John de Lancie had one condition for returning as Q in Star Trek: Picard

In the second season of Star Trek: Picard, his old rival, the rogue space god Q (John de Laneis), approaches the Good Admiral (Patrick Stewart) to talk him into a new challenge. Q snaps his fingers and catapults Picard into an alternate universe where Earth has become a galaxy-wide tyrannical force, dedicated to the annihilation of its perceived enemies. Earth has already driven the Romulans and Klingons to extinction, and is now preparing to execute the last known Borg (Annie Wersching). It’s very bleak. Picard, occupying the space of his tyrannical inter-dimensional counterpart, must gather his friends (Q easily transports many of them to the evil universe as well), then travel back in time to the year 2024 to find out how the evil universe came to be.

In the season finale, it is revealed that Q only played a time travel game with Picard as a sort of sad farewell. Q was previously thought to be immortal, but he was actually nearing the end of his life, and his powers were waning. He used some of his last pieces of magic to test Picard, hoping to communicate with him. The season ends with Picard and Q bidding each other farewell with a warm hug.

This was a relatively restrictive conclusion for the character, given how ridiculous he has been in the past. There was an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” where… Q transformed Picard and his crew into Robin Hood charactersFor example. In another episode, to celebrate a personal achievement, Q appeared on the Foundation Bridge with a mariachi band that magically appeared. A question that, in case you couldn’t tell, usually brings a great deal of humor to “Star Trek.”

When it comes to “Picard,” De Laneis preferred to be a little less silly. He even made a special request in this regard.

Keep in mind that “Star Trek: Picard” was very much a throwback series, catching up with Jean-Luc Picard about 20 years after his last appearance (in the 2002 feature film “Star Trek: Nemesis”). Several “Picard” episodes brought back familiar faces from the Picard universe, including Q, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) and the bulk of the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” cast. Stewart agreed to return for the entire “Picard” series, but de Lancie needed some convincing.

De Lancie was concerned that, now in his mid-70s, he would be asked to be the clown in “Picard” as he had been decades earlier in the Robin Hood episode. Fortunately, the producers of “Picard” reassured him. As explained by De Laneis L Newsweek In 2022:

“I sat down, and I said, ‘Listen, the first thing I want to know is: You’re not going to put me in those stockings again, are you?’ Because if that’s the case, the deal’s off!” They said, “No, no, no, no, we’re going for a different vibe.” I looked pretty much the same as I do now, and they said, “As a matter of fact, we want the beard too, and we want Feeling mature. Time has passed, and something is on your side.’ And I said, ‘So, isn’t it mariachi band time?’ And they said, ‘No.

Q “died” at the end of “Picard” Season 2, and he’s glad he gave his old friend one last challenge. His appearance was menacing and passionate at the same time. There were no mariachi bands, and Q himself was wearing a smart black coat. Of course, since Q doesn’t experience time linearly, he also returned at the end of “Picard” Season 3 to confront Picard’s adult son Jack (Ed Speleers). Although this seems highly unlikely, time will tell whether or not Q will appear Proposed “Star Trek: Legacy.”