I like this episode not because the writing is particularly strong, or because the characters feel particularly well developed, but because of the (perhaps not-so-)subtle political points it makes along the way. One of Quinn's arguments sticks out as remarkably salient:
"I was the greatest threat the Continuum had ever known. They feared me so much they had to lock me away for eternity. And when they did that, they were saying that the individual's rights will be protected only so long as they don't conflict with the state. Nothing is so dangerous to a society." (emphasis mine)
The slippery slope that decision represents could be taken as the first step toward a totalitarian government, and Quinn's status as a renowned philosopher among the Q rings true in that moment. For all intents and purposes, the Q Continuum already is a form of totalitarian democracy, wherein the citizens govern each other by means of consensus and any dissenters are suppressed.
On top of that, it was a master stroke to have had Jonathan Frakes direct this episode—if only because he was already well-versed in telling this kind of ethical dilemma from his years on TNG. And Q stories always seem to work better when there are multiple Q involved, likely because they give the writers an excuse to give John de Lancie more than just comic prankster material.
Review by dgwVIP 10BlockedParent2018-02-09T22:52:34Z
I like this episode not because the writing is particularly strong, or because the characters feel particularly well developed, but because of the (perhaps not-so-)subtle political points it makes along the way. One of Quinn's arguments sticks out as remarkably salient:
The slippery slope that decision represents could be taken as the first step toward a totalitarian government, and Quinn's status as a renowned philosopher among the Q rings true in that moment. For all intents and purposes, the Q Continuum already is a form of totalitarian democracy, wherein the citizens govern each other by means of consensus and any dissenters are suppressed.
On top of that, it was a master stroke to have had Jonathan Frakes direct this episode—if only because he was already well-versed in telling this kind of ethical dilemma from his years on TNG. And Q stories always seem to work better when there are multiple Q involved, likely because they give the writers an excuse to give John de Lancie more than just comic prankster material.