In Q-Less (DS9, S01E07), our favorite capricious entity was socked in the face by Benjamin Sisko. “Picard never punched me!” This scene created a defining moment between the new commander and Picard.
Sisko did not entertain tricksters. He hadn’t the time. Between running a derelict space station, chasing down spies from the Gamma Quadrant, and arguing with The Prophets, this punch was a foreshadowing statement to audiences and deities alike: Sisko is not afraid to contend with gods.
That’s not to say Jean-Luc Picard was afraid. His approach was just far more diplomatic and prolonged by a sense of curiosity. Picard grappled intellectually with Q for decades, transforming their existential rivalry into a sort of friendship. But in a non-cannon universe not far from here, things were quite different.
IMPORTANT NOTE: These early DC comics were written during the production of season one of The Next Generation. Thus, character depictions are a little off, as are some of the technology and abilities. The creators of this mini-series had little to go on, maybe just the show bible and some test footage. So what they left us is a wild romp of a story.
In Q Factor, the Enterprise found an abandoned, but still powered, ship that could not be identified. Assuming the craft was built by an undiscovered lifeform, Tasha Yar was sent to investigate and slipped into shock after she was reunited with Reglech, a dangerous stalker from her past. With Yar back on board, Q appeared on the bridge demanding that Picard destroy the unidentified ship. The captain refused, as it is not Starfleet’s MO to obliterate ships upon meeting, and the Enterprise was attacked.
Now, Picard did something... interesting and a little crazy: He separated the saucer section while in the middle of a space battle. His prerogative was to protect the hundreds of civilians aboard the ship, but his decision backfired when giant, anti-space hands captured the saucer section.
Next up, Q's Day. Back on the battle bridge, Q and Picard continued to argue… and argue and argue. It seemed Q had created another test for humanity: a chance at revenge for crimes against Yar in her past, but the test goes awry. Not only did Yar and the crew show mercy towards Reglech, but the Q-Collective also interrupted the test by revoking the now “tainted” Q’s powers. Picard adds the icing to the cake with a crack at Q's jaw, "Because I've been dying to do that since I met you. But then you always said we humans had that violence in us."
In Q Affects!, the now-human Q took his nerfing rather personally and attempted to end his own life several times. In one attempt, Geordi LaForge was struck with a stray phaser blast, which caused Data to lose all emotional control and beat Q to almost exhaustion! He only stops when he realizes such an emotional outburst is unbecoming of an android.
The Q-Collective returned the saucer section, human-Q was taken to sickbay, but Reglech showed up one last time, threatening the dying LaForge. In an act of humanity, Q recognized the chaos he created aboard the Enterprise and jumped in to save LaForge, forfeiting his own life. Martyrdom proved to the Q-Collective that their tainted Q was actually an alright guy. Q’s powers were returned, LaForge was saved, and the Enterprise returned to normality, briefly, once again.
You may have noticed this story sounds like a bad Mirror-verse retelling of the episode Deja Q (TNG S03E13). I cannot find any proof that the episode is directly based on these comics. This could be a case of independent parallel development, but regardless, the differences between the comics and the TV episode are stark.
The characterizations are really off in the comics; everyone is way too aggressive, and this is a disservice to the core idea of Q’s test: humans are violent. This comic unfortunately proves Q somewhat right, which makes me appreciate the Deja Q episode even more. That episode is like a second chance to prove how diplomatic and clever the Enterprise crew can really be without the fisty cuffs.
There’s so much more in these comics that I left out to maybe entice more people to pick up a copy:
- We get a little bit of backstory on Tasha Yar's time in the colony.
- Deana Troi gets a power boost in this series. She even has “Betazoid prediction” powers and her ability to psionically scan other ships is amplified.
- There’s a subplot between two married bridge crew who can’t help but have marital spats in the middle of a crisis.
- And lots more!
It’s not canon, and it’s not the greatest version of a story you’ve already heard, but DC's 1988 TNG Q mini-series is a fascinating look at an alternate universe, where all your favorite characters are ripped, angry, and ready to strike a pose. If anything, it will make you appreciate when the writers get Star Trek right.
More from Redshirts Always Die: