LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 11: John Barrowman attends the ‘Chicago’ press view at Phoenix Theatre on April 11, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
John Barrowman as Q
He may not be a member of the bridge crew, but the moment Captain Picard set a course for Farpoint Station he was on Q’s radar, and humanity was on an ongoing trail to justify its own existence.
Coming from a race of omnipotent beings, in many ways filling in the Star Trek universes version of living, if not restless, gods. The Q have the power to completely rewrite the laws of nature, to change the constants of the universe and to create anything or go anywhere literally with the snap of their fingers.
A character like this could easily have fallen into a dangerous place in the context of Star Trek, becoming somewhat of a deus ex machina in the event that the writers couldn’t solve a particular problem, however the writers managed to handle the character with a great deal of restraint, and the natural charisma of John de Lancie made the character an instant fan favourite. It’s important to bring a presence as strong as de Lancie to any reincarnation of Q.
John Barrowman had a similar experience on Doctor Who where he played a slightly over the top character who instantly became a fan favourite, in Captain Jack Harkness. An immortal time agent who would go on to have his own spin-off series, Torchwood. Between that role and his role in Arrow where he played the evil at times, Malcolm Merlin John Barrowman has the ability to win over fans and play a mischievous role with the best of them. It also doesn’t hurt that he kind of looks like a younger John de Lancie.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 19: John de Lancie attends a photocall at Destination Star Trek London at ExCel on October 19, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Martin McNeil/Getty Images)
Honourable mention: John de Lancie
Sure, he’s 70 years old, but since when are God’s the territory of the young? The truth is with Q able to be anyone, any time, in any place, why couldn’t he be a few years older?
Ok, I’ll admit my first thought for this spot was actually Keegan de Lancie, who many will remember as Q (Junior) from the Star Trek Voyager episode Q2. But as it turns out Keegan decided to leave acting and is working for the US State Department. So he’s not likely available.
But as a regular on the fan circuit, John de Lancie is likely up for reprising his role, he always enjoyed Star Trek and who wouldn’t love playing that role again?