What you just point about about Sisko, Janeway and Picard and how they each handled Q differently. This truly shows the mulitplicious nature of the human species, and that is what frightens Q and other species (like even the Vulcans). Humans can deal with their problems in ways that are not predictable by others. We can be deeply introspective and secure within our selves (Picard method); we can outwit our opponents by thinking outside the box (Janeway method); at worst, we can be stubborn, obstinate and violent all WHILE by smart (Sisko method).
@@Kirealta A very strange Frenchman who prizes the' rosbif' Shakespeare over his own country's literature! Of course, by the 24th century we're supposed to be over that petty nonsense. 😎
This is why I disliked Discovery. It doesn't "feel like" a Star Trek because the only thing it has in common with these series' is the name. I don't watch TNG for action: nobody does. I watch it because it's beautifully thought-provoking in both its plots and its resolutions and that conflict does not require physical force to cause or overcome. Aliens won't GTFO of your planet because of their crazy laws? Beat them with those crazy laws.
The best part of this is how Picard fully acknowledges he’s misreading Hamlet by taking that passage literally instead of with the irony it was intended to have. And by doing that, he’s reinforcing the theme of the whole show: that no one person has a monopoly on what it means to be human. What it means to be human is instead about the way we choose to tell and interpret our stories, both the stories of our past and (even more importantly) of our future. Q thinks humanity means one thing; Picard knows it means every thing.
Then Q gave the Federation it's early warning of the Borg. And Picard suffered unspeakable in the conflict that followed. And that trauma, later Picard saw by his own example what the original interpretation meant.
"What he might say with irony, I say with conviction" I feel like that is an underrated portion of this little conversation, because it is something that Q misunderstands. Knowledge is not about being able to repeat the words of another, exactly as they are intended, but in applying those words and ideas to our lives and aspirations, to believe that we can one day make the words that we make our creed a reality.
Great analysis. Also from a technical point of view this is very good writing. It would have been easy for the line to be for Picard to quote it straight without the comparison between Hamlets irony and his sincerity. It's not often episodic scifi also slips in some literary analysis.
It's neat to think of the entire series of TNG as the continuum's test of humanity. And that Q, despite all the grief he caused, was humanity's biggest advocate.
Indeed, and I am a bit disheartened that it wasn't brought up by picaard in the trail for Data's personhood. Q wasn't accusing them for crimes in the past; he was talking about the federation's failures in the show's present date.
Sometimes the harshest critic only does so because they believe the thing is able to be better than it presently is. There's shades of this idea in Sisko grilling Nog on his Starfleet aspirations.
"Is it that which concerns you." 01:30 Q throws a beautiful copy of "The Complete Works of Shakespeare" at Picard with anger. Q yells in his mind, "YES!"
@@BossyGuyMike I think picard ruined Q's game, and see right through the charade. That picard jumped straight to the end, he likes toying with people who don't know whats going on.
@@blawson3603 when did he say that though? I mean we know the Q is beyond time and the Q definitely are aware of something humbling them about humanity in the future
@@unowno123 I think humanity is the Q continuum of an extremely distant future. Also perhaps the fact that he targeted Picard is somewhat akin to a time travelled going back to a significant historical figure. Like if we went back in time to Martin Luther King and toyed with him to see every possible facet of his personality
Ahh yes despite the blatant lie of heliocentric functionality which is so clearly the devils forked tongue at play. There is more hope in the truth than this outdated and dusty reel of film.
1:32 Easily the most nailed Q has ever been. And perhaps the most telling moment of Star trek. Encapsulated in that scene, which I believe to be probably the single best moment in Star Trek. Is the very essence that was Roddenberry's ideal for Star Trek. And in a sense, humanity.
I seem to remember Q instilling them some humility not to long after this by dropping them in front of a Borg Cube. It's good to want to better yourself. It's dangerous, however, to be arrogant about it.
'What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel! in apprehension how like a god!
Picard is not arrogant, he is an optimist, sees what Mankind can be on the far future and Q is afraid of that. One of the most satisfying star trek scenes
Sixtus Magicus No, he's arrogant. The crew of the Enterprise-D were all incredibly arrogant (except Geordi and Data, to be honest) before Q decided to introduce them to the Borg. I mean, they acted like some pompous ass who just became a vegan and being all smug and thinking they are so morally superior to all us meat eaters.
I appreciate dystopian sci-fi as much as the next guy but this optimistic lens Star Trek uses to look at the future is really what sets it apart. It makes me very happy to see this and believe there is a future where we actually figure things out, a future that is truly bright.
This was when Picard earned my full respect and became MY captain. People dismiss the first season, but there is some real depth in there. Looking at you RLM...
This is more than an exercise for trek or even shakespeare. This is a piece of greatness that made TNG more than entertainment. It's what Roddenberry intended. Introspection for us all.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."-Theodore Roosevelt
Both Patrick Stewart and John De Lancie knew Shakespeare so well - both are stage actors, who had immense experience in theater. They both knew Shakespeare's work so well, this is why this scene was written between Picard and Q
The internetians have a phrase for this very type of situation: GET REKT, SCRUB! Which translated into human tongue means: "You have fallen before an indescribably mighty foe."
I like to think that QQ getting punched by Sisko, was more about Q testing Sisko, not as a man, but as one of the wormhole aliens. And that it was the power of being one of those aliens, that allowed him to deck Q.
Good thing he's only almost omnipotent and not omniscient. Q fears that humans would one day evolve to be Gods. Imagine, humans being not only omnipotent but omniscient and omnipresent. The true representation of a complete God. Now where would that place the continuum?
@@Genkuro After all the whole plot of one voyager episode was how the continium had stagnated, they had seen all to be seen. Which is quite ironic because I highly doubt they've gone to alternate realities and they have to know Kirk did it. They saw humanity already surpass them by accident and hate it
Man, the use of Q in this series was beyond brilliant, it was sheer perfection! Let’s put aside for a second the pure awesomeness of Q and Picard going toe to toe, but the entire arc from Farpoint, to Q, Who, All Good Things, and everything in between, was just on another level! They really needed to continue this arc in Picard. But they won’t.
It's quite heartening to see people disparage the new Star Trek. I was never a huge fan but moments like this made it clear it was clearly more sophisticated than just some sci-fi TV show. It's a shame the new writers don't seem to grasp that.
Just got done watching this episode. Season 1 may have had it's issues and a clunky start, but it definitely had its fair share of good episodes and even better writing in scenes like this.
I like to think it is scenes like this that kept Q going to Picard, in him, Q saw the true potential of humanity even if like this scene Picard pushed his buttons just right, I think it was this scene that would help in the final episodes of Star Trek TNG where Q saw this big test and was like, if we must pick a human, I pick Picard.
I love how the first two seasons of TNG have all this human arrogance about them, and all Q does is introduce them to the Borg to teach them some humility.
Then several years later (and three centuries earlier), while Picard is screaming how he will make the Borg pay, Q is out there somewhere, smiling and reciting that same quote with all of the intended irony.
I guess Q was a sore loser and wanted to punish Picard for defeating him in this episode. Problem is, 18 innocent people who had nothing to do with the Picard vs Q feud died at the hands of the Borg just so Q could get his revenge on Picard. It shows how despite all of his powers, Q at times acts like a petty child who can't stand losing to anyone.
Revenge? Did you watch the series. There was no revenge from Q. Q was testing humanity. Q's sending them to the Borg gave the Federation a heads up of what was coming their way. Everything Q did can be seen as helping humanity in some way.
Fascinating scene. Interpreting humanity through Shakespeare. I have no doubt those in theater cheered at this magnificent way to argue humanity's essence and potential.
Hmm, good one. I like it. Humanity has an appetite for the universe to measure itself against and learn. The Q have already experienced the entire universe and in so lost all appetite to become more because they can no longer even imagine more.
No its about change, not growth. Growth is a matter of addition. Change is a matter of altering. Think about it: For thoushands of years many of us thought the future was literally written in the stars. Nowadays we know light takes time to reach us across huge distances so when we look at lights in the sky what we are actually seeing is how things USED to be. We used to believe that nothing travels faster than light, but now most astronomers concur that space itself is expanding faster than light. We used to believe that we were the centre of the Solar system, now obviously we know differently. Star Trek itself has changed in so many ways and to such extents that really not even the makers can be bothered to keep track. Star Trek isn't really about us "one day becoming that". We can never be like "that" or like Q and we really wouldn't want to it'd be maddeningly boring. No, its about adventure, and change is absolutely an ingredient for adventure.
John de Lancie is also a Shakespearean actor and acquits himself well here; Avery Brooks is another with an amazing voice who is no stranger to the Bard’s plays.
“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” ― William Shakespeare, Macbeth
I like to think that Q's rage at the end is not that Picard outwitted him or figured out his schemes, but rather that Picard came so close to the point but then let his own human limitations draw an incorrect conclusion. The Continuum knows what humanity is capable of becoming. They do not fear it, rather, they welcome it, and are concerned about humans undermining their own future by relying on base emotions and backwards thought. For Picard to realize that humanity was becoming something more, but then to draw the conclusion that Q must be having a negative base emotional response to that reality, must feel like - to Q - one step forward, a thousand steps back.
I don't see anybody commenting on the storyline here. Q eventually told Picard that this was the destiny of humankind. But at this point in the series, the Q character was still frightened of the idea. And still well into testing Picard. It shows how well the writers projected into the future and kept a congruous Q storyline.
When picard was spewing at Q with hamlet I really REALLY got the feeling that Q had heard those things being said about humanity before (he gave a very home hitting reaction), yet somehow he refuses to believe them. And desperately tries to prove it right every time in TNG. I gues what picard said is true and that is exacly what frustrates Q, and the fact picard reminding him of his frustration for humanity being seen as perfect gods in the future. Naturally Q always tries to prove that humans were not born angels and constantly tries to prove it to picard, who will never back down from that mindset.
And _The Inner Light,_ almost universally agreed to be the best episode of the series, and a fair competitor to _City on The Edge of Forever_ for the best episode of any _Star Trek_ series.
The implication is that the Q fear what Humanity might represent and be capable of when it evolves to the level of the Q. And you would think, 'the Q are omnipotent, so they must already know,' but that's demonstrably not true. The one thing the Q have consistently failed to demonstrate is the capacity to predict the future. And in this one moment, Picard affirms the Continuum's greatest fear regarding Humanity. And since the Continuum cannot predict the future, they have to settle for the next best thing - they have to ensure that Humanity is prepared to face the horrors of existence beyond what it's already encountered. So they hand Q powers to a Human and said Human predictably confirms that the species isn't ready to simply be handed that level of power and responsibility: the Q have to play the long game instead. Humanity demonstrates a staggering amount of arrogance up to and including this episode, so Q throws them at the Borg. Picard's willingness to admit that they're unprepared and beg Q for help is the next test passed. Each subsequent appearance of Q plays out a different aspect of not-so-much 'testing' Humanity as 'prodding' Humanity in the right directions. And so the Federation narrowly manages to survive repeated assimilation attempts by the Collective as well as surviving the wood chipper taken to their idealism in the form of the Dominion War. However STP and STD play out and further mangle the stations of canon, the overarching implication is that the Continuum is expecting Humanity to one day rise to their level of existence and recognize all the interference the Continuum ran back in those days as beneficial to guaranteeing Humanity's survival and eventual ascension. The Continuum would prefer to rig that eventual outcome in their favor, especially as the Continuum isn't the only such race to have taken such notice of Humanity.
It's been said here already, but Picard's application of the Hamlet quote here, making sure to acknowledge the irony, is by far one of my all time favourite Picard speeches in a show chock full of them. Maybe my favourite. It is so good. Picard in TNG is such a great character, regardless of what any of the later stuff did with him (none of which was as good, I'll fully admit)
one of my favorite scenes - and the best part, as far as I'm concerned, is the versatility - picard/stewart says it himself - what hamlet might say with irony, I say with conviction - to take Shakespeare's own words, use them out of context to say something entirely opposed to their original meaning AND MAKE IT WORK!...star trek at it's best, and again, as far as I'm concerned, Patrick stewart at his best
"Well if he lived today he would have said galaxy" That's not speculation. Q literally went back, gave Shakespear the rundown on what happens in the future and then asked him what he'd say. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
What aspirations I had when I was in academia. I don't know if I was thinking about what I would become or the energy from around me with which I would proceed forward. But when I got into the field and found out what the realer world was like, notions like these were left to stories. But oh, how we can aspire.
Q is a enigma of science and theology. He reminds me of what Neil deGrasse Tyson said about the possibilities of alien life. The simian genome as we know it today is only a 1% difference between an Ape to a Human. That 1% difference is astronomical in scale if we ever discover alien life that is as much difference between Human to Alien. Would we be able to even communicate with that life let alone acknowledge it's existence and vice versa. Q always seemed to talk down to Picard and his crew, because he literally has to talk down to them in order for them to understand him. Then there's the question of Q's powers. If there is a God, how does Q compare to Him?
There's a video somewhere with Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir David Suchet (whom I remember as Hercule Poirot) in a masterclass debating Shakespeare. I suspect Sir Patrick had to hold back a bit during this scene. And you know you've won the argument when your opponent throws his book at you.
I was talking to my sister about Nietzsche, and I brought up this scene: what Q says is what people _think_ Nietzsche was saying, what Picard says is what Nietzsche _was_ saying.
You know things are serious on the Enterprise when the Captain is quoting Shakespeare. I’m sure the crew must have some shorthand for “Shakespeare Alert”.
I would have loved for Picard to quote hamlet again, when Q would appear Picard rises and shouts "Stand and unfold yourself!" Q's reaction would be gold.
I always wondered what if The Q Continuum were actually Humanity as what we evolve into Millions of Years in the Future and Q's Interest in Humanity is just him ensuring we evolve the way were supposed to to eventually become them
It's a good theory. However it conflicts with Q's apparent irritability in this scene and his apprehensiveness concerning the same topic in his later scene with Riker.
"Oh I KNOW Hamlet". That wasn't Sir Patrick Stewart acting. That was just him stating the obvious.
Tach Bah, Tach beh!
@@KH4444444444N Yeah yeah...most of us still have to read Shakespear in the original klingon..
Q gangsta until Jean Luc starts quoting the Prince of Denmark
Insincere endorsement: You haven't experienced Shakespeare until you have heard it in the voice of Elcor.
@@KH4444444444N I'll hazard a guess at to be or not to be lol
Sisko may have punched Q, Janeway may have outsmarted Q, but only Picard could make Q shut up.
And yet couldn't get rid of him if he tried
@@1993bahamut Q was the ultimate troll
When did Janeway outsmart Q?
What you just point about about Sisko, Janeway and Picard and how they each handled Q differently. This truly shows the mulitplicious nature of the human species, and that is what frightens Q and other species (like even the Vulcans). Humans can deal with their problems in ways that are not predictable by others. We can be deeply introspective and secure within our selves (Picard method); we can outwit our opponents by thinking outside the box (Janeway method); at worst, we can be stubborn, obstinate and violent all WHILE by smart (Sisko method).
What would Kirk do to Q? Confuse him by challenging him to a game of Fizbin?
Sir Patrick Stewart versus an omnipotent being on the subject of Shakespeare? Bets on the Englishman.
HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE FRENCH!
@@Kirealta :Smiles: Riiiiiiiiiight.
@@Kirealta A very strange Frenchman who prizes the' rosbif' Shakespeare over his own country's literature! Of course, by the 24th century we're supposed to be over that petty nonsense. 😎
@@ShanghaiRooster THE ENGLISH AND FRENCH WILL NEVER BE OVER IT!!
he he he he he he he he he Picard One Q Zero LOL
This is what Star Trek is supposed to be. Contemplative and thought provoking into the very heart of human nature. Not explosions
Well, to be fair, even without explosions Discovery is piece of shit.
This is why I disliked Discovery. It doesn't "feel like" a Star Trek because the only thing it has in common with these series' is the name. I don't watch TNG for action: nobody does. I watch it because it's beautifully thought-provoking in both its plots and its resolutions and that conflict does not require physical force to cause or overcome.
Aliens won't GTFO of your planet because of their crazy laws? Beat them with those crazy laws.
That's why God made "The Orville," and by God I mean Seth McFarlene.
Exactly, to me Star Trek is not a sci-fi show it is a way of life!
Well, explosions are the fun cherry on top of the existential crisis inducing sundae. ;)
My favorite battle scene in Trek.
epic
That's what I love about Picard, he's a true renaissance man, he can defend his position equally with rhetoric or the sword, a true warrior scholar.
@@thitsugaya1224 He most certainly believed that the pen was mightier than the sword. Where has that version gone?
The best part of this is how Picard fully acknowledges he’s misreading Hamlet by taking that passage literally instead of with the irony it was intended to have. And by doing that, he’s reinforcing the theme of the whole show: that no one person has a monopoly on what it means to be human. What it means to be human is instead about the way we choose to tell and interpret our stories, both the stories of our past and (even more importantly) of our future. Q thinks humanity means one thing; Picard knows it means every thing.
“no one person has a monopoly on what it means to be human”
This is something I could see many, many people start to repeat. Excellently worded.
very well-said!
Then Q gave the Federation it's early warning of the Borg. And Picard suffered unspeakable in the conflict that followed. And that trauma, later Picard saw by his own example what the original interpretation meant.
@@XX-sp3tt can you elaborate on and specify what you mean?
This hit me really hard thanks ;-;
"What he might say with irony, I say with conviction"
I feel like that is an underrated portion of this little conversation, because it is something that Q misunderstands. Knowledge is not about being able to repeat the words of another, exactly as they are intended, but in applying those words and ideas to our lives and aspirations, to believe that we can one day make the words that we make our creed a reality.
I was trying to find an eloquent way to express just that and you encapsulated it brilliantly.
🖖👏
It's true. One persons irony can easily be another's inspiration to over achieve and go beyond.
Nicely done.
Great analysis. Also from a technical point of view this is very good writing. It would have been easy for the line to be for Picard to quote it straight without the comparison between Hamlets irony and his sincerity. It's not often episodic scifi also slips in some literary analysis.
Beautifully put! A distinction between knowledge and wisdom, perhaps.
It's neat to think of the entire series of TNG as the continuum's test of humanity. And that Q, despite all the grief he caused, was humanity's biggest advocate.
Reviewing the episodes with that in mind gives me endless joy.
Indeed, and I am a bit disheartened that it wasn't brought up by picaard in the trail for Data's personhood. Q wasn't accusing them for crimes in the past; he was talking about the federation's failures in the show's present date.
The true tests never end...
Sometimes the harshest critic only does so because they believe the thing is able to be better than it presently is. There's shades of this idea in Sisko grilling Nog on his Starfleet aspirations.
@@ryanmaxwell2174 and by extension our own present day fsilures.
Q: Brings up Shakespeare
Picard: So you have chosen death.
"Is it that which concerns you." 01:30
Q throws a beautiful copy of "The Complete Works of Shakespeare" at Picard with anger.
Q yells in his mind, "YES!"
And, in fact, that is *exactly* what Q suggests humanity may yet become to Riker in this same episode.
@@BossyGuyMike I think picard ruined Q's game, and see right through the charade. That picard jumped straight to the end, he likes toying with people who don't know whats going on.
@@blawson3603 when did he say that though?
I mean we know the Q is beyond time and the Q definitely are aware of something humbling them about humanity in the future
@@unowno123 I think humanity is the Q continuum of an extremely distant future. Also perhaps the fact that he targeted Picard is somewhat akin to a time travelled going back to a significant historical figure. Like if we went back in time to Martin Luther King and toyed with him to see every possible facet of his personality
This is what makes TNG one of the best quality shows. The humanity, philosophy, and imagination that give us all hope.
Ahh yes despite the blatant lie of heliocentric functionality which is so clearly the devils forked tongue at play. There is more hope in the truth than this outdated and dusty reel of film.
Such impeccable spoken English! The crisp sound of Sir Patrick Stewart’s voice is like apples to the ears.
Thank God, he's not from Liverpool or else we'd have needed English subtitles
@@czdaniel1 *human subtitles
@@tomwithey711 Lolz
@@czdaniel1 trust me if he'd used his native Yorkshire accent you would need them too.
“…apples to the ears”? OK, here you go 🍎🍎🍎🦻🏽🦻🏽🦻🏽🤪
1:32
Easily the most nailed Q has ever been.
And perhaps the most telling moment of Star trek.
Encapsulated in that scene, which I believe to be probably the single best moment in Star Trek.
Is the very essence that was Roddenberry's ideal for Star Trek.
And in a sense, humanity.
I seem to remember Q instilling them some humility not to long after this by dropping them in front of a Borg Cube.
It's good to want to better yourself. It's dangerous, however, to be arrogant about it.
Q literally threw the book at Picard here.
'What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel! in apprehension how like a god!
Nice
You forgot the end. ''And yet to me, what is this quintessence of dust?''
Thinker Babam That's the extended version. :D
Absolutely beautiful! shakespeare was right on the money in so many things about humanity. this is one of the reasons why i Love TNG!
Shows you what Shakespeare knew about man....Sweet fuck all.
Picard is not arrogant, he is an optimist, sees what Mankind can be on the far future and Q is afraid of that. One of the most satisfying star trek scenes
Sixtus Magicus No, he's arrogant. The crew of the Enterprise-D were all incredibly arrogant (except Geordi and Data, to be honest) before Q decided to introduce them to the Borg. I mean, they acted like some pompous ass who just became a vegan and being all smug and thinking they are so morally superior to all us meat eaters.
Plaicarad is argent he he is opininmants ses macnkind can be on the and q is a
Q isn't afraid of it, he hopes for it. Q is humanities biggest advocate within the continuum.
@@ahorribleperson3302 i know, but i am not sure that is true at the beginning of the relationship.
@@sixtusmagicus2836 That's a fair point.
I appreciate dystopian sci-fi as much as the next guy but this optimistic lens Star Trek uses to look at the future is really what sets it apart. It makes me very happy to see this and believe there is a future where we actually figure things out, a future that is truly bright.
I appreciate daytopinin sci as much as Star Trek next guy but this opining lore
"Don't depend too much on any one single viewpoint."
Words that should be heeded by everyone; and I _do_ mean _everyone!_
Sir Patrick nailed it , probably the best Shakespearen actor ever
Richard E Grant in the end scene of Withnail & I is the best Hamlet ever, Peace.
Prof Mole it will never be topped, Peace.
He's certainly up there. His good buddy Sir Ian is just as good, though, and Sir Derek Jacoby as well.
One of my favorite scenes between Q and Picard, they should have had more of Q in ST.
David Tennant actually did a pretty good Hamlet. Look it up.
This was when Picard earned my full respect and became MY captain. People dismiss the first season, but there is some real depth in there. Looking at you RLM...
Love every clip I can find of Picard
I like how Picard triggered Q in what amounts to an epic existential rap battle.
This has always been one of my favorite moments from the series. Q finding out that humans actually believe in their own potential.
This is more than an exercise for trek or even shakespeare. This is a piece of greatness that made TNG more than entertainment. It's what Roddenberry intended. Introspection for us all.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."-Theodore Roosevelt
Both Patrick Stewart and John De Lancie knew Shakespeare so well - both are stage actors, who had immense experience in theater. They both knew Shakespeare's work so well, this is why this scene was written between Picard and Q
The internetians have a phrase for this very type of situation:
GET REKT, SCRUB!
Which translated into human tongue means:
"You have fallen before an indescribably mighty foe."
The Internetians are absolutely correct and so are you :]
For a grumpy old man, Picard is surprisingly optimistic about humanity. And Q is so petulant when he's losing an argument.
How would you feel if you lost an argument to an ant?
@@Mrcryptidsarereal I'd want to get that ant on television, honestly.
"I am curious. Have the Q always had an absence of manners, or is it the result of some natural evolutionary process that comes with omnipotence?"
Now I really want to see De Lancie performing Shakespeare.
Picard: Is it that which concerns you?
Q: Red alert.
Goddamn I love this scene so much.
The genuineness when he said "oh I know Hamlet!"
When Sisko punched Q in the face, Q was like "You're much easier to provoke". But here it looks like Picard is the one doing the provoking.
I like to think that QQ getting punched by Sisko, was more about Q testing Sisko, not as a man, but as one of the wormhole aliens. And that it was the power of being one of those aliens, that allowed him to deck Q.
@@nunya3163 That's a good theory. I like that. Also explains why we never saw Q on DS9 again.👍
And they didn't even had to use google.
;D
Good thing he's only almost omnipotent and not omniscient. Q fears that humans would one day evolve to be Gods. Imagine, humans being not only omnipotent but omniscient and omnipresent. The true representation of a complete God. Now where would that place the continuum?
@@Genkuro After all the whole plot of one voyager episode was how the continium had stagnated, they had seen all to be seen. Which is quite ironic because I highly doubt they've gone to alternate realities and they have to know Kirk did it. They saw humanity already surpass them by accident and hate it
@@thunderspark1536 - Hear Hear!!!!
"He's always quoting Shakespeare, and he's always making wine..."
A wise and intelligent person challenging a godlike individual. A true masterpiece of TNG
Man, the use of Q in this series was beyond brilliant, it was sheer perfection! Let’s put aside for a second the pure awesomeness of Q and Picard going toe to toe, but the entire arc from Farpoint, to Q, Who, All Good Things, and everything in between, was just on another level! They really needed to continue this arc in Picard. But they won’t.
Little do you know! :D
Im from the future. They have 😊
@@Parallelwurlds And it's fucking horrible, as expected.
They did, woefully they did.
It's quite heartening to see people disparage the new Star Trek. I was never a huge fan but moments like this made it clear it was clearly more sophisticated than just some sci-fi TV show. It's a shame the new writers don't seem to grasp that.
Just got done watching this episode. Season 1 may have had it's issues and a clunky start, but it definitely had its fair share of good episodes and even better writing in scenes like this.
Are you doing a full watch? I did that last year, so enjoyable. Currently doing Voyager!
I like to think it is scenes like this that kept Q going to Picard, in him, Q saw the true potential of humanity even if like this scene Picard pushed his buttons just right, I think it was this scene that would help in the final episodes of Star Trek TNG where Q saw this big test and was like, if we must pick a human, I pick Picard.
I love how the first two seasons of TNG have all this human arrogance about them, and all Q does is introduce them to the Borg to teach them some humility.
John Cole While I do prefer the later seasons of TNG, and would probably call DS9 my favorite Series, I do miss the optimism.
Then several years later (and three centuries earlier), while Picard is screaming how he will make the Borg pay, Q is out there somewhere, smiling and reciting that same quote with all of the intended irony.
I guess Q was a sore loser and wanted to punish Picard for defeating him in this episode. Problem is, 18 innocent people who had nothing to do with the Picard vs Q feud died at the hands of the Borg just so Q could get his revenge on Picard.
It shows how despite all of his powers, Q at times acts like a petty child who can't stand losing to anyone.
Revenge? Did you watch the series. There was no revenge from Q. Q was testing humanity. Q's sending them to the Borg gave the Federation a heads up of what was coming their way. Everything Q did can be seen as helping humanity in some way.
Which turned the Federation into a warlike power, just a Q predicted they always were.
to bad we dont get great moments like this in the Star Trek movies.
God forbid people might go 1:34 without an explosion
Beastie Boys!
The new writers never read Shakespeare.
it is sad.
No Shakespeare that I'm aware of but first contact had the Moby Dick scene.
Fascinating scene. Interpreting humanity through Shakespeare. I have no doubt those in theater cheered at this magnificent way to argue humanity's essence and potential.
Fuck i love this man. Only he can bring back my faith in humanity
Oh boy, that scene never gets old
Here's another Shakespeare quote that far better summaries life in the stars "Does the appetite not alter?".
Hmm, good one. I like it. Humanity has an appetite for the universe to measure itself against and learn. The Q have already experienced the entire universe and in so lost all appetite to become more because they can no longer even imagine more.
No its about change, not growth. Growth is a matter of addition. Change is a matter of altering.
Think about it:
For thoushands of years many of us thought the future was literally written in the stars. Nowadays we know light takes time to reach us across huge distances so when we look at lights in the sky what we are actually seeing is how things USED to be.
We used to believe that nothing travels faster than light, but now most astronomers concur that space itself is expanding faster than light.
We used to believe that we were the centre of the Solar system, now obviously we know differently.
Star Trek itself has changed in so many ways and to such extents that really not even the makers can be bothered to keep track.
Star Trek isn't really about us "one day becoming that". We can never be like "that" or like Q and we really wouldn't want to it'd be maddeningly boring. No, its about adventure, and change is absolutely an ingredient for adventure.
Patrick Stewart: "I'm going old school and bringing some class to this show!"
Picard is a rare challenge for Q, hence his frequent visits.
John de Lancie is also a Shakespearean actor and acquits himself well here; Avery Brooks is another with an amazing voice who is no stranger to the Bard’s plays.
I don't believe that Hamlet was being ironic. I believe that he was expressing the dual and paradoxical nature of man: simulatenously God and dust.
"This..." (Gestures to Q) "...tale told by an idiot!"
Even the man's burns have class. :)
Astute!
Riker”- the q admires us
Picard- they fear us’
The joke of this scene is that the point of hamlet's speech is how no matter what incredible beauty he is presented with, he takes joy in none of it.
“Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”
― William Shakespeare, Macbeth
Next Gen at its finest. Having Picard flip the irony to conviction was a stroke of genius, and was completely in keeping with his nature.
Never challange a master at his own field.
So nice that they wrote this scene for Patrick Stewart. Just a little window on his talent as a Shakespearean actor.
I like to think that Q's rage at the end is not that Picard outwitted him or figured out his schemes, but rather that Picard came so close to the point but then let his own human limitations draw an incorrect conclusion. The Continuum knows what humanity is capable of becoming. They do not fear it, rather, they welcome it, and are concerned about humans undermining their own future by relying on base emotions and backwards thought.
For Picard to realize that humanity was becoming something more, but then to draw the conclusion that Q must be having a negative base emotional response to that reality, must feel like - to Q - one step forward, a thousand steps back.
That's a really interesting head canon that will likely haunt me everytime I watch this scene.
Fantastic interplay and introspection. "What Hamlet says with irony, I say with conviction." A Buddhist in space.
I wish that Star Trek Picard had 1/10 of the power and intelligence and theatrical grace of this 2 minute clip.
Picard owns Q at his own arrogant game, an IQ of 3000 and 5 couldn't save him here.
*Shakespeare wasn't merely an author. He was a philosopher.*
I don't see anybody commenting on the storyline here. Q eventually told Picard that this was the destiny of humankind. But at this point in the series, the Q character was still frightened of the idea. And still well into testing Picard. It shows how well the writers projected into the future and kept a congruous Q storyline.
Being a former Shakepearian stage actor, I wonder how many times in his life he has recited those same lines?
I see man this way now. True man has many many flaws, but they are finite while his beauty is infinite.
When picard was spewing at Q with hamlet
I really REALLY got the feeling that Q had heard those things being said about humanity before (he gave a very home hitting reaction), yet somehow he refuses to believe them. And desperately tries to prove it right every time in TNG.
I gues what picard said is true and that is exacly what frustrates Q, and the fact picard reminding him of his frustration for humanity being seen as perfect gods in the future.
Naturally Q always tries to prove that humans were not born angels and constantly tries to prove it to picard, who will never back down from that mindset.
TNG made me realize how much I enjoy stage acting.
I love how the actor for Q plays how an advanced robot would actually be: emotionless yet beyond smart
Data is emotionless.
Q? No.
Quintessence of dust.
"I see us one day becoming that" Couldn't Q just pop into the future 60 million years and check?
But then what fun would it be?
Best scene in Stark Trek franchise
Picard and Q bantering and quoting Shakespeare is probably the only thing worth watching in season 1 and 2 TNG.... well that and Measure of a Man.
And _The Inner Light,_ almost universally agreed to be the best episode of the series, and a fair competitor to _City on The Edge of Forever_ for the best episode of any _Star Trek_ series.
@@DistractedGlobeGuy Inner light is season 5 lol. Nonetheless that episode is TNG finest hour imo.
Closely followed by Chain of Command Part 2.
The Most Toys as well.
@@piotrd.4850 Wasn't that season 3?
Qs reaction in this scene has always left me with a huge question mark on what his possible motives are with being involved so much with humans .
The implication is that the Q fear what Humanity might represent and be capable of when it evolves to the level of the Q. And you would think, 'the Q are omnipotent, so they must already know,' but that's demonstrably not true. The one thing the Q have consistently failed to demonstrate is the capacity to predict the future.
And in this one moment, Picard affirms the Continuum's greatest fear regarding Humanity. And since the Continuum cannot predict the future, they have to settle for the next best thing - they have to ensure that Humanity is prepared to face the horrors of existence beyond what it's already encountered. So they hand Q powers to a Human and said Human predictably confirms that the species isn't ready to simply be handed that level of power and responsibility: the Q have to play the long game instead. Humanity demonstrates a staggering amount of arrogance up to and including this episode, so Q throws them at the Borg. Picard's willingness to admit that they're unprepared and beg Q for help is the next test passed. Each subsequent appearance of Q plays out a different aspect of not-so-much 'testing' Humanity as 'prodding' Humanity in the right directions. And so the Federation narrowly manages to survive repeated assimilation attempts by the Collective as well as surviving the wood chipper taken to their idealism in the form of the Dominion War.
However STP and STD play out and further mangle the stations of canon, the overarching implication is that the Continuum is expecting Humanity to one day rise to their level of existence and recognize all the interference the Continuum ran back in those days as beneficial to guaranteeing Humanity's survival and eventual ascension. The Continuum would prefer to rig that eventual outcome in their favor, especially as the Continuum isn't the only such race to have taken such notice of Humanity.
I know every word of Picard's recitation because of Coraline.
It's been said here already, but Picard's application of the Hamlet quote here, making sure to acknowledge the irony, is by far one of my all time favourite Picard speeches in a show chock full of them. Maybe my favourite. It is so good.
Picard in TNG is such a great character, regardless of what any of the later stuff did with him (none of which was as good, I'll fully admit)
Here in the Year of Our Lord 2022, I can safely say ... yes, man sure is a piece of work.
This is why I like old Trek instead of new Trek. Old Trek forced me to think.
One of the few times Picard actually got the drop on Q.
This video explains why this show is on TV so often even after 30 years. FYI bbc America shows it for 24 hours straight at least once a week.
I love how he uses Q's own choice of quote to call him an idiot.
Enjoyed the nice subtle portrayal of Q getting angrier as Picard went further into hamlet and not quite understanding why he's feeling that way
one of my favorite scenes - and the best part, as far as I'm concerned, is the versatility - picard/stewart says it himself - what hamlet might say with irony, I say with conviction - to take Shakespeare's own words, use them out of context to say something entirely opposed to their original meaning AND MAKE IT WORK!...star trek at it's best, and again, as far as I'm concerned, Patrick stewart at his best
"Well if he lived today he would have said galaxy"
That's not speculation. Q literally went back, gave Shakespear the rundown on what happens in the future and then asked him what he'd say.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Assuming that Q was not in fact Shakespeare himself. History does not know who Shakespeare actually was.
@@nunya3163
Pretty sure that if Q was Shakespeare, he'd be bragging about it.
@@VestedUTuber I'm not so sure. As much as he likes to boast, he also seems to play a lot of 4-D chess.
What aspirations I had when I was in academia. I don't know if I was thinking about what I would become or the energy from around me with which I would proceed forward. But when I got into the field and found out what the realer world was like, notions like these were left to stories. But oh, how we can aspire.
We had to memorize that line from Macbeth for English class and because of this, I came in knowing it before everyone else... Treky for life
such a good scene! What he might say with irony I say with conviction! Damn
And now Picard is coming back!!!!
Q disliked this video
Bolbi Stragnavowski Q WITNESS U. I LOVE YOU. YOUR MUM GEYYYYYYYYYY
REEEEEEEEEEEE÷EEEEEEEEEEEE
Several times.
yeah I did!
Q is a enigma of science and theology. He reminds me of what Neil deGrasse Tyson said about the possibilities of alien life. The simian genome as we know it today is only a 1% difference between an Ape to a Human. That 1% difference is astronomical in scale if we ever discover alien life that is as much difference between Human to Alien. Would we be able to even communicate with that life let alone acknowledge it's existence and vice versa. Q always seemed to talk down to Picard and his crew, because he literally has to talk down to them in order for them to understand him. Then there's the question of Q's powers. If there is a God, how does Q compare to Him?
Least amount of prep needed by Patrick Stewart for this scene
There's a video somewhere with Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir David Suchet (whom I remember as Hercule Poirot) in a masterclass debating Shakespeare. I suspect Sir Patrick had to hold back a bit during this scene.
And you know you've won the argument when your opponent throws his book at you.
That is exactly what concerns him. I think Q concedes this later in the episode to Riker.
I was talking to my sister about Nietzsche, and I brought up this scene: what Q says is what people _think_ Nietzsche was saying, what Picard says is what Nietzsche _was_ saying.
You know things are serious on the Enterprise when the Captain is quoting Shakespeare.
I’m sure the crew must have some shorthand for “Shakespeare Alert”.
The Continuum is powerless against humanity. Not by force but by force of conviction.
I would have loved for Picard to quote hamlet again, when Q would appear Picard rises and shouts "Stand and unfold yourself!" Q's reaction would be gold.
I always wondered what if The Q Continuum were actually Humanity as what we evolve into Millions of Years in the Future and Q's Interest in Humanity is just him ensuring we evolve the way were supposed to to eventually become them
It's a good theory. However it conflicts with Q's apparent irritability in this scene and his apprehensiveness concerning the same topic in his later scene with Riker.
picard is but a shadow of himself
Gee, you can get unlucky, you pick one dude in the whole galaxy to go off about Shakespeare with and you pick Patrick Stewart.
Picard to Q "do you fear us for what we will become?" Q "..." (literally throws the book and Picard and tries to run.)