Q & A

Q & A was the second of three TNG relaunch novels released in 2007 as part of TNG's 20th Anniversary and featured Q.

Introduction[]

Nearly two decades ago, Jean-Luc Picard took command of the U.S.S. Enterprise™ NCC-1701-D. The captain knew it was an honor without equal. His new command bore the name of Enterprise. The people who had commanded other like-named starships had gone down in Starfleet's annals. Some officers would be intimidated, but they would not have been given command of Enterprise.

On her first mission, the Enterprise was sent to Farpoint Station. A simple, straightforward investigation. Perfect for a crew that had never served together. Then there was Q. An omnipotent lifeform that seemed bent on placing obstacle after obstacle in the ship's – and in particular in Picard's – way. And it hadn't ended with that first mission. When he was least expected, Q would appear. Pushing, prodding, testing. At times needling captain and crew with seemingly silly, pointless, and maddening trifles. Then it would turn all too serious, and the survival of Picard's crew was in Q's hands.

Why was it today that Picard was remembering the day he took command of the Enterprise-D? Now he commanded a new ship, the Enterprise-E. His crew was different. There was nothing about Gorsach that in the least resembled Farpoint. But Picard couldn't shake the feeling that something all too familiar was going on. All too awful. All too Q.

Summary[]

This book concerns the pending destruction of the universe by the beings known as Them. It is revealed in the opening pages that They have created and destroyed many other universes because they were bored by them. The planet known as Gorsach IX was an artificial construct by Them to test the first species to find it for the purpose of determining the fate of the universe, and Q, in almost all of his previous visits to the Enterprise, had been related to this test. Once an away team beamed down to investigate the planet, they set off a chain reaction of quantum fissures in all corners of the universe. They were invisible to sensors, and could only be seen by having visual contact. While most of them simply swallowed ships, the one in the Gorsach system became very similar to the one encountered by Worf in 2370, in that dozens of Enterprises emerged into one universe. Worf's attempt to shut down the fissure and restore the various Enterprises to their own universes was not successful, and they were all engulfed by it.

Picard had, by Worf's attempt to shut down the fissure, gained an audience with Q to speak with Them. They were sufficiently impressed and interested in his reaction (laughing) to spare the universe. All of the events in the book "never happened," except in Picard's, Worf's, and Q's memories. As Picard composed a report on what had happened to Admiral Janeway, Q made it clear that he, despite the fact that he no longer had to prepare them for anything, would be back to visit the Enterprise again.

References[]

Other references[]

astronaut • automated janitorial system • baseball bat • Chateau Picard • croissant • dedication plaque • desert • d'k tahg • Happy Bottom Riding Club • horseshoe • iced tea • jam • ketracel-white • steak • Ten-Forward • hasperat • Journal of Psychology • LIngta' • lo mein • Grakizh • quinine water • Taknar gizzard • Grapok sauce • icoberry jam • Jambalaya a la Sisko • Selcundi Drema • hytritium • kanar • ilecs • Leyles ink • ion storm • neutron star • ponytail • prune juice • sknort • therhea • smap • risotto • mozzarella • Wensleydale • yrilijk • Irish cheddar • Gouda • trwoqa • lemto • Grinnak • psychobabble • leolia song • Mok'bara • music • hammock • joke • flight deck • ink • economy • government • money • tariff

Appendices[]

Background[]

Author Keith R.A. DeCandido acknowledges his use of this wiki as a research tool in the afterword of this novel.
The back of the book contains an excerpt from the next Post-Nemesis TNG novel; Before Dishonor, by Peter David.
A Malon character mentions the events of Demons of Air and Darkness.
The first prologue and interlude act as a framing story for Hide and Q, the second interlude acts as an epilogue for Deja Q, the third interlude acts as a prologue for True Q, the fourth interlude is set at the same time as the beginning of Tapestry while the fifth is apparently set before First Contact.

Continuity[]

In the post-Nemesis TNG continuity, certain parts of the serialized story arcs do not reconcile well with the events established in Star Trek: Picard. Unless the new canon production involves Q in some way, this novel overall doesn't overly conflict with the newer series accounts of Picard's life at this point.

Images[]

Connections[]

Star Trek: The Next Generation novels set after Star Trek Nemesis

Death in Winter • Resistance • Q & A • Before Dishonor • Greater Than the Sum • Losing the Peace • Indistinguishable from Magic • Cold Equations (The Persistence of Memory • Silent Weapons • The Body Electric) • The Stuff of Dreams • The Light Fantastic • Takedown • Armageddon's Arrow • Headlong Flight • Hearts and Minds • Available Light • Collateral Damage

published order
Previous novel: Resistance	TNG novels Post-Nemesis	Next novel: Before Dishonor
Previous story: The Mirror-Scaled Serpent	Stories by: Keith R.A. DeCandido	Next story: Four Lights
chronological order
Previous Adventure: Not yet placed	Memory Beta Chronology	Next Adventure: Not yet placed
Previous Adventure: Resistance	Voyages of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E)	Next Adventure: Before Dishonor

Translations[]

2010: German : Quintessenz, translated by Stephanie Pannen. (Cross Cult)

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

Q & A

Contents

Introduction[]

Summary[]

References[]

Characters[]

Starships and vehicles[]

Locations[]

Races and cultures[]

States and organizations[]