What do you do when an omnipotent being drops his bratty son on your bridge for a little a
“parenting?” What if omnipotent junior makes fun by starting wars between different
planets and “experimenting” with the gene pools of different species. Star Trek: Voyager
started their final episodes of the series with a Q-centered show called appropriately,
“Q2.” Audience-pleaser John de Lancie, who plays the ever mischievous Q, drops his rascal
of a son, also called Q, on “Aunt Kathy’s” (Captain Janeway’s) doorstep for a little
discipline.
It is John de Lancie’s own son, Keegan de Lancie, who plays the son of Q. John de
Lancie,
a well-respected acting coach in Los Angeles, must be one proud papa. Keegan’s got chops!
He hovers and glides around “Aunt Kathy” with the same sense of sliminess as good ole
dad. And he unleashes the same amount of havoc: “zapping” away every stitch of Seven of
Nine’s clothing (a dream of many fans), removing Neelix’ vocal chords (a dream of many
fans J ), and redirecting count e’m three Borg ships in Voyager’s path for a little
survival warfare.
Q2 is one handful dad can’t handle without Janeway’s help. Q has come a long way since he
first appeared in the series opener of Star Trek: the Next Generation, “Encounter at
Farpoint.” He first appeared to put the Enterprise crew to a challenging test as to
whether humans were sufficiently evolved to deserve exploring the cosmos. In that
episode, Q felt he had nothing to learn from humans. It’s great to see how he’s evolved 14
years later to actually seek out the “primates (humans)” for help.
The episode unfolds a bit predictably at first for us diehard fans who have looked forward
to every new Q episode, but veers a delightful direction when Q takes the reigns from
“Aunt Kathy” and decides to test his son’s ability to “demonstrate nothing less than
exemplary Qness.” What’s a Q episode without an “up the stakes” test from Q?
In the meantime, we are treated to a fun, teasing interaction between Q2 and
Icheb, played
skillfully by Manu Intiraymi, in a true-to-character interaction between two teenage boys
who are buddies. Icheb calling Q2 “Qball” and Q2 calling Icheb “Itchy” is the kind of
relaxed character interaction I wish we saw more of during the Voyager series. It
communicated more about character than a whole season of furrowed brows and fast-paced
tech talk in life and death situations.
When Q reappears in the middle of Janeway’s bubble bath (doesn’t Q have a knack for
picking the worst time?) a bit disappointed in Janeway’s initial suggestions, I laughed
outloud when Q attempted to kiss Janeway to thank her for her renewed help. Kate Mulgrew
played the bubble- bathed foot in the face with excellent comic timing.
Of course, Q gets to test his son, who develops a poignant bond with “Aunt Kathy.”
Keegan de Lancie and Mulgrew play off each other quite well. I felt the sadness and beauty
of being human more acutely in this episode than others featuring Q. There was a sad
sense of vulnerability de Lancie brought forth after his barriers started to break down.
Levar Burton directed this episode and did his usual outstanding job. Burton is an expert
at motivating his actors to giving their very best. This episode was no exception. It
seems whenever Burton is at the helm; we see real breakthrough performances from the
actors involved.
Only a few more episodes to go before Voyager has it’s a final warp.
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"Star Trek: Voyager's "
