Silly little question regarding "True Q"

[Quinton O'Connor]

So my girlfriend and I started watching this, got about six minutes into it but she was getting too tired so I turned it off for the night. I know the obvious and rather understandable answer from some of you is going to be, 'wait until tomorrow and find out for yourself' but I feel like asking now anyway:

Is that guest character as much of a blatant, bland, facepalm Mary Sue as she seemed to be at the beginning? Don't worry about spoiling since I saw this episode once when I was very, very young and I'm familiar with the idea that she's a Q, so naturally I also know that being a Mary Sue is probably in the cards, anyway. But I mean... from that first few scenes, she was just so very Season-One-Wesley and it was hurting my head a little.

 

[Boxyno1]

Erm, I'd say she was an ok character, I can see the Wesley comparison, but she's nowhere near as bad

 

[DonIago]

I don't think the phrase "Mary Sue" means what you think it means based on the question...

...or do you actually mean to ask whether the character is the writer essentially writing themselves into the story, or whether the character's intended as a sort of wish fulfillment for the audience?

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

She's a Q, he has, what, an IQ of 2005 (I don't remember the exact number he stated to Picard, and we really can't take his word on that, but someone who can take you to the beginnings of the universe and back can't be too much of a dummie) so it makes sense she'd be brilliant too. She seems like she can do anything she puts her mind to because she literally can. It's part of the character and that sets up the big reveal for later on I would think.

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

I don't think the phrase "Mary Sue" means what you think it means based on the question...

...or do you actually mean to ask whether the character is the writer essentially writing themselves into the story, or whether the character's intended as a sort of wish fulfillment for the audience?

This is true, of course. I know the textbook definition. I was using it in the more 'slang 101' style. She seemed perfect in every conceivable way based on typical social standards.

She's a Q, he has, what, an IQ of 2005 (I don't remember the exact number he stated to Picard, and we really can't take his word on that, but someone who can take you to the beginnings of the universe and back can't be too much of a dummie) so it makes sense she'd be brilliant too. She seems like she can do anything she puts her mind to because she literally can. It's part of the character and that sets up the big reveal for later on I would think.

That's fair. I saw where it was going just fine; I'd like to think the episode title plus the 'disappearing puppies' teaser ending would have gotten me on the road to that realization well ahead of schedule if I hadn't already known, anyway.

I'm talking about the style that's used to portray that. Really quite drab and typical, but I guess that's to be expected given the scenario at-hand. It just makes for really boring television, but I guess that's more an issue with the episode overall than the character to be sure.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

^^^
Yeah, I think I know exactly what you mean. The first episode lacks a lot of drama and anything that really pops off the screen. It's just a girl we've never met doing her thing on the ship, with a few "minor" mysteries that really aren't all that interesting. (Funny you mention the title giving things away, I always hate how "surprise" guests on a show will be put in the credits at the beginning of an episode and give that surprise away!)

I don't think things pick up until Q shows up and you start to see that there's something sinister going on that even he has little say on. But until that point, things are kind of dull. Which might again be the point. Now that I think about it, she's Q. It's showing you how dull her life really is, especially when she can go anywhere and do anything maybe?

 

[InklingStar]

This episode does contain what I think is the most hilarious scene in all Trek, during a conversation with Dr. Crusher.

 

[DonIago]

^Mind if I ask where that quote's from?

 

[Quinton O'Connor]

As I sort of expected, upon watching the whole episode, we changed our minds and wound up enjoying it and not having so much of an issue with Amanda.

And yes, InklingStar, that Crusher bit with the dog transformation. Wow. I laughed hard. Oh, such horrible implications. Q, you damn crazy thing, you.

 

[Danny99]

This is probably the poorest of all the Q episodes.

Olivia d'Abo, the "Mary Sue", is especially poor.