Star Trek: 10 Times Aliens Influenced Human History

10. Quinn's Undercover Work On Earth

The Q who later became known as Quinn appeared in the Voyager episode Death Wish. Formally a respected philosopher among his people, the Continuum later exiled him and, in the 21st century, imprisoned him in a comet for trying to end his own life. He remained trapped there until Voyager finally discovered him and freed him hundreds of years later.

Once freed, Quinn requested asylum aboard Voyager, and Janeway was forced to hold a trial to decide if they should grant his request, effectively allowing him to die as he wished.

In an effort to prove the higher purpose of Quinn's life to Janeway, Q showed her three examples of Humans throughout history who were helped by him: one of history's greatest scientists, Issac Newton, a famous musician, Maury Ginsberg, and the Enterprise-D's First Officer, William Riker.

Newton was apparently inspired to write his equations of gravity after Quinn caused an apple to fall on his head, Ginsberg was able to make it to the famous and historically important Woodstock Festival because of his help, and Riker wouldn't have been born (and thus able to protect Earth from the first Borg invasion) if Quinn hadn't saved his ancestor, Thaddius, during the American Civil War.