The God I Did Not Know I Was: "True Q!"

The Good: Acting, Character, Idea
The Bad: Repetition, Resolution
The Basics: When Amanda Rogers learns she is a member of the omnipotent, omniscient Q Continuum, her world is turned upside down and she must find her own path in "True Q."


Despite a recent article in TV Guide saying what Enterprise needed to survive is a decent villain, Star Trek The Next Generation did quite well without a single threat week after week. Instead, the unpredictable, omniscient, omnipotent Q was a satisfying villain; he would appear, wreak havoc and disappear. On Star Trek The Next Generation, he was a villain that was never dumbed down, never made less powerful than he originally appeared. Whenever he showed up, there was always a threat.

In "True Q," Q arrives after a young exchange student named Amanda Rogers begins working in Sickbay. She's a quick study and she and Dr. Crusher become fast friends. When Q shows up, however, he does not let his motive slip to Picard or anyone else. Instead, he takes a keen interest in Amanda. He is soon forced to reveal, shortly after she displays the abilities, that she is a Q, she just never knew it. Q's mission; recover Amanda or kill her.

"True Q" is an ambitious idea, the concept of a god living as a man is a great one. Amanda Rogers is a wonderful choice for a child of Qs that has lived without knowing her true nature. In fact, the only flaw with this idea is that it has been done, in some form, already in the series. In "Hide And Q," only the second time Q appears, Riker is given the power of the Q and his inability to go without using it causes him to ultimately reject it. Similarly, when Amanda discovers her nature as a Q, she becomes unwilling to be a simple mortal. There is the feeling throughout the episode, by fans of the series, that this is not new territory, simply a nice window-dressing of an idea that has been done already in the series.

In "True Q," the characters are well defined and developing nicely. Amanda Rogers is sensible as a person discovering she has all sorts of powers she never knew she had. Dr. Crusher's maternal instinct kicks in here with understandable protectiveness for Amanda. And Q's appearance is lacking in humor, which is refreshing. It makes Q once more into more of a villain. It works well and in this episode, he combines being a villain with being a surrogate parent of sorts and it fits his whimsical nature well.

The acting supports the characters quite well. So, for example, Gates McFadden adds to her repertoire magnificently. With Wesley, Dr. Crusher had little cause to act maternal and Gates pulls it off quite well. Her concern over Amanda's development is very realistically put forward. Similarly, Patrick Stewart does a great job at balancing is own paternal instincts against his character's mistrust of Q and it works out well.

But, being a Q episode, the acting hinges on the Q actors. And they deliver. John de Lancie once again is mischievous and cunning in his performance of Q and he sells us on the idea of Q being desperate and in need. But it's Olivia D'Abo as Amanda Rogers who makes the episode. She makes the transition for her character from clueless to omnipotent a believable one. She sells us on the character's transformation with her wide, young eyes becoming clouded and her changes in tone and body language throughout the episode.

"True Q" is a great episode for anyone looking to be entertained by a decent character story. One does not even need to like science fiction all that much; the nature of the Q is explained in the episode as being godlike, so it is largely an episode about a woman discovering she is a god and learning to deal with that. It's an interesting dilemma and "True Q" deals with it well. While those not associated with Star Trek The Next Generation might initially be intimidated by the references to Q and what he/it represents, it all gets explained for the viewer who has patience.

[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Complete Sixth Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the penultimate season by clicking here!
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6.5/10

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© 2011, 2007, 2003 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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