But when Maurice Hurley wrote “Q Who,” he gave the titular villain a different purpose. When Picard refuses Q’s absurd request to join the Enterprise crew, the all-powerful being hurls the ship into Borg space, marking Starfleet’s first official encounter with these bionic villains. Realizing that they were hopelessly outnumbered, Picard swallowed his pride and asked Q for help, urging the aliens to immediately return the ship to safety.
As Maurice Hurley wrote, Q considers himself a particularly cruel teacher, one who is not afraid to hurt a few in order to teach others a painful lesson. In this case, he taught Picard and his crew about their limitations and the existence of the Borg, but this knowledge cost the lives of 18 crew members.
Later, Picard wonders if Q may have done the right thing by introducing them to the Borg, an observation later made into Starfleet’s anti-Borg research (which would never have been done without Q). was proven right when the Enterprise helped thwart the Borg’s first invasion attempt. Earth.
