QPid is a follow up to a light-hearted comedy episode where Q loses his powers and gets stabbed in the hand with a fork (ahh, slapstick). It also showcases Picards single most selfish moment, even putting aside his Borg obsession. Q turns up unannounced and informs Picard that he feels he owes him a debt, so hes here to grant one wish, genie style. Picard treats this magnanimous gesture with utter contempt, repeatedly telling Q that he doesnt want anything in the entire universe except to be left alone. Hey, Picard. Remember Wolf 359 last year? If you werent so busy acting churlish you might spare a thought for those around you and ask for, say, the Federation to be wiped from the Borgs hive-mind. Or the cure to a deadly plague that could be used to ease the suffering of millions of others. Its not like Q has any prime directive stopping him from doing this stuff. But no, youre going to miss out on galactic star charts or wormhole engines just because you dont personally think hes amusing. Its not just the Enterprise crew who treat Q like a bratty teenager; everyone in Star Trek seems to have standing orders to be as unpleasant as possible, because its not like Starfleet has special lessons in tolerating different cultures or anything. For all his pranks, Q seems to have a genuine soft spot for humanity and the knowledge youd pick up while indulging him in witty banter would be invaluable if only everyone wasnt too dumb to realise that sometimes, it pays to play nice.
