'True Q' (Story Code 232) by René Echevarria

While the U.S.S. Enterprise collects relief supplies for the pollution-stricken world of Tagra IV, honour student Amanda Rogers comes on board for an internship. She quickly proves popular with the crew, and strikes up a friendship with Doctor Crusher; however, odd incidents soon occur: despite not being brought aboard the ship, Amanda’s pet dogs appear and then disappear in her quarters; a large container about to fall onto Commander Riker is inexplicably deflected away; and then a warp-core breach explosion is contained and reversed - by Amanda’s mental powers. Captain Picard convenes a meeting of his senior staff to discuss the situation, but they are interrupted by the arrival of Q, the mischievous, omnipotent being from the Q Continuum. Q reveals that he created the explosion to test Amanda’s powers - she is in fact a Q, and he has come to take her back to the Q Continuum. After Picard convinces Q to allow Amanda to make her own decision, the young girl decides to let Q train her to use her powers; meanwhile, Picard orders an investigation into the death of Amanda's natural parents, who were killed by a tornado when she was a baby. Q attempts to tempt his new protégé by demonstrating how powerful her abilities are, but Amanda is more interested in making her late parents appear. Amazed by her apparently limitless abilities, Amanda is soon convinced by Q to speed up a test she is conducting for Doctor Crusher; however, her abilities count for nothing, as the artificial enhancement renders the results useless, much to Beverly’s annoyance. But when the doctor chastises Q, he merely turns her into a barking dog; Amanda finds the transformation amusing - she is steadily taking on more of Q’s amoral attitudes. The teacher and pupil play a game of teleportation hide-and-seek around the Enterprise, ending up on the exterior of the hull. Smitten with Commander Riker, Amanda then decides to transport him into a romantic fantasy scenario, but after using her powers to make him love her, she realises that the result is nothing but hollow and unreal. Meanwhile, Captain Picard asks Q if the Continuum executed Amanda’s parents; Q does not dispute the claim, and goes on to state that if Amanda chooses not to return to the Q Continuum, she too will be killed…

Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Thomas Riker), LeVar Burton (Chief Engineer Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Security Chief Lieutenant Worf), zates McFadden (Doctor Beverly Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Councelor Deanna Troi), Brent Spiner (Lieutenant Commander Data), Olivia d'Abo (Amanda Rogers), John P. Connolly (Unknown), John de Lancie (Q)

Directed by Robert Scheererr
Produced by Peter Lauritson
Co-Produced by Ronald D. Moore
Co-Executive Producer Jeri Taylor
Executive Producers Michael Piller and Rick Berman

TX:
26th October, 1992

Notes:
*Featuring Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Commander William Thomas Riker, Chief Engineer Lieutenant Geordi La Forge, Security Chief Lieutenant Worf, Doctor Beverly Crusher, Councelor Deanna Troi and Lieutenant Commander Data

*Working titles: ‘Q and I’ and ‘Q-Me’