Tag: q

“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.”

From: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Q

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation. A worthy successor to the franchise, The Next Generation introduced a new cast of characters taking control of a new USS Enterprise as they boldly go where no man has gone before.

This week’s quote comes from the 2nd season episode, Q Who? In the episode, the godly being known as Q (played by John de Lancie) transports the USS Enterprise to an unknown sector of the cosmos. They run into an unstoppable alien race known as the Borg and the crew is unable to stop their advance. Captain Picard eventually gives in and admits they are no match for the Borg and pleads for Q to save them. Q does just that and returns them to where they were when the episode started. Captain Picard laments on the number of dead crew members because of Q’s actions. Q then tells them losses are to be expected as they are exploring the unknown. This is when he delivers the quote.

Geek wisdom:  Doing something totally new, whether it be exploring a new location or testing out an experiment will always have its risks. However, the rewards might just outweigh the risks if you can make a new breakthrough. This is how we have gotten to this position: through the risks and trials others have taken before us… and had persevered though all the hardships.

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“He learned to play it safe. And he never, ever got noticed by anyone.”

From: Star Trek: The Next Generation

Genre: Television

Who said it?: Q

The story behind the quote: This week’s quote comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation. A worthy successor to the franchise, The Next Generation introduced a new cast of characters taking control of a new USS Enterprise as they boldly go where no man has gone before.

This week’s quote comes from the 6th season episode, Tapestry. In the episode, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (played by Patrick Stewart) is shot in his artificial heart. Ironically, if he has his normal heart, he wouldn’t be dying. The god-like being Q (played by John de Lancie) gives him an opportunity to return to that bar fight that made him lose his original heart in the first place. Picard does so but, when he is returned to his original time, he is no longer the Captain of the USS Enterprise, but a simple junior officer. He confronts Q about his current situation and Q explains that, because he never had that brush with death in the bar, Picard never took the risks that made him a daring captain in the first place.

Geek wisdom:  It seems easy to take no chances. While you may leave a comfortable life by doing this, the only way to really get ahead is to seize opportunities when you can and take risks. It may seem difficult but the most successful people in life have taken the more perilous route to get where they are. The gamble may be risky but the payout is high.