"Q" is an impudent, self-superior and sometimes malevolent being from the otherwise mysterious Q Continuum. Beginning in 2364, the alien literally began to pop up in Federation space to tease, torment, and try Starfleet officers - especially Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise. From the reports and eyewitness accounts it is not certain that the remainder of his kind share his outlook. It should always be stressed that Q's apparent juvenile humor should never be mistaken for the amoral, unconscionable acts of which he is capable.

The Q being, usually taking the form of a human male, is known to have confronted the El-Aurian native Guinan around 2166, a century before the Borg scattered her people and over 250 years after she first encountered Captain Picard and his crew when they were time-traveling in old San Francisco. Q and Guinan consider each other enemies.

He first appeared to the mainstream Federation when attempting to limit humanity's ongoing advance in the galaxy, charging humans as being a "grievously savage race" and putting Picard's crew on trial as all humanity's representative. Later that year, with the Continuum intrigued by humans, Q tried to tempt Picard's first officer Riker with Q powers so the Continuum would have a human to study. Losing a bet with Picard that Riker would accept them, Q had to promise he'd leave humans alone.

Recalled home for that incident and cast out to wander the galaxy, a bored Q offered to renounce his powers and sign on as a "guide" through the unknown upon reappearing in 2366. Picard's refusal angered him into hurling the ship 7,000 light-years beyond explored space into the initial confrontation with the Borg, where the U.S.S. Enterprise escaped only with his help. Because of such ongoing meddling, Q was reportedly stripped of all his powers by the Continuum and banned again circa Stardate 43539, choosing human form in refuge aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise to hide out from all his enemies. But after selflessly offering himself to the Calamarain to save the starship, his powers were restored.

Captain Picard has reported that Q returned a year later, claiming to still harbor guilt over the unreturned gratitude while arriving unannounced amid a personal matter involving a romantic affair. To apparently learn more about this new vulnerability in Picard, he placed the couple and the ship's senior staff in a Sherwood Forest reality as the legendary Robin Hood, Maid Marian, and the Merry Men - with himself as the Sheriff of Nottingham. After its resolution, the woman, the rogue archeologist Vash, accepted Q's offer for hosted adventures about the universe.

A year later he sent Picard on a time-slipping trek into three key timelines to help decipher a poser the Continuum had raised to illustrate humanity's future.
 

JOHN deLANCIE

John de Lancie was born in the City of Brotherly Love to Andrea and John de Lancie, and distinguished himself while in his pre-teen years by flunking the fifth grade after racking up the most detentions ever given a child his age.

At 14 de Lancie played the part of Henry the Fifth in the school play; to everyone's astonishment (including his own) he was good. This fact was not lost on his father (First Oboist for the Philadelphia Orchestra and Director of the Curtis Institute of Music) who, thinking "any port in a storm," suggested to his son that he become an actor.

He was offered a contract with Universal Studios in California. For two years he worked at Universal on over 35 shows including the acclaimed miniseries "Black Beauty," "Little Women," "The Thornbirds" and "The Captains and Kings."

In 1980 John went back to the theater as a member of the Seattle Repertory Company. A year later he returned to Los Angeles and created the very successful character of Eugene Bradford for the daytime series "Days of Our Lives." What ensued can only be described as a three-year "romp" that broke the mold of daytime TV and garnered de Lancie two People's Choice awards as well as a reputation for creative eccentricity.

John de Lancie's unique twist on nearly all the characters he's played continued into his next major role as the omnipotent "Q" on Star Trek: The Next Generation. While only appearing nine times in ten years, the cult popularity of this character is so widespread that Mr. de Lancie's likeness has appeared in countless merchandising and promotional products.

Among his feature film roles are "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle," "The Fisher King," "Bad Influence," "The Onion Field," "Taking Care of Business," "Arcade," "Deep Red," "Fearless," "Evolver," and "Multiplicity." Mr. de Lancie has appeared in over one hundred television shows including Star Trek, Legend, LA Law, Picket Fences, Civil Wars, Thornebirds, The Practice, and Touched by an Angel.

John de Lancie is married to actress-singer Marnie Mosiman, and they have two sons. His favorite pastime is sailing and dreaming about far-off islands.

Biographies derived and edited from the Official Site.