I am convinced that Q’s cameo in Star Trek: Picard Season 3 ensured that we haven’t seen the last of him in the franchise

Star Trek: Picard brought back Q (played by John de Lancie) in its own mystical way. The fans were first introduced to Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation pilot episode titled ‘Encounter at Farpoint’. He becomes Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s (played by Patrick Stewart) nemesis throughout the series. Fans would develop a love-hate relationship with his flamboyant personality and crafty schemes.

Though he seemingly disappeared after Star Trek: The Next Generation finale titled ‘All Good Things…’, he made a dramatic comeback in Star Trek: Picard Season 2. It is indicated at the end that Q is dying. Well, he didn’t. He returns briefly in a cameo in the Season 3 finale titled ‘The Last Generation’ . The scene with Jack Crusher (played by Ed Speleers) ends on a cryptic note, hinting that there’s more to come.

Q’s role in Star Trek: The Next Generation

Q is a member of the omnipotent Q Continuum race, who is known to possess power that can alter time, space and the laws of physics. During his first appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode ‘Encounter at Farpoint’, the Enterprise will encounter Q, who declares that humanity is on trial for savagery and the crew will be put to test. Picard and his crew are successful in their mission. Q commends him but leaves with a warning that they will meet again in the future.

Q’s actions are often disruptive, intended to create commotion and confusion. He becomes a recurring character in Star Trek: The Next Generation through its seven-season run. He would play a significant role in episodes including ‘Déjà Q’, ‘Qpid’ and ‘Tapestry’. Q will continue to put the Enterprise crew in challenging situations, just to sit and observe their reactions. The quintessential antagonist of the series also becomes responsible for the crew to evolve and understand the galaxy better. His relationship with Picard especially takes center-stage.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 7 episode 25 and 26 titled ‘All Good Things…’, Picard is brought back to Q’s courtroom where he had first met him in the pilot episode. Q would reveal that he has been causing the time jump for Picard, who must not fix the anomaly. At the end, Q will bid him farewell not before telling him that he will see him out there again.

Q comes back in Star Trek: Picard

Q appears to be dying in Star Trek: Picard Season 2, which is confusing since the race is supposedly immortal. Nonetheless, as his last act he decides to guide Admiral Picard to make peace with his troubled childhood. In his dramatic way, Q sends Picard and his team to an alternate timeline where the Federation is replaced by an authoritarian regime referred to as Confederation of Earth. They must correct an anomaly to fix the alternate future timeline.

With the help of the Borg Queen (played by Annie Wersching), Picard and his crew travel to 2024 Los Angeles. They must ensure that the Europa mission with Renée Picard (played by Penelope Mitchell) is a success. During the mission, Renée is supposed to discover a sentient microorganism on Jupiter’s moon, which would eventually protect Earth from ecological collapse and help create Starfleet in the future.

During the course of Season 2, Picard will visit his family home, where he would finally face his childhood trauma. It is revealed that Picard grew up thinking that his father was abusive and was responsible for his mother’s suicide. But in fact, his father was protecting him and his wife, who was struggling with severe mental illness. This also shaped him as an adult, who chose his career over having a family life.

Q helps Picard embrace the good and the bad from his childhood, while moving forward with optimism. Though the details around Q’s mortality are as usual murky, he does bid Picard farewell saying, ‘see you out there’. Was it all just another test? Possibly.

The audience assumed that it will be the last time we see Q, but they were in for a surprise. In the post-credit scene of the Star Trek: Picard Season 3 final episode titled ‘The Last Generation’ , Q will make a cameo as he visits Picard's son Jack Crusher in his quarters aboard the USS Enterprise-G. Q will tell Jack that though Picard’s trial is over, Jack’s begins now. In an interview with StarTrek.com, Speleers shared,

“He’s (Lancie's Q) royalty in Star Trek canon. He is absolute royalty and a very lovely, astute man. Obviously, we just had that one scene; it was a great scene to be had because he’s quite catlike in a scene. I don’t know if that’s him as a character or that’s him as him.”

Members of Q Continuum have appeared in various episodes across the franchise including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Lower Decks. With a lot of buzz around a potential spinoff show called Star Trek: Legacy, it would be interesting to see if Jack and Lancie’s Q will meet again.

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