“If that’s the case, the deal’s off!”: John de Lancie Hated 1 Thing About Q So Much in Og Star Trek: TNG He Made Paramount Drop It for His Picard Return

SUMMARY

• The spinoff show Star Trek: Picard brought back many fan-favorite characters from the flagship series Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• Though it was centered round Sir Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard, the show explored the journeys many of the secondary characters.
• One of the biggest returns was John de Lancie's Q in season 2, but the actor reportedly one condition before returning.

John de Lancie has had an illustrious career on television, with roles in prominent shows like Star Trek: TNG, Breaking Bad, and Stargate. The actor played Q, the immortal yet mischievous being who is a huge obstacle for Sir Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

De Lancie returned to the role after decades in Star Trek: Picard. However, Q had a few updates in his characterization and some of his traditional whimsy had taken a backseat. This was reportedly done on purpose as the actor laid out a condition that he would not return if he was made to wear tights again.

John de Lancie had only one condition to return as Q in Star Trek: Picard

John de Lancie and Sir Patrick Stewart in Star Trek: TNG | Credits: Paramount

John de Lancie’s Q is one of the primary antagonists for the Starfleet crew in Star Trek: TNG. Making his first appearance in the pilot episode of TNG, Q is revealed to be an omnipotent being who tests humanity for his amusement and has a particular fascination with Sir Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard and his crew.

Due to his mischievous nature, de Lancie was often seen in ridiculous outfits and he received some of the goofiest scenes in TNG. In one episode, de Lancie appears with a mariachi band onboard the Starfleet ship and dances to annoy Picard. Q provided some of the laughs in Star Trek: TNG but he was also a serious foe with incredible powers.

John de Lancie as Q in Star Trek: Picard | Credits: Paramount

When John de Lancie was called to reprise the role for Star Trek: Picard, the actor reportedly stressed the characterization be more serious than his previous appearances. He reported told the producers that the deal was off and he was made to wear tights like before. He said to Newsweek,

I sat down and I said, ‘Listen, the first thing I want to know is you’re not going to be putting me in those tight again, are you? Because if that’s the case, the deal’s off!’ They said, ‘No, no, no, no, we’re going for a different feel.’ I looked pretty much as I do now [with grey hair and a beard.] And they said, ‘As a matter of fact, we even want the beard, we want a sense of maturity. Time has passed, and there is something that is up on your side.’

De Lancie mentioned that he was glad that there was no ‘mariachi band’ this time around and the show focused more on his character’s journey as well.

John de Lancie mentioned that the writers of Star Trek: Picard did not want Q to be goofy

A still from Star Trek: Picard | Credits: Paramount

John de Lancie returned as Q in the second season of Star Trek: Picard. While his initial appearance is similar to his look in Star Trek: TNG, he changes his appearance to match the age of Captain Picard, and the audience sees de Lancie’s own salt and pepper look. The characterization of Q is also more serious than before.

When asked if he was going to be returning to his goofy self in future episodes at the time, John de Lancie mentioned that it would not be the case as the writers were sure of how to treat Q twenty years into the future. He said,

These are different writers, with the intention of doing something different than what was done. One of the problems with reprising a role is that you do not want them to make the mistake of recreating, trying to go back. There were times that I thought, ‘Oh, gee, it might need a little bit of whimsy. That’s certainly something that audiences will have remembered.’ But it wasn’t really there [in the script].

Q is revealed to be dying in Picard and throughout the season, he tries to get the Starfleet crew to save the world from a grim future.

Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on Paramount+.

Written by Nishanth A

Articles Published: 1727

Nishanth A is a Media, English and Psychology graduate from Bangalore. He is an avid DC fanboy and loves the films of Christopher Nolan. He has published over 1,000 articles on FandomWire. When he's not fixating on the entire filmography of a director, he tries to write and direct films.