handle.
Things get worse, as a creature with a grudge against Q arrives and begins to attack him. It is able to penetrate the shields and deflects the Enterprise from their mission. Captain Picard is able to discern that Q chose to be placed on the Enterprise because he knew that they would protect him from his enemies. Since the creature is powerful enough to destroy the Enterprise, Q takes a shuttle and goes out to meet his death. At the last moment, Q recovers his powers and solves the problem.
There is a great deal of philosophy in this episode and it is unfortunate that the Enterprise crew is unable to appreciate it. Only Data seems able to understand what is happening. The conversation between Q and Picard where Q states that he wishes to die for the sole reason that it can now happen to him is a very significant event. When Q walks up to Data in sick bay and tells him that he is a better human than Q will ever be we are witnessing one of the best scenes in all of the Star Trek episodes. I found myself wishing that this had been a two-part episode where the situation was explored in greater detail.
From the first TNG episode we are exposed to the desire of Data to be human. This is a reflection of the human bias of the writers and the producers. I personally consider that to have been a mistake that the producers never had the courage to correct. In this episode, they do make a slight correction. When Q expresses disgust with being human, he is expressing the opinion that most creatures in the galaxy would have. Namely, that being turned into a human would not be considered a positive event in their lives. It is most unlikely that any android as sophisticated as Data would aspire to be human.
This is one of the top ten episodes of TNG. In it, the topic of becoming a human being considered a reason to die is explored. The conclusion and the manner in which Q repays Data for his instruction is wonderful.

This is I believe one of the funniest Q epsiodes. Q shows his sense of humor at it most hilarious. Poor q has no powers na dhas to live as a mere mortal human. Data trys to save him, despite q's past antics. Q is whining and complaining, but is too funny. Guinan gets in on the act and gives him a taste of his own medicine ouch!

Definitely can watch this one over and over!

One of the very best episodes, imho. I just wanted to add that the editorial reviewer is wrong when he says there is nothing profound here: there's the angel cast out of heaven, the god becoming human, the god developing compassion, redemption through a spontaneous act, and probably more :-)

I have, as of late, seen countless episodes of STar Trek: TNG thanks to my room-mate unfortunately coming across about 100 episodes at a clearance sale. Most of the episodes are entertatining enough and after spending time with the characters you generally do start to feel for them. However I find most episodes either too timid to celebrate their weirdness or too afraid to truly explore the philisophical undertones they present.

This episode is guilty of none of these things, this episode is merely a really good time. I don't know if the writers were having a good day or Joh de Lancie is just a brilliant improvisationalist, whichever it is, this is the only episode of Star Trek that I actually laughed out at, that is, laughed out loud at things that were supposed to be funny. (Yes the miniature model of the Exxon disaster that kills Tasha Yar is a laugh a minute but I doubt that it was intentionally so.)

I have seen about 50 episodes so far and this is by far my favorite. Yes that is fifty hours of my life riped away in the span of a month. Now that I am an official Trekkie I'll never get a date again, oh wait I never get them anyway, at least now I have an excuse.

This must be one of the funniest Star Trek episodes ever. Tribbles Schmibbles, give me John de Lancie taking pop shots at the Enterprise crew any day. When Q is unceremoniously deposited on the bridge, mortal and bare naked, the crew must decide how to deal with their once-omnipotent and overly playful nemesis.

This is also a nice episode for Data fans. The android's quiet dignity is the perfect counterbalance to Q's flamboyant hissy fits. The acting is superb and the dialogue is sharp. This is one of the best of STTNG, don't pass it up!