History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS1E9HideAndQ

* WrittenInAbsence: Troi has been left on Starbase G-6 to catch a shuttle home on leave, prior to the opening scene.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Worf tosses the drink that Q makes for him, which the latter says is due to the Klingon code saying "drink not with thine enemy." The [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS4E26S5E1Redemption "Redemption"]] two-parter would show Klingons more than willing to drink with their enemies.[[note]]But then, it would be shown that Worf follows the rules of Klingon society far more strictly than most Klingons. Even he was aghast to seeing Klingons drink with their enemies.[[/note]]

* ShownTheirWork: When Picard makes his PatrickStewartSpeech and quotes ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'', he notes that while Hamlet was sarcastic when listing humanity's virtues, he himself is being sincere, thus averting AnalogyBackfire. Unsurprising given Patrick Stewart's Shakespearean background.

* WrittenInAbsence: Troi has been left on Starbase G-6 to catch a shuttle home on leave, prior to the opening scene.

!'''This episode contains examples of:'''

* BuffySpeak: It seems as though nobody can come up with a better term for "beast-men dressed like Napoleonic soldiers with nineteenth century muskets that shoot energy blasts" than "vicious animal things".

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Worf tosses the drink that Q makes for him, which the latter says is due to the Klingon code saying "drink not with thine enemy." The "Redemption" two-parter would show Klingons more than willing to drink with their enemies.[[note]]But then, it would be shown that Worf follows the rules of Klingon society far more strictly than most Klingons. Even he was aghast to seeing Klingons drink with their enemies.[[/note]]

* {{Hamlet}}: Quoted often.
* HumansAreSpecial: The Q believe this, and are afraid of it.

* InfantImmortality: Averted
* LargeHam: John De Lancie is particularly over-the-top in this episode.

-->'''Picard''': Oh, I know Hamlet. And what he might say with irony, I say with conviction: 'What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god!'
** ShutUpKirk: Q's response is to simply leave in disgust. As suggested by reviewer SFDebris, it's entirely possible that Q later throwing the Borg at the Federation, leading to Picard's assimilation and vengeance-fueled antics in ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', were simply his counter-argument to Picard's pontificating, echoing his words with [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters all the irony]] that Shakespeare had originally intended!

* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: "'Fairness' is such a human concept. Think imaginatively! This game shall, in fact, be...''[[LargeHam completely unfair!]]''"

* ShownTheirWork: When Picard makes his PatrickStewartSpeech and quotes ''{{Hamlet}}'', he notes that while Hamlet was sarcastic when listing humanity's virtues, he himself is being sincere, thus averting AnalogyBackfire. Unsurprising given Patrick Stewart's Shakespearean background.
* ShoutOut: To ''Theatre/AsYouLikeIt'':

'''Picard:''' "World," not "galaxy"; "all the world's a stage."\\

--> '''Riker''': I could have saved that little girl!
--> '''Picard''': You were right not to try!
* WrittenInAbsence: Troi has left Starbase G-6 prior to the opening scene.

* ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem: "'Fairness' is such a human concept. Think imaginatively! This game shall in fact be...''[[LargeHam completely unfair!]]''"

* TakeThatScrappy: Probably unintentional, but Wesley Crusher gets gorily stabbed through the stomach by a "vicious animal thing". The image was popularly captioned "Wesley gets the point."

* ActorAllusion: Of course [[Creator/PatrickStewart Picard]] would read and know the works of Shakespeare, Q.

* TakeThatScrappy: Probably unintentional, but Wesley Crusher gets gorily stabbed through the stomach by a "vicious animal thing".

** ShutUpHannibal: Q's response is to simply leave in disgust. As suggested by reviewer SFDebris, it's entirely possible that Q later throwing the Borg at the Federation, leading to Picard's assimilation and vengeance-fueled antics in ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'', were simply his counter-argument to Picard's pontificating, echoing his words with [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters all the irony]] that Shakespeare had originally intended!

'''Riker: "And absolute power corrupts absolutely." Do you believe I haven't thought of that, Jean-Luc?\\

--> '''Picard''': You were right not to try!

* LargeHam: John DeLancie is particularly over-the-top in this episode.

* WhatTheHellHero: We know Picard hates children, but did he just give Riker a pat on the back for not using his new godlike powers to save the life of one dying child?

* SmugSnake: Q, in tempting Riker to hold onto his new powers and abandon his shipmates.

-->'''Picard''': Oh, I know Hamlet. And what he might say with irony, I say with conviction: 'What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! In form, in moving, how express and admirable! In action, how like an angel! In apprehension, how like a god!'

Q returns to the Enterprise to tempt Commander Riker into joining the Q Continuum with the lure of Q's powers.