John has a great sense of humor. I saw him speak once, and he had a short interaction with a young boy in the audience during Q&A. The boy asked him, "Do you ever talk to The Borg?" John paused, gave the kid a very Q stare and with a wry grin said, "Yes, and they always ask about you."
Any time Data attempted to laugh was fun to watch. But Q giving him the ability to let it all hang out was absolutely hilarious, a favorite moment in TNG viewing!
I met him at LAX one morning while waiting on a plane. He began talking to me about missing the early morning flight. At first I thought, "why is this guy telling me this?" Then I realized who it was! He was extremely polite and down-to-earth. It was a very cool experience that I love to recall.
John de Lancie absolutely nailed "Q". It's impossible to imagine any other actor playing that role. He made it his own for all of time and space. Gene Roddenberry was a genius.
I wouldn't go that far, I like Jonh de Lancie as much as the next trekkie, but his character is almost entirely the same as the one from the TOS episode they mentioned, the squire of Gothos. Trelane is just as mercurial, granted not as menacing as Q.
@@liamloxley1222 He says he left Sunday afternoon, you're not getting back Saturday night from that flight is my point. If he did a show on Sunday in Tokyo, he didn't take a 6 AM flight to LA. Same time arrival is going to NYC, so you got me there. Congrats on the snark.
John brings so much colour and personality to Q. In just one scene he can play the fool, the prankster, and then suddenly say a single line that cuts right to the heart of things, bringing the cold hard cruelty of truth into the light. A bitter-sweet character,
When entitlement and arrogance can be backed up with omnipotence. I think gene did a great job explaining the assignment to someone who had no idea about any of the star trek universe.
One of the fun aspects of Star Trek for me was that initially, I groaned when Q turned up, yet by the middle to end of TNG I looked forward to it. Brilliant mercurial character, played fantastically by De Lancie.
John de Lancie's Q was the perfect spice for TNG. I always got a laugh from the scene when Q gets his powers back. C'mon, a mariachi band on the bridge as he doles out favors? Pure comedy. But to end it with a laughing Data? Priceless.
Strangely enough, De Lancie narrated a number of audio books with Q as the main nemesis (and even co-wrote one). In one of those books, Trelaine is not only a Q, but Q is Trelaine's godfather. It's good story and an even better listen. The book is called Q Squared for anyone interested.
@@lotsalube such a story would have deserved a visual episode. I have always thought that if Q were to appear in the original series he would probably have chosen to "annoy" Spock over Kirk. Challenging Spock's ability to keep his two natures into balance would have been a fine hobby for Q
It is suddenly clearer why Encounter At Farpoint drags the way it does. It was extended due to network meddling. A blessing in disguise as it gave us the franchise's greatest recurring character.*
Oh it was extended due to executive meddling, alright. That executive, however, was Gene Roddenberry himself. Gene wanted a writing/written by credit on the TNG pilot because he felt his influence waning on the TOS film sets. So, according to WGA, Gene had to be solely responsible for at least 50% of the writing to share credit with DC Fontana. So, he took her very coherent, concise script and bloated it with his meandering, unfocused "contributions." He got his credit, and ruined his friendship with Fontana.
What an upstanding person. That thing about not dropping his existing commitment and asking Leonard how he would feel about it being done to him. That says everything about John DeLancie.
There's a documentary on Star Trek called "Chaos on the bridge" that goes into Leonard Mazlish's character (or lack thereof) a bit more. The consensus I drew was that he seemed to be a pretty disagreeable sort, the type of person that escalated conflicts by nature
That kind of wisdom is amazing from someone at any age, let alone from someone who was roughly 38 years old when he had that conversation. It almost sounds normal coming from a 73-year-old. But to know he nearly passed up the opportunity and got Hollywood to schedule around him because he honors his commitments is inspiring.
My daughter was about 6 months old when John did a signing in Australia, and my wife lined up with our daughter asleep in her arms. We were told that there was no questions, just shuffle down and get the autograph and move on, and as she got to John he looked up at our daughter, Juanita, grinned and said "I'm not going to sign that" and continued with the signing. We did take pics though, so thanks for a very memorable one and only time we met :)
TNG/DS9/Voyager was truly the golden age of Star Trek. All of these actors are eloquent, many Shakespearean in their explanations and even acting history. They seem like genuinely GOOD people. Today's studios with their perfectly calculated formulas for maximizing profit and leveraging their viewers tendencies will probably never bother with such cast assemblage again.
Its the difference between a project being run by a single will like Roddenberrys and what happens once the marketers take over and the CEO steps down.
@@sliceserve234 what do you mean by the heights? I grew up watching more of voyager than TNG and DS9, mostly because DS9 bored me as a young teenager only starting to get good with english, and TNG wasn't playing as much anymore, plus I wasn't watching much tv anyway and it was only on the english channels (in québec, canada), and I'd only catch them once in a while, random episodes to other random episodes. I think it's the big overarching plot of voyager that makes me like it more than the other series, being in "foreign country" and trying to get back home. everything is "always new" in a sense, and they are alone. the cast was good and endearing even if they were not the most well written characters at times. But I guess it's in the eye of the beholder.
TNG is a pretty high bar to be fair, it's unrealistic to expect anyone to top it so quickly so I can give them a pass. I liked DS9 and Voyager a lot, especially DS9. I didn't like Sisko at first because his decisions seems questionable, but he grew on me and I actually really like his character. He delivers his lines in that same Shakespearean manner and even when he has to make tough calls he seems thoughtful about it and probably wishes things could have gone better. I agree that it wasn't as good as TNG. The Dominion War angle left me scratching my head a lot at inconsistencies. Starfleet always had a stance of non-aggression so they shelved a consider amount of tech that would have make them far more potent in war. So... when they decided war was necessary, where were all the phasing cloaks and badass technology they absolutely could have used to wipe the floor with the Dominion? I feel like the Dominion War was kind of a shark jumping moment for the franchise.
He does it so well. There are always roles where I have trouble omagining anyone else in the role. I really do not think anything else could have done this role. The voice. The way he carries off the arrogance and condescension. An still having those qualities while still having an air of affability much of the time. Just amazing.
I’m an actor in community theatre. so I can easily appreciate what I’m about to say. What John brought to “Q” with his mere voice and vocal inflections was STELLAR!! He was the magic that this character was. No one could possibly have nailed it as he did.
@@sliceserve234 Exactly! As I said, being a thespian myself, these things jump out to me. It’s a certain, unique, difficult to describe, impossible to duplicate element in acting that is so elusive. But it’s pure gold. When it’s present, it makes the character that one is portraying impossible to duplicate by any other actor. John had it, and he nailed it. No one could ever be Archie Bunker after Carroll O’Connor. No one could ever be Herman Munster after Fred Gwynn. No one could truly ever be Superman (in my opinion) after Christopher Reeve. No one could ever be George Bailey after Jimmy Stewart. No one could ever be Matt Dillon after James Arness. No one could ever be Jeanie after Barbara Eden. No one could ever be Spock after Leonard Nimoy. No one could ever be Jedd Clampett after Buddy Ebson. No one could ever be the cowardly lion after Bert Lahr. And the list goes on.
@@robertmac7833 if only you could cite a few examples to illustrate your point. ;) Also I thought Rickman's voice inflections in his interpretation of Snape were incredibly good. Marlon Brando comes to mind. Nicholson in The Shining. Indeed the list goes on!
Met John at Comic Con several years ago and he was very nice. Since it was July he was following the Tour de France so in between doing panels and signing autographs he kept asking for updates from the race!
John de Lancie created a peerless Q character, no one will ever fill those shoes as he did. I enjoyed the many episodes he played in, particularly the ones when he broached some of the deep philosophical questions of human mortality, and it really caught me off guard when HE said that final goodbye to Captain Picard. I was absolutely in tears like we all lost a close dear friend. I felt that episode was among the best, if not the best in the whole Star Trek universe.
@@CrackedCandy #ToxicGatekeeping And......you're wrong. It was made by the current rights holders of the franchise. It's Star Trek, no matter how much you cry about it.
Q can be a difficult character to swallow in Star TrekNG / Voyager / Picard and whatever. What grows on you is the way John sticks to the menacing way Q operates. His weapon is his voice, spoken words. That's the beauty of this evil villain. John De Lance to me has a unique sounding voice thats interesting to listen to. Liberace also had an unusual interesting voice. It pays to sound different.
I don't see Q as evil at all. I'd say he falls under Chaotic Neutral. Pointing out humanity's foibles, failings, and limitations is not evil. Showing humanity what awaits them out there in the cosmos, earning them they they're not ready, is not evil. He's impish, mercurial, a prankster and trickster, but not evil.
@@ElectroDFW Q sends the Enterprise in the path of a Borg cube in "Q Who," and a number of crew members die. So he's responsible for those deaths! In the first encounter with The Borg via Q the Saucer Section is cut into and there are crew killed. Do you want me to list any more deaths linked to this impish prankster?
Ive always been fascinated by Q despite all the holes of what he could be its kind of a poorly written character. But John gives it wonder and menace its amazing what a unique actor can do.
He should have been given many awards for his character portrayal of Q. One of the most entertaining and comedic characters of all time. One couldn't help but to love and hate Q and laugh at humans with him - because the portrayal and his acting and vocal interpretation was impeccable. Q was a genius creation and Star Trek series and movies has a way to make esch viewer think of what it means to be human. Love it!
If you recall (I’m actually old enough to have watched the Tralaine episode the end of the episode was Tralaine arguing and pleading with voices as if he were child talking to his parents IE other Q’s, older Q’s.
@@roysnider3456 No just that he and Q share a similar character dynamic of being “the child” of their omnipotent species. Although it is very easy to mentally map out that Trelaine is simply a younger Q if you prefer that for your head cannon.
John de Lancie did some audio books for the Star Trek novels. This guy is so amazing and his voice characterization for the characters is spot on. Such a great actor and influence of the Star Trek franchise.
I loved it when Q turned up on DS9 and meets O'Brian. O'Brian goes to Sisko and said "We've got a problem Sir. I just saw Q on the promenade" Sisko "Q here?" Kera "what's Q?" Sisko " A powerful and unpredictable entity. I was at a star fleet briefing on him two of years ago". O'Brian "Blasted Menace is what he is" Kira "What does he want with us?" Sisko " What ever it is you can be sure won't like it" Classic!
John Delancie came to a convention years ago in Indiana and actually rode in my car to a grocery store. Very friendly and personable. That's NOT the norm for many actors. Most keep to themselves
I also love how John went on to play Discord in My Little Pony as well, which was very much the same character. Q was always one of my favorites of TNG and Gene was wise to not over do it with Q. When. He showed up it was a nice little treat, and I always enjoyed those episodes.
I liked the younger Q, when he was a serial killer named Eugene on days of our lives. He escaped by inventing a time machine and transporting into the future. 🙃
john de lancie one of the best actors ever, and any episode of star trek that he`s in will soon be one of our favourite episodes, and watching him in next generation back in the day really made an episode not just a good episode, but a great episode and one not to be missed.
I was never a huge fan of Q the character. But I've grown to love John de Lancie in the last few years. His kindness, his own backstory, and now with Picard s2 his tender reaction to his character's passing. He's just quite the mensch.
I would argue that The Prophets in DS9 > Q in TNG. (Q shows up in DS9 too but in only one, stupid, episode; in the mostly-stupid first season.) From a story-perspective, near-omniscient beings crowd out the narrative. The Prophets work, by contrast: because they are vulnerable to attack, aren't omniscient so much as exist at slight angles to our own spacetime, and aren't trying to *annoy* that show's protagonists.
One of me and my daughters favorite actors in the series and Star Trek Universe. We watched all the episodes together. I can't imagine anyone else taking his place. Thank you John!😊
I love John de Lancie - his voice, his movements, his attitude!!! This an is hilarious story!!!!! I have John as my ships voice in Star Citizen and he never gets old!!! I honestly thank you sooooo much!! My Man you are awesome!!!!
John is a great actor! Period!!!!!!!!!!!! can't picture anyone else with that great timing and humor portraying "Q" much of the episodes where he is featured i find most entertaining. thank you ! Mr. de Lancie
In my very, very humble opinion and a Star Trek fan from day one with Captain James T Kirk, I think that John de Lancie as Q makes the series. He eclipses every other actor. Long my the Contnium continue.
Met John DeLancie at an Australian convention in 1991 (less than a month before Roddenberry passed). A great raconteur and a very nice man to boot. In the venue, I was on the phone to a friend who couldn't make it. John was walking past and I beckoned him to the phone. Without hesitation he took the phone and said a drawn out "Hello". My friend, suspecting nothing, but realising it was no longer me on the phone asked, "who's this?". John replied, "This is Q" as only he could. A brilliant prank. I was told several years later by one of the organisers that John was reluctant to come to Brisbane as he'd had a family bereavement. Not knowing what to expect but assuming fans were the same the world over, he wasn't keen on being deluged as he had been in the States. Day 1, he's in the hotel elevator & some (obvious) attendees entered. They all pretty much ignored their travelling companion, which puzzled him. He leaned in and asked, "are you going to the convention?" They replied nonchalantly that yes, they were. A few seconds passed and it got the better of him. "Do you know who I am?". "Yes, we know who you are." Upon his return to the States, he told others of this encounter and said that Australian fans had "real class". And that praise/recommendation swayed quite a few subsequent convention guests to go to Australia. archive.org/details/star-trek-interviews-james-doohan-john-de-lancie
John De Lancie is a fantastic actor. There is no one else that I could even imagine playing Q. I also very much enjoyed the way that the Q story line was wrapped up, it was very fitting for the character's story arc.
Forty-five years ago, I accompanied lessons for oboists studying with his father. I never encountered a more tired, difficult, abusive teacher in my life than deLancie. I always believed that the actor based Q on his father. Totally creditable if you ever met the man.
Wow, I'm a professional musician and never realized he was John's father! Thanks for sharing. For the non-musicians, John de Lancie (the father and oboist) was one of the giants in the American classical music field, principal oboe of the Philly Orchestra and then ran the Curtis Institute. Very old school, tough as nails, I had many friends who crossed paths with him.
@@jrthiker9908 Apparently, he prompted Richard Strauss to write his oboe concerto. During WW2, he did his military service as a bandsman, and just after the end of the war in Europe he found himself based with the occupying forces very near Strauss' home and decided to pay him a visit. At the time, Strauss was not interested in the idea of an oboe concerto, but subsequently did write one (with a notoriously long opening tune that poses breathing problems for the oboist). There was some reason why de Lancie was not allowed to play the concerto, at least when it was first published.
Yes, successful Star Trek appearances are a double edged sword. Definitely makes you a cult celebrity for life. But you kind of get type cast and seems to limit future non ST opportunities. Kirstie Alley escaped possibly because she was less recognizable in Vulcan ears.
@@MrSpuzzz That is true. Science fiction is probably not considered art be many. Just as many people have the delusional belief that literature is better thatn science and math .
@@RideAcrossTheRiver The short version: Many people think that if you know literature, history, and art history, then you are an erudite person. (Please give me a better English adjective.) But if you know science and math, then they consider you a nerd or something similar. (Probably because they don't understand science or math.) A great quote: "It has become almost a cliche to remark that nobody boasts of ignorance of literature, but it is socially acceptable to boast ignorance of science and proudly claim incompetence in mathematics." Richard Dawkins
@@Tommy_007 If you mean blockheaded people, then yes, but the idea is that you know _all_of it. Science and math types may poo-poo art, you know. Are they correct?
In middle school I used to race home to watch Days of our Lives just in the hopes of seeing John. He always made me laugh. Q though is one of my favorite characters.
I think one key to his success here was that John De Lancie's acting skills easily balance out Patrick Stewart's. I wouldn't denigrate anyone else in the cast of ST-TNG; they were all pretty good (with special praise for Brent Spiner) and I suspect that having Patrick Stewart around was a master class in itself for the cast. However, John and Patrick seemed to be on another level and their exchanges together seemed very crisp and precisely timed.
Met John at a Trek convention in Chattanooga TN around 1992 or so. I still cant find it ever happened. But I was on the news because of my jacket lol. He is as funny and gracious in person as can be. My wife nudged me into jokingly asking him if he would ever return to Days of Our Lives soap opera. Funnily enough he was up on current events in the show and said if so he's coming back as Roman!...because there were like 3 or 4 different actors playing Roman coming and going at the time. Tickled my wife. I have my autographed photo still. Thanks for the memory Mr J. :)
Age certainly hasnt made him any less handsome or charming! I never could see him as anything else but Q. Even when he was in stargate:SG! as some government operative who got taken over by an alien parasite, i kept forgetting he was not going to burst into mischievous laughter and start warping reality.🤣
You can tell because of his thoughtfulness that John de Lancie is top shelf actor, another Shakespearean who do so well conveying the characters of Star Trek. Some of the original cast, like Shatner, were Shakespearean, too.
I met John at a convention in Germany. I took my nephew who is a big fan. We were in the autograph queue and then it was my nephews turn and he walks up to John and says moin capitän. John looked so perplexed it was funny.
I would love to see the rest of the interview. A did end up being a major part of Star Trek. He was alway look forward to showing up in the show and his parts were play / acted brilliantly.
John is a legend because of Q. He was perfect for this kind of character. I was so excited to see him on TNG, because he played another classic character - Eugene on Days of Our Lives. John is one of those actors where, if I see them on anything, I immediately have a big smile on my face. In fact, when I saw he was going to be on the 2nd season of Picard, I cried a little. Love this guy!
I remember him as Eugene of Days of Our Lives--when I was a senior in HS in '79 in my last semester I had a half day, morning schedule, so I would go home, my Mom would make me lunch, and I'd chat with her while I watched Days of Our Lives, The Doctors, and Another World. For a dude I got hooked, probably because they were escapist fare, but then Days of Our Lives got stuck on crazier and crazier story arks, like Roman Brady and John Black and Marlena's alien or demonic possession. Or the De Mera's playing Mob figures, and for an Italian I found that a stretch, since I was from Chicago and most mobsters there were not so odd or extreme, just moonshiners from the prohibition era gone legit.
Wow! "You make my words sound better than they are." Talk about one of the compliments of a lifetime from any writer... But to have came from Gene Roddenberry is such a testament to John De Lance's acting capabilities!
The fun part about this is, I Love Q. I was a part of a Middle Ages Recreation group and my name was Qara... Unfortunately, in the local group, there were 3 people who bore the name... C Cara, K Kara and Q Qara... At events, we all volunteered and we had radios... I became the Q for events. "I know everything, I just can't remember it all at once" It was fun to have that going on. They still remember THE Q to this very day.
It wasn't so much that he could do anything for me. More that he could do anything and yet out of all time and space he kept wanting to hang about with humans. Picard called him next of kin to chaos yet in this chaos he always nudged humanity forward.
I loved him as Eugene Bradford on DOOL with Arleen Sorkin. When I saw him again on TNG, I was delighted, because I knew that they made the right choice for that role.
Pam here….his humor is amazing. We took a young girl to a small Start Trek Show in WI 17 years ago…her parents had no interest in it, she knew Keith recorded every STNG show. She somehow had bought somewhere a script from show…with one of his scenes…he went right into character and did his lines, then ‘blah, blah, blah, blah’ for other’s lines it was a hoot!! Then he signed it for her! Memorable moment!
I think q was in TNG the exact right amount to be magnificent! I am a huge fan of John DeLancie & the q Continuum!!! I greatly enjoyed how they bookended the Picard & q arc! I will always love that dynamic!!!!
I loved seeing Q in the old PC game Star Trek: Borg. If you've never played it, it's a must for Q fans. He has many lines of dialog there and some humorous unexpected scenes.
John also showed up as a voice actor in Starcraft 2, appropriately as a character is is not an enemy but not exactly a real friend either. I coulds explain more, but you would need to have played Starcraft to understand.
![Yoshi Rinrada - 'มาทำไม' [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/r41xbfRLkLs/mqdefault.jpg)
For being 74, he looks FANTASTIC!
😮
SEVENTY FOUR!?!?!?! Christ I need his workout regimen.
Q doesn't age😂
John has a great sense of humor. I saw him speak once, and he had a short interaction with a young boy in the audience during Q&A.
The boy asked him, "Do you ever talk to The Borg?"
John paused, gave the kid a very Q stare and with a wry grin said, "Yes, and they always ask about you."
John Delance played Eugene on days of our lives
@@Royelsworth Oh, was he a funny character as well?
@@loughkb Yes. He was the "straight man" for his "partner" Calliope. They made a great pair!
@@Royelsworth I loved Eugene and Calliope.
@@junerussell6972 they were legands on the show
Him giving data laughter for a moment will always be an extremely wholesome memory for me. Very interesting character, fantastic actor.
Any time Data attempted to laugh was fun to watch. But Q giving him the ability to let it all hang out was absolutely hilarious, a favorite moment in TNG viewing!
One of my favourite moments in TNG
I met him at LAX one morning while waiting on a plane. He began talking to me about missing the early morning flight. At first I thought, "why is this guy telling me this?" Then I realized who it was! He was extremely polite and down-to-earth. It was a very cool experience that I love to recall.
That must have been when he was cast out of the Q Continuum and mortal.
John de Lancie absolutely nailed "Q". It's impossible to imagine any other actor playing that role. He made it his own for all of time and space. Gene Roddenberry was a genius.
Tim Curry would be a good Q.
@@AzureIV Fun to imagine different Q's. How about Geoffrey 'Uncola Nut' Holder?
Karmic, a genius, yes!
I wouldn't go that far, I like Jonh de Lancie as much as the next trekkie, but his character is almost entirely the same as the one from the TOS episode they mentioned, the squire of Gothos.
Trelane is just as mercurial, granted not as menacing as Q.
@@AzureIV Tom Cruise as Iron Man? Ben Affleck as Wolverine? You know what i talking about.
The irony that Q became possible because of humans manipulating time(international date line), is just way too good.
He’s misremembering on some level, when you come back from Japan at best you arrive around the time you left. Still a good story!
@@liamloxley1222 He says he left Sunday afternoon, you're not getting back Saturday night from that flight is my point. If he did a show on Sunday in Tokyo, he didn't take a 6 AM flight to LA. Same time arrival is going to NYC, so you got me there. Congrats on the snark.
Q was at its Best with Kathrin Janeway
Patently perceptive prince Percy Percerton!
I once took off on a plane at Sydney 11am on a Friday and arrived in San Francisco 6am that same Friday. Time travel is cool.
John brings so much colour and personality to Q. In just one scene he can play the fool, the prankster, and then suddenly say a single line that cuts right to the heart of things, bringing the cold hard cruelty of truth into the light. A bitter-sweet character,
When entitlement and arrogance can be backed up with omnipotence. I think gene did a great job explaining the assignment to someone who had no idea about any of the star trek universe.
Thank you to the host for not interrupting John as he told the story. So many times other host interrupt the guest. So frustrating.
How he was never in a Star Trek movie is a total crime.
There should have been a film ABOUT Q!
Met Mr. de Lancie when I was a waiter. One of the nicest people I've ever met.
I met him when he was a hooker. He was very expensive
One of the fun aspects of Star Trek for me was that initially, I groaned when Q turned up, yet by the middle to end of TNG I looked forward to it. Brilliant mercurial character, played fantastically by De Lancie.
John De lancie gave Star Trek some of its best acting.
He was a foil for Picard.
John de Lancie has an amazing voice.
John de Lancie's Q was the perfect spice for TNG. I always got a laugh from the scene when Q gets his powers back. C'mon, a mariachi band on the bridge as he doles out favors? Pure comedy. But to end it with a laughing Data? Priceless.
Worf! Eaten any good books lately?
Brent Spiner did that scene perfectly, the unexpected laughter bubbling up and exploding out of him, kinda stole the scene.
"What do I have to do to convince you people?" "DIE!"
One of the finest scenes in all trekdom.
Best Q scene is when he was arguing with Dr. Crusher and he turned her into a dog and she never realized it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Strangely enough, De Lancie narrated a number of audio books with Q as the main nemesis (and even co-wrote one). In one of those books, Trelaine is not only a Q, but Q is Trelaine's godfather. It's good story and an even better listen. The book is called Q Squared for anyone interested.
Yes, it was a Q vs spock.(on cassette, too.Somehow their minds got swapped on the 2nd tape, if i remember correctly.
@@lotsalube such a story would have deserved a visual episode. I have always thought that if Q were to appear in the original series he would probably have chosen to "annoy" Spock over Kirk. Challenging Spock's ability to keep his two natures into balance would have been a fine hobby for Q
DUDE I LOVE THAT BOOK i lost my copy but im so happy its an audiobook :D
I’m going to have to go into my Star Trek library and pull this one out to reread. I’ve got the hard cover. 😉
One of my favorite Star Trek books.
The way they explained and covered the aging for Q was perfect.
The filter😂
It is suddenly clearer why Encounter At Farpoint drags the way it does. It was extended due to network meddling. A blessing in disguise as it gave us the franchise's greatest recurring character.*
*Aside from Morn of course.
Oh it was extended due to executive meddling, alright. That executive, however, was Gene Roddenberry himself. Gene wanted a writing/written by credit on the TNG pilot because he felt his influence waning on the TOS film sets. So, according to WGA, Gene had to be solely responsible for at least 50% of the writing to share credit with DC Fontana. So, he took her very coherent, concise script and bloated it with his meandering, unfocused "contributions."
He got his credit, and ruined his friendship with Fontana.
@@edmundkempersdartboard173 idk I think Morn talks way too much and ruins scenes
@@photonsnphonons9349 He does tend to chew the scenery. Everything has to be about him.
@@Dream0Asylum oh, i'm aware of his meddling. Not some fanboy that deifies the man.
John's insight that became "The Continuum", was a master-stroke.
Always loved when Q showed up. John really made that character work in all of the Star Trek series.
"Let me catch up", I wouldn't expect less from Q and his higher than thou attitude. Great line.
What an upstanding person. That thing about not dropping his existing commitment and asking Leonard how he would feel about it being done to him. That says everything about John DeLancie.
There's a documentary on Star Trek called "Chaos on the bridge" that goes into Leonard Mazlish's character (or lack thereof) a bit more. The consensus I drew was that he seemed to be a pretty disagreeable sort, the type of person that escalated conflicts by nature
5:52 hardly upstanding.
That kind of wisdom is amazing from someone at any age, let alone from someone who was roughly 38 years old when he had that conversation. It almost sounds normal coming from a 73-year-old. But to know he nearly passed up the opportunity and got Hollywood to schedule around him because he honors his commitments is inspiring.
My daughter was about 6 months old when John did a signing in Australia, and my wife lined up with our daughter asleep in her arms. We were told that there was no questions, just shuffle down and get the autograph and move on, and as she got to John he looked up at our daughter, Juanita, grinned and said "I'm not going to sign that" and continued with the signing. We did take pics though, so thanks for a very memorable one and only time we met :)
Tapestries was life changing for me.
TNG/DS9/Voyager was truly the golden age of Star Trek. All of these actors are eloquent, many Shakespearean in their explanations and even acting history. They seem like genuinely GOOD people.
Today's studios with their perfectly calculated formulas for maximizing profit and leveraging their viewers tendencies will probably never bother with such cast assemblage again.
Its the difference between a project being run by a single will like Roddenberrys and what happens once the marketers take over and the CEO steps down.
Sanctimonious bollocks.
I don't think DS9 and Voyager ever reached the heights of TNG. TNG still stands up, DS9 and Voyager do not (IMHO).
@@sliceserve234 what do you mean by the heights? I grew up watching more of voyager than TNG and DS9, mostly because DS9 bored me as a young teenager only starting to get good with english, and TNG wasn't playing as much anymore, plus I wasn't watching much tv anyway and it was only on the english channels (in québec, canada), and I'd only catch them once in a while, random episodes to other random episodes.
I think it's the big overarching plot of voyager that makes me like it more than the other series, being in "foreign country" and trying to get back home. everything is "always new" in a sense, and they are alone. the cast was good and endearing even if they were not the most well written characters at times.
But I guess it's in the eye of the beholder.
TNG is a pretty high bar to be fair, it's unrealistic to expect anyone to top it so quickly so I can give them a pass. I liked DS9 and Voyager a lot, especially DS9. I didn't like Sisko at first because his decisions seems questionable, but he grew on me and I actually really like his character. He delivers his lines in that same Shakespearean manner and even when he has to make tough calls he seems thoughtful about it and probably wishes things could have gone better.
I agree that it wasn't as good as TNG. The Dominion War angle left me scratching my head a lot at inconsistencies. Starfleet always had a stance of non-aggression so they shelved a consider amount of tech that would have make them far more potent in war. So... when they decided war was necessary, where were all the phasing cloaks and badass technology they absolutely could have used to wipe the floor with the Dominion?
I feel like the Dominion War was kind of a shark jumping moment for the franchise.
This is one of the heroes that made me a fan instanly. The sarcasm of Q is only so good because of John's performance.... bless him.
He does it so well. There are always roles where I have trouble omagining anyone else in the role. I really do not think anything else could have done this role. The voice. The way he carries off the arrogance and condescension. An still having those qualities while still having an air of affability much of the time. Just amazing.
I could listen to John De Lancie talk for hours....
I’m an actor in community theatre. so I can easily appreciate what I’m about to say. What John brought to “Q” with his mere voice and vocal inflections was STELLAR!!
He was the magic that this character was. No one could possibly have nailed it as he did.
Was waiting for this comment, his vocal inflections were masterful in his interpretation of Q.
@@sliceserve234
Exactly!
As I said, being a thespian myself, these things jump out to me. It’s a certain, unique, difficult to describe, impossible to duplicate element in acting that is so elusive. But it’s pure gold.
When it’s present, it makes the character that one is portraying impossible to duplicate by any other actor. John had it, and he nailed it.
No one could ever be Archie Bunker after Carroll O’Connor.
No one could ever be Herman Munster after Fred Gwynn.
No one could truly ever be Superman (in my opinion) after Christopher Reeve.
No one could ever be George Bailey after Jimmy Stewart.
No one could ever be Matt Dillon after James Arness.
No one could ever be Jeanie after Barbara Eden.
No one could ever be Spock after Leonard Nimoy.
No one could ever be Jedd Clampett after Buddy Ebson.
No one could ever be the cowardly lion after Bert Lahr.
And the list goes on.
@@robertmac7833 if only you could cite a few examples to illustrate your point. ;) Also I thought Rickman's voice inflections in his interpretation of Snape were incredibly good. Marlon Brando comes to mind. Nicholson in The Shining. Indeed the list goes on!
My favorite Trek character! I love Q’s sarcasm and one liners especially when he goes after Worf! Bravo John!!!
Eat any good books lately?
@@theshitheads3178 love that one! Growl for me micro brain, show me you still care!
@@theshitheads3178 Growl for me , let me know you still care.
Met John at Comic Con several years ago and he was very nice. Since it was July he was following the Tour de France so in between doing panels and signing autographs he kept asking for updates from the race!
John de Lancie created a peerless Q character, no one will ever fill those shoes as he did. I enjoyed the many episodes he played in, particularly the ones when he broached some of the deep philosophical questions of human mortality, and it really caught me off guard when HE said that final goodbye to Captain Picard. I was absolutely in tears like we all lost a close dear friend. I felt that episode was among the best, if not the best in the whole Star Trek universe.
Good think ST:P isn't cannon
"It was always about you".
@@CrackedCandy Of course not. It's a television show, not a heavy piece of artillery...
@@CrackedCandy #ToxicGatekeeping
And......you're wrong.
It was made by the current rights holders of the franchise.
It's Star Trek, no matter how much you cry about it.
@@Tao_Tology no it's not. It's 25% canon. It's true and related to paying rights $. So no it's not canon
Q can be a difficult character to swallow in Star TrekNG / Voyager / Picard and whatever. What grows on you is the way John sticks to the menacing way Q operates. His weapon is his voice, spoken words. That's the beauty of this evil villain. John De Lance to me has a unique sounding voice thats interesting to listen to. Liberace also had an unusual interesting voice. It pays to sound different.
John was awesome in Stargate SG1 too. Awesome actor.
Hah! I was talking to someone about Liberace just two days ago. Crazy!
I don't see Q as evil at all. I'd say he falls under Chaotic Neutral. Pointing out humanity's foibles, failings, and limitations is not evil. Showing humanity what awaits them out there in the cosmos, earning them they they're not ready, is not evil.
He's impish, mercurial, a prankster and trickster, but not evil.
@@ElectroDFW Q sends the Enterprise in the path of a Borg cube in "Q Who," and a number of crew members die. So he's responsible for those deaths! In the first encounter with The Borg via Q the Saucer Section is cut into and there are crew killed. Do you want me to list any more deaths linked to this impish prankster?
Ive always been fascinated by Q despite all the holes of what he could be its kind of a poorly written character. But John gives it wonder and menace its amazing what a unique actor can do.
John is talking but all I hear is Q
It's his personality that fit the role, because in his younger days, he was just like that
He should have been given many awards for his character portrayal of Q.
One of the most entertaining and comedic characters of all time.
One couldn't help but to love and hate Q and laugh at humans with him - because the portrayal and his acting and vocal interpretation was impeccable.
Q was a genius creation and Star Trek series and movies has a way to make esch viewer think of what it means to be human. Love it!
A John de Lancie role that should not be forgotten. The quirky clairvoyant Eugene Bradford on the soap opera Days Of Our Lives.
That role led to the 'payback' that leonard maizlish was referring to.
10 year old me says YAY! 🎉 🎊 🎂 Eugene was my middle name so I always felt a kinship with that character on the soap!
That's when I fell in love with him. He and Calliope were so adorable.
I was thinking of Eugene Belfort from Hackers for some reason lol
@@bobina05 Deidra Hall was/is the bombdigity!
If you recall (I’m actually old enough to have watched the Tralaine episode the end of the episode was Tralaine arguing and pleading with voices as if he were child talking to his parents IE other Q’s, older Q’s.
I don’t know if it was an intentional reference or not. But somewhere we find out the Q is the youngest of the continuum.
@@andrewtaylor940 are you saying that Trilane was not a Q?
@@roysnider3456 No just that he and Q share a similar character dynamic of being “the child” of their omnipotent species. Although it is very easy to mentally map out that Trelaine is simply a younger Q if you prefer that for your head cannon.
@tradde11 Yes….that was very much like the second episode, called Charlie X.
Love Q and his mariachi band! Best Q episode ever!
John de Lancie did some audio books for the Star Trek novels. This guy is so amazing and his voice characterization for the characters is spot on. Such a great actor and influence of the Star Trek franchise.
Great voice
Which books?
I loved it when Q turned up on DS9 and meets O'Brian. O'Brian goes to Sisko and said "We've got a problem Sir. I just saw Q on the promenade" Sisko "Q here?" Kera "what's Q?" Sisko " A powerful and unpredictable entity. I was at a star fleet briefing on him two of years ago". O'Brian "Blasted Menace is what he is" Kira "What does he want with us?" Sisko " What ever it is you can be sure won't like it" Classic!
"You hit me! Picard never hit me!"
@@CptJistuce "I'm not Picard."
Loved Sisko just laying him out 😂
John Delancie came to a convention years ago in Indiana and actually rode in my car to a grocery store. Very friendly and personable. That's NOT the norm for many actors. Most keep to themselves
Really like John DeLancie. He seems to take particular interest when meeting his fans. Instead of me asking him questions he asked me questions
I also love how John went on to play Discord in My Little Pony as well, which was very much the same character. Q was always one of my favorites of TNG and Gene was wise to not over do it with Q. When. He showed up it was a nice little treat, and I always enjoyed those episodes.
"International Date Line!"
"How does that work?"
Like your first use of Q powers, sir.
Deja Q is one of my very favorite TNG episodes.
I liked the younger Q, when he was a serial killer named Eugene on days of our lives. He escaped by inventing a time machine and transporting into the future. 🙃
Leave it to Q to being able to make his appearance for the part by time traveling.
Q is one of the best characters that was brought in for TNG! Excellent performance and always a favorite to watch!
John De Lancie is a great actor. Years ago I saw him at a SciFi convention. He was very nice. It was fun and I am glad I met him!
john de lancie one of the best actors ever, and any episode of star trek that he`s in will soon be one of our favourite episodes, and watching him in next generation back in the day really made an episode not just a good episode, but a great episode and one not to be missed.
Always were my sister and I's favorite eps, for some reason our mom doesn't like him
@@mirthenary Maybe she's not your real mom. Could be an El-Aurian.
@@mirthenary Does your mom have a moldy clay pot in her closet?
I was never a huge fan of Q the character. But I've grown to love John de Lancie in the last few years. His kindness, his own backstory, and now with Picard s2 his tender reaction to his character's passing. He's just quite the mensch.
He was pretty hilarious on Voyager showing up while Janeway was in the bubble bath! Haha 😂 classic stuff!
I wouldn't say "passing" (as in the character ending).
More like moving on.
I would argue that The Prophets in DS9 > Q in TNG. (Q shows up in DS9 too but in only one, stupid, episode; in the mostly-stupid first season.)
From a story-perspective, near-omniscient beings crowd out the narrative.
The Prophets work, by contrast: because they are vulnerable to attack, aren't omniscient so much as exist at slight angles to our own spacetime, and aren't trying to *annoy* that show's protagonists.
One of me and my daughters favorite actors in the series and Star Trek Universe. We watched all the episodes together. I can't imagine anyone else taking his place. Thank you John!😊
Fabulous actor. He made Q an icon. Also, he had a role in the fan fiction Star Trek Continues episode "What Ships Are For" that was very well done.
I love John de Lancie - his voice, his movements, his attitude!!! This an is hilarious story!!!!!
I have John as my ships voice in Star Citizen and he never gets old!!!
I honestly thank you sooooo much!! My Man you are awesome!!!!
He always seems to have a smile on his face. 🙂 Charming interview. 🖖
I loved the character of Q. What a fabulous actor!
I loved the episodes with Q, loved the character.
John is a great actor! Period!!!!!!!!!!!! can't picture anyone else with that great timing and humor portraying "Q" much of the episodes where he is featured i find most entertaining. thank you ! Mr. de Lancie
I absolutely loved the character "Q". I wish he had been in more episodes.
In my very, very humble opinion and a Star Trek fan from day one with Captain James T Kirk, I think that John de Lancie as Q makes the series. He eclipses every other actor. Long my the Contnium continue.
De lancie is, I think, a fine actor...I wish he was in more movies and television.
Met John DeLancie at an Australian convention in 1991 (less than a month before Roddenberry passed). A great raconteur and a very nice man to boot. In the venue, I was on the phone to a friend who couldn't make it. John was walking past and I beckoned him to the phone. Without hesitation he took the phone and said a drawn out "Hello". My friend, suspecting nothing, but realising it was no longer me on the phone asked, "who's this?". John replied, "This is Q" as only he could. A brilliant prank. I was told several years later by one of the organisers that John was reluctant to come to Brisbane as he'd had a family bereavement. Not knowing what to expect but assuming fans were the same the world over, he wasn't keen on being deluged as he had been in the States. Day 1, he's in the hotel elevator & some (obvious) attendees entered. They all pretty much ignored their travelling companion, which puzzled him. He leaned in and asked, "are you going to the convention?" They replied nonchalantly that yes, they were. A few seconds passed and it got the better of him. "Do you know who I am?". "Yes, we know who you are." Upon his return to the States, he told others of this encounter and said that Australian fans had "real class". And that praise/recommendation swayed quite a few subsequent convention guests to go to Australia.
archive.org/details/star-trek-interviews-james-doohan-john-de-lancie
John De Lancie is a fantastic actor. There is no one else that I could even imagine playing Q. I also very much enjoyed the way that the Q story line was wrapped up, it was very fitting for the character's story arc.
John was brilliant in the role of Q. He is an amazing actor.🥰
He played a hired assassin in the first episode of Mission Impossible 1988, but you couldn't think of him as anything else but Q.
He was a doctor on Emergency! in the the seventies.
I first remember watching him on Days of Our Lives in the 80s. Even there he had crazy sci-fi storylines that held my attention as a kid.
Forty-five years ago, I accompanied lessons for oboists studying with his father. I never encountered a more tired, difficult, abusive teacher in my life than deLancie. I always believed that the actor based Q on his father. Totally creditable if you ever met the man.
That is fascinating. Thanks for sharing it.
Wow, I'm a professional musician and never realized he was John's father! Thanks for sharing. For the non-musicians, John de Lancie (the father and oboist) was one of the giants in the American classical music field, principal oboe of the Philly Orchestra and then ran the Curtis Institute. Very old school, tough as nails, I had many friends who crossed paths with him.
@@jrthiker9908 Apparently, he prompted Richard Strauss to write his oboe concerto. During WW2, he did his military service as a bandsman, and just after the end of the war in Europe he found himself based with the occupying forces very near Strauss' home and decided to pay him a visit. At the time, Strauss was not interested in the idea of an oboe concerto, but subsequently did write one (with a notoriously long opening tune that poses breathing problems for the oboist). There was some reason why de Lancie was not allowed to play the concerto, at least when it was first published.
That explains a few things.
Are there any interviews out there where John de Lancie Jr is asked about and talks about his father? I would love to hear his take on it.
John de Lancie is a great actor that should have been in many, many more great movies.
Yes, successful Star Trek appearances are a double edged sword. Definitely makes you a cult celebrity for life. But you kind of get type cast and seems to limit future non ST opportunities. Kirstie Alley escaped possibly because she was less recognizable in Vulcan ears.
@@MrSpuzzz That is true. Science fiction is probably not considered art be many. Just as many people have the delusional belief that literature is better thatn science and math .
@@Tommy_007 "the delusional belief that literature is better thatn science and math" What? (Despite the typo)
@@RideAcrossTheRiver The short version: Many people think that if you know literature, history, and art history, then you are an erudite person. (Please give me a better English adjective.) But if you know science and math, then they consider you a nerd or something similar. (Probably because they don't understand science or math.)
A great quote: "It has become almost a cliche to remark that nobody boasts of ignorance of literature, but it is socially acceptable to boast ignorance of science and proudly claim incompetence in mathematics."
Richard Dawkins
@@Tommy_007 If you mean blockheaded people, then yes, but the idea is that you know _all_of it. Science and math types may poo-poo art, you know. Are they correct?
He is the perfect antagonist for Patrick. Love them performing together.
I absolutely loved this guy on Days of Our Lives! Very good actor.
Eugene was my hero! 😉 👌
In middle school I used to race home to watch Days of our Lives just in the hopes of seeing John. He always
made me laugh. Q though is one of my favorite characters.
I think one key to his success here was that John De Lancie's acting skills easily balance out Patrick Stewart's. I wouldn't denigrate anyone else in the cast of ST-TNG; they were all pretty good (with special praise for Brent Spiner) and I suspect that having Patrick Stewart around was a master class in itself for the cast. However, John and Patrick seemed to be on another level and their exchanges together seemed very crisp and precisely timed.
Met John at a Trek convention in Chattanooga TN around 1992 or so. I still cant find it ever happened. But I was on the news because of my jacket lol. He is as funny and gracious in person as can be. My wife nudged me into jokingly asking him if he would ever return to Days of Our Lives soap opera. Funnily enough he was up on current events in the show and said if so he's coming back as Roman!...because there were like 3 or 4 different actors playing Roman coming and going at the time. Tickled my wife. I have my autographed photo still. Thanks for the memory Mr J. :)
I met John at a convention and he was EXTREMELY cool
Q has always been one of my fave characters in TNG he is always fantastic.
John de Lancie is also on Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda as Uncle Sid. Majel Barrett-Roddenberry is the lead Executive Producer of Andromeda.
Age certainly hasnt made him any less handsome or charming!
I never could see him as anything else but Q. Even when he was in stargate:SG! as some government operative who got taken over by an alien parasite, i kept forgetting he was not going to burst into mischievous laughter and start warping reality.🤣
Even as a pony, his character was still essentially Q.
The moment he appeared as Becka's Uncle in Andromeda ... :D
He was also some godlike alien messing with people in 90's Outer Limits.
You can tell because of his thoughtfulness that John de Lancie is top shelf actor, another Shakespearean who do so well conveying the characters of Star Trek. Some of the original cast, like Shatner, were Shakespearean, too.
He is mesmerizing on screen. He made the first episode of Next Gen better.
Love John DeLancie since his"Emergency days.Wonderful actor who is very underrated.
I met John at a convention in Germany. I took my nephew who is a big fan. We were in the autograph queue and then it was my nephews turn and he walks up to John and says moin capitän. John looked so perplexed it was funny.
Why does listening to John make me smile? Love it.
Remember de Lancie from his Days of our lives time.
That’s what the lawyer was watching at 1pm.
I love this man. I literally grew up watching him. He's meant so much to me. Plus he was a voice in Starcraft II and I loved that game.
And in Planescape: Torment
I would love to see the rest of the interview. A did end up being a major part of Star Trek. He was alway look forward to showing up in the show and his parts were play / acted brilliantly.
Q has always been my fav character in this canon!
Last part = Hilarious!!!!
Fantastic actor, what more can you say
John is a legend because of Q. He was perfect for this kind of character. I was so excited to see him on TNG, because he played another classic character - Eugene on Days of Our Lives. John is one of those actors where, if I see them on anything, I immediately have a big smile on my face. In fact, when I saw he was going to be on the 2nd season of Picard, I cried a little. Love this guy!
I remember him as Eugene of Days of Our Lives--when I was a senior in HS in '79 in my last semester I had a half day, morning schedule, so I would go home, my Mom would make me lunch, and I'd chat with her while I watched Days of Our Lives, The Doctors, and Another World. For a dude I got hooked, probably because they were escapist fare, but then Days of Our Lives got stuck on crazier and crazier story arks, like Roman Brady and John Black and Marlena's alien or demonic possession. Or the De Mera's playing Mob figures, and for an Italian I found that a stretch, since I was from Chicago and most mobsters there were not so odd or extreme, just moonshiners from the prohibition era gone legit.
@@johncillis3431 omg - that brings back so many memories. I wasn't in HS yet, but my mom watched Days. I loved that show.
Wow! Even his regular speaking cadence and tone captivates you. He is so expressive and engaging. Q is my favorite Star Trek character.
Wow!
"You make my words sound better than they are."
Talk about one of the compliments of a lifetime from any writer...
But to have came from Gene Roddenberry is such a testament to John De Lance's acting capabilities!
The fun part about this is, I Love Q. I was a part of a Middle Ages Recreation group and my name was Qara... Unfortunately, in the local group, there were 3 people who bore the name... C Cara, K Kara and Q Qara... At events, we all volunteered and we had radios... I became the Q for events. "I know everything, I just can't remember it all at once" It was fun to have that going on. They still remember THE Q to this very day.
Q was my favorite character. Probably because he could do anything. Wish I had his powers!
It wasn't so much that he could do anything for me. More that he could do anything and yet out of all time and space he kept wanting to hang about with humans. Picard called him next of kin to chaos yet in this chaos he always nudged humanity forward.
@@ost2life Good point. Q was pretty much the embodiment of tough love.
Now I get why John was so good at playing Q. He already had experience playing a villain and as a play actor, he’s good with words
I loved him as Eugene Bradford on DOOL with Arleen Sorkin. When I saw him again on TNG, I was delighted, because I knew that they made the right choice for that role.
John de Lancie - A national treasure......
I loved Q episodes as much as I enjoyed Col.Flagg MASH episodes.
I believe _M*A*S*H_ had a big influence on _ST._
Pam here….his humor is amazing. We took a young girl to a small Start Trek Show in WI 17 years ago…her parents had no interest in it, she knew Keith recorded every STNG show. She somehow had bought somewhere a script from show…with one of his scenes…he went right into character and did his lines, then ‘blah, blah, blah, blah’ for other’s lines it was a hoot!! Then he signed it for her! Memorable moment!
John was great at that role
I think q was in TNG the exact right amount to be magnificent! I am a huge fan of John DeLancie & the q Continuum!!! I greatly enjoyed how they bookended the Picard & q arc! I will always love that dynamic!!!!
I loved seeing Q in the old PC game Star Trek: Borg. If you've never played it, it's a must for Q fans. He has many lines of dialog there and some humorous unexpected scenes.
John also showed up as a voice actor in Starcraft 2, appropriately as a character is is not an enemy but not exactly a real friend either. I coulds explain more, but you would need to have played Starcraft to understand.
I met him briefly in Vegas during 2011 convention. A very nice and sincere individual.
I absolutely love Q. I wish he had been in more of the shows and movies!