Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan on why fans love Q

Star Trek: Picard season two will premiere on March 3, 2022 with Q.

Star Trek: Picard returns on March 3, and it’s bringing along a villain from Star Trek: The Next Generation who was a thorn in Captain Picard’s side—Q. The omnipotent, arrogant, know-it-all played by John de Lancie, didn’t make friends in any corner of the world, although Captain Janeway seemed to tolerate him more on Star Trek: Voyager than any other captain did. But even though he got under Picard’s skin, or perhaps because he got under Picard’s skin, he’s returning to the admiral’s world. And from the trailer, it looks like Q is shaking that world up…a lot. So what is it about the dastardly entity that fans love?

When Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan were asked that question in an interview with Collider, Hurd was quick with a response that just makes sense.

"“Well, a good villain is loved forever. Right? Like someone who’s complex, powerful, and omnipotent like he is….I mean it’s hard to…how can you not want to see what else he could do and have him come back?”"

Q has always been an enigma to all Star Trek captains.

At times, he comes across as downright evil while, at others, he seems to be creating chaos for a person’s own good, like showing Captain Picard what his life could have been like in “Tapestry” had Picard not made some of the decisions he made in the past. It’s times like those that make someone wonder if Q really is a villain or just someone who doesn’t know how to be anything but obnoxious. He moves people around like pawns on a chess board because he’s bored. I mean, if you have everything you could ever want in life, where would the adventure and challenge be?

I’m not the biggest fan of Q (though I am a huge John de Lancie fan), but I do understand the compelling nature of his character. And I’m hoping we’ll get some revelation about him in season two of Star Trek: Picard that will make us understand him a little better.