Encounter at Farpoint WI: Q doesn't appear

[erastus25]

If you were to remove Q from every shot in the movie, you'd find that the plot wouldn't really change at all. The Q plot was indeed padding and had no affect on the main plot of the episode. I think the whole "humanity on trial" only gains more credibility and dramatic effect because of the way Braga & Moore cleverly used it in to bookend the series in "All Good Things". Otherwise, here it was just something to add an extra 30 minutes and an excuse to introduce the saucer separation.

I completely agree with this. At one point, IIRC, Picard even says they will going on doing what they are doing to the bitter end. This idea basically establishes that even when threatened, the Humans will continue to do the same thing because they are doing the right thing - a key element of TNG. Add the bookend finish and suddenly the throw-in Q plot becomes a pretty nice touch.

 

[USS Fardell]

It would've had no effect at all. Keep in mind that D. C. Fontana originally wrote "Farpoint" as a 90-minute pilot, and Q wasn't in it at all. When the decision was made to expand it to 2 hours, Roddenberry added the Q subplot as padding. And it shows. Q doesn't really have any effect on the Farpoint story aside from occasionally dropping in to kibitz and threaten.

As for what followed, I don't agree that the mission into "the great uncharted mass of the galaxy" was scrapped on account of Q. The idea was that Farpoint Station would be the anchor for that effort to thrust beyond Deneb, the command and supply base for the ships going out there. The Bandi's ability to build and operate that station themselves was the linchpin of that effort, since Deneb is far enough that it would be difficult for Starfleet to build and operate the station itself. Once the station, err, went away, the Bandi had no means to build another, so that pretty much scuttled the project.

Also, in the next few years, the emerging threats from the Romulans and Borg led Starfleet to concentrate more on defense, and then more so as other conflicts arose. So what might have been a temporary setback in the exploration effort became more extended.

I agree that is was the fact that Farpoint had gone, that the mission was canceled, rather than Q. I was wondering, however, when would Q appear if he didn't appear during the Farpoint mission.

 

[USS Fardell]

Ah, good points about the loss of Farpoint (although I don't think it would have much affected the mission of this single ship, at least not the first few years of it) and the Romulan threat.

I wonder what Starfleet's instructions to the E-D were after "EaF". "Jean-Luc, just hang in there until you get news of a crisis, say, Ferengi thieves or mining accidents or diplomatic shuttle missions."

It's not as if the ship had any obvious mission until well into the first season, besides standing by; "Datalore" seems the first time she did something scheduled and planned, and "Home Soil" was the second time, after which we had "Arsenal of Freedom" - all of these of the "Boldly go where others have gone before" type. But admittedly, the ship was probably still undergoing a shakedown, part of which would include the "Where No One" engine tinkering and the "11001001" computer upgrades.

Okay, so "Justice" had that colonization mission, which sounded like a big deal and perhaps even was "the" deal for the first year of operations. "Symbiosis" seemed to be the only time they were really exploring anything at all.

Timo Saloniemi

I agree that the ship didn't seem to be on a specific mission in the early part of the 1st season. The 'Justice' colonisation mission certainly seemed like a big deal in the episode...

 

[USS Fardell]

If Q hadn't been in that pilot episode, the show would've lost enormously. I mean, think about what it gained from Q's presence there.

If anything, the show wouldn't have had the excellent series finale, which harkens back to this pilot episode, bringing everything full circle.

Are you sure that the show would have lost enormously?

As for the finale, maybe they would have brought back the Star Jellies?

 

[USS Fardell]

If Q hadn't been in that pilot episode, the show would've lost enormously. I mean, think about what it gained from Q's presence there.

I dunno about that. The only thing that makes Q work is John DeLancie's delightfully obnoxious performance. Conceptually, Q was just Roddenberry dusting off the hackneyed old Godlike Superbeing Testing Humanity plot for the umpteenth time. And not even doing it with as much skill as he once would have, because it was not so much an engaging story in its own right as a vehicle for Roddenberry to preachify about the perfectability of humankind.

And the whole idea of a magical imp who can do anything with a snap of his fingers is just so silly. And oddly contradictory, given Roddenberry's professed commitment to scientific credibility.

I agree that John DeLancie made Q work, and also that the idea of a magical 'imp' is silly, (though maybe an invocation of Clarke's 3rd Law would be appropriate?)

 

[USS Fardell]

Really, though, would the pilot have been half as interesting if Q hadn't been there? The pilot owes to Q more than one would realize. Take Q out of the pilot, and the show is pretty average, save the fun introductions to the cast.

I disagree, the introductions to the cast and the mystery of Farpoint are interesting in their own ways, as well as the references to the Ferengi.

 

[USS Fardell]

Personally I think godlike beings aren't all that interesting an idea.

I would have to agree with that. While I have enjoyed the Q episodes--as you say, mostly for DeLancie's performance--I found the idea of the Q being omnipotent to not be all that engaging. In fact, this is one of the reasons I really grew tired of Q stories after a while.

And the whole "Trelane is a Q" thing never really rang true for me either. It sounds good only on a superficial level, but doesn't hold up upon close examination of The Squire of Gothos. I mostly see it as a symptom of the "small universe syndrome" that fans (and some Trek authors) fall into, where everyone knows each other and everything is connected.

I agree that DLancie's performance makes Q work, Keegan as the younger Q wasn't as good as his father, as a Q. (Though he was still very good)

As for the 'Trelane as a Q' the only place where I saw that was in Q-Squared which, while good, was only one book. I don't think that Trelane was a Q, but still a powerful being.

 

[Theophilus]

I think that the Q story is the only interesting part of this episode. As awful as the script/acting/production is, I can not imagine this episode at all without what Q brings to the story. The addition of Q makes it a pilot episode for the series. Without it, I think the story doesn't merit being the pilot and would have been an extremely dull episode.

And I did rewatch it only a couple of weeks ago. Pain. Such Pain.

 

[GalaxyX]

^^ Pretty much.

I too watched it about a month ago, and it doesn't really kick in until Q appears. It's at that moment that the episode has a sense of danger and urgency. I still cringe at Troi's lines though, just horrible. I feel sorry for the actress.

 

[USS Fardell]

The only thing Trelane and Q have in common is personality. Q doesn't need machines to accomplish his feats. The things he manifests are not mere visual illusions with no substance. Most of all, "The Q and the Grey" established that Q don't procreate as a rule, so the fact that Trelane was a child with parents should make it crystal-clear that he's not a Q. Heck, even the child Q from "Q2" was more powerful by himself than Trelane was with machine assistance.

I agree, when Kirk shoots the machine in 'Squire of Gothos' Trelane gets angry because his powers are gone, and it is then that his parents arrive.

 

[USS Fardell]

Whatever you guys may think, Q is what saved TNG. I remember watching that episode and thinking how trite and boring it was until the Q shows up, then it becomes far more interesting and worthy of watching.

I do admit John De Lancie's acting plays a huge part in it though.

For me, the episode is interesting enough without Q, with the mystery of how the Bandi were able to build Farpoint so quickly.