Trekkie Tuesday

Season 3, Episode 13- Deja Q
The crew of the Enterprise is trying to save a planet from destruction from collision with it's moon when Q shows up suddenly. He is striped of his powers and status amongst the Continuum.

 Q seeks refuge aboard the Enterprise and understandably, everyone is suspicious of Q's true intentions. No one really believes that he has become human.

 I find it interesting that Q says that he chose to be human and to be exiled aboard the Enterprise. He could have been anything anywhere but this is what he chooses. Q says that the reason for this is simply that Picard is the closest thing he has to a friend. What's really going on is that he wants protection from wronged life forms that Q has tormented in the past.
Q recognizes that Picard is capable of most anything and he knows that Picard will take pity on him and his predicament. What I love most about this episode is how beautifully it illustrates why I like Q so much. We get to see a different side of Q, a vulnerable, less cocky side. It's brilliant that even despite his unfortunate situation Q still manages to keep his sense of humor.  

 Q is very mischievous and even though he often puts people in life or death situations, they often come out of the experience better and stronger. Without it being his intention he forces people to push beyond their comfort zones, forces them to confront their fears. Q may not care about the outcome of the situations but he does love to watch people work. The human drive to move on and survive is the ultimate draw for Q. I think it's the reason he does what he does.
And in this episode, we see that Q has a particular fondness for humans, or more accurately Data. Through the selfless act of drawing the hostile alien force away from the Enterprise by stealing a shuttle, the Continuum sees fit to restore Q's powers. With this, Q departs the Enterprise by giving Data a very personal gift. He lets Data know what it's like to laugh.

I love how complex Q is and how he is almost a mirror personality to Picard. Q is the chaos and Picard is the order and when they dance, big changes occur for the characters, usually resulting in them growing as people. With every encounter with Q, the crew learns more about themselves. I think this is why Picard can never fully abandon Q because they both need each other. What are your thoughts?
Until we meet again. Live long and prosper.