- Q-Less
ST episode
name = Q-Less
Q aboard Deep Space Nine
series = DS9
ep_num = 7
prod_num = 407
date =February 7 ,1993
writer =Robert Hewitt Wolfe Hannah Louise Shearer
director = Paul Lynch
guest =John de Lancie as QJennifer Hetrick as VashLaura Cameron as Bajoran womanVan Epperson as ClerkTom McCleister as Kolos
stardate = 46531.2
year = 2369
prev =Captive Pursuit
next = Dax"Q-Less" is a first-season episode of the television series "". The episode features Q and Vash, who arrive aboard the Deep Space Nine station.
Plot
Dax returns from the Gamma Quadrant in her runabout with a woman O'Brien recognizes as Vash. Although the crew is unaware of his presence, Q — an omnipotent prankster — has also stowed away on the runabout. Vash explains that she has spent the past two years in the Gamma Quadrant, but she describes her method of getting there as a "private matter."
Soon after Vash's arrival, the station begins to experience power drains similar to those experienced by Dax's
runabout . In the meantime, Q appears to Vash, apparently infatuated with her. Q was the one who transported Vash to the Gamma Quadrant two years ago, but now she wants nothing to do with him, much to Q's annoyance. When Dr. Bashir asks Vash out for dinner, a jealous Q uses his powers to send Bashir off to sleep. Meanwhile, Quark arranges to auction off various items Vash has found in the Gamma Quadrant, most notably an unknown but extremely valuable crystal of some kind, and in the meantime O'Brien spots Q.O'Brien warns Sisko of Q's presence and the likely cause of the power drains. Q denies any wrongdoing, although he offers no alternative explanation. As the power drains become more severe, some type of gravimetric field begins pulling the station toward the nearby wormhole. Q challenges Sisko to a boxing match on the Promenade, and they suddenly are wearing antique-style boxing costumes. A few punches are thrown, and Q is shocked when Sisko knocks him down. Vash and Quark go about their auction and the crystal receives bids in excess of one thousand bars of .
Casually joining the bid process, Q ups the ante on Vash's crystal to 2500 bars before bidding one million. Soon after, however, the source of the gravimetric field and power losses is found to be the crystal. The crystal is beamed into space before it can destroy the station, and once outside, it reveals itself to be a mysterious life form and travels into the wormhole. After the trouble is over, Bashir finally awakes. Unaware of what has happened, he yawns and tells Dax that he feels like he has been asleep for days. A bemused Dax gives him a strange look to which Bashir replies "What--did I miss something?"
Notes
* This was Q's first and only appearance on "DS9".
* This episode is a follow-up to the events of the "Next Generation" episode "Q-Pid". At the end of that episode, Q and Vash left together to explore the galaxy.
* Despite featuring the immensely popular Q, this episode received harsh criticisms from fans of ',Fact|date=February 2007 who claimed Q was out of character. Additionally, a scene in which Q challenges Sisko to a
boxing match (known as fisticuffs, as can be determined by the term "marquis of queensborough rules") was seen by some as an attempt to replicate the chemistry between Q and "TNGs CaptainJean-Luc Picard . Indeed, the boxing scene even references Q's encounters with Picard. When Sisko punches Q, the alien exclaims, "You hit me! Picard never hit me!", to which Sisko replies, "I'm not Picard."References
* P. Farrand, "Nitpicker's Guide for Deep Space Nine Trekkers" New York: Dell (1996): 29 - 32
External links
* [http://startrek.wikia.com/wiki/Q-Less Q-Less at Memory Beta]
*StarTrekDS9 article|68096|Q-Less
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