Except if the Q recognised a special potential (e.g. to eventually grow beyond even them) within humanity, and not within those other species.
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"What If...?"
- Thread starter t_smitts
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That's pretty much my head canon.
Who says they didn't? Trek so far hasn't been focused on the goings on of any of those races. If there were a series that didn't mainly follow the Federation, maybe we'd discover The Q does this on a continual basis across the universe to everyone.
My point was that under the parameters Q presented in Encounter at Farpoint none of the species I mentioned should have passed and should have been confined to their star systems.
The Q don't seem to want to put other species on trial, or even other captains. They'll harass other species and captains sure, but Q has a special interest in one specific human.
Sea Lion Press, a small publishing house of alternative history, is publishing a series of Star Trek alternate history on their website. There are 3 parts so far:
About the trial of humanity.
For some reason I assumed that perhaps Q does the same thing to others species too, viewers or the crew on the Enterprise just don't know about it. Maybe the crew doesn't know because that might affect the outcome and ruin the whole trial.
Also the trial of humanity gives, at least to me, some kind of purpose to the entire series, it's not just adventure of the week thing, there's a bigger meaning in the whole series.
For some reason I assumed that perhaps Q does the same thing to others species too, viewers or the crew on the Enterprise just don't know about it. Maybe the crew doesn't know because that might affect the outcome and ruin the whole trial.
Also the trial of humanity gives, at least to me, some kind of purpose to the entire series, it's not just adventure of the week thing, there's a bigger meaning in the whole series.
I'd love to see what they'd do to Vulcans
Given the bar Q placed on Humanity (especially given their past and contrasted to what they became with creation of UFP)... I find it difficult to imagine that the more imperialistic and violent species like the Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, Founders, etc. would meet the criteria for passing such trial.
Unless of course the trial is different for each species - which would make sense, but given the holler Q made around Humanity's violent past (and if this is any indication of how they conduct trials), then other species simply wouldn't pass the trials in question.
Or the Q may be putting them through trials, but from the shadows (aka, without formal contact).
The Q might perceive showing themselves to Humanity as a sort of honor. Aka, 'we're so much above you, you can learn about us just from our visitations - it is a privilege we don't afford to other species'.
If you think about it, the more exposure you have to highly advanced beings and their technology (even if you can't see it or scan for it), the faster you will arrive towards understanding more about them rather than never being exposed to them in the first place and not knowing they ever existed - this in turn would accelerate your own evolution.
This could easily mean that other species simply aren't placed on trial unless they might be recognized with the potential to reach or even surpass the Q as someone already mentioned.
It's interesting that at least the Organians seem to be testing multiple species -besides humans at least also Klingons and Cardassians- (ENT: Observer Effect), even if the Q perhaps don't.
Also: why just humanity? They were one of a hundred and some species in the Federation at the time. Were the Vulcans also going to be sent back home? The Tellerites? The Phylosians? The Horta? The Medusans? The Bolians?
I wonder if the Q and Organians have ever tested each other.
More in general, I wonder what Q-Organian relations are like. Q feel more powerful, but also act more like upstarts and seem to behave more capriciously. At least the specimens we met.
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