Synopsis: Q returns to the Enterprise stripped of his omnipotent powers.
In this episode, the return of the character Q means that the Trickster archetype is once again aboard the Enterprise. There is much interaction between Q and Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who holds the energy archetype of the Senex, and Lt. Commander Data, the android Starfleet officer, who, when it comes to his desire to learn about humans, holds the energy of a Puer archetype.
James Hillman’s archetypal psychology speaks to these three archetypes: the Trickster, the Senex and the Puer. The Senex, the wise sage and the Puer, the eternal child, are related but opposing types of archetypal energy. The Trickster is disruptive energy. In “Deja Q” there is an interesting interplay of how each of the characters take on the energy of these archetypes in relation to the others.
When Q first appears naked, stripped of his powers, he is also exhibiting Puer energy. But as soon as he is clothed, he seems to regain his Trickster energy, creating havoc on the Enterprise. Data, who holds in his positronic brain all the knowledge of the Federation and therefore one would think would be a Senex figure, in his effort to become more human, is quite often in the role of Puer. Q, the Trickster, may have knowledge from his past omnipotence that could help the Enterprise, and for a while is in the role of Senex when it comes to technology, but when it comes to embodying being human, he is a Puer to Data’s more extensive knowledge. Picard, the Senex figure to Data and the crew, can be seen as a Trickster when it comes to his confrontations to Q. And to Q’s omnipotence, in reality is a Puer to the immortal being.
Q was a reoccurring character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and integral to both the pilot and the finale. I believe that the reason he was essential to the beginning of the series was because the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise D in The Next Generation had so little conflict between them, that an instigator was essential to get the action going. And Q, whom Picard describes in this episode as a liar and a misanthrope, fulfills the role of Trickster with panache.
Original post created 6 August 2021
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