Were El-Aurians abilities against the Q ever explained?

[The Old Mixer]

You missed my point, Ar...it wouldn't have been the Picard of the altered timeline, it still would have been the Picard of the normal timeline. From Guinan's 19th-century perspective, both are valid possible futures. The event that alters the timeline doesn't occur until the 24th century.

Thus when the timeline changes, Guinan knows that something's wrong, because suddenly she's in a different 24th century than the one that 19th-century Picard came from.

 

[bbjeg]

^that works.

​

 

[R. Star]

^ I'm not sure the Picard of the altered timeline (Klingon war, etc) would have had the time to go fiddling around under San Francisco and therefore Data's head wouldn't have ended up there at all so there wouldn't have been a reason to go down there in the first place and there wouldn't have been any traveling back to the 19th century to meet Guinan but then she probably wouldn't have ended up on the Enterprise-D so what the hell was she doing there at all.................

Damn temporal theory.

Maybe he found the Data head and did the time travel adventure after the Klingons conquered the Federation. You know they're going to outsource the archeology and science missions to cheap conquered labor.

 

[Kirk the Jerk]

I just put it down to El-Aurian's ability to sense when things aren't right, so when Q go round changing things for fun they can tell and aren't totally affected by these changes. Q like to have the upper hand and feel powerful and aren't as effective against El-Aurian's.

 

[Infern0]

^ But Q did seem to be genuinely startled when he saw her.

This, he looked shook

 

[Praetor]

It's the hat. It's obviously the hat. Lined with tin foil, it protects her from Q's influence.

But seriously, I think there was some plan to make Guinan something more significant than a member of a race of "listeners"... they were simply leaving it vague for later. I don't believe the term El-Aurian was established until "Generations"?

In hindsight, in that episode at least, doesn't Guinan seem like she might have been an exiled (either willfully or not) Q?

 

[Dream]

She sensed Q in "Q Who" rather quickly.

As a bartender, Guinan's job was the listen to her costumers. I can see why the writers also decided to make her from a race of "listeners". I liked how we found out more about her as TNG went along. Her powers even ended up as a very important part of a classic episode.

See Voyager writers! This is how you do a reoccurring character!

 

[Timo]

I don't believe the term El-Aurian was established until "Generations"?

Technically, DS9 "Rivals" came before that. It didn't watertightly establish the El-Aurian character Martus as being from the same species/culture as Guinan, though, it merely established that El-Aurians were famed listeners and refugees. So ST:GEN was the final nail needed to secure the connection with Guinan.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Praetor]

Ahh, thanks Timo... I forgot about that one.

 

[MrLethalWeapon]

I believe the gesture Whoopi made was an homage to the hex that her character in the Color Purple put on her abusive husband; just with two hands instead of one.

 

[bbjeg]

Stabs him with a fork to prove he's human, homage hex she put on an abusive husband, 'Had some dealings' (like that's not code word for sex).

Yeah, until it's proven otherwise, I think Guinan is Q's ex.

 

[Praetor]

I believe the gesture Whoopi made was an homage to the hex that her character in the Color Purple put on her abusive husband; just with two hands instead of one.

You know, I'd forgotten that. You're probably right.

 

[publiusr]

I have this idea that El-Aurians are more than listeners, with the occasional ability to sense multiple distorted timelines--that the best of them can come close to manipulating possibilities, rather like Marvel's Scarlet Witch. Even a Q has to respect that.

Now brute force works across timelines, and they fail then. But the more powerful an energy being is, the better the El-Aurians are. Had Q simply changed int a large size and attacked, she would have been defenseless-though she might have interfered with his transition in between.

I believe the gesture Whoopi made was an homage to the hex that her character in the Color Purple put on her abusive husband; just with two hands instead of one.

You know, I'd forgotten that. You're probably right.

Toure' (on MSNBC's The Cycle) often holds one hand up. Must be that "jedi mind meld" thing again. He's a favorite of mine.

 

[TheSubCommander]

^ But Q did seem to be genuinely startled when he saw her.

This, he looked shook

He looks more pissed that he didn't detect her, than startled or shook, to me. More like he was concerned she told Picard something about Q, that Q didn't want to know.

 

[bbjeg]

It's the fact that Q raised his hand to Guinan that makes me thinks she has an ability, Q usually snaps his finger, or waves a hand. It felt like he was actually going to have to try at something.

​

 

[Timo]

...Or then the response to Guinan's gesture is pure mockery. "Ooooo, I'm so afraid of your HAND!"

Timo Saloniemi

 

[jpv2000]

Stabs him with a fork to prove he's human, homage hex she put on an abusive husband, 'Had some dealings' (like that's not code word for sex).

Yeah, until it's proven otherwise, I think Guinan is Q's ex.

I like this explanation best.

 

[bbjeg]

^It sure feels like it to me.