Star Trek: Everything We NOW Know About The Q Continuum

10. Three Cheers For The Original Trelane!

The Squire Of Gothos was an oddity for more than twenty years. The godlike child Trelane took Kirk and crew hostage, played jaunty tunes on his harpsichord, and to wrap up the day, he engaged in a game of duelling pistols. This might have been a standard Tuesday for him, but it was anything but for Starfleet.

The inspiration behind Trelane, created by Paul Schneider, was the image of children playing at war. Here was a being, godlike with his toys, but childlike in his understanding of consequence.

At the episode's conclusion, and after a couple of ornamental revelations, Trelane was given a good spanking by his cloudy-with-a-chance-of-green parents. He was, after all, just a bold boy, playing a little rough in the toybox. With his second appearance on screen, this childlike nature remained, even if the character has a new dimension in terms of familial connections. What does this mean for the biggest family of them all?

With his fabulous costumes, outdated research on Earth's history, and ever-winning smile (except for all of the losing), Trelane was unique in Star Trek's pantheon of gods and monsters. He then served to inspire the original named member of the vaulted Continuum.