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lts trajectory is erratic.
And our sensors aren't detecting
any stellar or planetary
gravitational fields that could
account for its motion.
Then you're saying
it isn't a comet.
And yet, it looks, feels and
tastes just like a comet.
Well, there's a slight chance
there are magnetodynamic forces
acting on the comet
that are too subtle
for our sensors to detect.
Or it might be something
we've never encountered before.
B'Elanna, go down
to Transporter Room 2.
Let's beam aboard a sample
for examination.
Aye, Captain.
Harry, see if you
can lock onto a core fragment.
Having no trouble penetrating
the crust, Captain.
Janeway to Torres.
We're ready when you are,
Lieutenant.
Setting up a class-3
containment field, Captain.
Field in place.
Commence transport.
Energizing.
Hello.
My name is Q.
Torres to Janeway.
You'd better get down here,
Captain.
Problem, Lieutenant?
Yes, ma'am.
That transport from the comet--
it brought a man aboard.
He says his name is Q.
Red Alert.
l'll be right down.
Oh, please don't bother,
Captain.
Let me take you
to lunch instead.
What a pleasure
it is to meet you.
Oh, am l doing this right?
lt's been so long since l've had
the opportunity to greet anyone.
Oh, uh here.
Take a seat.
Allow me to make the
setting more appropriate.
My name is Kathryn Janeway
Captain of the Federation
Federation Starship Voyager.
Yes, yes.
l know all that.
Look-- Welsh rabbit
like your grandfather
used to make.
Rabbit? She never told me
she likes rabbits.
What is a rabbit, anyway?
ls this some new chef
she's interviewing?
Please, eat.
lt's the least l can do
to express my appreciation.
Appreciation for what?
For letting me out
of my captivity.
You were being held
against your will
inside the comet?
ln a manner of speaking.
And you
all of you
you're mortals, aren't you?
Who was holding you prisoner?
And you
only live for nine years.
That's right.
Oh, how l envy you.
Why is that?
Because the one thing
l want more than any other
is to die.
Look l don't know
what you want here,
but l know who you are.
Every Captain in Starfleet
has been briefed
about your appearances
on the Enterprise,
and l'm warning
My my appearances?
Oh, you've mistaken me for
Oh, well, no matter.
l really must get on
with my business
before the others
realize l'm here.
When someone
asks you about me,
and they will,
would you tell them l said
You know, l've had 300 years
to think of appropriate
last words.
l wanted something memorable,
you know?
Quotable.
Would you tell them l said,
''l die not for myself
but for you.
''
l know.
l l know.
Enigmatic, provocative.
They'll understand.
Well good-bye to you all.
Many thanks.
Here's the end of me.
Oh dear.
That's not right.
Torres to Janeway.
All the men have disappeared.
l'm aware of it, Lieutenant.
Report to the Bridge.
Janeway out.
Bring them back now.
Oh, oh.
Of course, of course.
l'm a little out of practice.
Well that's that,
l'm afraid-- they're gone.
Gone? Where?
Just gone.
Oh, l apologize
for the inconvenience.
Well, good luck to you all.
l really have to be going now.
Return my crew.
l
l'm not sure how.
Humans
humans
Who would have more recent
experience with humans?
What have you done now, Q?
Well, now, isn't this just fine.
Humans aren't supposed
to be in this Quadrant
for another hundred years.
l didn't bring them here.
Nothing to do with me.
How did you get out, Q?
l'm afraid
we're responsible for that.
Oh, well, l guess that's what
we get for having a woman
in the Captain's seat.
You know, l was betting
that Riker would
get this command.
May l assume you're the Q
l've heard so much about?
Have you heard about little me?
Oh, do tell.
Has Jean-Luc been whispering
about me behind my back?
Say, is this a ship
of the Valkyries
or have you human women
finally done away
with your men altogether?
There was a slight accident.
A slight accident?
Oh, let me guess.
You were trying
to commit suicide.
Now you see why
we've locked him up
for the last 300 years.
Facial art!
Ooh, how very wilderness of you.
Captain?
All right, Q,
we should be going.
l'm not leaving.
Captain Janeway,
l demand asylum.
This is a joke.
No, it isn't.
l am officially asking you,
Captain, to grant me asylum
and give me protection
from my enemies, which is him.
You would ask these puny humans
to protect you from me?
Fat chance.
What did you do to him?
Nothing.
He's still there
in the 24th century.
l just took the rest of us
to an old hiding place of mine.
Report.
Captain, there are
no stars outside.
Well, that's partially accurate.
Actually, there's no universe
outside.
On screen.
Commander?
l'm showing a large buildup
of baryonic particles.
Perfectly normal.
Captain, based on our readings,
it appears we've been
transported back in time
to the birth of the universe.
Very old hiding place.
Oh, l know all
the hiding places, Q.
l hid here from the Continuum
myself once.
This ship will not survive
the formation of the cosmos.
Yes, but just think of the honor
of having your DNA spread
from one corner
of the universe to the other.
Why, you could be the origin
of the humanoid form.
Q-- either Q--
get us out of here.
You heard the lady, Q--
back to your cell.
We're under attack.
By a ship?
By by
l'm not sure what they are.
Captain, l don't believe this,
but according to my readings,
we're being attacked by protons.
We've been reduced
to subatomic proportions.
He'll never find us here.
Mr.
Tuvok,
see if you can release
a positive ion charge
to repel them.
Ready or not, here l am.
Now what?
Checking.
We seem to be tethered
to some kind of large
plant.
Let's see it.
Computer, l need a wider angle.
You can't hide from me, Q.
And you can't take me by force.
l'll stalemate you for eternity
if l have to.
The hell you will.
The vaunted Q Continuum--
self-anointed guardians
of the universe.
How dare you come
aboard this ship
and endanger this crew
with your personal tug-of-war?
Did anyone ever tell you you're
angry when you're beautiful?
We're back where we
started from, Captain.
Doesn't matter.
l'm not going back
into that cell.
How would you like
to spend eternity
as a Gorokian midwife toad?
Oh, just try it.
Stop.
You want asylum?
Fine.
We'll have a hearing.
A hearing!
You would have me put his future
into your delicate little hands?
Oh, so touchably soft.
What is your secret, dear?
When the Captain
of a Starfleet vessel receives
an official request for asylum,
there is a clear
procedure to follow.
l suggest, to end your deadlock
and to save my ship,
that we follow it to the letter.
Well, this could go on for
a millennium or two, l suppose.
All right, l accept
on behalf of the Continuum
on one condition--
if you rule in our favor,
Q agrees to return
to his confinement.
l have a condition of my own.
lf you rule in my favor,
then the Continuum
must grant me mortality.
Why?
So you can kill yourself?
Exactly.
Accepted.
Well, this is going to make
for an amusing diversion.
Will you send him to prison
for eternity
or will you assist
in his suicide plan?
That's a toughie,
but then again, that's why
they made you Captain, isn't it?
To handle the real tough ones.
My, my.
Now l guess
we get to find out
whether the pants
really fit.
Am l interrupting anything?
l 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?
What?
Oh, you mean just popping in
whenever we feel like it?
That is one relevant example.
l apologize.
At some point along the way,
l guess we just stopped thinking
about the little niceties.
So it seems.
But you mustn't
think of us as omnipotent,
no matter what the Continuum
would like you to believe.
You and your ship seem
incredibly powerful
to life-forms without
your technical expertise.
lt's no different with us.
We may appear omnipotent to you,
but believe me, we're not.
lntriguing.
Just what vulnerabilities
do the Q have?
Always looking for the tactical
advantage, Mr.
Tuvok.
Very good.
As a matter of fact,
that's why l've come to see you.
ln a way, our vulnerability
is what this is all about.
As the Q have evolved,
we've sacrificed many things
along the way--
not just manners, but mortality
and a sense of purpose
and a desire for change
and a capacity to grow.
Each loss is
a new vulnerability
wouldn't you say?
Why are you telling me this?
Because l want you
to represent me at the hearing.
Me?
l have no legal expertise.
But l need someone
who understands
Federation asylum practices.
Besides
Vulcans approve of suicide.
lt is true that Vulcans
who reach a certain infirmity
with age
do practice ritual suicides.
Nevertheless, l fail to see
how that fact
would be meaningful
in this circumstance.
l have the right to counsel,
Mr.
Tuvok.
Will you assist me?
Let me begin by stating clearly
that l expect all parties
to act appropriately
and with respect
for these proceedings.
l will not have this hearing
turned into a circus.
ls that clear?
ls that clear, Q?
Madam Captain,
we are dealing here
with an issue of the greatest
importance to the Q Continuum.
l can assure you, we take
this matter very seriously.
Thank you.
And please don't call me
''Madam Captain.
''
Since you've made it clear
that your asylum
would lead to suicide,
you place me
in a difficult position.
l understand, Captain.
May l ask you
why you want to commit suicide?
As difficult as it is
for you to imagine,
for me, immortality
is impossible
to endure any longer.
ln the Continuum,
an individual has an obligation
to be responsible to the path
his life will follow.
''His life will follow.
''
Emphasize life.
l never yielded that obligation
to the Continuum.
lf the path l choose
leads to death,
what right have they
to interfere?
He's putting his selfish wishes
above the welfare
of everyone else.
And if l don't agree
with the majority,
l'm to be locked up
for eternity.
You would not be confined
if you were not intent
on harming yourself.
With your permission, Captain,
l would like to call
an expert on the Continuum
to discuss the implications
of the decision to be made.
Proceed.
l call myself to the stand.
Ta-da!
Thank you for coming.
lt's a rare honor
to have someone of your
reputation and accomplishment
with us today.
Thank you.
Tell me, what would be the
impact of a Q suicide?
Oh, it would be an interruption
to the Continuum.
lt would change the very nature
of Q.
Can you be more specific?
No, because we're not even sure
what the end result would be.
His suicide could have all sorts
of unknown consequences
for the Continuum.
Precisely!
lt would force the Q
to deal with the unknown
for the first time
since the new era began.
They're afraid of me
because they're afraid
of the unknown.
How would you characterize
his remarks?
No Q has ever tried
to commit suicide.
lmmortality is one of the
defining qualities of being a Q.
By every measure
of the Continuum,
his remarks would have
to be considered as
mentally unbalanced.
Mentally unbalanced.
And no civilized people
in the universe,
including the primitive
Federation societies,
would condone the suicide
of a mentally unbalanced person.
Tell me, Q,
can you offer any other evidence
of mental instability
on the part of my client?
What more do l need?
He wants to kill himself.
ln fact, until this issue arose,
he was known in the Continuum
as one of your great
philosophers.
-ls that not true?
-Not anymore it isn't.
So your entire basis for
judging him mentally unbalanced
is his wish to commit suicide.
l submit
that is a faulty premise.
ln many cultures,
suicide is acceptable
and in and of itself
cannot be used as evidence
of mental illness.
l tend to agree with Mr.
Tuvok.
-Oh Vulcans!
-Oh Vulcans!
lsn't it true that on occasion,
the Continuum has executed Qs
for certain crimes?
On rare occasions, yes.
Didn't their deaths create an
interruption in the Continuum?
Their crimes created
the interruption,
their deaths ended it.
l know where you're going
with this, Lieutenant.
Do you?
And it's not going to work.
Our society, like any other,
must control
its disruptive elements.
An execution may be undesirable,
l grant you that,
but on some rare occasions,
it is necessary
and warranted, and a decision
to proceed is made
only after great deliberation
by the entire Continuum.
You cannot imagine the chaos
that would be created
if individuals like Q here
could choose between
life and death.
This is a matter of social order
versus anarchy.
l understand.
And you find
nothing contradictory
in a society
that outlaws suicide
but practices
capital punishment?
No.
Any other questions, Lieutenant?
Just one other thing.
lsn't it true that you yourself
were once accused
of being mentally unstable
by the Continuum?
Were you not disciplined
for inappropriate behavior?
Objection.
l'll allow the question.
My record has been expunged.
l will take that as a yes.
Thank you.
That is all.
You're excused.
lf l may beg
the court's indulgence,
l have other witnesses to call.
To what end?
Your Captain Honor,
l am here to argue
for the majesty of life--
what it means
for us to be alive.
A Q's life takes him
to all corners of the universe.
This Q's life has touched and
affected many, many others--
including some
on your own homeworld.
With your permission,
l would like to call
some of those people
whose lives have been
changed by this Q.
You want to bring people here
from Earth?
l promise
it won't impact the timeline,
and no one will remember
ever having been here
after l send them back.
This is most unusual.
Do you have any objection,
Mr.
Tuvok?
l am as curious
as you are, Captain.
Very well.
Proceed.
Q!
What the hell is going on?
My apologies, Commander
To you all.
My name is Kathryn Janeway.
Captain Janeway,
the USS Voyager.
That's correct, Commander.
You're aboard Voyager.
We're lost
in the Delta Quadrant,
and as much as l wish
you could tell them
that when you get home,
your memories will be wiped
before you get back.
God, if you let me
live through this,
l promise l'll clean
up my act-- l swear.
l demand an explanation!
Why are you dressed
like this, young man?
Man, have you looked
in a mirror lately?
Allow me to try to explain,
Mister?
Ginsberg.
Maury Ginsberg.
Sir lsaac Newton.
William Riker.
Nice to meet you.
Consider for a moment
that it might be possible
to travel forward in time--
say, to the 24th century--
onto a starship
You're having
a very strange dream
and in this dream,
you are seeing this man
whom you've all met before.
Yes, l have seen
that man before.
You were sitting
under the tree the day
The day the apple
fell on your head.
Yes, that's right.
Quite a day, wasn't it?
As a matter of fact,
this man jostled the tree
when he got up to leave.
Just before
the apple fell-- yes.
And a new era in human
science was born.
Wait a minute!
Weren't you the guy in the jeep?
The ''guy in the jeep''
who picked you up after
your own vehicle broke down
that summer afternoon.
lsn't that right?
Oh, man, he was a lifesaver.
My van died,
and they dragged it off the road
because of all the traffic.
lt was backed up for miles.
You were on your way to a job,
weren't you?
Yeah, l was supposed to be on
the follow spot up in Tower 3.
l never
would have made it in time
if it weren't for him.
Hey, whatever happened
with that groovy chick
with the long red beads
in the back seat?
l've been looking for her
ever since you dropped me off.
You'll see her again,
don't worry.
To sum up, you were
a spotlight operator at an
outdoor concert of some sort,
a concert
that was put in jeopardy
moments before it was to begin
because the entire
sound system failed.
Oh, it was no big deal.
Somebody must have snagged
an extension cord
with one of the trucks,
that's all.
l'm just lucky l noticed it.
Yes.
Lucky you were at the right
place at the right time,
or it would have taken days
to track down the problem
and there would
have been no concert.
Well, l'm sorry to say
l have met him,
but l've never seen
this man before in my life.
Are you sure?
Has it not been established
that my client has been
in captivity during all
of Commander Riker's lifetime?
Have you seen
this photograph before?
Sure l have.
That is Colonel Thaddeus Riker
after he was wounded
at Pine Mountain.
They used to call him
''Old lron Boots.
''
He was in command
of the 102nd New York
during General Sherman's
march on Atlanta.
This picture was taken in 1864,
just after they let him out
of the army hospital.
And the soldier beside him?
l'll be damned.
lt's him.
As a matter of fact,
he carried your wounded ancestor
back from the front line
Didn't you?
My point is, Captain,
Q has had a profound influence
on these three lives.
Without Q,
lsaac Newton would
have died forgotten
in a Liverpool debtor's prison--
a suspect in several
*** murders.
Without Q,
there would have been
no concert at, uh
Woodstock.
Wherever.
More importantly,
Mr.
Ginsberg would never
have met his future wife
''the groovy chick
with the long red beads''
and he would never have become
a successful orthodontist,
settled in Scarsdale
with four kids.
Far out.
Yes.
Without Q, there would have been
no William T.
Riker at all,
and l would have lost
at least a dozen
really good opportunities
to insult him over the years.
Oh, and lest l forget
without Q, the Borg would
have assimilated the Federation.
-Thank you.
-Thank you.
This is the life that Q
treats without respect.
This is the life that he would
give up so easily.
May l remind this hearing
and my learned colleague,
that for the last
three centuries,
my client has not been
allowed contact with anyone.
At this time, we would
like to reproduce
the environment in which
he has been confined.
l object.
No
l'll allow this.
These are the conditions
my client will be forced
to live in for eternity
if you deny him asylum, Captain.
We just want to give him time
to reconsider his position.
l will never change my mind!
This is your own doing.
You could live
a perfectly normal life
if you were simply willing
to live a perfectly normal life.
l've seen enough.
Please return us
to the hearing room.
l would submit
that the quality of life
my client will have to endure
should be considered
in this proceeding.
l don't like those conditions
any more than you do, Mr.
Tuvok,
and l wouldn't want
to spend another day there
if l were you, Q
but l'm here to rule
on a request for asylum,
not to judge the penal system
of the Q Continuum.
And he does have a point--
you were confined to prevent you
from doing harm to yourself.
l've been doing
a great deal of research,
studying a variety
of cultural attitudes on suicide
to help me frame the basis
of a decision.
Mr.
Tuvok, are you familiar
with the ''double effect''
principle on assisted suicide
that dates back
to the Bolian middle ages?
l believe it relates
to the relief of suffering,
does it not, Captain?
lt states, ''an action
that has the principle effect
''of relieving suffering
may be ethically justified
''even though the same action
has the secondary effect
of possibly causing death.
''
This principle is the only thing
l can find
that could possibly convince me
to decide in your favor, Q.
And yet, as l look at you,
you don't seem,
by our standards,
aged, infirm or in any pain.
Can you show this hearing
that you suffer
in any manner
other than that caused
by the conditions
of your incarceration?
Any suffering that would justify
a decision to grant you asylum?
May l request a recess
to consider our response,
Captain?
Granted.
We're going to lose, aren't we?
l would say we have not yet
convinced Captain Janeway
of the validity
of our argument.
You're doing a fine job,
Mr.
Tuvok.
lt's nice to know
someone believes in me.
l am representing your position
to the best of my ability.
lt is most definitely
not my own.
l see no persuasive evidence
that a life like yours
should be wasted
simply because
you are disgruntled.
Frankly, l see no logic
to your position.
You
you surprise me, Mr.
Tuvok,
which is a rare and special gift
to a Q.
Thank you.
But may l say, if only you knew
what life as a Q were like,
you would see the logic.
Then perhaps what we should do
next is take this hearing
to see life
in the Continuum itself.
Captain's Log, supplemental.
l'm determined
to find a better alternative
to suicide or endless prison,
so l've summoned the advocate Q
to make him a proposal.
Yes, what is it, Captain?
Come to the next session
of the hearing
and announce
that the Continuum is ready
to reintegrate Q
into your society--
that you won't condemn him
to that cell for eternity.
And you will rule in our favor?
l would consider it
a very meaningful gesture
by the Continuum.
How would you know
if l intended to keep my word?
Based on my research,
you have been many things--
a rude, interfering,
inconsiderate, sadistic
You've made your point.
pest!
And, oh, yes
you introduced us to the Borg--
thank you very much--
but one thing you have
never been is a liar.
l think you've uncovered
my one redeeming virtue.
Am l blushing?
l wish l could help you,
Kathy, l just can't.
We're dealing here
with the most dangerous man
in the Continuum.
Now, l didn't tell you this,
but one of his
self-destructive stunts
created a misunderstanding
which ignited the 100-year war
between the Romulans
and the Vulcans.
No.
This man goes back
into his confinement,
but l would like to make it
easier for you.
The Continuum is prepared
to do you a little favor
if we approve of your ruling.
Look out the window.
Now you see it, now you don't.
We are prepared
to illustrate the nature
of Q's suffering, Captain,
but in order to do so,
we must show this hearing
what life is like
in the Continuum.
And how do you
intend to do that?
By going to the Continuum
itself.
ls this possible?
No, it's a ridiculous idea.
You would never understand.
My client has the right to ask
for an inspection
of the living conditions
that lead to his suffering,
Captain.
l would agree with that.
l suppose you have
some crazy idea
how to pull this off?
Yes.
Only if
Fine, fine.
We've agreed on a format
for this little sojourn,
but l still believe
it's ill-advised.
l'll be the judge of that.
Whenever you're ready.
No, no.
This is the Q Continuum--
a road in a desert?
l told you so.
This is a manifestation
of the Continuum
that we hope falls within
your level of comprehension.
This way.
Good afternoon.
l apologize for their lack
of hospitality, Captain.
We're not used to visitors here.
ln fact, you're the only ones
who've ever come.
Then what is the purpose
of the road?
The road
takes us to the rest
of the universe,
then it leads back here
an endless circle.
This was your existence
before your confinement?
l traveled the road
many times
sat on the porch,
played the games
been the dog everything.
l was even the scarecrow
for a while.
Why?
Because l hadn't done it.
Oh, we've all done
the scarecrow.
Big deal!
l can't say l entirely
understand what l'm seeing here,
but these people
don't seem to be suffering.
Well, of course not.
They're happy people!
Happy people!
What's there to feel sad about?
Look at them.
They don't dare feel sad.
lf only they could,
that would be progress.
Oh.
The philosopher speaks.
When l was
a respected philosopher,
l celebrated the continuity,
the undeviation of Q life.
l argued that our civilization
had achieved a purity
that no other culture
had ever approached
and it was wonderful
for a while.
At the beginning of the new era,
life as a Q was
a constant dialogue of discovery
and issues and humor
from all over the universe,
but look at them now.
Listen to their dialogue now.
l am afraid l cannot hear any.
Because it has all been said.
Everyone has heard everything,
seen everything.
They haven't had to speak
to each other in ten millennia.
There's nothing left to say.
Well, l don't know about you,
but l appreciate a little peace
and quiet now and again.
lt's ironic, isn't it, Q?
l don't know what you mean.
Of course you do.
That you, of all people,
should be arguing their case.
l believe in the ultimate
purity of the Q.
You, who were banned
from the Continuum
and made mortal
to pay for your crimes?
My penance has ended.
l'm a born-again Q.
That life is behind me.
What a shame
because, in many ways,
that life inspired me.
lt did? l did?
Oh, yes.
You never knew that,
did you?
You see, Captain,
Q rebelled
against this existence
by refusing to behave himself.
He was out of control.
He used his powers irresponsibly
and all for his own amusement,
and he desperately
needed amusement
because he could find
none here at home.
And l paid the price
for my inappropriate behavior.
No, no, we paid the price
by forcing you to stop,
but for a moment there,
you really had our attention
my attention.
You gave us something
to talk about,
but then you surrendered
to the will of the Continuum
like a good little Q,
and may l say you've become
a fine, upstanding member
of the Continuum
but l miss
the irrepressible Q
the one who forced me
to think.
May l borrow this?
This was the beginning
of my fall from grace.
This was the last edition,
by the way.
They shut down the presses
after l wrote that,
but they couldn't
keep me silent.
l continued to speak out
in favor of self-termination.
That's when he lost his mind
and started trying
to destroy himself.
We had no choice
but to confine him
but for his own safety.
Not for my safety, for theirs.
l was the greatest threat
the Continuum had ever known.
They feared me so much,
they had to lock me away
for eternity,
and when they did that,
they were saying
that the individual's rights
will be protected
only so long as they don't
conflict with the state.
Nothing is so dangerous
to a society.
My life's work is complete,
but they force
immortality on me,
and when they do that,
they cheapen
and denigrate my life
and all life in the Continuum,
all life.
Captain, you're an explorer.
What if you had nothing left
to explore?
Would you want to live forever
under those circumstances?
You want me to prove to you
that l suffer in terms
that you can equate
with pain or disease.
Look at us.
When life has become futile,
meaningless, unendurable,
it must be allowed to end.
Can't you see, Captain?
For us,
the disease is immortality.
We rest our case, Captain.
Very well.
l'll make my ruling
in the morning.
We'll be in recess until then.
Trouble sleeping?
Did you ever try warm
Kylerian goat's milk?
Get out!
Did you think about our offer?
You mean your bribe.
Merely an incentive to make
the proper decision.
lt'll play no part
in my deliberations.
No.
l told them it wouldn't.
That's why l talked them into
giving you what you asked for.
You have my word.
He won't go back to the cell.
We'll assign someone
to look after him,
whatever it takes.
lt's what you wanted, isn't it?
That's what l wanted.
So, you've won.
Let's celebrate.
Just you and me--
the two of us.
What?
l'll take you home.
Before you know it,
you'll be scampering
across the meadow
with your little puppies,
the grass
beneath your bare feet.
A man coming over the hill,
way in the distance,
waves to you.
You run to be in his arms,
and as you get closer,
you see that it's me.
You?!
Forget Mark.
l know how to show a girl
a good time.
How would you like
a ticker tape parade
down Sri Lanka Boulevard?
The Captain
who brought Voyager back--
a celebrated hero.
l never did anything like that
for Jean-Luc,
but l feel very close to you.
l'm not sure why.
Maybe it's because
you have such authority
and yet manage to preserve
your femininity so well.
Leave.
We'll talk about this
after the hearing tomorrow.
l've tried to find
some way to reconcile
all the conflicting emotions
l've felt during this hearing.
My own aversion to suicide.
My compassion
for your situation, Q.
lt hasn't been easy.
l've tried to tell myself
that this is not about suicide,
but about granting asylum,
that l am not
personally being asked
to perform euthanasia,
and as technically true
as that may be,
l cannot escape the moral
implications of my choices.
l've also had to consider
that a decision to grant asylum,
and the subsequent suicide
of a Q,
might have a significant impact
on the Continuum.
That such a decision
could change
the nature of an entire society,
whether it be a favorable
or unfavorable change,
disturbs me greatly.
But then there are the rights of
the individual in this matter.
l don't believe that you are
mentally unbalanced,
and l do believe that you
are suffering intolerably.
Under these conditions,
l find it impossible
to support immortality forced
on an individual by the state.
The unforeseen disruption
that may occur in the Continuum
is not enough, in my opinion,
to justify any additional
suffering by this individual.
So l hereby grant you asylum.
May l see you in your chambers,
Captain?
You've been in my chambers
enough for one visit, sir.
A sidebar, Your Honor.
Only for a moment.
She ruled in my favor.
You made a promise.
Nothing happened nothing!
My powers are gone!
l'm mortal.
Well, so much
for ticker tape parades.
l'm not finished.
Q
now that you're mortal,
you have a new existence
to explore,
an entirely new state of being
filled with the mysteries
of mortal life,
pleasures
you've never felt before.
l like this life, Q.
You might, too.
Think hard
before you give it up.
This hearing is adjourned.
Captain's Log,
Stardate 49301.
2.
We have assigned quarters
to our new passenger,
who has entered his name on
our crew manifest as ''Quinn.
''
l'm anxious to engage him
in ship activities
as soon as possible.
How about Stellar Cartography?
We could shut down
Stellar Cartography
with all the knowledge
he'd bring to the job.
Well, that's going
to be a problem
with just about everything
we assign him to.
There's got to be something on
board that
Sick Bay to Captain Janeway.
Go ahead.
Captain, l think you should
come down to Sick Bay.
Mr.
Quinn is here.
l'm afraid he's dying.
There's nothing you can do?
He's ingested a rare form
of Nogatch hemlock.
There is no known cure.
l'm sorry to disappoint you,
Captain,
but l would only
have been pretending
to fit in
to this mortal existence.
This is my final gift
to my people.
Oh, tell them those were
my last words.
l dearly thank you
for making this poss
Doctor,
do you generally keep samples
of fatal poisons in storage?
No.
The replicators
will not produce them either.
So how did he get his hands
on Nogatch hemlock?
l got it for him.
You assisted his suicide?
lllogical, Tuvok?
l don't think so.
By demanding to end his life,
he taught me a little something
about my own.
He was right when he said
the Continuum scared me
back in line.
l didn't have his courage
or his convictions.
He called me ''irrepressible.
''
This was a man
who was truly irrepressible.
l only hope
l make a worthy student.
l imagine the Continuum
won't be very happy
with you, Q.
l certainly hope not.
Au revoir, Madam Captain.
We will meet again.