Q Who ( episode ) Q throws the " Enterprise " into uncharted space where it encounters and is engaged by a vessel of a previously unknown species : the Borg . When the vessel instantly and effortlessly overwhelms the " Enterprise " , Picard realizes that the Federation may not be as ready for the future as he thought . Summary . Teaser . New ensign Sonya Gomez orders a hot chocolate from a replicator in engineering . While doing so , La Forge passes , and the two converse , La Forge noting Gomez ' s polite manners toward the replicator , saying " please " and " thank you " . As the two walk to main engineering , La Forge urges the talkative and enthusiastic Gomez to relax . After arriving , he notes to her that she is carrying food or drink in the premises of engineering , which is forbidden . As she turns around to put it away , she spills some all over Picard ' s uniform . La Forge accepts responsibility and Picard , though not entirely unvexed , welcomes Gomez to the ship . Picard excuses himself to change his uniform . He walks to the nearest turbolift to get to his quarters . However , when the doors open again , he finds that the turbolift did not make it to his quarters , but is inside a shuttlecraft far away from the . He quickly realizes that he has been kidnapped by Q . Picard reminds Q about their agreement from a year earlier , when Q agreed never to trouble Picard ' s ship again ; Q points out that they are nowhere near the " Enterprise " . Q is , however , kind enough to clean Picard ' s uniform with his abilities . Act One . In Ten Forward , La Forge and Gomez arrive and talk some more . Meanwhile , Guinan is tending to her regular duties . While talking to Martinez , she pauses and wanders around the room for a moment , before making contact with the bridge . Commander Riker answers and wonders what she wants . Guinan wonders if everything is fine with the bridge , since she felt something she only encountered long ago , but merely brushes it off and tells Riker to forget she called . Later , La Forge notices something is up with Guinan , and wonders if she ' s OK . She merely responds , " " I don ' t know . " " Meanwhile , in the shuttlecraft , Picard tries to make contact with " Enterprise " . However , Q tells him there is no point , since at the current distance , he will never reach " Enterprise " . Picard attempts to communicate anyway . Q explains that they have business to discuss , but Picard will not discuss anything with him , stating that keeping him prisoner will not convince him to listen to what Q has to say . Q merely says that he will , eventually . Counselor Troi walks onto the bridge , and wonders where Captain Picard is . When she hears he is in his quarters , she decides to contact him , but there is no response . Riker asks the ship ' s computer , but according to it , Picard is nowhere to be found . Furthermore , Lieutenant Worf reports that a shuttlecraft is missing from the shuttlebay . With the captain missing , Riker orders Wesley to put a stop to the ship . They hail the shuttle on all frequencies , but there is no response . In fact , there is no trace of a shuttle anywhere in the sector . While the " Enterprise " continues to search for Picard and the missing shuttlecraft , Picard demands Q to return him to the ship . Eventually , he agrees to give Q ' s request a full hearing and in a flash , they ' re back on the " Enterprise " , and the shuttle is back in place . Worf reports that the shuttlecraft has returned , and the computer tells the crew that Picard is in Ten Forward , allowing Riker to conclude that Q has returned . Act Two . Guinan immediately confronts Q , revealing to Picard that they know one another , and not in a friendly way . Q calms down and expresses his desire to join the " Enterprise " crew , after being cast out from the Q Continuum . Skeptical , Picard refuses his request , especially after he put the crew on trial for the crimes of Humanity and asked Riker to join the Continuum . Q argues that they need him since they are not prepared for what awaits them . Picard claims that they are ready to confront the unknown , and Guinan adds that the Humans ' ability to adapt is their great advantage . Q , in rebuttal , seeks to test how prepared they are , and throws the " Enterprise " seven thousand light year s into uncharted space , to give them " a preview of things to come " upon which he disappears . Guinan advises Picard to return to Federation space as quickly as possible , but he decides to explore the nearby System J - 25 first . A survey of the only class M planet in the system reveals that while there was once an industrialized civilization there , it has been ripped away from the planet , " identical to what happened to the outposts along the Neutral Zone . " A cube - shaped ship then approaches the " Enterprise " , and scans of the ship show nothing . Picard asks Guinan for her advice , and she reveals that the ship belongs to the Borg – a cybernetic race who were responsible for the near - extinction of her people . " " Protect yourself , captain , " " she advises , " " or they ' ll destroy you . " " The Borg proceed to transport one of their own into engineering , in spite of the " Enterprise " s shields being activated . La Forge sees the intruder and requests security to report there immediately . Act Three . Picard and Worf arrive with a security team and see the Borg apparently making a survey of the ship . Q appears for a brief moment and warns Picard that it ' s not interested in Human lifeforms , only the ship ' s technology . Before leaving , he advises the captain not to allow it to interfere with the operations of the " Enterprise " . When the Borg attempts to do so , Picard orders Worf to stop it . A security officer tries to drag it away , only to be hurled clear across the room . Worf then tries to stun it with his phaser , to no avail , and is forced to increase the phaser to full power . They successfully destroy the Borg , but almost instantly another is beamed aboard in its place . Worf again attempts to destroy it , but shields form around it , protecting the Borg . It tampers with the same engineering console , then turns and removes some components from the dead Borg before it is beamed back to the cube and the corpse disappears . Picard holds a conference , in which Guinan further details what the Borg are , and how they destroyed her people . She advises them that the Borg do not negotiate with people , at which point they hail the " Enterprise " . Picard tries to reason with them , but the Borg voice completely ignores him and simply informs the crew that they will not be able to defend themselves against the Borg ship , threatening to " punish " them if they attempt to do so . Troi tells Picard that every Borg is part of the same mind , and that they have no distinct leader . The Borg lock onto the " Enterprise " with a tractor beam that drains their shields and prevents the ship from moving . The Borg then use a cutting beam to slice a section out of the " Enterprise " hull , and all eighteen crewmembers in that section are vaporized . Picard orders Worf to use whatever force is necessary to sever the Borg ' s beam , and they are ultimately successful after three phaser attacks , which blast several craters into the surface of the Borg ship . Q shows up at another crew meeting in the observation lounge , telling them that the Borg are not concerned with the crew nor the Federation , only the " Enterprise " and how they can use her technology . Picard asks him to reveal that this is just another illusion , only for Q to respond that the situation is perfectly real as everything else before vanishing . With the ship temporarily immobilized by the damage , Picard sends over an away team consisting of Riker , Worf , and Data in an attempt to learn more about the Borg over Guinan ' s strong objections . Act Four . The away team discover the ship to be full of Borg , most of whom are in stasis . The few active Borg take no notice to the team , or are ignoring them . The away team then finds what they believe to be a Borg nursery , where the Borg are born as biological lifeform s , and , immediately after birth , they begin growing artificial , cybernetic implants . What Riker finds astounding is that the Borg have developed the technology to link artificial intelligence directly into the humanoid brain . Data notices that the Borg seem to be using their combined mental powers to repair the ship , which is why the team has not been attacked . Picard has them beamed back to the bridge , and says " " Let ' s get the hell out of here " " . They start leaving at warp 8 , but the Borg follow with ease . Q appears on the bridge , warning the crew that the Borg will not stop until they have them in their grasp . He even says to Picard , " " You should have stayed where you belonged . " " Act Five . They increase to maximum warp , but still have no success in escaping . Riker orders them to arm photon torpedo es and Picard gives the order to fire , but the torpedoes have no effect . The Borg ship , after getting within firing range , fires a shield - draining missile twice and the " Enterprise " , now with very low shields , fires torpedoes again , with the same result . Q then makes the Borg threat perfectly clear to Picard : " " You can ' t outrun them , you can ' t destroy them . If you damage them the essence of what they are remains ; they regenerate and keep coming . Eventually you will weaken , your reserves will be gone . . . They are relentless . " " The Borg fire twice more and the " Enterprise " loses both shields and warp drive . The cube re - engages their tractor beam and holds the " Enterprise " . Riker orders Worf to prepare to launch another spread of photon torpedoes but Data warns that at close range , without the protection of their shields , it is highly likely that a photon detonation will destroy the " Enterprise " . Picard nods in approval as Riker orders Worf to prepare to fire . Q prepares to leave the crew to their fate as Picard implores him to end the confrontation . Q asks the captain why he should and Picard appeals to Q ' s vanity . If they are destroyed , Q will not be able to gloat . Picard admits that they are frightened and that Q has – for the moment – shown them to be inadequate . " " You wanted me say ' I need you ' ? I NEED YOU ! " " Picard exclaims . With a snap of his fingers , Q flings the " Enterprise " away from the Borg ship and back into the same spot in Federation space they originally were . Q appears besides Picard in Riker ' s chair , but instead of gloating , he looks thoughtful and even somewhat impressed . " " Another man , " " he muses , " " would have been humiliated to say those words " " " - " even to the point of sacrificing himself and his entire ship rather than admit he needed help . Picard allows that Q has shown them something important , but he feels the lesson could have been learned without the loss of eighteen members of his crew . Q is unapologetic , telling him that if Humanity wants to explore the galaxy , then it promises a universe of wonders , but they must also be willing to confront dangers they have never imagined . He then disappears , to be replaced by a startled Riker . The " Enterprise " sets course for the nearest starbase . Reflecting upon events in Ten Forward with Picard , Guinan says that the encounter with the Borg happened before it should have . She believes that at some point , perhaps it might be possible for the Federation to establish some kind of communication between them and the Borg , but , for the time being , they are just raw material to be consumed . Guinan begins , " " Since they are aware of your existence . . . " " " . . . " they will be coming " , " Picard continues . Guinan ominously warns , " " You can bet on it " . " Picard comments that perhaps Q did the right thing for the wrong reasons , to shake Humanity out of its complacency for whatever lies ahead . Memorable quotes . " " To learn about you is , frankly , provocative . But you ' re next of kin to chaos . " " " " Picard , you are about to move into areas of the galaxy filled with wonders you cannot possibly imagine . And terrors to freeze your soul ! " " " " Ah , the redoubtable Commander Riker ! And Microbrain ! Growl for me ; let me know you still care ! " " " " Interesting , isn ' t it ? Not a " he " , not a " she " , not like anything you ' ve ever seen before . An enhanced humanoid . " " " " Guinan ? Is that your name now ? " " " " Admit it , Picard . You ' re out of your league . You should have stayed where you belong ! " " " " We have analyzed your defensive capabilities as being unable to withstand us . If you defend yourselves , you will be punished . " " " " We mean you no harm . Do you understand me ? " " " " Understand ' you ? You ' re " nothing " to him . " " " " He might try to take over the ship . I wouldn ' t let him ! " " " " Why ? " " " " Why ? Why , to give you a taste of your future , a preview of things to come . " Con permiso , capitán ? " The hall is rented , the orchestra engaged . It ' s now time to see if you can dance . " " " " Q . . . end this . " " " " Moi ? What makes you think I ' m either inclined or capable to terminate this encounter ? " " " " If we all die here , now , you will not be able to gloat . You wanted to frighten us . We ' re frightened . You wanted to show us we were inadequate . For the moment , I grant that . You wanted me to say ' I need you ' ? I " need " you ! " " " " That was a difficult admission . Another man would have been humiliated to say those words . Another man would have rather died than ask for help . " " " " I understand what you ' ve done here , Q , but I think the lesson could have been learned without the loss of eighteen members of my crew . " " " " If you can ' t take a little bloody nose , maybe you ought to go back home and crawl under your bed . It ' s not safe out here . It ' s wondrous , with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross . But it ' s " not " for the timid . " " " " The Borg are the ultimate user . They ' re unlike any threat your Federation has ever faced . They ' re not interested in political conquest , wealth , or power as you know it . They ' re simply interested in your ship , its technology . They ' ve identified it as something they can consume . " " " " Eighteen of our people have died . Please , tell us this is one of your illusions . " " " " Oh , no . This is as real as your so - called life gets . " " " " You judge yourselves against the pitiful adversaries you ' ve encountered so far : the Romulans , the Klingons . They ' re " nothing " compared to what ' s waiting . " " " " Are we going to stay out here for years ? Decades ? I ' m ageless Picard ; you ' re not . " " Links and references . References . 2165 ; 2265 ; artificial intelligence ; beard ; bloody nose ; Borg ; Borg alcove ; Borg cube ; Borg drone ; Borg history ; Borg missile ; Borg nursery ; class M ; cortical array ; cutting beam ; El - Aurian ; El - Aurian system ; " Enterprise " - D shuttlecraft 06 ; Federation ; French ; homeless ; hot chocolate ; J - 25 system ; Klingon s ; locator beam ; maturation chamber ; ; Milky Way Galaxy ; number one ; Q Continuum ; Ranuos VI ; roast ; Romulan s ; Romulan Neutral Zone ; Sector 30 ; Sector 31 ; Starbase 83 ; Starbase 173 ; Starbase 185 ; Starfleet Academy ; three - dimensional chess ; tractor beam ; transporter ; tricorder ; Type 7 shuttlecraft Unused production references . Grand Unification theory ; Supersymmetry