Qpid (episode)

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

"Qpid"
TNG, Episode 4x20 Production number: 40274-194 First aired: 22 April 1991
←	93rd of 176 produced in TNG	→
←	93rd of 176 released in TNG	→
	{{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 176 released in TNG Remastered
←	200th of 726 released in all	→
Teleplay By Ira Steven Behr Story By Randee Russell and Ira Steven Behr Directed By Cliff Bole
44741.9 (2367)
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During an archaeological conference aboard the Enterprise, Vash boards the ship as part of the delegation making the situation extremely awkward for Captain Picard. Making matters worse, Q learns of Picard's infatuation with Vash and places Picard, Vash, and the bridge crew into the story of Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest.

Contents 1 Summary 2 Memorable quotes 3 Background Information 3.1 Video and DVD releases 4 Links and references 4.1 Guest Stars 4.2 Co-Star 4.3 Uncredited Co-Stars 4.4 Uncredited Stunt Double 4.5 References 4.5.1 Timeline

[edit] Summary

The entire senior staff of the USS Enterprise-D is attending a lecture on archeology, presented by Jean-Luc Picard. They have many great scientists in that field from the members of the Federation Archaeology Council, and Picard is a little afraid. At the same time his old girlfriend Vash appears and tells him that she is attending the conference. After she discovers that Picard had spoken to nobody about her and their time together on Risa, she gets upset and they part in anger. Q, who wants to pay back the hospitality the crew of the Enterprise showed him the last time he was in need, wants to "help".

When Picard is giving his speech, his senior staff's uniforms start to change. Data gets a staff and a friar's robe. Picard gets a hat with an feather in it, and a bow and arrows. All the other senior staff members receive garb from the era of the Crusades and they end up as "Merry Men" in Sherwood Forest.

Q shows up and says he was the one to create this reality. Feeling he owed a debt to Picard, Q feels he could pay it if he made Picard realize his love for Vash. Q explains that Vash is in the castle, going to marry the ruthless knight, Sir Guy of Gisbourne, or be killed by sunset tomorrow. Q then tells the captain that he can do either nothing and stay in the woods or acknowledge his love for Vash and put his crew in danger to go rescue his princess.

Q disappears, and Riker confronts Picard with his plan to go alone. While Riker is talking to Picard, Troi takes shots with a bow. She misses the tree she was aiming at and hits Data right where his gut would be. She asks Data if he is alright, and Data responds saying the arrow did not damage any major systems.

After everybody calms down from Data's accident, Picard tells Riker he will go to the castle alone to save Vash. Picard orders everyone else to stay in the forest and wait for them. Soon after Picard leaves, Worf is found yelling at Geordi La Forge for his idle plucking of a period mandolin. La Forge tells Worf to lighten up, because he is a merry man. Worf yells back that he is not a merry man, and then breaks La Forge's mandolin.

At the same time, at Nottingham Castle, Sir Guy of Gisbourne barges into a room where Vash is telling a maid to stop calling her "Milady". Sir Guy tells Vash of their wedding tomorrow. Vash tells him that he's got the wrong girl. To this, Sir Guy responds by telling her that she will hang the next day. Vash then comes to her "senses" and remembers the wedding. As soon as Sir Guy leaves the room, at the top of the turret of the castle, Vash opens the window to find that an escape is impossible.

Picard manages to reach Vash's room without any attention from the guards. But Sir Guy surprises the couple and Vash explains to Sir Guy that she has captured "Robin Hood". Picard is arrested and scheduled to be hanged the next day. Vash writes an letter to Riker and the crew to save Picard. But Q, who portrays the Sheriff of Nottingham, brings that cry for help to the attention of Sir Guy. He decides that Vash shall join the captain's fate.

Luckily, Riker and company arrive in time disguised in cowls and save the captain and Vash. Q who wanted to heat up the love between Picard and Vash is disappointed by Vash's statement that she wouldn't want the captain any other way.

Vash decides that Q will be her partner in the exploration of interesting things across the galaxy. When Picard shows his affection towards Vash by kissing her (which Q left the room for, and popped back in during) and releases Q from his debt, Q and Vash leave in Q's signature snap and flash to explore the galaxy.

[edit] Memorable quotes

"Nice legs... for a Human."

- Worf, of Vash

"Well don't just stand there, say something."
"Get out of my chair!"
"And I was hoping for something more along the lines of 'Welcome back Q, it's a pleasure to see you again, my old friend.' "
"We're not friends!"
"You wound me, mon capitaine."

- Q and Picard

"Without your assistance on our last encounter I would never have survived. I would have taken my own life but for you."
"We all make mistakes."

- Q and Picard

"Some other time Q, right now, I have other matters to attend to."
"Oh yes, your speech. I read it, it's dull, plodding, pedantic, much like yourself."

- Picard and Q

"I suppose we could travel back in time. You could see what Tagus was like two billion years ago. They really knew how to party back in those days."
"My answer is still no. My lecture will have to stand on its own. And now, will you please leave my ship!"
"You are simply the most impossible person to buy a gift for!"

- Q and Picard

"I've just been paid a visit from Q."
"Q? Any idea what he's up to?"
"He wants to do something nice for me."
"I'll alert the crew."

- Picard and Riker

"I knew there was something different about you. You seem tense, preoccupied, somewhat smaller. At first, I thought it was that horrible lecture of yours, but I was mistaken."

- Q, to Picard

"I had such high hopes for you, Picard. I thought that you were a bit more... evolved than the rest of your species but now I realize you're just as weak as all the others. Still it pains me, to see the great Jean-Luc Picard brought down... by a woman."

- Q, to Picard

"She's found a vulnerability in you... a vulnerability I've been looking for for years. If I had known sooner, I would have appeared as a female."

- Q, to Picard

"Sir, I protest! I am not a merry man!"

- Worf

"I will not play the fool for Q's amusement!"

- Worf

"Sorry."

- Worf, after smashing La Forge's lute

"I'll have you know I'm the greatest swordsman in all of Nottingham!"
"Very impressive. There's something you should know."
"And what would that be?"
"I'm not from Nottingham!"

- Sir Guy and Picard

[edit] Background Information

• Jennifer Hetrick made her second of three appearances as Vash. She appears again in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "Q-Less".
• During the filming of this episode, Jonathan Frakes injured his head and had to be taken to the hospital. However, due to the rush, he was taken in his Robin Hood-era clothes.
• Ironically, Marina Sirtis and Gates McFadden were the only members of the cast that were trained in sword fighting, but only the men were allowed to use swords. (TNG Season 4 DVD Bonus Features)
• Clive Revill (Sir Guy of Gisbourne) appeared in both an episode of Star Trek and a Star Wars film. He supplied the voice of Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, although in the DVD release he was replaced by Ian McDiarmid, who played the emperor in all the other movies.
• The original setting of this episode was to be Camelot, although this was changed to Sherwood Forest to capitalize on the popularity of Robin Hood at the time, thanks to the release of Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which starred Christian Slater. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
• Behr wrote Worf's smashing of La Forge's mandolin as a homage to National Lampoon's Animal House. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion)
• Patrick Stewart would later portray King Richard in the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights as a parody of Sean Connery's portrayal in the aforementioned Prince of Thieves.
• Several costumes were re-used and worn by various members of the Federation Archaeology Council. One member wears Palor Toff's robe while the Vulcan delegate wears Ki Mendrossen's Vulcan outfit. One member of the council wears Reittan Grax's Betazoid outfit combined with Sovereign Marouk's sash. Two Tanugan outfits were also re-used: A human wearing Krag's oufit sits next to a Bolian in Dr Nel Apgar's suit. Finally, there's one delegate in an Angosian suit, completely with the Angosian badge, thus it can be assumed that he actually is an Angosian member of the Council.
• Q's statement to Vash that she's "...good. Very, very good" was repeated to her verbatim by Quark in the DS9 episode "Q-Less".

[edit] Video and DVD releases

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 47, May 1992.
• As part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - Q Continuum: 5 December 1994.
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 4.7, 3 September 2001.
• As part of the TNG Season 4 DVD collection.
• As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Q collection.

[edit] Links and references

[edit] Guest Stars

• Jennifer Hetrick as Vash
• Clive Revill as Sir Guy of Gisbourne
• John de Lancie as Q

[edit] Co-Star

• Joi Staton as a servant

[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars

• Carl David Burks as Ensign Russell
• B.J. Davis as a medieval guard
• Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace

[edit] Uncredited Stunt Double

• Rusty McClennon as stunt double for Michael Dorn

[edit] References

47; Alan-a-Dale; American Continent Institute; archaeology; bow and arrow; Federation Archaeology Council; Friar Tuck; Guy of Gisbourne; horga'hn; Klabnian eel; Klarc-Tarn-Droth; Little John; Maid Marian; Merry Men; Q; Robin Hood; Sarthong V; Sheriff of Nottingham; Sherwood Forest; Switzer; Tagus III; University of Alpha Centauri; University of Betazed; Vash; Vulcan Science Academy; Vulcans; Will Scarlet

[edit] Timeline

22,000 years ago 

Beginning of archaeological study of the ancient ruins of Tagus III

Medieval era 

The milieu of Robin Hood, summoned by Q's power

2366 

Vash and Picard meet on Risa for the first time

2367 

The archaeology conference

Q-related episodes
TNG:	"Encounter at Farpoint" • "Hide and Q" • "Q Who" • "Deja Q" • "Qpid" • "True Q" • "Tapestry" • "All Good Things..."
DS9:	"Q-Less"
VOY:	"Death Wish" • "The Q and the Grey" • "Q2"

Previous episode: "The Nth Degree"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4

Next episode: "The Drumhead"