“Q Who?” is episode sixteen of season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Geordi is in engineering with a new ensign who uses please and thank you with the food replicators. The ensign, Sonya, is a bit talkative, which she knows, and excited. He advises her that she probably shouldn’t have a hot chocolate around the engineering consoles and she turns to take it out. Bumping into Captain Picard in the process. Geordi introduces Sonya and says she’s just transferred over and he accepts full responsibility. After Picard leaves to change his uniform, Sonya is bit unhappy, because first impressions are so important. Geordi tells her that it’s a meeting the captain won’t soon forget. Picard himself heads in a turbolift in his quarters and steps out into a shuttlecraft. Piloted by Q. Picard reminds Q that, in their last encounter in “Hide and Q”, Q promised to never trouble Picard’s ship again. Q says he always keeps his arrangements. They are nowhere near the Enterprise.
In Ten Forward, Guinan seems to sense something and contacts the bridge to ask if everything is alright. Is anything unusual happening? No. Why? She’s not sure; just a feeling. She’s had it a couple of times and it’s probably nothing.
Picard is still on the shuttle and Q is going to keep him there until Picard agrees to discuss something with him. Geordi and Sonya are in Ten Forward now and Geordi notices Guinan staring odd into space. He asks if everything’s alright. She doesn’t know. Geordi decides to head to engineering. Troi arrives on the bridge and asks where the captain is. Riker says he’s in his quarters. He isn’t. Riker checks with the computer and finds out that Picard is not on the ship. Worf has discovered a shuttle is missing and there is no response when they try to hail it, nor any other ships in the sector. Riker orders a search for the captain and, after six hours, they still haven’t found the shuttle.
Q will return Picard to the ship if he agrees to give Q’s request a full reading. Picard finally agrees, and they return to Ten Forward, which seems to be empty bar Guinan. Worf reports that the shuttle is back. Guinan and Q recognise each other; they had dealings two centuries ago. Q calls her an imp who trouble always follows. Picard thinks that describes Q. Oddly, it looks as if Guinan thinks she has a chance against Q in a fight. Picard wants Q to state his business, as Riker and Worf enter.
Q wants to join the Enterprise as a member of the crew, as he is homeless. Picard asks Q where he would start, and claims he isn’t mocking him. After all, they are to seek out new life and Q is one of the most unique lifeforms they’ve found. The rest of the Q have kicked him out of the Continuum after his last encounter with the Enterprise. He’s been wandering around, vaguely bored, then remembered the good times he had on the Enterprise. That’s where he wants to be. If needed, he will renounce his powers.
Picard declines. He doesn’t trust Q. Q tells Picard they need him; they are not prepared for what awaits. Picard says they may not be prepared, but they are ready; that’s why they’re out there. Q calls this arrogance. They don’t have a clue what’s awaiting. The Klingons and Romulans are pitiful adversaries. Picard states that Q’s help is not needed. And Q snaps his fingers and sends the Enterprise across the galaxy.
They have travelled over 7,000 light years and it will take over two and a half years to reach the nearest starbase. Q calls this a taste of the future, a preview of things to come, then leaves. Picard speaks to Guinan, because her people have been in this part of the galaxy. Her advice is to start back now.
Advice Picard ignores; he feels compelled to investigate. The Enterprise finds an M-class planet with roads, signs of a civilisation, but the cities have been scooped off the planet. Identical to what happened to the outposts by the Neutral Zone. A probe is detected from a ship on an intercept course. The ship, when shown onscreen, is a huge cube. Now, what such a ship is is commonly known, but this was its first appearance. Sensors show no living quarters, a generalised layout and no indications of life. No weapons of any known design and no shields. No response to hails.
Picard contacts Guinan to ask if she’s familiar with this lifeform. Yes; her people encountered them centuries ago. They destroyed their cities and scattered her people. They are called the Borg.
This is the first appearance of the Borg and they are not quite the same as in later appearances. The cube lacks the ominous green glow that would be later seen; the Borg got a major overhaul following Star Trek: First Contact, as the film resulted in better models. The Borg were originally intended to be the aliens seen in “Conspiracy”, but the insectoid creatures would have cost too much to make.