Game The Most Disliked Q Appearance

[Qonundrum]

The story can be utter cow patties and Q will still uplift it by 5 points just for DeLancie being there owning the role as casually as possible and it's still all that good.

That said, "Mercy" is not an entirely unworthy winner - which is impressive as I was expecting one of the VOY entries to get the award (and not wrongly so, his outings were the definition of Flanderization, even if some of the jokes subjectively worked.) Even with all the nitpicks, IMHO, PIC still did Q more justice and intrigue than VOY had.

 

[Farscape One]

Totally agreed.

Honestly, I was expecting "Q2" to win this one. That was the worst appearance by far.

 

[Qonundrum]

“Q-Less”: It was interesting to see what happened to Vash and I liked Quark's storyline. Picard and Janeway both talk to Q and he comes back, Sisko punches him and isn't bothered by Q again.

Q never really fit into DS9. It's odd, but he fit better in VOY, despite the superficial nature of his presence there. That's why I think he didn't make a return; Q would not only be bored poking at one comparatively static corner of space and time... of course, he's also likely bored enough to go all Calamaraine on his heiney. Or he conjured up the Wadi and forced him to sing the song... which reminds:

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There you go. Thank Q for the second one. Thank Allison for the first AND for some surprising takes on the song (and the episode encompassing it. Trust me for this spoiler alert, do NOT be drinking or eating ANYTHING at time index 9:05...)

DS9 really went all out to bring back whomever they picked out of that jar full of "previous plot point slips". Only O'Brien and Worf had any benefit. Even Lwaxana hadn't.

 

[Farscape One]

I don't care what anyone says, that song is pretty catchy. Especially hearing Avery Brooks sing it.

 

[Qonundrum]

Saving “Q-Who” not just for the Borg…but because it also has the best quotes in all of Trek:

“Con permiso Capitan. the hall is rented, the orchestra engaged. It’s now time to see if you can dance.”

Q even got Picard to admit he needed help. In season 1, that would have cratered. By season 5, PIC would never be seen anything less than the Marty Stu role that Wesley vacated. Season 2 was the perfect time. Maurice Hurley was a bit of a mixed bag, but his bringing the mystery and dangers of space into the 1701-D was a breath of fresh air.

Also, DeLancie had a small rewrite, where he says "Oh, pleeez..." instead of an angry shouty rant in response to Picard. The dude really knew where to take this marvelous character.

 

[Qonundrum]

I don't care what anyone says, that song is pretty catchy. Especially hearing Avery Brooks sing it.

Brooks wasn't fond of doing it, but a viewer can't possibly tell - Avery keeps Sisko at the forefront and fully in-character. Thankfully he's also at the front and not having to notice half the cast behind him trying to stifle smirks, groans, and/or mindsets of "this is cheesy".

It's a different scene, but it's not bad. Part of the point is that it's supposed to be different and feel out of place. It's still sci-fi, not generic soap opera.

 

[at Quark's]

Q never really fit into DS9. It's odd, but he fit better in VOY, despite the superficial nature of his presence there.

I agree, he fitted in well with VOY. Initially.

If only they hadn't made him devolve from the capricious and mysterious entity he was in TNG to a hapless individual running to mummy Kate begging for some advice on how to raise his kid ....

 

[Oddish]

This was a "blink and you miss it" affair.

 

[Captain's Coffee]

Totally agreed.

Honestly, I was expecting "Q2" to win this one. That was the worst appearance by far.

"Best" and "worst" are subjective. I love Q2 and absolutely hate everything about Picard, including what they did to and with Q. To each their own.

 

[Seven of Five]

Yeah, that's what makes these threads fun. You scroll through the thread reading which episodes have been saved and think, "What, you've saved x and y but you haven't saved z?"

But people's reasons for liking episodes are all cool genuine reasons. Plus if everyone was the same, life would be dull.

 

[Sakonna]

Agreed. I intensely loathe "Q2" and it is my own personal Worst Q Episode, but I am also a passionate fan of many widely reviled episodes (#SubRosa4Ever) so I don't judge. I mean, I have watched season 1 of TNG into the ground, it's probably my most rewatched batch of Trek eps. That's what has me so hooked on these games, the randomness introduced by only needing one person to save an ep.

"Mercy" makes a suitable winner for me -- and it joins "Profit And Lace" and "Storm Front, Part I" in the pantheon of double winners! That's quite a trio. I LOVED Picard season 2, but I did not love "Mercy." It was the weakest link in the season for sure, and also the stupidest use of Q.

Spoiler

It did have some good Seven/Raffi material, that was it's saving grace. But the other three plotlines in that one, eesh, awful.

As it happens, "Q2" was the 2020 winner of this game. Back then, I was definitely not expecting eight more Q episodes to come along over the next two years.

Next up: "The Most Disliked Episode Directed By Cliff Bole." Hope to see you all there!

MOST DISLIKED WINNERS, 2022
MAJEL BARRETT APPEARANCE: TOS, Season 3: "And The Children Shall Lead"
'HEY, THIS PLANET IS JUST LIKE EARTH!': TOS, Season 3: "Plato's Stepchildren"
ROMULAN: TAS, Season 2: "The Practical Joker"
DIRECTOR WINRICH KOLBE: TNG, Season 5: "The Masterpiece Society"
ROMANCE-OF-THE-WEEK: TNG, Season 6: "Aquiel"
KLINGON: TNG, Season 6: "Birthright, Part II"
DIRECTOR LES LANDAU: TNG, Season 7: "Dark Page"
WRITER RONALD D. MOORE: TNG, Season 7: "Journey's End"
7TH SEASON: TNG, Season 7: "Firstborn"
HOLIDAY: DS9, Season 3: "Meridian"
CARDASSIAN: DS9, Season 6: "Sons & Daughters"
MIRROR UNIVERSE: DS9, Season 6: "Resurrection"
FERENGI: DS9, Season 6: "Profit And Lace"
COMEDIC/LIGHT-HEARTED: DS9, Season 6: "Profit And Lace"
JEFFREY COMBS APPEARANCE: DS9, Season 7: "The Emperor's New Cloak"
HOLODECK: VOY, Season 6: "Spirit Folk"
MAQUIS: VOY, Season 7: "Repression"
BARCLAY: VOY, Season 7: "Inside Man"
2-PART/DOUBLE EPISODE: VOY, Season 7: "Flesh And Blood"
RECYCLED TITLE: ENT, Season 1: "Terra Nova"
DIRECTOR DAVID LIVINGSTON: ENT, Season 3: "Harbinger"
SEASON PREMIERE: ENT, Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
EVERY 47TH RELEASE: ENT, Season 4: "Storm Front, Part I"
VISIT TO EARTH'S PAST: ENT, Season 4: "Storm Front, Part II"
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S 100 BEST EPS: ENT, Season 4: "Home"
TIME TRAVEL/TRAVELER/LOOP/ANOMALY: DIS, Season 2: "Perpetual Infinity"
DIRECTOR JONATHAN FRAKES: DIS, Season 3: "There Is A Tide..."
47TH EPISODES: DIS, Season 4: "The Examples"
4TH SEASON: DIS, Season 4: "The Galactic Barrier"
4TH & 7TH EPISODES: ST, Season 2: "Ask Not"
TREK NOIR: PIC, "Broken Pieces"
CAST CROSSOVER: PIC, "Et In Arcardia Ego, Part 1"
GUINAN: PIC, "Monsters"
BORG/XB: PIC, "Mercy"
Q: PIC, "Mercy"
COUPLE: LD, Carol Freeman/Admiral Husband
REGULAR CHARACTER: PRO, Drednok

TOTAL SHOW WINS
SNW & Movies: 0 wins
TAS, ST, LD & PRO: 1 win each
TOS: 2 wins
VOY & DIS: 4 wins each
PIC: 5 wins
TNG, DS9 & ENT: 6 wins each

 

[Seven of Five]

The only reason I forgive you for your love of Sub Rosa is that you keep coming up with more lists.