True Q
The Enterprise is picking up supplies at Starbase 112 when Amanda Rogers, the Enterprise’s newest intern, boards joins the crew. They are headed for Tagra IV, a planet with serious environmental issues.
Amanda gets to know the Enterprise as she interacts with Dr. Crusher, Commander Riker, Lieutenant Commander La Forge, and Lieutenant Commander Data. Without anyone knowing it she saves Riker from injury by preventing a large container from falling on him. The ship’s engines go critical while Amanda is visiting Engineering. She does something that resets the engine back to normal but this time Geordi and Data witness what she does.
Q boards the Enterprise and explains that he was behind the engine malfunction and that Amanda is one of his people although she didn’t know it until now. He was testing her powers. He explains that he is there to take Amanda back to the Q Continuum but, when he tries to take her, she refuses to go.
Q starts to train Amanda in how to use her abilities. He interferes with an assignment that Doctor Crusher gives Amanda. Doctor Crusher resents Q meddling with the experiment. Q picks up on the fact that Amanda has a crush on Commander Riker.
Q continues to test Amanda. She starts to enjoy using her new found abilities. She spots Riker having dinner with another woman and uses her powers to whisk Will and herself away. She tries to seduce him but he’s not interested and explains that love doesn't work that way.
Q meets with Picard who has questions about the death of Amanda’s parents and the unusual circumstances in which they died. Q plays dumb on that topic and then explain that he is there to evaluate Amanda and determine if she is a true member of the Q Continuum.
Q gives Amanda a choice, she either has to come with him or else she has to suppress her abilities for all time. She doesn’t want to go with him but minutes later she has her resolve tested when the reactor that Riker and Geordi are visiting on on Tagra IV starts to malfunction. She fixes the reactor and the atmosphere surrounding the planet. Amanda decides to leave with Q.
Thoughts
Has the Enterprise ever had an intern before or since this episode?
Q is really creepy in this episode. The way he invades and imposes himself on Amanda is really icky.
It occurs to me now that it really seems silly to me that they call him Q and that is also the name of the people he comes from. Is that his name or just what he wants Picard and the others to call him?
They never really resolved the question of what happened to Amanda's parents. Picard thinks the that Q Continuum killed them but that's as close at they get to an answer to that question. I couldn't help but think of the Wizard of Oz when they revealed how her parents died in Kansas by a freak tornado.
Amanda used hand gestures when manifesting her powers which made me think of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie.
I'm not a big fan of episodes that deal with omnipotence so it should come as no surprise that I am not a fan of this episode. It's okay. It's the story that I dislike, the performances by de Lancie and d'Abo are both very good..
Notes
John de Lancie reprises his role as Q. This is the sixth of eight episodes in which he appeared. I have seen the previous five. I'm not so sure about the remaining two.
Olivia d'Abo played the part of Amanda Rogers. This is her only appearance in Star Trek. I've seen her in a few things but what stands out when I look at her credits on IMDb is that she was the voice of Melanie Walker (aka Ten) in Batman Beyond and the voice of Morgaine Le Fey in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. I have never watched The Wonder Years.
No comments:
Post a Comment