The Q and the Grey (episode)

Series:	VOY
Season:	3
Original Airdate:	1996-11-27
Production Number:	153
Year:	2373
Stardate:	50384.2
Story by:	Shawn Piller
Teleplay by:	Kenneth Biller
Directed by:	Cliff Bole

Q asks Janeway to be the mother of his child to attempt to stop a civil war within the Continuum.

Summary

Teaser

After witnessing a supernova from the closest distance any Starfleet vessel has ever been, the Captain heads to her quarters for the night. When she arrives, she is startled to find Q in her room. He attempts to proposition her with his odd sexual advances, but Janeway tells him to go away. However, he takes this as playing hard to get, and leaves, but with the intention of returning soon.

Act 1

The next day, Chakotay and the Captain are interrupted by the appearance of Q again. Q thinks that Janeway is attracted to Chakotay because of his tattoo, and produces one on his face, but bigger, which doesn't impress the Captain or Chakotay at all. They both walk out on him.

A Female Q.

Later on in the day, the Captain is in her ready room again, and hears a small whining sound from behind her desk. Investigating, she finds a Red Setter puppy waiting for her. Janeway recognises that its a gift from Q, and remains un-impressed. Q appears again, and tries to coerce her into mating with him. Then, a Female Q arrives suddenly.

Act 2

The Female Q disproves of Q's interest in the Captain, and all three go onto the bridge as Chakotay calls Janeway. Another supernova is in progress, and Ensign Kim confirms that there are actually three other supernovae happening at the same time. Janeway grasps the idea that Q is somehow involved in the supernovae, which the Female Q confirms. With the knowledge that the Voyager couldn't outrun the shockwaves quickly enough to avoid damage, Q transports himself and the Captain to the Q Continuum, leaving the Female Q behind.

Act 3

Janeway finds herself in a recreation of the American Civil War, which is a representation of the Continuum. Q explains that the Q Continuum is at war with itself, and various factions are trying to obliterate each other using powerful weapons. Q also explains that the acts of Quinn (a Q encountered by Voyager before) have brought unrest to the Continuum, with two main sides arising - the ones who wish for individuality and separatism, and the others who want status quo. Q, unfortunately, appears to be on the losing side, the one wishing for separatism. He then explains that he wishes to end the war by adding human DNA into the Continuum, and having a baby, something that hasn't been done for over 10 millenia. Suddenly the house they're standing in is bombarded with bullets and Q is hit and starts bleeding. A voice from outside the house tells Q to surrender, but Q shoots back, and is hit again. Janeway manages to get him out of the house and to a friendly camp.

Act 4

On Voyager, the shockwaves hit, hurtling the ship off course, and damaging the warp drive. Fortunately there's no major damage, but the Female Q has remained onboard, and was injured slightly. Her link with the Continuum has been lost, and the crew attempt to find a way into the Continuum to rescue the Captain. The Female Q suggests flying straight into one of the numerous supernovae, after explaining that they're not normal supernovae, but echos of the battle in the Continuum. With a few shield modifications, Voyager enters the Continuum.

Janeway convinces Q that the Continuum should stop fighting and try to find a non-agressive way to resolve their problems. She then suggests that Q should mate with his Female Q companion. The Captain goes to the opposing side's headquarters, and speaks to the Colonel in charge. He doesn't agree, and suceeds in finding Q, and sentences them both to death.

File:Baby Q, Jr..jpg

The Baby Q.

Act 5

Just before they are shot the next day, the crew of Voyager arrive in the area, fully kitted out in period costume, with Q-weapons, and rescue the Captain and Q. The Q Female and Q mate, simply by touching fingers together. This done, everyone from Voyager and the ship are returned to normal space.

Walking back into her ready room, the Captain finds Q there, with his new son on his knee, speaking baby words. He thanks her for saving The Q from extinction, and asks her to be his son's godmother. She accepts, and Q and his baby leave.

Background Information

• This episode's title is a reference to the Civil War poem "The Blue and the Gray" by Francis Miles Finch (1827-1907). The title also belongs to a 1982 miniseries about the Civil War.
• We learn that Voyager's crew are only the third starship's crew to witness a supernova. According to Harry Kim they set a record for being the closest ship to view one, being less than 10 billion kilometers away when the supernova occurred.
• For the curious, Voyager was able to enter the continuum by taking warp drive off-line, remodulating the shields emit to a beta-tachyon pulse and releasing a stream of focused antiproton beams into the shield bubble. According to B'Elanna Torres, this would increase the shield strength by a factor of ten, as long as the shield bubble didn't ignite and burn everyone to a crisp. With these modifications, Voyager could fly straight into a supernova and, assuming the timing was right, be sucked into the Q-Continuum.

Nitpicks

• Q states that mating between Q has never been done, yet the dialogue in TNG: "True Q" clearly establishes that this has happened at least once (between Amanda Rogers' parents).

Memorable Quotes

What are you doing with that dog? [pause] I'm not talking about the puppy. - Q Female to Q, referring to Captain Janeway and the puppy she's holding.

My superiority is not arrogance, it's fact. - Q female talking to B'Elanna.

That's it? - Janeway after witnessing the Q mate
You had your chance - Q in response.

Links and References

Special Guest Stars

• Suzie Plakson as female Q
• Harve Presnell as Colonel Q
• John de Lancie as Q

References

American; American Civil War; antiproton beam; beta-tachyon pulse; chocolate truffle; Cyrillian microbe; Drabian love sonnet (Drabian); DNA; Empress; Enterprise-D, USS; Freedom Faction; god parent; pascal; private; Q Civil War; Q Continuum; Q jr.; Quinn; Romulan; rose; sex; stuffed animal; subspace; subspace inversion; supernova; targ; tattoo; temporal anomoly; Therinian Ice Age; Union Army.

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