Why was Q scared of Guinan?

[Joel_Kirk]

I didn't think this really belonged in the TNG section as it's a more general sort of question but are there any theories as to why Q was so fearful of Guinan?

In the episode Q Who he seemed genuinely afraid of her, and I've always wished they would have expanded on that ..

It probably was those horrid hats and outfits Guinan wore!

Still, it was interesting that Q was afraid of someone he wasn't able to easily wish (or whisk) away to the cornfield at the flick of a finger.

 

[T'Girl]

Q was scared of Guinan because Q is a bully.

And bullies are usually scared of people who stand up to them.

 

[Bagofmostlywatr]

I could hear Guinan saying, "naaahhh, I saw an old earth Kung Fu movie, thought I'd give it a shot."

I like the idea of it being a bluff, seeing as bluffing was a bit of an on and off theme in TNG.

Maybe even the Q aren't quite omnipotent as far as her species go, so they don't push their luck.

 

[bbjeg]

Guinan has been around for hundreds of years and her species did have "some dealings" with the Q. Maybe they picked something up along the way after Q (most likely) messed with them.

 

[T'Girl]

Maybe even the Q aren't quite omnipotent as far as her species go, so they don't push their luck.

Interesting idea, the Q species can't "see" El-Aurians.

 

[JesterFace]

Looking back at the characters now, Q has no reason to be afraid of Guinan, perhaps he was just amusing himself by making Guinan believe he was scared of her.

 

[Ronald Held]

Maybe Q was not scared but frustrated because he could not do much to Guinan due to her link in the Nexus?

 

[Maurice]

I never got the impression that he was "afraid" of her, just surprised and irritated that she was there.

 

[Iamnotspock]

I think that Guinan was aboard the E-D from the time it left Earth prior to Farpoint. She didn't arrive later.

No, "Yesterday's Enterprise" established that Guinan didn't know Tasha Yar, and this was made more explicit in "Redemption II" with Picard's line, "Tasha died, a year before you came onboard the the Enterprise. You never knew her."

"All Good Things" confirmed that Ten Forward was on the ship from the beginning, although we didn't see it in the first season (Troi says that when Picard first arrived on the Enterprise, there was a reception in Ten Forward, where she introduced him to Worf and the other senior officers), but Guinan didn't start running it until the second year of the ship's mission.

 

[Anji]

Yeah, Q was scared of her. She may not have had all the powers that he had but she wasn't afraid to torture him anyway she could...and that's what scared him.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Yeah, Q was scared of her. She may not have had all the powers that he had but she wasn't afraid to torture him anyway she could...and that's what scared him.

Quite true, and maybe mental torture was worse then any kind of supernatural torture for Q.

BTW everyone in the continuum is called Q so how could you tell them apart

BTW Anij was kind a cute.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I could hear Guinan saying, "naaahhh, I saw an old earth Kung Fu movie, thought I'd give it a shot."

I like the idea of it being a bluff, seeing as bluffing was a bit of an on and off theme in TNG.

Maybe even the Q aren't quite omnipotent as far as her species go, so they don't push their luck.

I'd say it goes further then that. Because Q did once warn his son not to provoke the Borg. Seemed like they don't want to upset some species or peak their interest.

I always thought maybe if poked enough the Borg might try and find the continuum..

 

[Drone]

I think it was much more likely that the comment is meant to communicate that the Borg's programme throughout the galaxy is aggressive enough as it is, and that needlessly stirring things up might lead them to accelerate their exploits on the warpath and endanger a perceived galactic power structure. Q also might be referring to a certain act that he undertook some time before that he might have the perspective to see now as ill-advised or a mistake, at least a lesson not to be forgotten.

For themselves, I don't think it's plausible that the Continuum would ever consider the Borg any kind of threat or danger.

 

[Tim Thomason]

For themselves, I don't think it's plausible that the Continuum would ever consider the Borg any kind of threat or danger.

Yeah, the Borg, to Q, are little more than a fun nuisance. One that will tire itself out or "evolve" beyond their search for perfection via assimilation. The Q were probably around when the Slavers ruled the galaxy, so if the Borg somehow manage to do the same for a time, so be it. It'll be a whole new ballgame in a billion years or so.

But the Continuum at large doesn't seem to want to upset the status quo. As much as Q's antic are tolerated, he does hit these limits. He got in trouble himself for provoking the Borg.

 

[bbjeg]

Yeah, Q was scared of her. She may not have had all the powers that he had but she wasn't afraid to torture him anyway she could...and that's what scared him.

When given the chance, Guinan did stab him with a fork. That says something.

 

[Kor]

But as for Guinan, I like to think that all her "powers" were attributable to the Nexus. It's a retcon of course, but it's neat to think that having oneself pulled out-of-time and placed back with an echo gives one more awareness of temporal anomalies and perhaps other planes of existence (Q Continuum?).

This idea has been part of my "personal canon" for a long time. I'm pretty sure this was the explanation in one of the novels, either the novelization of "Generations" or another one from around that time.

Edit: I just looked it up. It's from the novel "Engines of Destiny."

Kor