Star Trek 893: Q Affects!

893. Q Affects!

PUBLICATION: Star Trek: The Next Generation #5, DC Comics, June 1988

CREATORS: Michael Carlin (writer), Pablo Marcos (artist)

STARDATE: 41753.9 (follows the last issue)

PLOT: As Geordi lay dying in sickbay, a powerless Q begs the crew to kill him. They're not up for it, of course, but Tasha's rapist is. He escapes from the brig and tries to do so, but the situation turns into a hostage situation with the prone Geordi having a phaser to his head. Data starts coming forward, taking a lot of phaser fire, and Q, moved by the crew's selflessness, jumps in front of the beam to give Data his chance. The Continuum rewards Q by resurrecting him as a Q, and the crew by healing Geordi.

CONTINUITY: Q and the Continuum appear. The story is a sequel to Hide and Q.

DIVERGENCES: Data once again jumps on Q and beats him up severely in a fit of rage. Later, he prays, and Deanna can sense his fear and confusion. Deanna is portrayed as a full telepath. The aquarium in the ready room.
And of course, these events mirror those of Déjà Q too closely to have occurred twice.

PANEL OF THE DAY - This has got to be one of the most dangerous games ever.
REVIEW: Carlin keeps piling on the melodrama and the choking scenes. Gratuitously violent, everyone tries to kill or beat Q, the convicts kill a couple of guards and each other, and there's even a scene where Worf physically restrains Tasha from seeing the captain about something as important as a prison break. There's a four-way tie in the emo contest being held between Picard, Tasha, Data and Q. And I don't think the story's resolution is predictable because it was later used in an episode. I think it's predictable because it's predictable. Fans of Q should avoid if only because he's not in any way scripted or drawn like the Q on television, but I bet Geordi was happy to be in a coma for the duration regardless.