Within the second season of “Star Trek: Picard,” the nice admiral (Patrick Stewart) is approached by his previous rival, the trickster area deity Q (John de Lanice), a few new problem. Q snaps his fingers and flings Picard into an alternate universe the place Earth had turn into a galaxy-wide tyrannical energy, dedicated to the extermination of its perceived enemies. Earth had already pushed the Romulans and the Klingons to extinction, and is now gearing as much as execute the last-known Borg (Annie Werching). It is fairly grim. Picard, occupying the area of his tyrannical interdimensional counterpart, has to assemble his mates (Q conveniently teleports a number of of them to the evil universe as effectively), after which journey again in time to the 12 months 2024 to determine how the evil universe got here to be.
On the finish of the season, it is revealed that Q solely performed his little time-travel recreation with Picard as a kind of wistful farewell. Q was beforehand regarded as immortal, however he was really nearing the top of his life, and his powers had been waning. He used a few of his final shreds of magic to check Picard, hoping to attach with him. The season ends with Picard and Q giving one another a heat hug goodbye.
This was a comparatively restrained conclusion for the character, given how foolish he had been prior to now. There was an episode of “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology” whereby Q remodeled Picard and his crew into Robin Hood characters, as an illustration. In one other episode, to have fun a private milestone, Q appeared on the bridge of the Enterprise with a magically manifested mariachi band. Q, in case you could not inform, often introduced quite a lot of levity to “Star Trek.”
When it got here to “Picard,” nevertheless, de Lanice most well-liked to be rather less ridiculous. He even made a particular request in that regard.
John de Lancie requested that he not be requested to put on tights
Needless to say “Star Trek: Picard” served largely as a throwback collection, catching up with Jean-Luc Picard about 20 years since his final look (within the 2002 characteristic movie “Star Trek: Nemesis”). Many episodes of “Picard” introduced again acquainted faces from Picard’s world, together with Q, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), and the majority of the solid of “Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology.” Stewart had agreed to return for the entire of the “Picard” collection, however de Lancie required some convincing.
De Lancie was involved that he, now in his mid-70s, can be required to be as buffoonish on “Picard” as he was many years in the past within the Robin Hood episode. Fortunately, the producers of “Picard” put his thoughts comfortable. As de Lanice defined to Newsweek in 2022:
“I sat down, and I stated, ‘Hear, the very first thing I need to know is: you are not going to be placing me in these tights once more, are you? As a result of if that is the case, the deal’s off!’ They stated ‘No, no, no, no, we’re going for a unique really feel.’ I regarded just about as I do now. And so they stated, ‘As a matter of reality, we even need the beard, we wish a way of maturity. Time has handed, and there’s something up in your facet.’ And I stated, ‘So it is not, like, mariachi band time?’ And so they stated, ‘No.'”
Q “died” on the finish of the second season of “Picard,” completely satisfied to have given his previous good friend one ultimate problem. His look was each threatening and nostalgic; it featured no mariachi bands, and Q himself wore a tasteful black overcoat. In fact, since Q would not expertise time linearly, he additionally returned on the finish of the third season of “Picard” to confront Picard’s grownup son Jack (Ed Speleers). Though it appears extremely unlikely, time will inform if Q seems in the proposed “Star Trek: Legacy.”
