Was Q prepared to intervene at Wolf 359 / Earth?

Wolf 359 was a fixed point in time so he couldn't interfere.

 

Not "for sure" at all.

For all we know, it was a predestination paradox - meaning, the events of ST:FC and "Regeneration" were always part of the timeline.

You can't prove they weren't, anyway.

 

Sure, they'll see it as a predestination paradox because they don't live in the original timeline.

I still think it's likely that there was a 'first time' (in a metasense, of course) that set up the predestination paradox in the first place - a timeline where the Borg hadn't travelled back in time before they actually did so.

Whether we actually witness that first timeline in Q Who and other TNG episodes or not, I cannot say, in that sense I agree with you that it cannot be proved they weren't there in their past.

 

Q was busy on the USS Righteous at the time.

 

By definition, a predestination paradox can't have a "first time" or a "set up". It literally always existed.

 

Tell that to the families of the 18 people who got killed!

 

If 18 people dying or being assimilated saved millions on Earth...

 

Yes.... from their perspective, not necessarily from ours (as we have a viewpoint that transcends their space-timeframe, similar to how we as viewers remember how the timeline has changed several times, in e.g. Year of Hell even if they don't). So their 'always' needn't be our 'always', and them naming it a 'predestination paradox' doesn't necessarily make it one for us.

There's absolutely no way to prove either one of those views ('it has always existed, even from our perspective' vs 'there was an original timeline that served as a set-up') conclusively anyway. I don't think there is general agreement on how to resolve the grandfather paradox for example. Some say it proves time travel can't exist, some say you'd go to a slightly different universe. And we already know star trek features different timelines and realities.

 

Q intervened at a time he knew Picard would want to test him, or atleast be pompous.
The federation had "Some" knowledge of the Borg with Guinans species warning them, the incident in the artic, etc. That was proven by the Hansen's going out there. The federation might have known about them, but didn't see them as a threat.
The Q throws the Ent D at the Borg.
Now they each know of each other more, and it jump starts there preparedness.
Now, imagine a timeline where Q didn't do it, and say they did send a cube in at the same time anyways. How would they have stopped it? The way they did stop it was with Picard being taken. and then gaining access to the ships systems. And that came forth because the borg encountered the Ent D before hand, and wanted Picard as a "Liaison"
In the original time line, they wouldn't have gave a flip about Picard. And they would have made it to Earth, and started there assimilation.

So. Q knows this, and being Fond of Humanity and Picard, he works out that if he intervenes just slightly, they survive. so he does a little push and bobs your uncle. Yes its not a clean plan, lots of deaths, etc. but they do survive.

 

In a way Q did intervene before TBOBW. Enterprise encountered the Borg before the Borg began their attack on the Federation and that was an advantage.

If the Borg just suddenly appeared and had the attack mode they had in 'Q Who' there would be no contest, Federation could have been wiped out. After the events of 'Q Who' in TBOBW the Federation at least knew their enemy a little bit and could prepare.

 

Except an argument can be made the Borg weren't really interested in the Federation before Q Who. After all, just a year earlier, they were practically on the Federation's doorstep checking out Romulan outposts along the Neutral Zone and paid the Federation no bother. It wasn't until the Borg encountered the Enterprise at System J25 they became interested enough in the Federation to warrant assimilation.

Indeed, I've seen it suggested that it was Q rescuing the Enterprise that raised the Federation's value to the Borg. That is, from their perspective, here's a ship which is on the verge of being defeated, but right at the last moment, they mysteriously jump an impressive distance away. And it was in the hopes of assimilating that ability that the Borg felt they needed to assimilate the Federation ASAP.

 

Yeah, if the Borg were able to track the E-D as Q flung it back into Federation space (or possibly when it was flung into their space) then they probably thought they could assimilate some gee-whiz propulsion tech.

 

The long-surviving pleasure of Q Who is that Q's motivations and the episode's effects remain debatable.
My feeling is that it was initially an angry reaction to Picard rejecting him, then he started to think it through, but wouldn't save the ship till Picard asked him.

He's a petulent child who suddenly realises he's almost lost his favourite toys.

 

Q might have helped his friend.

At this point his friend wanted to destroy the Star Fleet and assimilate the Federation.

 

"Don't provoke the Borg!"

 

Given that Q can see the future, I'm sure he knew that all the Federation would get would be a bloody nose, relatively speaking.

 

I'm not sure it's ever established that Q can see the future per se, but assuming he can, then for all we know Q thought Wolf 359 would be good to get the Federation into the more militaristic mindset it was going to need going into the Dominion War.

Defiant was, after all, originally intended to fight the Borg.

 

Q has referred to himself as all knowing. He is basically the Judeo-Christian god made into an imp. The guy lives in all time periods at once and can change the rules of the universe. The most likely explanation for Q not interfering in things is that A) He knows things will be fine. B) He doesn't care.

 

I don't know that I believe Q's claim of being all-knowing.

 

Especially since Quinn admitted that they're not.

 

This is an extremely interesting question. I'd say that he probably would have known or guessed from his iinteractions with Picard and co. that humanity would find a way to succeed against the Borg.