Deja Q (1990) User Reviews (21)

John de Lancie OWNS

[M_Exchange · 9/10 · 16 January 2017]

It's yet another outstanding performance by de Lancie as Q. I know that he is a successful actor now, but given his consistent greatness on this show and his outstanding performances in "Breaking Bad" I'm surprised that he isn't a superstar and I'm not seeing him in every other big budget movie that I watch. It's also a testament to Gene Roddenberry's genius that he recognized his immense talent and cast him in the first couple of episodes as the iconic Q entity.

Data's simpatico interactions with Q and his guidance through the mores of humanity make for some of the best dialogue on the show. It's great subtle and witty humor. I really love this episode.

"You make my writing sound better than it is."

[zenmateisshite · 9/10 · 21 November 2020]

This is what Roddenberry allegedly told De Lancie after his Q audition, and I totally concur. It is a good summary of De Lancie's amazing performance as Q.

The episode itself has a few good storylines: Q's fall from grace, Data's "humanness", and how people can learn and develop. It's a good sci-fi/philosophical funny episode. However, as a stand-alone episode to someone who is not familiar with the Star Trek characters it might appear a bit plain.

Star Trek The Next Generation--Déjà Q

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 9 May 2013]

For an omnipotent god, Q can be quite a pest. While the opening establishes that a moon is mysteriously out of orbit and heading for a planet, Picard and crew trying to determine how to alter its path, "Déjà Q" is more concerned with Q dealing with "punishment" from the Continuum for too many missteps and troublesome misbehavior, opting to be a human mortal after little time to determine another option regarding what type of lifeform he'd prefer. Being a human mortal bums Q out as a race of lifeforms (that exist in the form of a lightning cloud) try to break the shields of the Enterprise to kill him. Twice they almost succeed, the second time Data nearly perishes after stopping the race from snatching Q from the Enterprise. Picard and company have a hard time accepting Q is mortal and not just up to his old tricks. That said, Q faces a crisis when dealing with all the emotions, fatigue, and hunger (and pain; such as when Guinan stabs his hand with a fork!) and the like while "bonding" with Data (his only support, as the whole Enterprise is completely against him (and rightfully so), making correct assessments that Q does have a lot to offer in terms of intelligence and his experience as a god) during the difficult transition from immortal to mortal. "How the mighty have fallen," an apt comment from Guinan who understandably basks in the misery plaguing mortal Q. As the series continued, Q become more of a comic act, although most of the episodes he appeared placed the Enterprise crew in difficult situations that often left them worse for wear. Here, Corbin Bernsten (!) shows up as a part of the Q Continuum who was responsible for kicking Q out for his malfeasance, appearing at the nick of time as the race of vengeful lifeforms were closing in on their target (Q gets a conscience and realizes he is a detriment and danger to the Enterprise as long as he remains on board, hitching a ride in a shuttlecraft). The ending is especially fun as Q is returned his powers, appears on the bridge with a mariachi band, granting Riker a couple of ladies on each arm, and gives Data a moment to enjoy the emotion of laughter (brief but still emotion Data had never felt at that time). Q takes care of the moon crisis and Picard wonders if a "residue" of humanity remained. The use of lighted cigars was a nicely humorous touch. The chance to see Q vulnerable and weak, unable to get much guidance or support from those around him (his constant harassment of those on the ship hasn't endeared him to them), is unique within the tenure of the show. As usual, De Lancie is a hoot as Q, proving once again how much his character was an asset over the long term with his sporadic (and never boring) encounters (mostly uninvited) with the Enterprise. Picard's exhaustion of Q and distrust is always a nice contrast to Q's constant annoyance towards him.

Q's visits are getting better and better.

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 16 November 2014]

The very first "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode, "Encounter at Farpoint" wasn't particularly good. The show's first meeting with Q was, to put it bluntly, pretty dull stuff. Fortunately, the more times this supreme being appeared in the show, the better these meetings became--and "Déjà Q" is exceptional.

When the show begins, Q makes his most memorable entrance ever! While the ship is trying desperately to save a planet below, Q arrives and expects everyone to drop everything and welcome him. As usual, however, he's made to feel about as welcome as an outbreak of herpes! In an odd twist, Q is now mortal--turned into a human by the Collective. Why exactly is uncertain--all you know is that Q is very whiny and hates the prospect of living out life this way.

Although the Q plot is diverting, the crew really must work on stopping the moon from leaving its orbit and destroying the planet, so much of the time Q whines and everyone but Data ignores him. As for Data, his conversations with Q are awfully funny. Bizarrely, despite Q's immense knowledge, no one considers asking him to help save the planet. Still, despite this, Q does manage to save the day! How and why? Well, see the show.

This episode has a lot of fun moments and just goes to show you that the humans on the show are pretty dumb and NEVER are the least bit grateful for his help--and he IS quite helpful here despite himself. Well worth seeing and memorable...and a sign of continual improvement in the Q episodes.

Guess who's back!

[russem31 · 18 April 2006]

ST:TNG:61 - "Deja Q" (Stardate: 43539.1) - this is the 13th episode of the 3rd season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This episode marks the return of John de Lancie as the ever lovable Q!

The Enterprise, while orbiting planet Bre'el Four to investigate the dangers of an asteroidal moon crashing into the planet itself, receives a visit from a supposedly powerless Q (whose powers have been stripped by the continuum - not to mention his clothes!). But IS Q really powerless or does he have another trick up his sleeve?

One thing's for sure, it's hilarious to see Q go through the "human experience"!

This episode marks the return of Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan. Also, Corbin Bernsen guest stars as Q2.

Not the best episode, but some of the best lines

[kevinmorice · 8/10 · 4 March 2022]

This is far from the best episode of TNG, but it is riddled with some of the very best lines. Especially John De Lancie, and his delivery of:

"Eaten any good books lately?", "Please don't feel compelled now to tell me the story of The Boy Who Cried 'Worf'.", "Simple. Change the gravitational constant of the universe.", "You weren't like that before the beard.", "Ah, Dr. Crusher. I see Starfleet has shipped you back into exile." "Your bedside manner's admirable, Doctor. I'm sure your patients recover quickly, just to get away from you!"

Have A Cigar! And Enjoy.

[davidegede_744 · 8/10 · 9 September 2007]

Fun In Space, great fun. Q and humanity. Q is punished to become the thing he both dislikes and adores. It is an episode on the light comedy stuff. The main story is of no excellence, a Japan like space people are under the threat of being crushed by a lunar asteroid. But then our friend Q makes an entry, and the story takes a twist. Is he as he use to be or is what he says he is. Human. The rest is investigation into what he wants, likes and enlightenment comes to the one who seeks with a pure heart. Q then gets pursued by a space being that he has molested, and he seeks the security of Enterprise and Picard.

Also note the friendship between Q And Data, Data makes a lot of friends in this season. And yet again I am touched by the ending, tears are running,, but with laughter this time. 'lol).

The teleplay is genuine fun, and John de Lancie is great. But how can Riker always be that wrong. 8 out of 10 Yes, entertaining to the last. D.

Die!

[snoozejonc · 8/10 · 19 June 2021]

Q is ejected from the continuum and transformed into a human.

This is a solid episode with a fairly interesting story, great visuals and an entertaining performance from John de Lancie.

It is a humorously intended character transformation story with Q learning about humanity to make him a better omnipotent being.

How much you enjoy the Deja Q depends on how interesting you find the concept and whether the comedy works for you. For me it is refreshing to see him on the receiving end of the torment, but the jokes, albeit hilarious in very short doses, are (for my own sense of humour) not hugely consistent. Q has a brief exchange with Worf that is particularly memorable.

There is a decent sci-fi element to the episode with the sub-plot regarding the decaying orbit of a moon being an interesting idea and the detail that goes with it feels plausible.

I like the notion of Q as an observer and frequent judge of humanity, but this is the point where the character lost a lot of mystique for me in the grand scheme of the show. I think it stems from the number of scenes we see where the character whines about his predicament. As a stand-alone story it does work very well though I have to admit.

I do not wish to take anything away from John de Lancie's performance which is as excellent and charismatic as ever. His banter with Enterprise characters is always engaging and great for generating humour, but with it comes a loss of awe around such a powerful character. Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn and Patrick Stewart play off him particularly well.

Visually this is an impressive episode with some superb effects, editing and strong cinematography.

For me it's a 7.5/10 but I round upwards.

Data --- Humanities professor.

[thevacinstaller · 8/10 · 16 March 2021]

Well, it happened. Q spent too much time with humanity space boy scouts/girl guides and a bit of that nasty altruism rubbed off.

I would put this into the 'fun' category for TNG episodes. Beyond the theme of Data emulating humanities best aspects and Q representing a few of our worst there is not any thought provoking messages in this one. I suppose you could takeaway a message about the power of the selfless act? Data's selfless act possibly informing Q on a proper course to take? The Android who doesn't fully understand humanity attempting to explain the human experience was a fun watch.

It is fun to see the tables turn on Q and his hilarious reactions to the human condition.

I did nearly fall out of my chair with Worf's early dialogue. There's no point in keeping count --- Worf is by far the leading cause of my laughter on TNG so far.

I Love Q!

[chrischanwasframed · 10/10 · 22 June 2022]

This is one of my favourite episodes. Q is my favourite character in all of Star Trek, he is consistently entertaining. Q and Picard have great chemistry as usual, but I also really enjoyed the scenes between Q and Data. The ending of this episode is one of the funniest and heartwarming endings ever.

A Better Q Episode

[Samuel-Shovel · 7/10 · 8 October 2019]

In "Deja Q" the Enterprise is on a mission to save an inhabited planet's moon as its orbit degrades and it risks crashing onto the planet's surface. The force causing this degradation is unknown. But the answer may be found when a naked Q appears on the bridge of the ship. The Q Continuum has stripped Q of his powers and left him in a humanoid shell. Q asks for asylum but is instead thrown in the brig. Q must deal with his new corporeal form while also helping Geordi and Data stop the spiralling moon. This becomes more complicated when a race known as the Calimarane show up to seek revenge on the now mortal Q.

I have mixed emotions on our old pal Q. Sometimes I find myself hating him as a god-like figure that is a quick fix to any open-ended plot device. Other times I find him charming, his interactions with Picard and Guinan being a real highlight.

I do enjoy this episode. Probably not as much as other people based on the rating but I thought it was a good one. It was interesting watching Q grabble with his own mortality. His scenes with Data as they discuss the illogically minded human race make for the best ones of the episode. I could probably do without his back ache and his hunger (your omnipotent Q, you should know what hunger is!). But these are minor squabbles.

I wouldn't put this one down as a classic (or even a great) episode. I do find it enjoyable though.

Q is confronted with mortality, we're all doomed

[firesideblossom · 10/10 · 16 May 2023]

Where Season 2's Q episode focused on the Borg's introduction displayed Q's incomprehensible power, this episode strips it all away from him. What we're left with is all of Q's annoyances and quirks, without any of his power holding him up on a pedestal. The result is a pretty hilarious episode as Q meanders about the Enterprise trying to act just as pompous as before, only this time being forced to comply to being ordered around; more importantly, being forced to confront his own selfishness and mortality.

There's a pretty decent main conflict tossed into the mix about a moon on a collision course with the planet it orbits. Ordinarily the stakes would feel much lower with Q being present, but having him with his powers gone definitely helped sell the severity of the situation here. I really liked how Q's "character arc" and the main conflict converged by the end of the episode, it was a pretty satisfying conclusion because it was tied to Q's exploration of his own self. I think it would have fallen a bit flat otherwise.

Overall, a fantastic episode. Made me laugh out loud several times, a lot of the dialogue was pretty clever, giving this sort of back and forth banter feel to most of the runtime. Data laughing authentically was hysterical, but it also got an emotional reaction out of me knowing how important that must be to him. Great episode full of heart, humor and tension where it's needed. I have to give it a 10/10 because I just felt like all of the elements came together very very nicely by the end.

Just one of the crew

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 5 November 2018]

John DeLancie returns as Q in this episode. It seems as though he's fallen out of favor with the rest of his continuum crowd and has been exiled to mere mortality. Given his choice of what to be in the universe DeLancie chooses human and exile on board the Enterprise. That is if Captain Jean Luc Picard will have him.

Given their history that's a dubious proposition but Patrick Stewart makes him a crew member. The only of the crew who treats him with any kind of respect is Data. Brent Spiner having no emotions feels none of the antipathy the rest have for him and all the capricious things he's done..

Stewart has other things on his mind. A planet whose moon is decaying is his biggest concern as they've asked for help. And Q has these gaseous beings called the Calamarine after him as well for all the nasty stuff he's done to them.

A nicely told tale from TNG.

All 5 Stars are for Worf,

[glornt · 5/10 · 25 September 2020]

Who has the proper attitude toward Mister Annoying. No, I don't mean Wesley... this time. In fact, Wesley doesn't appear in this episode, so one of the stars is actually for his absence... but then taken back for the presence of Whoopi; so yes, all 5 stars are for Worf, after all. Unsurprising, really, as Worf is consistently the least annoying character on this particular ST series. Geordi is also mostly okay, too, but then he has the unfair advantage of much less screen time than the other regulars in most episodes.

It's such a shame for a Wesley-free episode to be marred by the inclusion of both Q and Whoopi; I wish they had gone with Plan B for this installment. Short of another episode with "Space Rednecks", or Troi going into heat again, it would've almost certainly been a better choice.

If only Q had followed Worf's suggestion on how to prove he was human... (best line of the episode, by the way)

The first great TNG episode

[skinnybert · 9/10 · 8 June 2023]

Oh sure: there are plenty of good bits before this, and a few decent episodes -- but none of them put together so successfully as this. So many memorable moments: LeVar Burton as Geordi in charge of Engineering, Gates McFadden's Crusher administering her bedside manner to Q, Whoopi Goldberg administering her own scientific test to him, Spiner's multiple moments, the uncredited guest actor Corbin Bernsen as the other Q ... and of course, the charismatic John de Lancie himself, simultaneously winning our sympathy and disdain. All building up to a marvelously effective ending, despite being as much deus ex machina as climax. Miracle of miracles: TNG finally figured out how to deliver good drama with warm comedy on par with its forebear. It's Star Trek of the best kind, and you'll never find a better use for a mariachi band.

This might be the best episode in the entire history of the franchise.

[curzon_dax · 10/10 · 25 February 2023]

This might be the best episode in the entire history of the franchise. It's not just one element that makes it perfect but a whole collection of them. The writing (at first) is absolutely perfect: every single line of dialogue is witty and funny and has a reason to exist: all the "serious" plot lines of the rest of the episode are well thought out and have a reason to exist; the execution is also perfect: all the actors are at the top of their game and perfectly representing their characters: al-around a perfect tng episode and a perfect star trek episode in whole and possibly the best piece of star trek in the history of the entire franchise.

Teaching Q a lesson.

[amusinghandle · 8/10 · 30 January 2024]

Can you believe it? Q itself managed to become infected by the starfleet affliction of altruism after being morally educated by an android who wants to be human.

This is a good quality episode from star to finish with Q being a laugh generating machine and working wonderfully off the crew. At times they ride the line of going overboard with the jokes but it never cross the line for me ----

In all (most?) of the previous Q episode his ultimate goal was to teach humanity a lesson of some type but he's the one learning a lesson in this episode ----- will it stick? Well, stay tuned.

He's right about one thing though ---- falling asleep does feel like dying. I am trying to defeat sleep but I cannot win ---- sometimes you feel that if you have enough willpower you can achieve anything but sadly this is not always true. What? I want to be one of those rare human beings that can function on 2 hours of sleep.

If you want a good final laugh ---- watch Worf's reaction when Q reappears with his powers.

"This is getting on my nerves, now that I have them."

[classicsoncall · 9/10 · 15 December 2023]

This is going to wind up being one of my favorite 'Next Generation' episodes. It has John de Lancie returning as one of the Enterprise's most unpredictable and infuriating guests, the immortal being Q. But this time, Q has been stripped of his powers by the Continuum for his outlandish behavior, granting him only one wish as to what to be and where to drop him off. He chooses human form in deference to Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the Enterprise crew, with his appearance taking a cue (Q?) from 1984's "The Terminator", i.e., arriving on the bridge of the vessel totally naked! It's not as revealing as the way I just made it sound, but when you see it, you get the idea.

Although Captain Picard is dealing with a dire situation of an asteroidal moon descending on the planet Bre'el IV, the rest of the show is hilarious as Q tries to convince the crew that he's helpless to get himself involved, while falling prey to human frailties like a wrenched back and inability to work with a group. He does take a shine to Data (Brent Spiner) however, due to the android's unsophistication with human attributes like laughing and crying. Their dialog is particularly funny, with Q also delivering some juicy rejoinders to Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn), Commander LaForge (LeVar Burton), and even Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden). Unable to come to terms with being human, Q decides to steal a shuttlecraft and do himself in, but even that proves to suggest an ulterior motive. With an alien race known as the Calamarain out to avenge themselves for Q's antics in the past, they have set Bre'el IV's moon on a destructive path in order to get his attention, now that he can't do anything about it.

Now if one Q weren't enough, another one appears in the form of Q2 (Corbin Bernsen), who by this time is disposed to grant Q his desire to regain his powers and be admitted back to the Continuum, but only because Q performed a selfless act in departing the Enterprise so the Calamarain would leave it alone. Having been so redeemed and for saving the planet from its potential destruction, Q is in high spirits, returning to the Enterprise with his own mariachi band! The Captain of course would have no patience for such nonsense, and bids Q a fond goodbye, but not before the quixotic alien offers Data a grand going away present. For that, you'll have to see the episode and laugh along at the result.

Viva la Q

[zombiemockingbird · 9/10 · 1 April 2023]

Every time Q shows up, is a little better than the last. The first episode of the series with Q, I thought he was obnoxious and just another villain; but as time goes on, he's evolved into one of the best characters in the series. Maybe it's just John de Lancie, but his character seems better written than anyone else. The stories he's in are more interesting, they're humorous, the dialog is better; everyone just seems more animated and entertaining. My favorite characters are Worf, Data, Geordi, Guinan, Picard and Q, and I am eternally thankful for any episode where Wesley and his Mother are absent; I find both of them extremely annoying. Riker is tolerable, sometimes better than others, and I guess Troi is just there for eye candy? She honestly doesn't seem to serve any purpose, and her character is stilted, wooden, inconsistent and pretty much useless. Looking forward to more Q!

Deja-Boo Q

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 16 August 2014]

Robert de Lancie is the whole show here. No one can whine and complain like he does. He has lost his status in the Continuum because of his irrational behavior and embarrassing presence. They do give him a choice of where he can go and what he can be and he chooses to be a human and to go to the Enterprise. As he arrives (naked), Picard and the gang are trying to remedy a catastrophic event. The moon of a large planet has had its orbit decay and in about a day will hit the planet, leading to an ice age, tsunamis, earthquakes, and huge casualties. Unfortunately, the size of the moon keeps their tiny starship from manages any sort of adjustment. Picard implores Q to do something, but it truly isn't within his power. So they must do everything within their means to solve this while Q is prancing around, complaining about the food, the boredom. I wonder if he patterned his character after a Jewish American Princess. Not the greatest episode in the world, but still some fun.

A Senior Trekker writes.................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 11 January 2022]

New uniforms, new credit sequence and Doctor Crusher returned to us but was Season 3 of The Next Generation really as good as we remember? Some of that enthusiasm may have have been generated by relief that the series had not been cancelled but the 1990's also heralded an era of considerably more stability behind the scenes. Senior Trekker will continue to score every episode with a 5.

An excellent Q episode with John DeLancie firing on all cylinders although I suspect that his ever-lengthening forehead may have meant that this was one of the last times he appeared without a wig. American men were a lot less vain (it's now called body conscious) in those days as we can see from his opening nude shot. Apparently, he did not have a body double and, although by no means out of condition, he was certainly no dedicated gym bunny. I just comment because its interesting to see how the world has turned since 1990. Instead of a relaxation in the impossible physical standards asked of women performers we get a strange equality (of sorts) now that men are being equally stringently judged.

None of that interferes with a fine comedic performance in a well written episode. One that, interestingly, requires the viewer to have more than a passing understanding of what has taken place in the Star Trek universe up until now. Episodes with continuing themes were often the most popular and this may have been the beginning of a drift towards multi-part storylines, which up until this point were few and far between.

Thanks are also due to Richard Cansino and Betty Muramoto, who despite a static backdrop and a ton of latex obscuring their entire faces, managed to convey a sense of peril and urgency to the largely overshadowed B story. Getting Colin Bernsen to play the more senior Q entity was a stroke of good fortune for the production - he even had the right shaped forehead! Another sign of change within the industry is the fact that this very well-known actor chose not to be credited for his appearance. Why not, for heaven sake? Did he think he was slumming it? How many of his other roles are so well remembered today?