‘HIDE AND Q’ (TNG)
Please feel free to comment on my review.
‘Hide and Q’ is the second episode to feature John de Lancie as Q in the ‘Star Trek: TNG’ series. Q made his first ‘Star Trek’ appearance in the first episode of the ‘TNG’ series, ‘Encounter At Farpoint’.
My Mum and Dad aren’t very keen on Q as I am. I don’t mind him as a character. I admit he got on my nerves in his first two appearances in ‘TNG’. But gradually he grew on me during the ‘TNG’ series.
I mentioned in my review for ‘The Squire of Gothos’ that there are similarities between Q and Trelane. It transpires that Q is Trelane’s godson, according to the book, ‘Q-Squared’, by Peter David.
In this ‘Star Trek’ episode, the Enterprise is en route to Quadra Sigma to help some colonists after a methane explosion. But on the way, the Enterprise is stopped by Q who wants the crew’s attention.
Annoyed by Q’s interruption, some of the Enterprise crew are forced to compete in a game of his. Picard is left alone on the bridge, whilst the rest of the crew are transported to another alien planet.
Riker with Data, Worf, Geordi and Tasha meet Q on the planet, who’s dressed himself up as a French marshal from the Napoleonic era. Q puts Riker and the others in a game where they are ‘to stay alive’.
Tasha Yar protests against this game, before she’s sent back to the Enterprise with Picard, only to be put into a ‘penalty box’. Tasha becomes frustrated and upset when she becomes manipulated by Q.
I really like that scene between Picard and Tasha, where he reassures her not to be upset by all that is happening. Tasha cheers up, but this happy moment is interrupted when Q mocks Captain Picard.
It transpires that Q is not interested in Captain Picard for this episode, but in Commander Riker instead. On the planet, a tense battle occurs between Enterprise crew and aliens in French uniforms.
But it seems that Riker can save his people as Q has given him…the power of the Q. Q tells him to use those new god-like powers, as Riker soon uses them to send the others back to the Enterprise.
It becomes tense and shocking when it turns out Riker has become a god like Q is. It makes for interesting drama, especially when Riker has to make the choice in using his god-like powers or not.
There’s a shocking moment where both Worf and Wesley gets killed by the ‘vicious dog-like’ French soldiers on the planet. But Riker manages to save them and return everyone back to the Enterprise.
Continuing their mission to Quadra Sigma, Picard asks Riker to promise not to use his god-like powers again. Riker reluctantly agrees, but it isn’t easy when they go off to the planet Quadra Sigma.
On Quadra Sigma, Riker’s away team attempt to save the colonists following the methane explosion. They find a little girl buried under rubble, but she’s already dead. Riker gets tempted to save the girl.
But due to his promise to Picard, he does not. Riker lets out his anger to Picard when he returns on the Enterprise bridge. Tension grows as Riker becomes more determined to use his new god powers.
Riker soon gathers the regular ‘TNG’ cast on the bridge, to tell them he intends to use his powers and not be changed by them. The rest of the ‘TNG’ cast are unconvinced, being concerned for Riker.
Very soon, Q appears and Riker gets to give everyone’s desires on the bridge with his god-like powers at Picard’s blessing. This includes Riker giving special gifts to Wesley, Data, Geordi and Worf.
Wesley is given a chance to become a man, Data to become human, Geordi to have his eyesight and Worf to have a Klingon female mate. But everyone rejects these special gifts, preferring as they are.
This angers Q, before he gets summoned by his Q Continuum once he’s failed in his attempts to make Riker a god like him. Everyone is pleased that Q is gone. But this doesn’t mean that Q is gone forever.
This is an episode that doesn’t feature Marina Sirtis as Counsellor Deanna Troi. She’s been dropped off at a starbase in the tale. It was led to believe that Marina Sirits would be written out of the show.
‘Hide and Q’ is a good ‘TNG’ episode from its first season. It isn’t one of the best and I wasn’t a fan of Q instantly from seeing his first two episodes of ‘TNG’. But he grew on me when watching the series.
‘Hide and Q’ (TNG) rating – 7/10
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