Retro Review: Death Wish
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Where to begin with this one? Firstly, I really do enjoy the episode; it is very entertaining and has the usual frivolousness one might associate with Q episodes (bar the TNG pilot). The 20th century sexism doesn't bother me too much (no more so than the suspiciously 20th century conventional, monogamous, heterosexual relationships everyone seems to have in Trek).
Sure, it shouldn't be there and it is entirely incongruent for a 24th century character to suggest that the captain manages to be competent (matter of opinion) whilst maintaining her femininity. It's pretty clear Q would never suggest that Chakotay manages to be both competent and masculine. It's dumb but it does admittedly provide some pretty good opportunities for screwball comedy and as a fan of Katherine Hepburn, seeing Mulgrew do her "Bringing up baby" routine with De Lancie is - for me personally - actually quite a lot of fun to watch.
The euthanasia? Maybe American audiences had a problem with this issue being touched on (and more importantly, condoned without any hysteria) but that never even occurred to me. Why shouldn't Quinn have the right to die? I don't see his request being a simple means of alleviating boredom as you suggest in the review but as a genuine desire to end suffering.
I completely bought that his existence was a tortuous and unpleasant experience with no escape in sight. While you (and Janeway) recommend living as a mortal and exploring what that has to offer whilst simultaneously having a (relieving) terminus to look forward to, I think it's fair to say that Quinn has probably enjoyed (endured) every permutation of existence that there is. A few more decades of something he almost certainly has in-depth knowledge of understandably doesn't appeal. Death is his sincere wish.
Ignoring the silliness, this is a very good episode and one that gave me a version of Q that I found very interesting.
Downsides? Newton's genius and Woodstock are of equal significance to humanity. Oh shut up. And then there's the involvement of Riker (please fuck off). He wasn't even the person whose life Quinn directly touched. If you absolutely have to bring Frakes back then at least put him in an American civil war uniform and ask him to play Thaddeus Riker.
Sure, it shouldn't be there and it is entirely incongruent for a 24th century character to suggest that the captain manages to be competent (matter of opinion) whilst maintaining her femininity. It's pretty clear Q would never suggest that Chakotay manages to be both competent and masculine. It's dumb but it does admittedly provide some pretty good opportunities for screwball comedy and as a fan of Katherine Hepburn, seeing Mulgrew do her "Bringing up baby" routine with De Lancie is - for me personally - actually quite a lot of fun to watch.
The euthanasia? Maybe American audiences had a problem with this issue being touched on (and more importantly, condoned without any hysteria) but that never even occurred to me. Why shouldn't Quinn have the right to die? I don't see his request being a simple means of alleviating boredom as you suggest in the review but as a genuine desire to end suffering.
I completely bought that his existence was a tortuous and unpleasant experience with no escape in sight. While you (and Janeway) recommend living as a mortal and exploring what that has to offer whilst simultaneously having a (relieving) terminus to look forward to, I think it's fair to say that Quinn has probably enjoyed (endured) every permutation of existence that there is. A few more decades of something he almost certainly has in-depth knowledge of understandably doesn't appeal. Death is his sincere wish.
Ignoring the silliness, this is a very good episode and one that gave me a version of Q that I found very interesting.
Downsides? Newton's genius and Woodstock are of equal significance to humanity. Oh shut up. And then there's the involvement of Riker (please fuck off). He wasn't even the person whose life Quinn directly touched. If you absolutely have to bring Frakes back then at least put him in an American civil war uniform and ask him to play Thaddeus Riker.
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I was turned off in this episode by the Voyager crew's initial reaction to Q. I felt like the show was trying to duplicate the Enterprise-Q relationship from The Next Generation, but without the history. Q put the Enterprise crew through hell, and that forever affected their relationship with him (especially Jean-Luc), but by the end there was a slowly developed lessoning of the animosity.
Captain Janeway acted like Picard in the middle of The Next Generation without any personal experience. Yes, they had heard about Q's interactions with the Enterprise, but they of course would only have had the facts. They wouldn't have the emotional connection.
I would have preferred to see the Voyager crew react with more of a sense of awe and wonder, with of course a bit of fear. Captain Janeway's first thought at encountering a Q should have been "Maybe he can help us get home". After all, they were seeking out the female Caretaker to help them get home - why should they view another being with the same power as a pure adversary to avoid?
Other than that I found the episode interesting. I was disappointed that Quinn didn't want to live, but I understand Hux's point about him just wanting his death for too long that he had no patience. I don't believe that he had personal experience as life as a mortal. I am disappointed with the character in-universe, not with the writing staff for that. It would have been very interesting to have a mortal Q as a crewmember, I would have enjoyed that much more than Seven of Nine. It might have been interesting to see him, now that he is facing the certainty of his own mortality, to feel some sense of fear over time.
Captain Janeway acted like Picard in the middle of The Next Generation without any personal experience. Yes, they had heard about Q's interactions with the Enterprise, but they of course would only have had the facts. They wouldn't have the emotional connection.
I would have preferred to see the Voyager crew react with more of a sense of awe and wonder, with of course a bit of fear. Captain Janeway's first thought at encountering a Q should have been "Maybe he can help us get home". After all, they were seeking out the female Caretaker to help them get home - why should they view another being with the same power as a pure adversary to avoid?
Other than that I found the episode interesting. I was disappointed that Quinn didn't want to live, but I understand Hux's point about him just wanting his death for too long that he had no patience. I don't believe that he had personal experience as life as a mortal. I am disappointed with the character in-universe, not with the writing staff for that. It would have been very interesting to have a mortal Q as a crewmember, I would have enjoyed that much more than Seven of Nine. It might have been interesting to see him, now that he is facing the certainty of his own mortality, to feel some sense of fear over time.
I really enjoy the episode, especially the Christmas ornament meta-joke. I think Gerritt Graham (spelling?) does a great job playing a Q who's tired of his own existence, and the Q Continuum is well-depicted and makes it plain to see why Quinn would be so tired of living.
That said, I admit the review brings up points I hadn't previously considered.
That said, I admit the review brings up points I hadn't previously considered.
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