Trelane from TOS and Q from TNG

I interpreted that more as Q mocking humanity to say that the federation's explorers hadn't changed all that much since the days of Columbus and the classic Age of Exploration (1500s-1700s, from his, or the Q continuum's, point of view).

Trelane really thought that the 17th century dress was how humans really were then. He genuinely seemed perplexed at Kirk and company's uniforms.

I think it can be fairly said that Trelane was Q-like, but not an actual Q. Sort of like Apollo. There can be more than one god-like race in the universe...at least compared to humans.

 

Just playing devil's advocate here...

But Trelane was a kid, and kids make stupid mistakes like that.

If Trelane's powers hadn't fully developed, he may have used a machine to augment them.

Again, he was a child.

Trelane was playing, pretending he was some military commander. Trelane might not have been a name his parents gave him. I'm sure back in the 60s there were lots of kids playing with their toys calling themselves Captain Kirk or Mister Spock.

But the appearance as glowing orbs certainly fits with what Qs can do, and since they were there to get trelane to behave rather than interact with the humans, I don't see this as a particularly large problem.

Quite possible.

 

You are most welcome to agree to disagree with me, but here is why I don't think Trelane is a Q:

from http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Trelane

This suggests he was viewing Earth using a device, which led to the error:

Q's own son didn't need a machine to augment him in Voyager, and he was literally a newborn baby.

I don't deny this is possible, in fact I even acknowledge that it is, but going by what we know on screen, it isn't the typical M.O. of the Q.

An simpler explanation, it seems to me, is he isn't a Q. Space is very big, and there are more than one Q-like species out there.

By your reasoning, it would also infer that the Organians (took the form of a light being), and the Metrons (took the form of a light being),could also be Q. Melkotians (displayed Q-like power, and set the stage for the Earp showdown), Apollo (Q like powers, used a device to augment himself), and even Sylvia and Korob (could be classified as adolescent Q since they use a device and didn't refer to themselves as Q), all displayed Q like power while calling themselves something else, but in the end, we know they are not Q, because they weren't written as Q in the first place, nor were there any retcons to say otherwise.

Basically, like some of these other races, the only two similarities between Trelane and Q, are their power levels, and the fact they wore costumes of past eras in front of humans. However, no where in TNG do they retroactively say Trelane was Q, and during TOS, obviously Q wasn't even conceived yet.

In fact, the only place where Trelane is stated to be a Q is, Q Squared by Peter David. And as I said, for those who read that book and consider it canon, they will disagree with me. But considering I don't consider the Trek books canon, and only consider what I see on screen as canon, I don't consider Trelane a Q. Just Q-like.

 

I thought at that point he was actually losing power, though. Not so much growing as dissipating, "spreading himself on the wind."

 

He had that "extra organ" in his body....

 

Oh, I don't think Trelane is a Q, either. I thought the idea was ridiculous when that novel came out; and for all the same reasons you mentioned.

It was fun to play along, though.

I discounted Korob and Sylvia because after the destruction of their devices, we saw their true forms and they died without the aid of their devices. They were quite mortal and corporeal.

 

Yes, he was asking the other gods to "beam him up," and it might have been a last-ditch effort, but it still took power to make himself a giant. From Memory-Alpha: "After the temple was destroyed, Apollo demonstrated that he still possessed some abilities when he expanded his corporeal form."