'Death Wish'

Stardate: 49301.2
Written By: Shaun Piller
Directed By: James L Conway
Rating: ****1/4 (out of 5)

It�s always a pleasure to have John de Lancie as Q in any episode and combined with the talents of Gerrit Graham as Quinn (as he is named), Jonathan Frakes as Commander Riker, a nice story by Shaun Piller and some imaginative writing from Michael Piller (father and Son) we get a great episode.

Put it this way: I loved �Death Wish.�  It gave a new dimension to the Q, as if that where possible, and a lot to think about.

Naturally Q and Quinn bring a lot of energy and fun into the episode, providing us with a nice chase from the beginning of time itself to subatomic levels and to a Christmas tree.  Unrealistic? Yes.  Fun? Definitely!

So after the amusing beginning we get into the serious hearing, should Quinn be aloud asylum, to become mortal, and thereby committing suicide, or should he be confined once more for eternity for his different ideas that may damage the Continuum.

Both sides are argued well, Q�s side being very funny, like calling himself, a duplicate, to the stand and showing how Quinn has changed human history, like jostling an apple tree for Sir Isaac Newton to find the Theory of Relativity.  A lot of the events mentioned bring some annoying conclusions for me.  Just how much has the Q Continuum done, not only for humans, but also for everyone else in the universe?  If they have started so many conflicts and changed so many lives, than we are at their mercy.

I don�t agree that mental instability can�t account for Quinns acts.  Different races have different ways of thinking and to compare rituals of other races to the Q is a bit of an unfair comparison.  Quinn argues that for the first time the Q is facing the unknown that they are afraid of the unknown, a bold statement.

After the bulk of the hearing, Janeway says that she can�t see that Quinn is suffering and believes his suicide isn�t justified.  But Quinn takes the court to the Q Continuum itself, showing them that they are now a race of boredom.  They have done, said and seen everything.  They have no reason to continue to exist, they simply have outlived their lives, but must continue living forever.

The metaphorical representation of the Continuum is clever.  A country house where they live, it�s quite, desolate.  One endless road leading everywhere and than back to home.  Quinn tells Q that he admired Q when he was a nuisance, because he gave the Continuum news, he dared to be different.

Not surprisingly Janeway rules in Quinn�s favor, granting him asylum.  Although from a Starfleet, Prime Directive, point of view, Janeway shouldn�t have interfered at all.  But granted she did, she is allowing one individual to die, and causing the upheaval of an entire race.  This isn�t very Starfleet of her.

Janeway makes him a member of the crew, and begs Quinn to explore his new existence. But he kills himself anyway, being provided with poison from Q, despite the consequences it will have on the Continuum.  Q has learnt a lesson from all this, that Quinn sacrificed himself for his need to do something different.  Q says he will go back to his old ways, become disruptive again.

A very different perspective on the Q Continuum, showing that omnipotence has its boundaries.  That the Q are just as �human� as humans in a lot of ways.

Q�s outspokenness is great, like calling Janeway Kate and Cathy, and one of my favorite lines delivered in a very Seinfeld like way, �We�ve all been the scarecrow, so what!�

�Deathwish� is one of my favorite episodes of Voyager, dealing with one of my favorite Star Trek characters.  The acting is alive, the writing is intelligent, the story memorable.  One of Voyager�s best.