Star Trek: Everything We NOW Know About The Q Continuum

8. It's All About The Fans

Star Trek Q
CBS Media Ventures

John de Lancie is the most immediately recognisable member of the Q Continuum, for good reason. His Q, the apparently-eternal trickster, debuted in Encounter At Farpoint, thanks to some rewrites, some padding, and a little tip of the hat to a fan club president. 

Janet Quarton had led the Star Trek Action Group (STAG), the group responsible for hosting the first UK Star Trek convention in 1974. She later met Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett, and Susan Sackett, which in turn led to several appearances at conventions. When Roddenberry received Dorothy Fontana's script for the TNG pilot, he hastily began some rewrites.

Q was added by Roddenberry, in part, to extend the pilot to feature length. Naming the character for Quarton became an ongoing gag as many of the episodes that feature the character (or the Continuum) play with the letter in the title - Hide And Q, Qpid, The Q And The Grey - ensuring the legacy of Quarton's friendship with Gene remained ever-present.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"