Star Trek: Picard Season 2 arrives in March, and fans got word ahead thanks to a new trailer that a very special guest star will come along for the ride. Whoopi Goldberg is back, and she took up Patrick Stewart’s offer of reprising her role as Guinan from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Her return offers a chance at resolving a long-running storyline from her first run in the franchise, and it involves another returning character: John de Lancie’s Q.
Guinan and Q are two of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s most mysterious characters, but what’s most mysterious is their past. These two knew each other long before they ever met on the Enterprise, and with both characters appearing in Picard Season 2, we could get some closure on some details of their past relationship. For those in the dark on how that may happen, let’s recap what we know and how the upcoming Paramount+ series could bring Guinan and Q back together again.
What We Know About Q And Guinan’s Relationship So Far
Star Trek: The Next Generation only featured a few scenes between Q and Guinan, but we learned enough to know the two don’t like one another. When Q first spotted Guinan on the ship, he offered to personally see to her removal using his vast powers. The El-Aurian raised up her hands in a mystical way in response, perhaps indicating she had powers to counteract his reality-altering abilities. Q and the Q Continuum are some of the most powerful beings in Star Trek canon, so the fact that Guinan could stand against him was impressive.
Picard asked if they knew each other and learned that Guinan and Q once had some dealings a couple of centuries prior. Whatever happened, it obviously left a bad impression on both of them. Guinan didn’t seem to care for the Q Continuum in general but did tell Picard at one point she found some almost respectable.
Guinan, at one point, told Picard that Q messed up humanity’s course by exposing Starfleet to The Borg (who seem to have some presence in Season 2’s story based on Seven of Nine’s appearance) prematurely. Guinan suggested that, had Starfleet encountered The Borg “When they were meant to,” it’s possible the relationship wouldn’t have turned hostile. Guinan didn’t believe Q’s intention in meddling in human affairs was intentionally ill-willed but suggested he did the right thing for the wrong reasons.
The only other time we saw the two interact was when Q temporarily lost his powers. Guinan didn’t take too much pity on Q and even stabbed his hand with a fork to test his humanity. Suffice it to say, these two powerful beings don’t get along all that well, but we’ve never seen them actually take each other on. Given Q’s immense power and what little we know about Guinan, it could be epic, but will it happen?
How Guinan Could Come Face To Face With Q In Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 centers around a more mature Q toying with time, so naturally, Picard goes to Guinan. Guinan is the right call, of course, because as The Next Generation fans know, Guinan knows when time is meddled with. She doesn’t only know about the changes but feels Picard is able to fix it. That’s all we know about Guinan in Season 2 so far, but not the only possible way she could appear.
Guinan’s been around for a long time. She was born in the late 19th century and eventually ended up on Earth as early as 1893. Obviously, we don’t know her entire history and how long Guinan spent on Earth, but with Picard and his crew headed back to 2024 for answers, it’s not crazy to think a past version of her could be there waiting for him. Again, I don’t know what’s going to happen or if Guinan is even on Earth in 2024. Picard and The Next Generation crew did run into her once in 1916, though I’m assuming she’d know who Picard is if they ran into each other in 2024. There’s a little bit of weirdness on Guinan’s timeline thanks to the TNG episode “Time’s Arrow,” but I’m assuming that’ll be cleared up in Season 2.
The possibility of Guinan in the past is important, as it strengthens the possibility of a scene in which she and Q reunite. It does appear Q will be in the around in the past based on the latest trailer, in which fans see him talking to a new member of the Soong family played by Brent Spiner. Assuming this character is involved in whatever event occurs in 2024, then I’d wager Q is there to set something in motion. What exactly, we don’t know, though that’s not important at the moment.
What is important is that it’s feasible we’ll see a moment where both Q and Guinan are in the past at the same time, and it seems there’s a lot at stake. Guinan has every reason to help Picard and confront her old rival, but will Star Trek: Picard pull the trigger?
Why Star Trek: Picard Should Give Us Guinan Vs. Q
Star Trek: Picard is its own series, but it’s also very much a celebration of The Next Generation. The show works in cameos from the previous series and has a history of trying to close out open-ended storylines when possible. Last season, the show found a way against Picard’s mysterious terminal illness. This year, it’s possible we learn more than we ever knew about Guinan and Q’s old feud and get some resolution in a neat little bow.
The Next Generation balked at showing Guinan and Q having some supernatural cosmic throwdown, and in hindsight, that’s a good thing. The TV technology at that point wasn’t there for something so awesome, but in this age of new Star Trek and Paramount+, I think Picard could do it justice. We’ve seen what Q is capable of, and if he’s afraid of Guinan and refused to ever act out against her, I’m dying to see what she can do.
It’s also important to remember Season 2 has already been completed. I can hope and wish for Guinan vs. Q all I want, but the reality is I just need to trust that the Picard creatives already knew what I and many others wanted. Additionally, who knows if Whoopi Goldberg even had the time for a meaty role in Trek, given her television schedule, so it’s definitely good to have realistic expectations. At the end of the day, it’ll be good to see her as Guinan, even if a confrontation with Q isn’t in the cards.
Star Trek: Picard Season 2 premieres on Paramount+ Thursday, March 3. Tune in to see Picard take on Q once again, and maybe even check out some of the other Paramount+ shows available on the streaming platform.
