Information on 'Q'

The Q Continuum:

The Q continuum are higher-dimensional beings that have almost godlike powers in our dimension. The Enterprise meets several individual members of the Continuum, all confusingly called ``Q''. Most often, they meet a dangerously playful Q, played by John De Lancie.

Extradimensional domain in which Q and others of his kind exist. ("Encounter at Farpoint, Parts I and II" [TNG]). Q was breifly banished from the continuum in 2366, until another Q entered our existence, offering to restore his powers. ("Deja Q" [TNG]). Those in charge of the continuum commanded Q to instruct and evaluate Amanda Rogers to see fi she could ignore her powers and live among humans. If she could not or if she refused to accompany Q back to the Continuum, she was to be destroyed. The Continuum felt a moral obligation not to allow members of their kind to live with inferior beings and still use their awesome powers. ("True-Q" [TNG]).

Members of the Continuum appear in the following episodes:

Encounter At Farpoint

Hide And Q

Q Who

Deja Q

Qpid

True Q

Tapestry

All Good Things

Q in the Star Trek Encylcopedia

by Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, and Debbie Mirek

Q. (John de Lancie)
An immensely powerful extradimensional entity. While possessing near-godlike powers, Q also exhibits a child-like petulance and sense of playfulness. The Enterprise -D made first contact with Q in 2364, when Q detained the ship, enacting a courtroom drama in which Q accused the ship's crew of being "grieviously savage." ("Encounter at Farpoint, Parts I and II" [TNG].

On his second visit to the Enterprise -D, Q offered William Riker a gift of Q-like supernatural powers, althought it was not clear if this was a further attempt to study the human species, or merely another exercise in provoking humans to respond for his amusement. ("Hide and Q" [TNG])
Q later transported the Enterprise -D some 7,000 light years beyond Federation space to System J-25, where first contact was made with the powerful and dangerous Borg. ("Q Who?" [TNG])
Q was banished from the Q Continuum and stripped of his powers in 2366 for having spread chaos through the universe. Q sought refuge in human form on board the Enterprise -D, claiming that Jean-Luc Picard was the nearsest thing he had to a friend. Unfortunately, Q had made many enemies in this universe, and one of these, the Calamarain, attacked the Enterprise -D, attempting to exact revenge on Q. Quick action by Commander Data saved Q from the attacked. Truly surprised by Data's selfless action to save him, Q stole a shuttlecraft in an attempt to save the Enterprise -D crew from further hostile action. This altruistic act was enough to persuade the Continuum to return his powers. ("Deja Q" [TNG])

Q interrupted a symposium of the Federation Archaeology Council held aboard the Enterprise -D in 2367. He cast Picard, Vash, and members of the Enterprise -D crew into an elaborate fantasy based on the old Earth legends of Robin Hood. Q later vanished, taking Vash with him as his new partner in crime. ("QPid" [TNG]). He returned to the Enterprise -D in 2369 to instruct and evaluate Amanda Rogers, whose biological parents were members of the Q Continuum who took human form. ("True-Q" [TNG]). After a period of time exploring the Gamma Quadrant, Vash left Q, and returned to the Alpha Quadrant aboard the Starfleet runabout U.S.S. Ganges through the Bajoran wormhole. Q followed Vash to station Deep Space 9 in an attempt to convince her to return, but she once again rebuffed him. He amused himself with the crew of the station, provoking Benjamin Sisko into a 19th-century-style fistfight, and was shocked when Sisko knocked him to the floor. ("Q-Less" [DS9]). Later that year, Q once again visited Captain Picard, following a disasterous away mission on which Picard was ambushed by Lenarians. In what Q claimed was the afterlife, Q offered Picard the opportunity to see what his life would have been like had he not made some of the rash choices of his youth. In particular, Picard was given the opportunity to relive the three-day period leading up to his injury at the Bonestall Recreation Facility in 2327. Using the knowledge of what was to come, Picard was able to avoid the fight that cost him his heart. However, Picard discovered that it was partly the brashness of his youth that had made him the man that he was. ("Tapestry" [TNG]). Q was named by Gene Roddenberry for English Star Trek fan Janet Quarton. Q's first appearance was in "Encounter at Farpoint, Part I" (TNG). Many fans have speculated that Q may be related to Trelane.

John de Lancie

John was raised in Philadelphia where his father was the solo oboist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. His French mother is an antique dealer, and French was John's first language. He spent a good deal of his early life in France and California. In Philadelphia he attended private schools and flunked out of the sixth grade after receiving the most detentions ever given to a child his age. It was thought he was "a little slow", but it was later found that John was simply dyslexic.

It was around this time that he was heard memorising the St Crispin's Day speech from Henry V. On the grounds of "any port in a storm" John's father suggested that he consider an acting career - the die was cast!

John attended Kent State University and worked in the Theatre Department. He then continued his studies at the Juilliard School in New York City where he had won scholarship. Following almost 4 years of study, John appeared in the 1976 American Shakespeare Festival at Stratford. Then at the age of 26 he was offered a contract with Universal Studios.

He appeared in some 35 shows in his first 2 years in Los Angeles, he got married, divorced, and then moved to Seattle where he worked with the Seattle Repertory Company. Life was better there (after all, it was where he met his actress wife Marnie Mosiman!) but the actors in Seattle didn't think so, and a year later he came to agree with them.

He returned to Hollywood where he appeared in numerous plays and TV shows and got married again. He also did a lot of teaching and continues to do so. He was asked to appear in the American soap Days of Our Lives for 5 days, but stayed for 3 years! Other credits include films such as The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Filofax, The Fisher King, Bad Influence and The Onion Fields, and TV shows The Nutt House, Mission Impossible (new pilot), Time Trax, Get Smart Again, Battlestar Galactica, LA Law, Hooperman and The Miracle of Kathy Miller.

For one season John starred in the UPN western series Legend alongside Richard Dean Anderson. The series was produced by Star Trek producer Michael Piller, and although entertaining and attracting a core audience, was shelved as a result of UPN's decision to renew only Star Trek: Voyager and to cancel all other shows on its network.

Of course, it is through his appearances as 'Q' in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and most recently Star Trek: Voyager that we have come to know John. He attended the first Scottish Star Trek Convention which celebrated Star Trek's 25th Anniversary. It feels that there is something cosmically right with having John with us this year to celebrate Trek's 30th Anniversary.

John has no hobbies, refusing to participate in organised sports, but enjoys reading, sailing and teaching. Most of all, he enjoys spending time with his family, which is completed by John and Marnie's 2 sons - Keegan and Owen.

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Compiled by D. Brewer - July 1997