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"Q Factor": Stardate: 42125.7

Star Trek: The Next Generation #3 is an issue of the series Star Trek: The Next Generation (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1988.

Synopsis for "Q Factor"

Stardate: 42125.7
Tasha Yar and Wesley Crusher are playing a war games scenario throughout the decks of the Enterprise. Captain Picard discovers them and admonishes them both for their seemingly reckless behavior. Tasha recollects how little opportunity she had to play as a child growing up on Turkana IV.

Soon after, Picard calls Tasha to the bridge where she finds that the ship has come upon an unidentified alien vessel. Worf cannot pick up an sensor readings, but the Betazed Deanna Troi insists that there are lifeforms aboard. Picard has Commander Riker assemble a landing party to inspect the ship.

Aboard the ship, the party is attacked by an invisible person or persons. This shadowy specter takes out security officers Gibson and Hahn and begins strangling Commander Riker. Tasha Yar loses her nerve and refuses to fire upon the assailant out of fear of injuring Riker. The crew are immediately beamed back aboard the Enterprise and Riker is taken to Sickbay.

While Captain Picard tries to make sense of all of this, he receives a visitation by the most unwelcome of guests - Q. Q tries to convince Picard that the crew of the alien ship are evil and that he should waste no time obliterating them. Q's constant badgering irritates Picard, but he refuses to give Q any reason to feel magnanimous.

Moments later, the alien ship fires on the Enterprise. The ship takes a direct hit to the lower decks and Picard is forced to separate the saucer section from the secondary hull.

They eventually find a way to pinpoint the life forms aboard the opposing ship and bring them over to the Enterprise. They are actually humans who had found their way onto the enemy ship, but had no idea how the ship functioned. Additionally, Picard learns that these humans made a special arrangement with Q -- one that would have afforded them great wealth had they agreed to attack the Enterprise. Q however, has not held up his end of the bargain.

Adding to the intensity, Lt. Data informs the Captain that they have lost track of the ship's saucer section.

Appearing in "Q Factor"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Q (1st appearance in comics)

Other Characters:

  • The Creeg
  • Ensign Turner
  • Security officer Gibson
  • Security officer Hahn

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:

Notes

  • This issue is reprinted in the 1995 Star Trek: The Next Generation: Beginnings trade paperback.
  • The events from this series take place in the year 2364, some time after the Season One episode "Hide And Q", but prior to the death of Tasha Yar in "Skin Of Evil".

Trivia


See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

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