Star Trek: The Next Generationoften centered around its main cast members, but there was one recurring guest star who managed to carve out a notorious reputation, despite only appearing in a handful of episodes.WhenThe Next Generationended, it seemed that Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D would never be shown encountering the figure in question again, but they continued to be peppered throughout theStar Trektimeline.
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s castbecame an incredibly well-oiled machine as the show went on, and although guest stars weren’t necessarily required to make the show engaging, they did help keep things feeling fresh during its seven-season run. Some temporary additions to the show are more fondly remembered than others, with some being utterly forgettable. However, the latter certainly isn’t true for one figure in particular.
John de Lancie Made More Appearances As Q In Star Trek: Picard Than He Did On TNG
Q appeared in one more Picard episode than his TNG total
WhileJohn de Lancie has appeared in countless projects both in and away from the sci-fi genre, it’s his role as Q inStar Trek: The Next Generationthat has turned out to make the most lasting impression. Debuting in the show’s very first episode, Q haunted the narrative until the very end. What makes this especially impressive is that out of all 178 episodes ofTNG, de Lancie only appeared in 8 of them.
de Lancie managed to beat hisTNGepisode tally inPicard, and in a much shorter space of time.
Q’s connection to Picard made it a little surprising that he didn’t show up among theStar Trek: Picardcastduring season 1, with the show serving as a legacy sequel toThe Next Generation. However, seasons 2 and 3 made up for de Lancie’s absence, as he went on to appear in 9 episodes, although most of these were in season 2. So,de Lancie managed to beat hisTNGepisode tally inPicard, and in a much shorter space of time.
John de Lancie Has Played Q More Times After TNG Than He Did During
Q’s popularity allowed him to show up throughout the Star Trek timeline
Q is most commonly associated withStar Trek: The Next Generation, as it’s the show in which he made his debut, and where fans started to fall in love with the character. John de Lancie’s in-universe persona turned out to be such a hit that he ventured outsideThe Next Generation,too. Now, de Lancie’s combined appearances as Q in otherStar Trekshows exceed the total number of times he was inTNG.
Q’s first non-TNGepisode ofStar Trekcame when the show in which he debuted was still on the air. In 1993’s “Q-Less,” de Lancie made the jump over toDeep Space Nineto meet Avery Brooks' Commander Sisko, but this was Q’s only appearance on the show. However, he also appeared in three episodes ofStar Trek: Voyager, and also voiced Q inStar Trek: Lower Decks, season 1, episode 8, “Veritas.” Combining all these episodes with Q’s 9Star Trek: Picardepisodes, andde Lancie’s most famous character has appeared 14 times away fromTNG.
Q’s Presence In Star Trek: Picard Proves How Memorable He Was In TNG
Picard’s sequel show chose Q to return for a very good reason
It’s pretty much impossible to watch even one scene with John de Lancie as Q and not be enthralledby his performance. Everything he does and says is filled with charisma, and he’s just larger-than-life enough to highlight the Stoic nature of Patrick Stewart’s character, who, in turn, makes Q seem even more bizarre. The actors' unconventional chemistry aside, Q wound himself so tightly into the Enterprise’s arc that it wouldn’t have made any sense to leave him out ofStar Trek: Picard, despite only appearing in 8TNGepisodes.
Q isn’t defined by his relationship with Picard, but it’s their scenes inStar Trek: The Next Generationthat gave de Lancie’s character the chance to shine elsewhere.
Plus,Q also appears in an unusual number ofStar Trekshows, which isn’t common, even for massive franchise stars. He’s also brilliant in all of his non-TNGstories, proving that he can exist as a successful and engaging character away from the dynamic that originally allowed him to thrive. In short, Q isn’t defined by his relationship with Picard, but it’s their scenes inStar Trek: The Next Generationthat gave de Lancie’s character the chance to shine elsewhere.
