Q (John de Lancie), Star Trek's omnipotent being has appeared across multiple shows since his debut in the 1987 pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Q's strongest connection was with Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), and it was a relationship that would last for the rest of Q's apparently infinite lifespan. However, Q has also set his sights on other Star Trek leads, from Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) to Ensign Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome).
Star Trek: Picard season 3's end credits scene has revealed that Q shows no signs of stopping, despite his apparent death in season 2. With Q now setting his sights on Jean-Luc's son, Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), he's set to be a part of Terry Matalas' proposed Star Trek: Legacy show. Here's every Q appearance from "Encounter at Farpoint" to "The Last Generation", which signals the start of a brand-new story for Star Trek's beloved trickster god.
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15 Star Trek: TNG Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2: "Encounter At Farpoint"
Q appeared to Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D during their very first mission. The omnipotent being believed that the human race was not evolved enough for further exploration of the universe. Picard convinced Q that humanity wasn't the "savage child-race" that the cosmic being believed them to be, and used the Farpoint mission to prove it. Realizing that the Bandi were exploiting an alien life form, Picard proved to Q that humanity had reached an evolved state of being, but it was far from the end of humanity's trials.
14 Star Trek: TNG Season 1, Episode 10, "Hide And Q"
Q continued testing humanity by bestowing the powers of the Continuum on Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes). It was a test of how susceptible humanity is to temptation, as Q is keen for Riker to explore the possibilities that his new powers offer him. Picard bet Q that he would fail to turn Will Riker into one of his own, and while Riker did succumb to temptation by sharing his gifts, he swiftly realized his mistake. The price of the bet was that Q would stay out of humanity's way forever, but Q would very quickly renege on that promise.
13 Star Trek: TNG Season 2, Episode 16, "Q Who"
Ostracized from the Continuum, Q offered to be Picard's guide to the uncharted areas of the galaxy that the Enterprise would soon encounter. Picard understood just how chaotic it would be to have Q aboard as a full-time crew member, and rejected his application. Q petulantly decided to prove just how badly Picard and the Enterprise needed him by propelling them into the Delta Quadrant, into the path of the Borg Collective, setting up their future conflict. It's the most seismic impact that Q has made on the Star Trek universe, and his reckless actions saw him punished in his next Star Trek: The Next Generation appearance.
12 Star Trek: TNG Season 3, Episode 13, "Deja Q"
The first hint of Q's softer side comes in "Deja Q" when he was forced to live as a human after being stripped of his powers and immortality. Expecting this to be another of Q's tests, Picard tentatively agreed to grant the cosmic trickster asylum aboard Enterprise. While there, Q formed a bond with Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), whom he dubbed "professor of the Humanities". Q and Data's bond was so strong that the mortal Q risked his life to save the android. This selfless act was enough to convince the Continuum that Q had learned his lesson, and his powers and immortality were returned to him.
11 Star Trek: TNG Season 4, Episode 20, "Qpid"
In a storyline that foreshadows Q's Star Trek: Picard season 2 story, "Qpid" sees the trickster god become involved in Jean-Luc's love life. Creating an elaborate take on the legend of Robin Hood, Q set out to teach Picard about love, after detecting romantic tension between Jean-Luc and the archaeologist Vash (Jennifer Hetrick). Over the course of Q's lesson, he too became fascinated with Vash, and ultimately offered her the chance to travel with him. While Jean-Luc was put out by Q seducing the object of his desire, he insisted that the omnipotent trickster ensure Vash's safety.
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10 Star Trek: TNG Season 6, Episode 6, "True Q"
Q returned to the Enterprise during the strange case of Amanda Rogers (Olivia d'Abo), a human being who manifested Q powers. It transpired that her biological parents were a male and female Q who left the Collective to live life as human beings. They were tracked down by the Collective and executed, leaving Amanda an orphan. It was only when Amanda began an internship on the Enterprise with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) that she learned her true origins. Q eventually convinced Amanda to join the Collective when she used her powers to save the life of Riker and his away team on Tagra IV.
9 Star Trek: DS9 Season 1, Episode 7, "Q-Less"
In one of many examples of Benjamin Sisko and Jean-Luc Picard's differences, Q and Sisko did not like each other. Q arrived aboard Deep Space Nine to try and win back Vash, who he'd left stranded in the Gamma Quadrant. After the discovery of the wormhole, Vash was brought to DS9 where the archaeologist attempted to sell some of the artifacts she'd unearthed in the Gamma Quadrant. Q's presence aboard DS9 caught the attention of Sisko, who had no time for his games. After being punched in the face by DS9's commanding officer, Q decided that Sisko was too easy to provoke and left the station, never to return.
8 Star Trek: TNG Season 6, Episode 15, "Tapestry"
When Jean-Luc briefly died on the operating table in sickbay, Q appeared to him as God, ushering Picard into the afterlife. To save Picard's life in the present, Q offered him the chance to change his fate, by avoiding the bar brawl that resulted in the installation of his defective artificial heart. Picard accepted his second chance, only to find himself back in the present where he was still a junior lieutenant. This made Jean-Luc realize that he wouldn't be captain of the Enterprise without first being the headstrong risk-taker whose recklessness had got him stabbed in the heart by a Nausicaan.
7 Star Trek: The Next Generation Finale, "All Good Things"
Q returned for Star Trek: The Next Generation's final test of humanity, which was designed to find out if they were capable of understanding advanced temporal concepts. The test saw Jean-Luc Picard split across past, present, and future to investigate a temporal anomaly that was expanding backward through time. Thanks to Q's gentle hints, Picard solved the problem and saved humanity from its own destruction. There was also the underlying suggestion that Q was also teaching Picard about the value of having a trusted crew of friends in each time zone, further evidence of the trickster's sensitive side.
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6 Star Trek: Voyager Season 2, Episode 18, "Death Wish"
Q's meddling with Starfleet's best and brightest didn't end with Jean-Luc and the crew of the Enterprise, or his aborted attempt to befriend Sisko. Instead, he set his sights on Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) when Quinn (Gerrit Graham) sought asylum on the USS Voyager. Quinn had been exiled from the Continuum after he was inspired to experience death by Q's own time spent as a mortal. Q was initially dispatched to Voyager to stop Quinn from ending his life during a trial overseen by Janeway. However, the trial had a profound effect on Q, who finally agreed to help Quinn end his life, setting up his own fascination with death in Star Trek: Picard season 2.
5 Star Trek: Voyager Season 3, Episode 11, "The Q and the Grey"
Q was so impressed by Janeway, that he sought her help when Quinn's suicide caused chaos within the Continuum. Believing that the birth of a new Q would restore balance and end the civil war that plagued the Continuum, Q tried to persuade Janeway to mate with him. Janeway refused and instead attempted to bring an end to hostilities, with the aid of Q's ex-girlfriend and the crew of Voyager. Reunited with his ex, Q decided that they should mate instead, resulting in the birth of Q Jr. - the first new Q in a millennia - who brought a swift end to the civil war.
4 Star Trek: Voyager Season 7, Episode 19, "Q2"
Q Jr. (Keegan de Lancie), the son of Star Trek's Q, was sent to the USS Voyager when he proved to be too much for the Continuum to handle. As Junior's godmother, Q believed that Janeway could teach his son the discipline and order that he had been unable to display while living in the Continuum. While Janeway's tutelage certainly made an impact on the youngster, it was Q finally accepting his responsibilities as a father that convinced the Continuum to reinstate Junior.
3 Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 1, Episode 8, "Veritas"
Q briefly appeared in Star Trek: Lower Decks to challenge the USS Cerritos' senior staff to one of his more bizarre games. Dressed as chess pieces, Captain Carol Freeman (Dawnn Lewis) and her crew were thrown into a living chess game against sentient playing cards who were armed with hockey sticks. Q also tried to challenge Ensign Mariner and the Lower Deckers, but Beckett had no time for the cosmic trickster, flatly telling him that she wasn't in the mood for his games, much to Q's disappointment.
2 Star Trek: Picard Season 2
In the most personal of Q's tests for Picard, the dying god resolved to finally teach his old sparring partner how to be loved. While it was a convoluted plot involving dystopian futures, new species of Borg, and the progenitor of Khan Noonien-Singh, it was deceptively simple in its lesson. Q's meddling allowed Jean-Luc to come to terms with his childhood trauma, make peace with his dead mother and father, and finally look to the future with Laris (Orla Brady). Picard was so thankful to Q for his unconventional approach to psychotherapy that the two men warmly embraced, as Q seemingly prepared to die.
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1 Star Trek: Picard Season 3
After he appeared in his quarters on the Enterprise-G, Jack Crusher questioned how Q could still be alive, but the cosmic trickster chided Picard's son for thinking too linearly. This implies that the dying Q from Star Trek: Picard season 2 is actually from a point after the season 3 finale's credits tease. Q teased that, for Jack Crusher at least, humanity's trial is just beginning, meaning that the trickster god will be around to cause chaos in the Star Trek universe for years to come.
