“Q2” is episode nineteen of season seven of Star Trek: Voyager.
Icheb is reading an essay on Captain Kirk to Captain Janeway. He gets to the end of TOS, but he hasn’t finished. There are 34 more chapters. The captain says this was intended to be a 20-minute presentation. It’s not necessary for Icheb to shorten the report; congratulations, he’s just passed early Starfleet history. After Icheb leaves, an unfamiliar young man in Starfleet uniform comments on the essay. Janeway tries contacting security, but she’s told the rest of the ship is stuck in a 30 second time loop. She asks the young man who he is. Q. The original Q appears; this is his son.
Q is disappointed that Q Jr’s godmother doesn’t recognise him. The last time the captain saw him, in “The Q and the Grey”, he was an infant. Junior remembers she called him adorable; he may have been an infant, but he’s still a Q. They wonder if it’s too late to pick another godparent. Q explains that Junior is taking a vacation from the Continuum and he recommended Junior spend it on Voyager to experience humanity first hand. Q doesn’t have time to stay and vanishes. Junior isn’t going to listen to rules and also vanishes.
On the bridge, the captain is talking to Tuvok and Chakotay when Junior asks when they’re going to do something interesting. He decides to amuse himself and B’Elanna calls from engineering. It seems Junior is holding a rave there. Junior admires the captain’s gumption. But she doesn’t have unlimited control of space, matter and time and she, Tuvok, Chakotay and B’Elanna are dumped in a corridor. They decide to ignore Junior’s attempts to get under their skin; he may get bored and leave. Junior tries to provoke Seven by removing her clothes. She carries on working unphased.
In the mess hall, the captain discovers that Junior has reprogrammed the computer with more personality. Neelix suggests they try another solution to Junior; perhaps a mentor. Neelix finds Junior is astrometrics; he’s apparently provoked a war between two species. Junior decides Neelix talks too much.
In sickbay, the Doctor tells the captain that Neelix’s mouth has been sealed and his vocal cords removed. He can fix the cosmetic damage but only Q can restore Neelix’s voice. The ship shakes and the captain contacts the bridge. Junior answers; he has a surprise.
Three Borg cubes are firing on Voyager. Junior wants to see how humans do under pression. He also disables their engines, weapons and shields and drones beam aboard. One is about to infect Janeway when they all vanish as Q appears. Q ends up yelling at Junior that the Continuum has told him before: Do not provoke the Borg! From the Q who introduced the Federation to the Borg in “Q Who?”. And why are supposedly omnipotent beings concerned about provoking the Borg?
Q speaks to the captain in private. Junior is supposed to inspire peace and compassion in the Continuum. Instead, he’s wreaking chaos. Chaos that sounds very much like his father’s old tricks. Junior’s mother has disowned him and the Continuum wants him straightening out. Q brought him to Voyager because he knows nothing of parenting. Junior is the first child and he’s the first parent. And the captain is like a mother to her crew. The captain suggests Q spend time with Junior. Q sounds to miss the point.
And the next time Q returns – a whole ten minutes later – he says that Junior is now embarrassed by him. The captain suggests making Junior understand there are consequences. Which involves turning him into an amoeba for a time, and told afterwards that will be his fate unless he changes his habits. He has one week on Voyager to change. And no powers. Which means the captain is now the one who makes the rules.
Captain Janeway tells Junior she thinks that Q genuinely wants to help Junior. Junior now has to learn how to behave, well, less like his father. Or he will be sentenced to spend an eternity as an amoeba. And Captain Janeway’s, Q’s and the Continuum’s definitions of success may all be different.