Star Trek: Voyager’s “The Q and the Grey” is better than its given credit for

Q’s time on Star Trek: Voyager was some of the best television the character ever had.

John de Lancie brought the iconic Star Trek character Q to life for years, even decades. Appearing on Star Trek’s The Next Generations, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine, the character became infamous for his wit and clever storylines. He was brought back recently for Picard and Lower Decks to mixed results, but his legacy is forever secured as one of the best characters in the history of the Star Trek franchise.

And while his run on The Next Generation is in the eyes of many his magnum opus, his run on Deep Space Nine and Voyager only added to his legacy. From Benjamin Sisko knocking him out, to his trial of sorts over whether or not another member of the famed Q-Continuum had the right to die.

Yet, Screenrant is throwing some heavy shade at arguably his best Voyager appearance; “The Q and the Grey”.

Star Trek: Voyager has a quiet gem in “The Q and the Grey”

In the episode, Q returns to Voyager to convince Kathryn Janeway to have a baby with him. The Q Continuum is in the middle of a civil war and Q is worried about his species future. Then, another Q enters the fray, played by Suzie Plakson, and the banter that Plackson and de Lancie have is incredible.

Add on the Civil War aesthetic and Janeway looking very out of place in her time-period-specific dress and you have one of the better episodes that de Lancie has ever been in. Apparently, the writer of the article felt that Q’s attempts to sway Janeawy were “offputting and cringe-worthy” but that was the point.

No one in their right mind would say yes to Q, and watching him make a fool of himself when the answer was only ever going to be no made for some very fun fare. The entire episode is meant to be tongue in cheek and it really works when you don’t take it super seriously.

And even if you do, no one should ever consider his time on Deep Space Nine or Voyager as inferior to de Lanacie’s turn on Picard. Talk about offputting and cringe-worthy.