Star Trek: The Next Generation didn't just surpass Star Trek, it improved on the formula. Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise D became the gold standard for Trek. Picard's return in his self-titled series was a welcome reunion for TNG fans. The first season brought back plenty of warm memories, but what fans were missing has already been teased for its second outing. Q, the Federation's omnipotent god of mischief, is returning, and with rumors of Whoopi Goldberg returning as Guinan, another showdown isn't just inevitable -- it might also explain the roots of their animosity.
Q's powers and his legacy of mayhem among the mortals of Star Trek have been well-documented, but Guinan remains a mystery. Over the years, few details of her people, the El-Aurians, have seeped out. They're a race of listeners, with a rich, empathic ability and a complex sense of time that's tipped Guinan off to the existence of alternate histories more than once. But she has a particularly unique trait -- a dislike so powerful that Q actually fears her.
The first time Q and Guinan meet on the Enterprise-D is bittersweet for all involved. "Q Who?" sees Q's desire to test humanity to its limits puts the crew in Borg space for the first time. But before he slingshots the Enterprise several thousand lightyears away from Federation space, Q visits the lounge with Picard. Guinan is on edge as Q taunts her with questions about her identity, and she's ready to fight, which unsettles him. Guinan later admits to Picard that she's dealt with the Continuum before, but her dislike for this Q, whom she calls an imp and a trouble-maker, goes without detail. She's also the only one to realize where Q has sent Picard's ship because the Borg destroyed her homeworld long ago.
The animosity carries on in "Deja Q," when Q is stripped of his powers and spends a humiliating few days on the Enterprise. To test whether he's telling the truth about his depowered state, Guinan, presented with the nervous Q, stabs him in the hand with a fork. She's convinced he's mortal, at least for now, and also suggests that he might learn a few things from the naturally curious Data. No doubt to Q's relief, Guinan decided to leave him alone for the rest of his time as a human.
While both the El-Aurians and Q himself have become welcome staples of the Star Trek universe, the history between Q and Guinan hasn't been hinted at anywhere else. It's a mystery that's over twenty years old, regularly discussed and debated in fan forums. But with Q confirmed and Guinan likely to appear in Season 2 of Picard, they may cross paths once again. Picard hasn't shied away from digging deeper into the cultural lore of the Romulans, and its humane visit with ex-Borg, or xBs, enriched the legacy of the machine race. In that way, Season 2 now presents a chance to reveal more about one of the biggest and most beloved mysteries of Star Trek.
The best way to make a mystery endure is to leave a few secrets behind, and even if Q and Guinan reunite, it's not likely that everything will be laid bare for the audience. But the opportunity to offer new clues about their past is an irresistible treat. It could mean also that there's something coming for Jean-Luc Picard that will require the advice of both these strange acquaintances -- it would be an interesting conflict if Q has to choose between his dislike and fear of Guinan and his fondness for the aging Enterprise captain. Either way, seeing these two characters together again in Picard would make for the best of both worlds.
Star Trek: Picard stars Patrick Stewart, Alison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Evan Evagora, Isa Briones, Santiago Cabrera and Harry Treadaway. The first season is available on Paramount+.