Guinan Guinan was a mysterious bartender who ran Ten Forward , the lounge aboard the . She was well known for her wise counsel , which proved invaluable many times . Guinan was an El - Aurian , a race of " listeners " who were scattered by the Borg . Q , however , once suggested that there was far more to her than could be imagined . ( ; ) Early life . Guinan was born on her homeworld sometime before Earth ' s late 19th century . In her childhood , she had a Tarcassian razor beast as an imaginary friend . When she was troubled , she ' d talk to it . She enjoyed imagining that she was curling up on its warm belly . As she grew older , she found that she talked to it less and less , but the idea of the creature always remained with her . ( ) As a mature adult , Guinan hid from her father on Earth ( prior to the planet ' s first official contact with an alien race ) , posing as a celebrated and obviously wealthy socialite in San Francisco , calling herself " Madame " Guinan . While there , she entertained such luminaries as Samuel Clemens . ( ) In 1893 , Guinan encountered Data , from the 24th century , who claimed they were friends from the " Enterprise " . Guinan had no knowledge of this and when she expressed her absence of awareness about the situation , it allowed Data to quickly realize that he was dealing with the Guinan of this era rather than from his own time . She learned about his predicament and agreed to help in any way she could in stopping the Devidian s and returning Data to the 24th century . She also met Jean - Luc Picard , William T . Riker , Geordi La Forge , Deanna Troi , and Dr . Beverly Crusher from Data ' s time . When Data prevented the Devidians from attacking them , he was decapitated but the rest of his body , along with Samuel Clemens and the " Enterprise " crew ( sans Picard ) , traveled back to the 24th century . Picard stayed behind to make sure Guinan was all right . When Clemens helped Picard return , he saw to Guinan ' s wounds . ( ) Guinan had " some dealings " with Q sometime during the 22nd century and also other members of the Q Continuum , some of whom she said " were almost respectable . " Her relationship with Q was evidently hostile . Centuries later , Q described Guinan as an " imp " and stated , " " Where she goes , trouble always follows . " " Around the 22nd century , Guinan , according to Q , went by another name . ( ) Following the destruction of her homeworld by the Borg in the 23rd century , Guinan became a refugee aboard the in 2293 . She , along with the rest of her ship , subsequently became caught in the Nexus , an experience she described as " being inside joy . " Along with most of the other El - Aurian refugees , Guinan was traumatized upon being pulled out of the Nexus . In 2371 , Captain Picard conferred with the " echo " of Guinan who remained in the timeless Nexus and , with her help , was eventually able to leave the Nexus . ( ) Aboard the USS " Enterprise " - D . Guinan came aboard the " Enterprise " - D in 2365 , at Captain Picard ' s personal request . Guinan and Picard shared a long - time relationship , which , according to Guinan , went " beyond friendship and beyond family . " ( ) However , she also claimed she only " knew " Picard after boarding the " Enterprise " . ( ) In Ten Forward , Guinan kept a selection of alcohol ic beverage s for special occasions , in opposition to regulations Starfleet stipulated regarding synthehol . These drinks included a bottle of Aldebaran whiskey given to her by Captain Picard . ( ) Guinan ' s quarters aboard the " Enterprise " - D were located on Deck 8 , Room 3150 . She also had an office located on Deck 10 , adjacent to Ten Forward . ( ) As lounge host , Guinan made herself available to anyone in need , especially to the senior staff , as an informal counselor . In mid - 2366 , Lieutenant Commander Data believed spending time in Ten Forward , observing Human social interaction , would be beneficial for his android " offspring " called Lal . With Guinan ' s guidance , Lal worked as a waitress for a brief period . ( ) No stranger to the phaser range , Guinan once beat Worf on Level 14 , firing left - handed . ( ) When , in 2367 , REM sleep - deprived crewmembers began to draft conspiracy theories about the " Enterprise " being unable to escape a Tyken ' s Rift , Guinan was able to defuse the situation , thanks to an energy - beam rifle she had acquired on Magus III . ( ) In early 2369 , Guinan , together with Captain Picard , Ro Laren , and Keiko O ' Brien , was affected by an anomaly that caused them to revert to the bodies of twelve - year - olds due to the effects of a molecular reversion field . While Captain Picard temporarily stepped down from command , a group of Ferengi commandeered the " Enterprise " . Believing Guinan to be a child , they confined her to a classroom aboard the ship . She , Picard , Ro Laren , and Keiko O ' Brien , however , with the help of Alexander Rozhenko , were able to devise a plan to retake the " Enterprise " from the Ferengi . ( ) In 2371 , Guinan cautioned Captain Picard that Dr . Tolian Soran was seeking to return to the Nexus , which Guinan described as a doorway to a paradisiacal place . She also warned Picard that anyone who entered the Nexus would never want to leave it and that , should someone be forcefully taken away from the Nexus , their desire to return to it might make them extremely dangerous . When Picard was trapped in the Nexus shortly thereafter , an " echo " of Guinan that had remained there after the rest of her left the Nexus reminded him to focus on his mission : to prevent Soran from destroying the Veridian sun . With the help of Captain Kirk , Picard succeeded in stopping Soran and was able to escape from the Nexus . Guinan , meanwhile , was among many individuals who survived an emergency crash landing of the " Enterprise " . ( ) Dealings with Q . Guinan met Q again aboard the " Enterprise " in 2365 , at which time Q was surprised to see her ; he also questioned whether the name given was her current alias , indicating that she had used another name upon a previous encounter . He advised Picard to get Guinan off the ship , and added he would be more than pleased to " expedite her departure . " In response , Guinan raised her hands , implying she had some sort of ability to defend herself from Q ' s powers . However , Guinan did not take any further action against Q as , before she could do so , he returned his attention to Picard with a dismissive taunt aimed at Guinan : " " Enough about this creature ; she ' s diverting us from the purpose of my being here . " " Although Q then remarked that Humanity was not ready for what awaited it , Guinan defended Humans , arguing that they " learn to adapt . " As Q continued making his proposals to Picard , Guinan let off a snort of disgust , then protested Q ' s throwing the " Enterprise " into the verges of space . After the encounter , Guinan talked to Picard about how Q had set a series of events in motion . Their contact with the Borg , she claimed , had come long before it should have . When they were ready , it might have been possible to establish a relationship with the Borg , but for then Humanity was only raw material to them . In addition , since the Borg were aware of their existence , they would be coming . Picard responded that Q might have done the right thing for the wrong reasons , as the Federation needed a good kick in its complacency to get it ready for what was ahead . ( ) Guinan ' s second encounter with Q while on board the " Enterprise " came a year later , in 2366 . Q was , at the time , stripped of his powers by the Continuum and requested asylum aboard the " Enterprise " , a request Picard reluctantly granted . When Data informed her that the captain and much of the crew were not yet convinced Q was truly Human , Guinan casually picked up a fork from beside a patron ' s plate on the bar and stabbed Q ' s hand . When the latter cried out in agony , Guinan commented , " " Seems Human enough to me . " " She told Q he was a pitiful excuse for a Human and the only way he was going to survive would be by the charity of others . Q ' s powers were later restored by the other members of the Continuum . ( ) Personal interests . Fencing . In late 2368 , Guinan was coached by Picard in fencing . In a series of matches later in November of that year , she lost the first match that day , saying she didn ' t think she liked the sport . Picard replied she liked it well enough two weeks prior , when she scored two touches on him . They then took a moment to relax and soon found themselves talking about Hugh , the Borg drone Picard had allowed to be taken on board . To Guinan ' s question whether taking Hugh on board was wise , Picard replied it was an errand of mercy , and that Dr . Crusher decided for humanitarian reasons to care for him . They rose again for their second match in which they advanced and retreated a few times , parrying . Then Guinan lunged , stumbled and grabbed at her leg – apparently she had pulled a muscle . Picard lowered his foil and started toward her in concern . Suddenly Guinan was upon him , swiftly knocking the foil from his hand and scoring a touch upon his chest . " " You felt sorry for me , " " she said . " " Look what it got you " " . She did , however , after speaking with Hugh herself , change her opinion on the matter . ( ) Personal relationships . Family . Guinan was born sometime prior to the 19th century , Earth calendar . Her father was seven hundred years old as of the 24th century . ( ) In her life , Guinan married twenty - three times and had " a lot " of children . ( ; ) She had a good relationship with her maternal uncle Terkim , the black sheep of the family . ( ) However , Guinan once had some relatively unusual ( for her species ) difficulty with relating to one of her sons , as he wouldn ' t listen to anyone . After several hundred years , Guinan managed to persuade him to open up to her , convincing him to do so just by listening to him , though she didn ' t initially realize she was thereby shaping him . ( ) Friendships . Immediately upon coming aboard the " Enterprise " , Guinan was able to draw the attention of many people because of the mysteries surrounding her age and origin . Except for Captain Picard , none of the " Enterprise " crewmembers had met her , but she soon developed a friendly relationship with many members of its senior staff . ( ) In 2365 , Guinan and Riker attempted to counsel Wesley Crusher regarding his relationship with Salia . As Riker pretended to flirt with Guinan , they proved their own advice inadvisable . ( ) Jean - Luc Picard . Guinan and Jean - Luc Picard shared a long - term relationship , which , according to her , went " beyond friendship and beyond family " . ( ) Picard also made a similar confession , stating that their relationship was something that went " far beyond friendship " . ( ) She also once said to Geordi La Forge that she was attracted to bald men . ( ) In return , Picard once remarked that Guinan was " very selective about whom she calls a friend " . ( ) Guinan often advised Picard in times of dilemma . In 2365 , Data ' s rights as an individual were challenged when cybernetics expert Commander Bruce Maddox wanted to disassemble the android for study . Picard challenged Maddox ' s assessment before the local Judge Advocate General . As the hearing neared its end , Picard admitted to Guinan he feared he was losing the case . Guinan asked what Maddox would gain if he should be successful in disassembling and reassembling Data . Picard responded that he would possess the ability to build many more androids . He remembered Guinan ' s words that the decisions we make today have implications for the future , and so Picard reasoned that if it were decided that Data was indeed Starfleet property , all future androids would be also . Guinan noted there was an ancient word for that – slavery . Eventually , Picard won Data ' s case by pointing out that an entire race of Datas would be used as slaves – strictly against Federation principles . ( ) Guinan also participated in several recreational activities with Picard . In 2367 , she featured as cousin Gloria in one of Picard ' s Dixon Hill holonovel s . She , however , was not much impressed with the program . ( ) Besides joining Picard on the holodeck , Guinan occasionally shared a game of chess with him , and Picard also coached her in fencing in 2368 , begun when she considered exercise to strengthen her arm . Shortly prior to their match , the " Enterprise " had taken on board a Borg drone , at that point named Hugh . Although Guinan initially questioned Picard ' s decision in that matter , she was convinced by La Forge to speak with the former drone . She could not help but acknowledge that this Borg was developing a personality , becoming an individual . Upon her conversation with Hugh , she convinced Picard to speak with him as well . ( ) Beverly Crusher . In 2366 Beverly Crusher , seeing her son socialize with other teenagers , asked Guinan whether she had any children . Guinan replied she had a lot , and Crusher inquired whether she had ever had trouble with any of them . Guinan said she had with one who went through a phase when " he wouldn ' t listen to anybody " – something unusual " in a species of listeners . " Asked how he had grown out of it , Guinan explained a mother shapes her child in ways she doesn ' t even realize , sometimes just by listening . ( ) When Crusher was relieved of duty in 2369 , Guinan visited her in her quarters , claiming she sought treatment for her tennis elbow , which she claimed was caused by an unsuccessful tennis match with Geordi La Forge . As Crusher began to talk about her recent actions , she explained she had illegally performed an autopsy on the Ferengi scientist Reyga , who had appeared to have committed suicide . As Crusher later found out , the Takaran scientist Jo ' Bril had in fact murdered Reyga in order to discredit the Ferengi . Upon Guinan ' s encouragement , Crusher eventually discovered Jo ' Bril ' s plan , prevented him from stealing Reyga ' s research data , and proved the technology was valid . She was exonerated and returned to duty shortly following the incident . In order to thank Guinan for her encouragement , Crusher presented her with a state - of - the - art tennis racket , upon which Guinan admitted she had never played tennis . ( ) Wesley Crusher . In early 2365 , Wesley Crusher was reluctantly preparing to leave the " Enterprise " and join his mother , who had departed to become head of Starfleet Medical . When he was staring out the windows of Ten Forward , Guinan approached him , asking him whether he wanted anything to drink . As they talked , Guinan asked him three more times during their conversation , and when Wesley pointed that out , she replied it was what she was expected to do , asking if he didn ' t always do what was expected of him ? He tried to reply , because sometimes you have to consider others more than yourself . Guinan responded that the question was to know when to consider yourself more than others and to give yourself permission to be selfish . Their conversation made Wesley decide to stay on board the " Enterprise " after all . ( ) Geordi La Forge . Guinan would often advise , or rather cheer up , Geordi La Forge after one of his dates went poorly . Thus , in early 2366 , La Forge sought her advice after his date , Christy Henshaw , admitted she was not in love with him . When La Forge asked about what Guinan sought in a man , she replied she was attracted to bald men , because long ago one saved her life ( Picard had " saved " the 19th century Guinan by remaining with her as she was injured by a time portal , as help came by ) . La Forge went on explaining that he never knew what to say around women . When Guinan remarked that he did not appear uncomfortable at the time , La Forge replied that he wasn ' t " trying " when he was speaking with her . Guinan replied : " " That ' s my point " " , making him realize he was only uncomfortable when trying to chat up a girl . A few days later , La Forge found himself rather smitten with a holographic recreation of Dr . Leah Brahms . ( ) A little over a year later , he got the chance to meet the real Dr . Brahms and found her much less charming than her holographic version . At the time , he again sought Guinan ' s advice . ( ) Worf . In mid - 2366 Guinan first approached Worf , introducing him to the Terran beverage of prune juice . Although the drink was generally unpopular among Humans , Worf called it " a warrior ' s drink " . As Guinan sat down at his table , she asked Worf why he always sat alone . Worf looked at her with vague irritation as the conversation was venturing into areas he preferred to avoid . Worf replied he would require a Klingon woman for companionship as Human females were too fragile . Despite Guinan ' s claim that she knew one or two women on board who might find him a bit tame , Worf laughed and refuted this as " impossible " . Guinan teasingly called him a coward for not wanting to meet them , upon which Worf replied he was merely concerned for the safety of his crewmates . ( ) When the Klingon Civil War erupted in 2367 , Worf was torn between remaining in Starfleet service and joining Gowron against the House of Duras . While practicing their skills in the phaser range , Guinan asked Worf how his son , Alexander , was doing . Worf replied he was having difficulties adjusting to life on Earth , to which Guinan responded that the time would come when Alexander would find out what it really meant to be Klingon , just as the time had now come for Worf . Worf would later request a leave of absence , and with the help of Captain Picard would reveal Romulan assistance to the Duras cause in the civil war . ( ) Ro Laren . When the Bajoran Ensign Ro Laren came aboard the " Enterprise " in 2368 , she immediately drew everyone ' s attention . After discussing Ro with La Forge , Guinan sat next to Ensign Ro in Ten Forward . Although Ro initially claimed she did not want any company , Guinan remarked that she would have stayed in her quarters if that were true . As they talked , Ro commented that Guinan was not like any bartender she had ever met , to which Guinan responded that Laren was unlike any Starfleet officer she had ever met and that this might be the start of an interesting relationship . Ro objected mildly to this , saying she never stayed anywhere long enough to make friends . Guinan said that she had just made one . When Ro was later confined to her quarters , Guinan visited her there . Ro decided to confide in Guinan after her new friend told her that people like themselves , who had lost their homes , sometimes felt like they had no control over their own lives . Ro confessed she was in great trouble . Guinan advised that she herself had been in great trouble once and that she would still have been had she not trusted one man . This conversation was instrumental in Ro ' s decision to reveal to Captain Picard that Admiral Kennelly had made a pact with the Cardassian s in order to eliminate Bajoran " terrorists " . ( ) When Guinan , Ro , Picard , and Keiko O ' Brien were transformed into children , Guinan took the opportunity to enjoy her ' second childhood ' . Ro , however , found the idea of ' enjoying ' their current situation idiotic and pointless , particularly since Ro herself had not had much of a first childhood . Guinan took her feelings as a challenge , and during the time that followed tried to provoke Ro into enjoying their situation , such as jumping on the bed . Later , after they aided in defeating a group of Ferengi who had taken over the ship , La Forge and Data managed to return everyone to their proper age . Ro surprisingly now found herself reluctant to return to adulthood . When she didn ' t show up for treatment , Guinan went in search of her , finding her in her quarters drawing pictures of her mother with crayons . Guinan reminded Ro that she would need to ' grow up ' again , but also said there was no rush , as she joined Ro in drawing . ( ) Ro remained on board the " Enterprise " and continued her friendship with Guinan until 2370 , when she decided to join a Maquis faction . ( ) Alternate timelines . In an alternate version of 2366 that featured the Federation fighting against the Klingon s , Guinan was still working in Ten Forward , though it was altered to befit the military nature of the timeline . She was the only one aboard who noticed the changes , which had followed upon the arriving from the year 2344 . Data speculated that Guinan ' s species , El - Aurians , could perceive alternate timelines . Guinan advised Captain Picard to send the " Enterprise " - C back to its own time in order to restore the timeline , an idea Picard tried with success . ( ) Guinan remained aware of the now - reverted changes in the restored timeline . ( ) Hologram . As part of Reginald Barclay ' s holo - addiction , he created a recreation of the including a holographic duplicate of Guinan . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Guinan was played by Whoopi Goldberg , who was first introduced in the episode . According to the script for " The Child " , Guinan was pronounced " GUY - nun . " Whoopi Goldberg got the role of Guinan after she expressed interest to the producers , being a fan of – mostly due to Nichelle Nichols , one of the first black women to be regularly featured in an American television series . ( " " , " " ) When Goldberg learned that her friend LeVar Burton had been cast in a role on the new " Star Trek " series , she asked him to tell Gene Roddenberry that she wanted to be on the show too , but the producers thought she was joking and did not take the request seriously . The following year , Goldberg took it upon herself to contact Roddenberry directly . ( " " ) According to Roddenberry , Goldberg called him up and said , " " I am a " Star Trek " fan , I was a " Star Trek " fan long before I was ever Whoopi Goldberg , and I ' m wondering if there ' s some part I can play in your show . " " ( " " ) According to Maurice Hurley , Roddenberry and Hurley thought this was a joke by Goldberg and asked her if she would really work on " The Next Generation " ; Goldberg replied , " " I am successful now and I can do what I like ! " " ( " Mission Overview , Year Three - Whoopi Goldberg " , TNG Season 2 DVD special features ) Roddenberry had originally intended the " Enterprise " s bartender to be played by " the most beautiful girl in all creation . " ( " Star Trek 25th Anniversary Special " ) When Whoopi Goldberg asked him for a role in his new " Star Trek " show , he gave it to her and rewrote the character in the process . ( " " , Heidelberg : Winter , 2004 ) Guinan was named for , a famed female saloon owner from Texas during the early 20th century . ( ; " Mission Overview Year Three - Guinan Returns " , TNG Season 3 DVD special features ) Goldberg described Guinan as primarily " " a cross between and , " " but admitted that she put a lot of her own personality into the character as well . ( " " ) In the first draft story outline of , only a single reference to Guinan was made , as she was stated to give " a little support " to a research team , consisting of Wesley Crusher , Geordi La Forge , and Data , while they figured out a potential tactical vulnerability in the Borg . However , she doesn ' t do that in the final edit of the episode , in which she features in only one scene , where she instead has a chat with Picard . Guinan wasn ' t mentioned at all in the story outline for ( while that episode had the working title " Crossroads " ) , despite having one scene in that installment , too . As evidenced by the first draft script of TNG Season 6 outing , Guinan was originally to have been included in that episode . She would have met Montgomery Scott and voiced a doubt about him claiming to have been drinking Scotch before she had been born . She eventually served Scott a green drink , the contents of which she was uncertain about . In the final draft of the script , though , Guinan ' s role in the episode was rewritten with a waiter and Data instead , the final version of the scene containing only a reference to Guinan . Regarding Guinan ' s taste for large hats , the first time she is seen without a hat is on the fencing court in ; the first time she is seen without headgear of any kind is in . ( When in Human costume , or disguise , in or , she has always accessorized with an era - appropriate hat . ) In the episode , the writers , Jim Trombetta and Michael Piller , intended the character of Martus Mazur to be a son of Guinan . Guinan herself was to appear in the episode , but Whoopi Goldberg was unavailable . All the references to Guinan were removed and only Martus ' status as an El - Aurian was retained . Although that episode was the first to name Guinan ' s species , she herself was not identified as an El - Aurian until . Rumors of her appearing on " Deep Space Nine " began circulating as early as the opening of DS9 Season 1 . ( " " , " " ) Commenting on Guinan ' s absence in , Ronald D . Moore said , " " We decided fairly early on that Guinan wouldn ' t be in the movie because she wasn ' t part of our storyline and we didn ' t want to shoehorn the character in . " " Guinan was temporarily considered for inclusion in VOY Season 5 installments and . In the latter case , the possibility of her appearing in " Timeless " influenced Brannon Braga to assign LeVar Burton as the episode ' s director early in the writing of the episode . " " I had actually , on behalf of Brannon and the company , approached Whoop to see how she would feel about it , " " Burton recalled . " " They wanted to sort of take the temperature before they dove head first into the script . Whoop was tickled at the prospect . " " Since the writers found it too difficult to devise a story they felt was good enough to warrant Guinan being in it , the notion of including the character was left by the wayside . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 31 , No . 11 , p . 51 ) Apocrypha . Guinan makes brief contact with three stranded Iramahl in 1892 in " Elusive Salvation " . The " " novel " Oblivion " depicts Picard ' s first meeting with Guinan from his perspective , with Guinan currently in a deep state of depression after being torn out of the Nexus , tormented by her ' reunion ' with her youngest daughter in the Nexus before her daughter was lost to the Borg . In the course of her encounter with Picard , Guinan is reminded that it is still possible to find joy in this universe , particularly when Picard risks his mission to rescue her . In the novel " Engines of Destiny " , it is revealed that Guinan was indirectly responsible for Montgomery Scott being on the " Jenolem " when it crashed on the Dyson Sphere . In the course of the novel , Scott changes history by going back in time to rescue Kirk from the " Enterprise " - B , but this inadvertently results in a timeline where Earth has been assimilated by the Borg in the events of " " , although El - Auria has been spared . When the " Enterprise " - D goes back in time as well to try and intercept Scott , they encounter Guinan ' s alternate self , whose memories of the original timeline - including her meeting with Picard in San Francisco - help her recognize that history has been altered , accepting the assistance of the " Enterprise " in restoring history . In the novel " Greater than the Sum " , Guinan returns to the " Enterprise " - E in the wake of a new Borg invasion , officiating at his wedding to Beverly Crusher , but she departs the ship at the conclusion of the novel as she concludes that she can best serve Picard by letting him face his problems without her , rather than relying on each other out of fear . In the " Doctor Who " crossover comic " " , Guinan and the Doctor are the only characters able to sense that their two respective universes were forcibly merged .