The Enterprise is attempting to save Bre'el Four from its moon, which is falling out of orbit. After one failed attempt, the crew are surprised to see Q appear, stark naked. After being clothed (and grousing about the colors), Q tells them he's been turned mortal by the Q-Continuum (and denies having anything to do with the moon). When he asks for sanctuary, then says he wants to be treated like any other mortal, Picard throws him in the brig. Shortly thereafter, a bright probe appears out of nowhere, and settles on the sleeping Q.

When Picard asks Q what happened, Q is too concerned about human frailties such as sleep, and says he needs guidance for being human, and offers his experience and knowledge with moons to assist. Picard assigns Data to Q, and the two go to Engineering, after Data observes that Q has "achieved in disgrace what I have always aspired to be."

Q tries to help, but only suggests impossible things like changing the gravitational constant of the universe. Geordi jumps on that idea as nonsense, but then considers doing its equivalent by tossing a low-level warpfield around the moon, changing its effective mass. Q, hungry, goes to Ten-Forward and encounters Guinan. When Guinan hears that the crew is not convinced Q is human, she stabs him with a fork to see if he can bleed, then tells him he should get used to begging for help. Suddenly, a plasma cloud shows up and tries to communicate, then sends a probe in which seizes Q. When shields are strengthened, the probe leaves, leaving Q free, but scared out of his wits.

Q tells them this cloud is part of the Calamarain, a race he once tormented, and that they want revenge. Riker suggests simply turning him over to them, but Data argues for Q, and Q and Data go to Engineering to help Geordi implement his plan. Q tries to take over and is quickly put in his place, then sulkingly helps out. However, as the process begins, the Calamarain move in and grab Q. Data holds Q safe in Engineering until shields can be put up, but then both fall to the floor, unconscious. When Q finds that Data is now heavily damaged, he begins to feel ashamed. He decides he'd rather not go on, and steals a shuttle, going out to meet the Calamarain.

Picard, claiming "it's a perfectly good shuttle", tries to beam the shuttle back, but cannot. On the shuttle, a second Q pops in. He says Q's a lost cause, but claims Q's selfless act would raise all sorts of questions back in the Continuum if he then died, and gives Q back his powers. Q literally blows the Calamarain away, and returns to the Enterprise to celebrate. He eventually leaves, but gives Data the parting gift of one really good laugh, and returns the moon to its orbit as he departs, leaving Picard to wonder if some residual humanity is still in him.

Highlight Listing:

"Deja Q." The crew is surprised by the appearance of their mischievous nemesis, Q.

Advertising Headline:

DEJA Q Q's appearance on the Enterprise could spell disaster for Data!

TV log listing:

Q wreaks havoc with the crew/STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION

Technical design, graphic design, interactive features, HTML & CGI programming by Andrew Tong. || All materials Copyright © 1987-1995 by their respective authors. || Document created: January 28, 1995 || Last Modified: November 09, 2010