Voyager Flashback: Death Wish

The character of Q had been a recurring fixture on Star Trek: The Next Generation. The attempt to cross him over to Deep Space Nine, however, had sputtered out after a single appearance. Still, no one was really surprised when the Powers That Be tried again on Voyager.

Voyager unknowingly frees a Q from imprisonment by the rest of the Q Continuum. He wants the freedom to end his life; the rest of the Q forbid that for the good of their society. Soon, Janeway is presiding over an asylum hearing to determine the outcome.

Trekkers began asking about Q appearing on Voyager pretty much as soon as the first episode aired. It was an enthusiasm encouraged by Kate Mulgrew and John de Lancie, who had never worked together despite knowing each other for many years, and were eager for the chance. The writers' room got wrapped around the axle on it for some time, though. Sure, Q could go anywhere -- but why does he only show up on Starfleet ships that happen to have TV shows about them? They wanted a story that justified it.

Ultimately, one was pitched by 23-year-old Shawn Piller, son of executive producer Michael Piller. Everyone involved insists that no nepotism was at play here; Shawn had to pitch his story to the entire writers' room (except for Michael himself, who stayed out of the room). Setting aside whether "a meeting with the boss' kid" could ever truly feel free of undue pressure, the fact remains that both Star Trek series at the time had a few standing rules for outside writers, one being: "Don't pitch us Q stories." So... yeah.

When you try to parse the stories told about the making of this episode, it sounds like the real nugget of Shawn Piller's idea was "they find some other Q first, and he soon has to call on 'the Q we know' for help." It's not clear whether the original pitch included the real ethical dilemma at the heart of the episode, or if that came later. In any case, that's where the real meat of the story here is: a reflection on the moralities of suicide (and assisted suicide), capital punishment, and life imprisonment.

That the episode dares to tangle with these issues at all puts it on solid footing. But there are times when it only scratches the surface before recoiling. Q2 talks enviously of Kes' short life span... but then comically erases all the men on Voyager before things get too serious. An in-depth talk about the way one life can influence others for the better is undermined with jokes about Isaac Newton's apple and hippies. Real talk about relief of suffering being moral justification for suicide is undercut by surrealistic humor about life in the Q Continuum: a gas station in the middle of nowhere.

The jokes are kind of funny sometimes. But the heady dialogue on serious topics is good too... and the two sort of clang off each other at times. Moreover, the pace is relentless. The episode reportedly ran very long and required extensive editing for time, and you can tell when you watch it. It starts in the middle of a scene, with us just suddenly looking at the viewscreen. Q's bribe to take the Voyager home to Earth, pretty much The Reason to bring Q to the show, is barely a few seconds of screen time.

But then, the flip side of the fast pace is that we (briefly) get a number of very compelling moments. Voyager as a Christmas tree ornament is delightfully meta. Jonathan Frakes notching an appearance on yet another Star Trek series is welcome. The argument that monotony and routine is itself a form of suffering is remarkably resonant. The sly inversion of Q's original Star Trek appearance is clever: this time, humanity is presiding over a trial of the Q. The line about "individual rights only being protected so long as they don't conflict with the state" is quite possibly one of the most salient observations ever delivered in a Star Trek episode. So yeah, there's plenty of good stuff here.

Other observations:

• The moment Janeway hears the name Q, she calls for a Red Alert. That's good policy.
  

• The appearance of Commander Riker was originally conceived of as a cameo for Geordi LaForge. (And knowing that, it seems more appropriate that the story revolves around a distant ancestor whose life was saved during the Civil War.) LeVar Burton was said to be unavailable at the time, so Jonathan Frakes got the call instead.

• The hippie Maury Ginsberg was played by an actor named Maury Ginsberg. Typecasting? No, the writers apparently loved his name so much that they replaced what was originally in the script.

• Q has always been a mocking character, but his antagonism toward the star of the show takes on some quite unsavory elements of sexism here. More than elements, really; Q's entire relationship with Janeway seems to be defined inexplicably by misogyny.
  

Tilt the kaleidoscope of this episode one way and it looks quite good. Tilt it another and it's easy to see a whole raft of flaws. Maybe it all comes down to your general attitude on Q episodes in general. I think I'm going to call it a B.