Q Who

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"Q Who" is the 16th episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. The episode was released on May 5, 1989.

This episode introduced the Borg, who went on to appear in five further episodes (four of these episodes were half of a two-part story). The Borg had previously been planned to appear in "The Neutral Zone" but were instead only hinted at in that episode.

The crew of the USS Enterprise-D once again runs into Q. Q argues that they need him since they are not prepared for what awaits them. Picard claims that they are ready to confront the unknown, and Guinan adds that humans' ability to adapt is their great advantage. In rebuttal, seeks to test how prepared they are, and casually tosses the Enterprise seven thousand light years into uncharted space, where they run into a Borg Cube. The Cube attacks the Enterprise with a cutting beam, cutting a section out of the ship. Q then makes the Borg threat perfectly clear to Picard: "You can't outrun them; you can't destroy them. If you damage them, the essence of what they are remains; they regenerate and keep coming. Eventually you will weaken, your reserves will be gone… They are relentless." Q prepares to leave the crew to their fate, as Picard implores him to end the confrontation. Q asks the captain why he should now terminate this encounter between the Enterprise and the Borg. Picard responds by pointing out that if they are destroyed, Q will not be able to gloat. He admits that they are frightened, and that Q has, for the moment, shown them to be inadequate. "You want me to say, 'I need you'? I NEED YOU!" Picard exclaims. With a snap of his fingers, Q flings the Enterprise away from the Borg ship and back into the same spot in Federation space they originally were. Q appears besides Picard in Riker's chair, but instead of gloating, he looks thoughtful and even somewhat impressed. "Another man," he muses, "would have been humiliated to say those words"', even to the point of sacrificing himself and his entire ship rather than admit he needed help. Picard tells Q he understands the point out of what they have been through, but feels the lesson could have been learned without the loss of eighteen members of his crew (assimilated by the Borg). Q is unapologetic, telling him that if Humanity wants to explore the galaxy, then it promises a universe of wonders, but they must also be willing to confront dangers they have never imagined.Reflecting upon events in Ten Forward while playing three-dimensional chess with Picard, Guinan says that the encounter with the Borg happened before it should have. She believes that at some point, perhaps, it might be possible for the Federation to establish some kind of communication between them and the Borg, but for the time being, they are just raw material to be consumed. Guinan begins, "Since they are aware of your existence…" … "they will be coming," Picard continues. Guinan ominously warns, "You can bet on it." Picard comments that perhaps Q did the right thing for the wrong reasons, to shake humanity out of its complacency for whatever lies ahead.

The episode was nominated for three Emmy Awards in 1989, winning two for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series. It was nominated for, but failed to win for Outstanding Special Visual Effects, with the award going to the miniseries War and Remembrance instead.

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