NCIEO Home Page (Map): Continuing Communications: Brash Reflections: Voyager Episode List:

"The Q and The Grey"
Air Date: November 27, 1996
Star Date: 50384.2-50392.7

Latest Reflections from the Guild
12/30/96 Update
12/23/96 Update
12/16/96 Update
12/09/96 Update
12/02/96 Update

When Q suddenly appears and asks Janeway to have his baby, our intrepid captain is suspicious of his real intentions--not to mentioned flabbergasted and completely uninterested in his proposition. The plot thickens as a female Q appears (hereinafter known as Curly-Q). She scoffs that Q has left her for such a minuscule "bipedal" being. Unfortunately, Voyager's problems soon pass beyond the comedic, eruptions of supernova surrounding the ship imperil it as Q sweeps Janeway off to the Q Continuum. Once there--representing it as Civil War era America to compensate for Janeway's limited intelligence--Q discloses that since Quinn's suicide, the Q have embarked on a civil war that is destablizing the entire universe. Q hopes that the infusion of human DNA will bring an end to the fighting. Janeway still declines the offer, suggesting instead that Q mate with Curly-Q. Shortly afterwards, both Q and Janeway are captured by the other side of the conflict and scheduled for execution. Thankfully, with Curly-Q's help, Voyager is able to enter the Q Continuum. The crew stops the executions and rescues their captain. Q and Curly-Q then mate producing a child and the war comes to an end.

Brash Reflections

This was fun . . . even if it was goofy in spots. (Even with Q weapons, I had a hard time believing that the Voyager crew could be much of a threat to members of the Q Continuum.) It was great to see Suzie Plakson again!

By the time I returned from Thanksgiving vacation, most of the nits I found were already taken so I'll dispense with my normal Brash Reflection and just get straight to it. There's more than these but I leave it to you fellow members of the Guild

Join me next time when we hear Janeway say, "Tiny-Q, you will stop juggling the Enterprise-E, the Defiant and the Voyager THIS INSTANT!"

Phil

Reflections from the Guild

[Note from Phil: I have not had time to verify these but they sounded good to me!]

Adam Farlinger: Not quite as good as some of the other Q episodes we've seen in the past, but I guess not even the Q can bat 1.000...

Q tells Janeway "Your civil war changed a nation." The conversation continues, but they seem to be talking about the American Civil War as though it were the only (or most important) one that this planet has had... but since Earth is united in the 24th century, couldn't *all* of its wars be seen as civil wars?

Since when did Q start calling Janeway "Kathy"? I guess she likes it, because she didn't protest it! (Note from Phil: I think Q started this last time.)

Janeway and Q talk about getting some human DNA into the Continuum. What about what's-her-name from "True Q"? I know that both her parents were Q, but she appeared human enough. (Note from Phil: I thought that Amanda was fully Q.)

Q says that the Q have never copulated before... what about what's-her-name's (was it Amanda?) parents? Didn't they get executed for doing so too?

Q and Janeway nearly get executed by the "other" faction. But how can you execute an immortal Q? (Note from Phil: Well . . . Amanda's parents were supposedly executed. We learned that in the NextGen episode "True Q.")

Great line: Janeway says something about having "other concerns," to which Q replies "Ah, yes, the crew of the Intrepid Starship Voyager!" (coincidence that the Voyager is _Intrepid-class_? I don't think so.)

Rene Charbonneau: I enjoyed this week's Voyager very much. But, then, Q episodes are always great. It was nice to see ...uh what's her name. The actress who played Alexander's (Worf's son) mother and was killed by Duras. Anyway, she played a great Q too! I have no nits for this episode, but that's because I wasn't really looking for any. Voyager seems to be getting better this year.

Murray Leeder: Funny episode, with a good old social commentary too. Q and Q have been together for billions of years. I thought that Quinn said that the "new order" (whatever that is) started millions of years ago.

David D. Porter: Watching live instead of taped for the first time in *months!* (Wed. is church choir practice, doncha know.)

Q Hefner, huh?

I do believe Q's hairline is receding. Perhaps he's trying to emulate Picard?

Somehow I thought Q would wear a *really* loud and obnoxious Hawaiian shirt at the holo-resort.

Respecful, loyal and sincere, huh? Neelix makes himself sound like a Cocker Spaniel. Then again, maybe that *is* the best way to appeal to the dear Captain.

I don't see why Q thinks having a child with Janeway would give him stability. It didn't have that effect on Tom Paris. (Note from Phil: Funny, funny line!)

Surprising that Q only made himself a Union Army Captain. Sometimes it seems that anyone who was anyone in that army was at least a Colonel.

Well, at least the 'shunt-the-really-high-voltage-to-the-bridge-consoles' trips always function in an emergency. In fact, they're probably the most reliable equipment the Federation has ever built.

It may be an artificial environment, but it still seems that holding a metal plate over a fire would make it extremely hot.

What if the Q don't recognize a white flag as a sign of truce?

Joseph Pintar: If Q wanted to represent himself as a rebel, wouldn't he be wearing a Confederate uniform in the continum? Or is he so confident he will be the winner of this conflict?

So Q has a mate. I'm surprised he didn't try her first. They still love each other, it shows.

How would Janeway know how many novas take place in this quadrant? This is terra in cognita for the Voyager crew.

I wonder if Torres was taking notes on what the female Q was doing to modify the ship. It certainly would come in handy.

Janeway and Chakoty have a kiss me you fool moment in her ready room.

When Q asks about Janeway's favorite things, I felt like singing the song "My Favorite Things."

Paul R. Lilly: I just finished watching the episode of VOY and as a history buff one thing stuck in my craw. The weapons were historically inaccurate. All the rifles were Springfield breechloaders. During the Civil War only the North had them and those in limited numbers, all troops usually had breechloaders. Also the General Q had a Colt 45 revovler (a type of weapon that used bullets not 6 ball and powder charges) I'm not sure they were available then. Sure the Q are omnipotent but they are also innaccurate. I hope that this is a nit.

Todd Felton of Victoria, BC: At one point Kim says that the shockwave will reach them in 60 seconds. Then, not more than 10 seconds later, he or Chakotay says "3 seconds!" and it hits. Wow! That was one fast minute!

Karen Urbanowski of Toledo, OH: Q tells Janeway something like he couldn't have a baby with the female Q, that they don't know how or haven't for billions of years or something. ( If I had known I was going to write to you about it I'd have paid closer attention) The problem is, what about Amanda from "True Q" ? I thought that her parents were both Q, even if they were in human form. Did he forget about her? I thought she left with him at the end of that episode. I thought it was cute when the Q woman told B'elanna that she liked Klingon women. Maybe K'ehleyr was a Q in disguise (not to mention Dr. Selar). Okay, I'm reaching. I just want K'ehleyr back. (Note from Phil: My daughter had the same thought about Curly-Q's comment!)

Karen Fischer: As usual this Q episode had a lot of humor. Loved Janeway's comeback about the tattoo, "Not big enough."

There was a KMYF moment, but it was between the puppy and Q. I thought it was sweet the way the little critter kept looking up and DeLancie while he was in the actor's arms. I half expected the dog to lick Q's face.

When they went to the continuium, and showed the house with the pillars, for some reason the theme from Gone With the Wind popped into my head, and with the firing squad it was number from My Fair Lady. I have the feeling the writers borrowed a lot from some old Hollywood movies.

I don't really have any nits, but there is something that always seems to leave me wondering. Is Janeway immune from bullets and such? When the shooting starts coming through the window, we see Q grab Janeway and knock her to the floor, and end up on top of her, I might add. Then there is some more firing while the two are laying there, and suddenly Q is hit. When the first volley came through I was supprised that Janeway wasn't at least slightly injured. With some minor cuts or something, especially later when the pot shots were taking out the flower vases and other bric-a-brac. Surely there was a great deal of possiblity that Janeway could have recieved some cuts from glass shards. The woman must be superman's cousin or something. She's immune from flying glass and bullets, but not blows to the head. (ie: Warlord)

I did like the way the Q mated, although it looked like an ET moment when their fingers lit up. I can hardly wait to see what's going to happen with Q junior. Just imagine the havoc the kid with wreak, if he turns out to be anything like his father.

Rene Charbonneau: Sure, I understand Janeway's not wanting to "mate" with Q, but she's missing her chance. Q's the best way they have of getting home. Yet, the crew don't take it at all.

Best lines: "What are you doing with that dog? I'm not talking about the puppy." Q2 speaking to Q about captain Janeway.

"I'm Hit!" Q to Janeway to which Janeway responds, "Q! They're not firing at us!"

Apparently, Q and Q2 have been involved for over 4 billion years. Why did Q2 visit her boyfriend when he tried to commit suicide in "Déja Q"?

Don't you just love it when the creators take steps not to explain things. They continually have Q2 says that the things that are happening are far beyong the crew's ability to comprehend.

It looks like we humans will learn that we must not use violents to resolve differences by the 24rth Century. We will even be more evolved, on a moral level, than the Q continuum, if this episode is to be believed.

How did the war end?

Jeffrey M. Hall: The nitpicker in me went hay-wire watching this episode; [I sometimes wish I had the absolute faith in the creators like you.]

Janeway's forgotten that there is another man, waiting on Earth. She also preferred not to tell Q that she already has borne children-fish to Paris-fish.

Tom said they'd heard about what he'd done on the Enterprise. Well, evidently the creators hadn't.

Was Q running away from another Q when he was running around with Vas? She must have been home visiting Ma when Q showed the crew the continuim before.

Q [John de Lancie's persona] can only mate with species capable of copulation. How does he expect to mate when Qs aren't capable of copulation? How did the two Qs have that kid, who's parents got zapped in Kansas, then she excaped to Starfleet, then joined Q. [True Q 46192.3-46193.8]

How did Q get wounded in the shoulder? Was it scrapnel? He was lying down, we hear a shot and his shoulder turns red. Where was that shot from.

Either the "Gray" are really bad trackers, or Janeway must be really good at evading the enemy. They are "surrounded" and she sneaks out of a mansion she's never been in before, and finds retreating Q and his camp.

So, how many are in Q?

Tom stood in front of a cannon to take the three star Q captive? Who's the 4F behind the cannon, and why isn't it facing the enemy? And he said, "put down your gun." GUN?? don't they drill starfleet cadets that its a "weapon" anymore.

Kathryn R. L. Harkins of Tacoma, WA: What did we say, PAL; every single aspect of the preview (including the supernova) happened before the opening title sequence EXCEPT for Q saying "I was good, wasn't I!"

Lemmee see, what else; oh, yeah, if I was that uglee General head-Q man, I would NOT let my two captives walk out wihtout their chains (yeah, uh-huh, I'm sure) on. They could just have run away (you guys know Janeway, she knows Yuan Ming Shau Fau or something similar--she could have easily taken out all those Q at the same time!!)

When Miss Q (or Suzie Q as I like to call her) calls Janeway a dog, she opens her mouth this wide. (:O When Q says " I have chosen you to be the mother of my child," she opens her mouth this wide. (:O Remember 'Twisted?' When the life-form thing has Janeways arm, she opens her mouth this wide. (:O and she does the same thing (:O in 'Cold Fire' when Cesperia (sp) does that neat-o mind-killer floaty thing. Is it just me, or does Janeway open her mouth This Wide (:O too much? Ooh, new acronym; JOHMTWA(:O--Janeway Opens Her Mouth Too Wide Again (:O!

Lee Lorenz of Fenton, MI: AAAARRRGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I may just stop watching Voyager ALTOGETHER!!! I just can't STAND Janeway's attitude!! Here, the perfect opportunity to get home, simply to mate with Q (hmmmm... have an omnipotent baby, and get home... or ...take 70 years at Warp 6 and many "flatpips" deaths to find our families all old and scattered!!) "Miss Q" could have sent them home, too (Before the Supernovas) which would have short-circuited Q's plan to mate with Janeway! Even at the end, Janeway could have simply asked for the return home as a gesture... but of course, then they wouldn't have achieved the goal without "hard work!!" - If that's the case, then why did they seek out the other caretaker? I hope Kate Mulgrew wants out of her contract, so Voyager can have a mutiny and run here across the keel! I better stop before I pop a vein!

Lisa Solinas: I was right, this WAS a fun episode.

Q seems to be getting steadily dumber and less omnipotent as Star Trek goes on. Okay, so he thinks that a half-human-half-Q baby will stand up on a rock, wave a magic wand and everyone will be happy. Right.

Chakotay and Paris shine in this episode. Paris's funny expression when he is addressed as "helm-boy", and Chakotay's deep-down digging to find an alternate route into the Q continuum.

I really hate some of Q's yakking about Chakotay. Is it possible that Senor de PlasterGod is actually JEALOUS???? [wicked grin]

So Q activates the sensual music and creates the lovely red satin bed for the more-than-one-night-stand. When he grabs Janeway, he snaps his fingers and puts her into sexy silk lingerie that is about the thickness of tissue paper. A few minutes later, she tosses on a bathrobe over la lingerie. When Q vanishes, the bed, and music vanish. Yet you can see the lingerie peeking outta the bathrobe. "I dinnagetit. It should've gone POOF!" [Scotty line]

WHERE did Kes and the Doctor vanish ta? One scene and that's all.

I wanna see Torres's ultra-muscle bodybuilder again. He was cute.

So Q sex is basically touching fingers. In the words of Janeway: "That's IT?" Q says that he has no idea how to procreate, neither does Mrs. Q. I find this hard to believe, since this guy supposedly has "unlimited intellect."

Speaking of Amanda's parents, they were executed for doing such "mortal" [as Mrs. Q put it] things as producing a baby. So shouldn't Q and his new [wife? mate? what does she stand as?] be executed as well? They had a baby.

I had to yell "Fogg! Fogg! Fogg!" I had a flashback of "Around the World in Eighty Days" when Janeway and Q were about to be executed. Both Janeway and Philleas Fogg looked down at their torsos to see if they were dying when shots sounded.

12/02/96 Update

Matt Nelson: In the shot where Q advises Janeway to "slip into something more comfortable", before, when she is wearing her uniform, she is pressed up against Q tightly. In the next shot, where she is wearing the flimsy nightgown thingy, she is standing back from him about four inches.

Janeway says to Q that there is no other man (when he implies that she is seeing Chuckles-I mean-Chakotay.) Whatever happened to Mark?

Did anyone besides me notice that really bad pun on Q's line "But it's just holo-pleasure" besides me? Ew..

Kevin Rudolph, Medical Lake, WA: In the shot when the Voyager was buffeted about by the supernovae shockwaves, we see monitors down, something hanging from the ceiling, and just generally a lot of damage. Yet just a few moments later, we see Q (the female one) leading them into the supernova with seemingly no damage.

When Q&Q are in the Continuum "q"ing over each other, (Get it? cooing.. "q"ing.. Never mind.) Q, (John Delancie) asks Janeway if she likes to watch. She makes a sort of "That's preposterous" face, but when they get down to it, she's peeking over their shoulders!

I notice that Janeway has lost the "Bun of Steel" again.

At the beginning of the episode, the doctor's holo-emitter looks like it's loose.

When Q puts Janeway into that slinky little number, why doesn't she just tell the computer to dress her in a uniform? Seems to work for Picard in "First Contact"...

Best Line: "That's it?!?"... Janeway after peeking at Q sex.

Kathryn R. L. Harkins of Tacoma, WA: Welllllll, Lee Lorenz, I must say that I don't quite agree with you--I mean, if you had a choice to fly home living your life next to a gorgeous man (I'm talking about Chakotay here for those of you who haven't noticed)who is sensitive, sweet and has sincere feelings for you (and who you'd obviously have feelings for in return) or to have a live-forever baby with a pop-eyed cocky Q who could cheat anytime without you knowing, and would leave you to do all the work, and who most likely would really be hoping for a one-night stand, which life would you choose? Sure, Captain Kathryn Janeway has to think about the welfare of her crew too, but I don't think they'd want to really get home and find out what their lovers/spouses/fiances have been doing in the 2 1/2 years while they'd been away . . . would you?? I certainly wouldn't. Sigh.

I need to complain to the hairdressers (but not really). Janeway's hair is lovely now--but I realized we can no longer use the Hair-O-Matic battle rating system! With the bun-coif thing, we would gauge how feirce a battle was by how much Janeway's hair was messed up--a few strands out meant the battle was no biggie, most likely a Kazon attack or carrying a Q across a battlefield--if it was knocked out into a ponytail, the fight was pretty bad, but there should be no major problems, most likely a new race attacking--half up, half down means she's having a really bad day, the episode was mostly action oriented, and it might take B'Elanna a few days to a week to repair the damage to the ship, the attack either staged by the Swarm or photon bursts from an alternate Voyager--and the completely down, fully screwed up bun we haven't seen yet, but it would mean she's injured along with many other members of the crew, and the ship was not doing good. Now we have the Belle-from-Beauty-and-the-Beast French ponytail (which I have to admit is a lot better) but I have no more rating system!!

I'm wondering, have Kes and Neelix worked it out, making the break-up thing just a great attention getter, or are they still broken up?

Hoo boy, Kes and Holo-Doc have a perfect example of But It's My Only Line syndrome in this episode--the meaningless speech on the bridge about stellar phenomena and the real action always being in Sickbay.

Rene Charbonneau: Janeway tells Q that she wants her crew to get back to the Alpha Quadrant by hard work. She doesn't want a quick fix. Then, please tell me why does this crew keep looking for wormholes, anamolies, the Caretaker's mate? Aren't these all quick fixes?

Also, did you see the redone preview for "Non Sequitar"? Major PAL there....the announcer says stuff like "Terror Panic...Danger" and they show phaser fights, Harry runnning, shuttles exploding....Major exageration here.

12/09/96 Update

Roger Sorensen: I appears that now, whenever GISes & Missed Opportunities to Get Home (a MOGH?) rear their ugly little heads, I guess all we can rationalize them with what Janeway said during her Captain Speech in the mansion: "I don't take shortcuts." First thought that came into my head when Suzie popped in was that song, "Ohh, Suzie Q..."

Jason Gaston of San Angelo TX: Fun episode. Now for the nits.

This episode got my mind thinking. You know what? K''Eyler isn't dead! She's a Q! Now, before you say, "Maybe she and She-Q look alike", consider this: She-Q tells B'ellanna that she's always admired Klingon spunk. AH-HA! She-Q was maquerading as a klingon, fell in love with Worf... ect. ect. This explains how Alexander grew to the age of 3 in only a year. He's half Q!!!

What happen to the Voyager in the continuum? Did they land it?

Ok, Corbin Bernson is Q2, and Amanda is Q3. Quinn is Quinn. We have She-Q, Tiny Q, Cournal-Q... This could get confusing.

Jennifer G. Robb: How could Q be sure Janeway's and his baby would have Q powers? If I recall correctly, there was some question as to whether Amanda, the child of 2 Qs had inherited the Q powers. [Q was sent to determine if she had and reported back to the shadow Q] Q's and Janeway's baby would have been half-Q/Half-human.

Shane Tourtellotte:Again, a 2-D shockwave in 3-D space. A shockwave which reaches Voyager in about a minute from “less than 10 billion kilometers.” Okay, be generous and call it 5 billion kilometers; it would still take a light-speed shockwave over four and a half hours to reach them. (Although, maybe it did go supernova four and a half hours before, but the light only reached their viewscreen now.)

Q speaks of his “gallivanting around the galaxy.” What a limited species. Surely these omnipotent beings aren’t confined to this measly corner of the universe, are they?

The fires and explosions Janeway watches through the glass door in the mansion are in slow-motion. You can detect the pauses between images if you watch closely.

So, humans have learned to resolve conflict without war. That explains their flawless relationships with the Romulans, the Klingons, the Cardassians, the Borg. I hear you saying “I think Janeway means conflicts between humans and other humans.” Oh? Admiral Leyton (From “Homefront”/”Paradise Lost”) seemed very willing to plunge Earth into civil war over his conflict with the president on how to face the Dominion.

A supernova’s shockwave blows Voyager 16 billion kilometers. That’s over 14 light-hours. I’ll let you decide whether Voyager could have been socked around for 14 hours -- or more, if they were blown away slower than light speed -- and survived.

Q says the Q have always existed, yet his girlfriend (I’d call her “Qute”, but that might be dangerous) says she’s 5 billion years old. The universe is considerably older than five billion years. So how did she come into existence after the Q did, if the Q don’t know how to reproduce?

The firing squad soldiers cock their rifles after the order of “Aim!” This doesn’t seem part of aiming; this probably should have edited in after the order of “Ready!”

Again, Voyager goes poking away at Warp 6, when they need to maintain Warp 8 to meet its timetable of 70 years to get home.

Chad Brown form Altadena, CA: To answer some of the nits for "The Q and the Grey" (and to add some of my own...:)

For starters. All of those talking about the lost oppertunity to get home and saying "wait until the crew finds out," I have a feeling that they already know. Janeway tells the crew that Q wants her to have his baby, so logic would dictate that one of his bribes will be "sleep with me and I'll take you home." Something tells me that the crew would *never* allow Janeway to prostitute herself just in order to send them home. If they all were willing to risk there lives in order to go and get Chakotay's baby in "Basics", then they would never let Janeway sacrafice herself so for them. The crew probably told her this outright--because she just might have said yes in the begining if he had offered it when he was trying to suduce her.

In the continuum, when Q finally *does* offer to send her home, he's only offering it if she not only agrees to have his baby, but stay in the contiuum and play nursemaid and mommy to there child. And she *did* tell him that she and her crew weren't looking for a "quick fix."

As to why Q tried to seduce Janeway and didn't use his powers to simply make her say yes--does anyone else but me see that as being a form of rape? The word "yes" may be coming out of her mouth, but not of her own free will.

I think everyone noticed the incosistancy with this epiosde and TNG'S True-Q. I'm probably reaching with this idea, but what if Amanda was never "born" in any real human sence. Q said that the Q never came into exsistance, but that they *always* exsisted. Therefore, Amanda's parents never gave birth to her, she was always around--in a sence. Just pure speculation.

The scene between Janeway and Chakotay in Janeway's ready room clearly answered the "did they or didn't they" question left at the end of "Resolutions." (They didn't.) Nice to know that "Chuckles" was jealous however. :)

The slight religious parallells in this episode are hard to miss. Janeway has the opportunity to become the mother of a living God--a "messiah." Just like Mary giving birth to the Christ child in a sense.

All in all, it was a cute episode, with some *great* lines. I think the ending was just a little *too* cute for my taste however--Q should have just come back to give Janeway back the puppy. I really think she should have been aloud to keep it. :)

Anonymous: I suggest we start referring to Tom Paris as 'helm-boy' from now on. :) (Note from Phil: Sounds good to me!)

Chad Hernandez of Artesia, NM: Since when did Q go from being grossed out by Amanda's attraction to Riker to impressing females throughout the galaxy with his prowess?

Dustin Westfall of Fullerton, CA: I nearly laughed out loud when I heard Q3(I don't count "Quinn" because he eventually got a real name) said she liked Klingon women because they were so fiesty. That must explain why she chose to be one (or at least half of one, she played K'Elher(sic) in "The Emissary" and another one I forget.) I wonder what drew her to Vulcans, then (she also played Dr. Selar in "The Schizoid Man")?

Why are the Q that Q is fighting (figure that phrase out?:) wearing the Confederate uniforms when Q (John DeLancie) is wearing a Union uniform? In the Civil War, the Status Quo (as Q calls them), the Union, wore the blue, while the Freedom Fighters (or so they thought), the Confederacy wore Gray. Does Q just like Blue better, or was it the belief that he would eventually win, and he wanted to show that by wearing the Union colors?

Cydney Williams of Chicago Heights, IL: After watching this episode of Voyager, all I felt was mild disappointment, but after careful reflection, I hated it! No only was the plot contrived and silly, but it had holes wide enough to navigate a Borg cube-shipe through!

First of all, whatever happened to the Q that was "mad, bad and dangerous to know"? What happened to this sharp intelligence and caustic wit? There is no way in the universe that Q would go to Harry, Tom or Neelix for advice and if he did he would not allow there three nobodies to just blow him off. I'm surprised that he didn't turn them inot dogs or some other animal as he did Beverly in TNG's "Tapestry." I also though that Tom and Harry's behaviour was crazy. If you want to live a long, full likfe, you don't insult an omnipotent being. Q is a representative of an alien race and he should be given some respect. This is definitely diplomatically incorrect.

Q also admitted that he had seduced females across the galazy. This is beyond me. Q is to humanoids what humanoids are to insects. Why would a being like Q make a big deal out of gender? Also, why are there male and female Q? Obviously, they don't procreate the way we do, so why the difference? And if Q wanted to mate with someone with human values, DNA and knowledge of sex, why didn't he go find Amanda Q? I also can't believe that Q couldn't figure out a way to mate with another Q. Isn't this the guy with an IQ of 2005? I have forgiven Voyager despite its many sins, but I cannot forgive the destruction of the Q character.

Alex Otis: In comment on Adam Farlinger's comments on Civil war, Janeway is American. He commonly referred to France when talking to Picard, so why is this any different?

Daniel B. Case: Are the Q corporeal beings or not? This episode seems to imply that they are, somehow, that they actually have DNA to mix with. Yet other episodes have implied that the Q only take corporeal form when necessary (remember that Amanda's parents in "True Q" chose to take human form, which of course brings up the question of how Amanda could have developed Q powers. Q himself appears initially as something other than human in "Hide and Q"). Quinn and Q seemed to agree in "Death Wish" that the "Hotel California" representation was the only way of getting the nature of the Q Continuum across to Tuvok and Janeway, that they could not be expected to comprehend it as it was. Likewise, the Civil War milieu in this episode. But this is supposed to be the actual Continuum, not a representation. So can corporeal bipeds survive in the Continuum or not?I guess, since were talking about the Q, it's OK to say there's much that is beyond our understanding.

Oh, as for Joseph Pindar's question about how Janeway knew that supernovae were rare in the quadrant, I'm sure she's just extrapolating from what we know in our own quadrant, where supernovae are indeed fairly rare.

Michael Ash: First: GIS. Yes, this was mentioned, but the acronym wasn't used! (Sorry, not very major, I know)

Second: The creators seem to have forgotten about a little thing called the "Speed of Light" that most things (even in Star Trek) cannot exceed. I assume that the Voyager is using sub-space sensors to detect the supernovas, but the action on the screen follows almost concurrently. (Evidence for the faster-than-light detection of the supernovas is shown when Harry detects another supernova *before* the sub-space shockwave from that supernova passes the ship. The only way this could happen is if Harry uses faster-than-light methods of detection.) After the shock wave passes, Janeway orders full reverse, that she wants "to stay ahead of that shock wave." (I've always been mystified on how reverse works with impulse engines, but I'll spare you that.) First, they Voyager is *already* behind the shock wave, yet she want's to stay *ahead* of it. Second, impulse has a maximum of 0.25 the speed of light, and I would assume reverse drive has even less speed, although that doesn't matter. What does matter is that she's trying to outrun a shock wave moving at a considerable fraction of the speed of light (or faster, but I covered that already) going barely more than 1/4 its speed.

Later, after they watch the first nova fade away, Harry reports another one 0.2 light-years away. First of all, stars are only packed this close in the galactic core, and I'm sure Voyager hasn't made it there yet. Second, 0.2 light year is still *extremely* far away, as far as terms we're used to go. Soon after the nova is detected, someone says that the shock wave will reach the Voyager in 16 (or so) seconds. Yet, even at 0.2 light years away, it will still take light something like two and a half *months* to get there, and the particles in the wave will take even *longer*.

Murray Leeder: It's interesting that Q made Janeway Tiny-Q's godmother. Makes you wonder what religion Q follows. Probably that one where he believes in himself!

Dov Weiss of Montreal, Quebec: Okay, Q and Q said they've had a relationship for the last billion years, doesn't that kind of get in the way of Q's relationship with Vash?

In the scene on the holodeck, what is Neelix doing behind the bar? Does he take it upon himself to work during his relaxing time? Does he find it relaxing to tend bar? As ship's cook wouldn't he be sick of serving people?

Neat trick by the female Q. Right before the shockwaves hit she snaps her fingers and dissapears. After the shockwave hits she's on the bridge. To explain this she says that she was unable to enter. So where did she go, and why did she come back to Voyager?

Elizabeth Harrison: Just a minor nit here that no one else mentioned. When Q is wounded in the shoulder and Janeway helps him out of the house, she grabs him by that shoulder ( the left one, I think) and puts his left arm over her shoulder in an effort to support Q. He does not appear to be in any pain from the rough handling. It's like that big red bloodstain is there just for show...

Rene Charbonneau of Vanier, Ontario: Well, Q has certainly changed him mind about babies. In TNG's "True Q", Q tells Crusher that he'll never understand what humans find so appealing about babies. Yet, in this episode, we find Q wanting to have a baby and at the end, we find him playing with his kid.

Also, in "Encounter at Farpoint", Q calls humans a "dangerous, savage, child race..." because they still use violence in some of their conflicts. He acts like the Q are superior because of this. But, in "The Q and The Grey", we find that the Q also try to solve their conflicts with violence.

12/16/96 Update

Jennifer G. Robb: I thought that there was a line in this episode that said the Civil War analogy was for Janeway's benefit (so that she could understand the continuum). Supposedly, though the weapons looked as if they were from the civil war era, they were actually Q weapons.

Lleij Schwartz of Manchester, NH: Do the Q have a habit of lying? First Q calls himself superior to man for the Q have gone beyond violence, then we see they even the Q go to war. Then they say they have omniscience, they know not just a lot but everything. Well doesn't that mean they know past, present and future? Why are the Q surprised by things? Why does John-Q in Deathwish struggle to remember the name of Woodstock? If the Q are omniscience then we should be seeing them portrayed more like the wormhole aliens from DS9, whose thinking is not bound by temporal linearity. Also if the Q know everything then Q shouldn't have an IQ of 2000 something, he would have an infinite IQ (excuse the pun). Further the Q say that they are omnipotent, they can do anything. If they are omnipotent then what is the problem of reproduction? A caveat of that is maybe the Q are only omnipotent in our universe and in they can only manipulate the Continuum by certain laws.

Brendan Dillon: I have a problem with the Q Continuum and their outlook on death. They figure that if a Q dies, it will cause unrest in the Continuum (which it did). But they try to solve the problem with an execution. So they kill soomeone to keep anyone from dying? And this isn't their first execution either. They killed Amanda's parents with a Q tornado in a TNG episode.

Tom Elmore of Columbia S.C.: I'm a Civil War buff as well as a Star Trek fan, so this episode was of particular intrest to me. However I have a few observations that may or may not be nits.

Our "Q" is wearing the uniform of a captain of infantry. A naval captain would be of the same rank as a colonel. An army captain is the same rank as a naval (an presumably Starfleet) lieutenant. Why did Q give himself a demotion. More importantly why would a revolt of such galatic porportion be led by a mere captain?

The "rebels" in our Civil War wore gray, while the defenders of the status quo wore blue. If Q is leading a revolt, would it not make more sense for him to wear gray?

The leader of the "Gray Qs" wears three stars on his uniform. Offcially, that would be the rank of colonel, which means that the defenders of the status quo are being led by someone less than a general? I find this a little hard to believe. Now it should be noted that a number of Confederate generals, most notably Robert E. Lee wore his general stars in a similar manner. the offical Confederate policy called for laurel leaves around three stars to signify a general.

How did the voyager crew know that they should wear Union uniforms?

The female Q is in civillian dress, though it seems that she is a leader of the gray Qs. There was at least one female commissioned as an officer by the Confederate government. In fact we now know that several hundred women fought for both the "blue and the gray".

Q talks like the baby Q is going to grow up like a normal human being. Would not an advanced race like the Q have an accelerated growth and development pattern?

Erin Hunt: Somebody said that if Q considers himself a rebel, he should have presented himself as a Confederate soldier, not a Union one. But Q was trying to impress Janeway with the rightness of his cause, and most people today consider the Confederates the "bad guys" of the Civil War. Also, he was fighting for freedom, so he might identify more with the Union than with the pro-slavery Confederacy.

I can understand Janeway's attitude about not wanting to mate with Q even to get them home. But I agree that there is NO excuse for her not asking Q to take the home at the end of the episode. After all, the Voyager crew just saved his life and played a major role in ending the Q civil war. (I know this would bring the series to an abrupt end, but they could have atleast tried to come up with some reason why Q couldn't or wouldn't send them home).

Why would Q need to mate with Janeway to combine human and Q DNA? Doesn't that seem like the sort of thing he should be able to do just by snapping his fingers?

And why does it have to be Janeway he mates with? What about the billions of other human females in the (Milky Way) galaxy? And are we expected to believe that humans are the only peaceful race in the universe? A Vulcan, to name one off the top of my head, would also be a good choice. (Note from Phil: Well, supposedly Q finds her fascinating.)

I find it unlikely that the Voyager crew could even use Q weapons. A weapon that could kill an immortal Q is certainly not any sort of physical weapon, even if they look like physical weapons. But I suppose Suzy Q might have given them that ability once she got back to the Continuum and regained her powers. (I love that name; the actress's name being Suzy and all).

Likewise, Janeway shouldn't be able to hide from the enemy Q at all. Even if Q is *presenting* the Continuum in a way that Janeway can comprehend, that wouldn't change the true nature of the place or the people. Any Q should be easily able to find a human in the Continuum. Most of the time you could say that Q is hiding her from their"eyes", but not the whole time.

Best line has to be the one after Janeway's "That's it?!" Q says, "Hey, you had your chance."

My nomination for Great Moment is when Q is doing a hilariously bad job of trying to convince Janeway that what he really wants is a relationship.

Why doesn't Q just use his powers to make Janeway mate with him? That would be rape, but since when has Q been so ethical about humans, especially if he believes the survival of the Continuum to be at stake?

Oh, and how does he expect Janeway to raise a half-Q baby? "Come to Mommy. Look out for that planet! NO! Nooooo..."

This show had a delightfully wicked sense of humor, even more so than most Q episodes.

Erin Hunt of High Point, NC: Why couldn't Q travel into the future to see the outcome of the civil war? Maybe the normal space-time continuum doesn't exist inside the Q Continuum, but couldn't he observe space outside the Continuum for distortions?

12/23/96 Update

Rene Charbonneau of Vanier Ontario :At the end of the episode, Q is in a good mood. He just made you the godmother of his son. Wouldn't this be the perfect time to ask Q to take you back to the Alpha Quadrant? But, Janeway doesn't. Why not? (Note from Phil: No doubt Janeway feels it would comprimise her high ethical standards. One wonders if she hasn't started to enjoy being stranded in the Delta Quadrant with her manly-man first officer!)

12/30/96 Update

Jill Vaden of Hampton, VA: In the holodeck scene between Q and Neelix, the closeup shot of Q talking to Neelix (camera behind Neelix's head) shows a drink with an ornament in front of Q. Yet, in the closeup shot of Neelix talking to Q (camera behind Q's head), the drink in front of Q disappears.

During the bridge scene just after Janeway, Q and Q2 come out of ready room. Chakotay and Kim talk about multiple supernovas. Janeway says supernovas come every XXX(forgot number) years in this area of space. How does she know when she is in the Delta quadrant? Perhaps, in this area they are more frequent.

1/6/97 Update

Matthew Chiappardi: A lot of people are writing in with some discomfort about Janeway's statement about supernovas. How can she know how many supernovas are in the Delta Quadrent etc. I think we're forgetting that even today in the end of the 20th century we can not only observe supernovas from whithin our galaxy but for other further away galaxies. It is logical to assume that detection method has been much improved by the 24th century, especially in a society with its eyes constantly looking at the sky. So, of course Janeway knows the frequency of supernova in the Delta Quadrent and much beyond.

If you would like to add some comments, drop me a note at chief@nitcentral.com. Please put the name of the episode in the Subject line and include your real name, city and state (or province and county as the case may be) in the body of the e-mail so I can give you credit if you are the first person to bring up a particular nit. (Remember the legalese: Everything you submit becomes mine and you grant me the right to use yourname in any future publication by me. I will do my best to give you credit if you are the first person to submit a particular nit but I make no guarantees. And finally, due to the volume of mail received at Nitpicker Central, your submission may or may not be acknowledged.)

Copyright 1996 by Phil Farrand. All Rights Reserved.