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"The Q and the Grey" is the 11th episode of the third season of Star Trek: Voyager, the 53rd episode overall. This is a science fiction television episode of the Star Trek franchise that aired on UPN in 1996, featuring John de Lancie as the alien Q.

Plot

Captain Kathryn Janeway is surprised when Q appears in her quarters – and in her bed – one night. Q is intent on Janeway becoming the mother of his child, and plies the Captain with gifts in an attempt to win her affections. Q believes that his desire for Janeway should be regarded as an honour, but Janeway insists that he leave, and eventually he does.

Q's absence does not last long, as he abducts the captain and takes her to the Q Continuum, now appearing as an American Civil War period piece. He explains that there is a civil war brewing among the Q race, and Q hopes that he and Janeway can bring a child into the Continuum to avert the war. The Q authorities (represented as Confederate soldiers) fire on them, wounding Q, then arrive and capture Q and Janeway. The Q leader, appearing as a Confederate colonel, intends to execute them both.

On Voyager, the remaining crew have been observing dozens of supernovae taking place throughout the area. A Q female (Suzie Plakson), Q's former partner, appears and says that the civil war among the Q is the cause. She helps the crew reach the Q Continuum by flying into a supernova, and provides the Voyager crew with Q weapons, which they use to attack the Q authorities' camp and free Q and Janeway. The two Qs resume their relationship and decide to become parents themselves, thus ending the war. Captain Janeway is witness to the two Q mating, which consists of simply touching fingers.

Q returns later to Janeway's quarters with his infant son and asks her to be his godmother, which she accepts.

Background

The trigger for the civil war among the Q was the suicide of the Q known as "Quinn", the focus of the Voyager episode "Death Wish". The underlying cause for the civil war, though, was longstanding tension between two Q factions which maintain a tenuous balance between simple survival and creative advance as a species.

Releases

The episode first aired in the United States on November 27, 1996, and subsequently in Germany and Hungary in 1998 and 2001, respectively. In the USA it was aired on the television network UPN.

This was released as a single episode on VHS video cassette tape in July 2002. This episode was also released in 2006, on DVD as part of the Q Collective, which features episodes from across the Star Trek franchise featuring this character.

"The Q and the Grey" was released on LaserDisc in Japan on June 25, 1999, as part of the 3rd season vol.1 set.

This episode was released on DVD on July 6, 2004 as part of Star Trek Voyager: Complete Third Season, with Dolby 5.1 surround audio. The season 3 DVD was released in the UK on September 6, 2004.

In 2017, the complete Star Trek: Voyager television series was released in a DVD box set, which included it as part of the season 3 discs.

References

1. ^ ""Star Trek: Voyager" The Q and the Grey (TV Episode 1996)". IMDb. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
2. ^ Okuda, Michael; Okuda, Denise; Mirek, Debbie (17 May 2011). "Q". The Star Trek Encyclopedia. Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster). Q and the Grey, The. ISBN 9781451646887. OCLC 682113602. Retrieved 16 January 2017 – via Google Books.
3. "Suzie Plakson". IMDb. Filmography:Actress:Star Trek Voyager (TV Series). Retrieved 16 January 2017.
4. ^ Arp, Robert (2008). "Mind Your Ps and Qs: Power, Pleasure, and the Q Continuum". In Decker, Kevin S.; Eberl, Jason T. (eds.). Star Trek and Philosophy: The Wrath of Kant. Popular Culture and Philosophy. Chicago: Open Court (Carus). pp. 59–68. ISBN 9780812697049. OCLC 651880141 – via Internet Archive.
5. "Mollie (Capt. Janeway's dog) – Star Trek: Voyager". Dog Actors. 26 August 2011. Archived from the original on 14 January 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
6. ^ Johnson-Moxley, Melanie (2016). "Rethinking the Matter: Organismas are still Organisms". In Decker, Kevin S.; Eberl, Jason T. (eds.). The Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy: The Search for Socrates. The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series. Wiley-Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons). pp. 213–222. ISBN 9781119146001. OCLC 926050643 – via Google Books.
7. ""Star Trek: Voyager" The Q and the Grey (TV Episode 1996) - Release Info". IMDb. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
8. "Star Trek: Voyager: The Q and the Grey". Archived from the original on 2019-05-26. Retrieved 2018-06-02.
9. "Star Trek - Voyager, Episode 53: The Q and The Grey VHS". Amazon. 2 July 2002.
10. "Star Trek Fan Collective - Q". Amazon. 6 June 2006.
11. "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Voyager: 3rd Season vol.1 [PILF-2454]". www.lddb.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.
12. Ordway, Holly E. (July 7, 2004). "DVD Talk Star Trek Voyager: Complete Third Season". www.dvdtalk.com. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
13. "Star Trek: Voyager, Season 3 Review | DVD Video Review | The Digital Fix". Film @ The Digital Fix. 2004-09-06. Archived from the original on 2021-05-24. Retrieved 2021-05-24.
14. Foster, Dave (August 10, 2004). "Star Trek Voyager: Season 3 in September". The Digital Fix. Retrieved May 10, 2015.
15. Wright, Matt. "REVIEW: "Star Trek: Voyager" – The Complete Series on DVD". TrekMovie.com. Retrieved 2021-02-22.

Further reading

• Green, Michelle Erica (22 April 2016). "Retro Review: The Q and the Grey". Trek Today. Retrieved 16 January 2017.

External links

• "The Q and the Grey" at IMDb
• The Q and the Grey at Memory Alpha
• "The Q and the Grey" at Wayback Machine (archived from the original at StarTrek.com)

• Star Trek: Voyager season 3 episodes
• 1996 American television episodes
• Fiction about supernovae
• Television episodes directed by Cliff Bole
• Television episodes about wars