"Q-Less" 30th-anniversary reflections

The arrival of Vash, whom Dax found in the Gamma Quadrant, brings incredible profit potential to Quark, but great danger to the station. Tagging along with her is none other than Q, seemingly there to deliver his usual brand of havoc. He doesn't hit it off well with Sisko, and that might be why he is blamed for the mysterious graviton pulses that threaten to tear the station apart. Only it turns out that the danger comes not from Q but rather a baby alien being auctioned off by new business partners Quark and Vash—a realization that comes just in time.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss, "Q-Less," the appearance of John de Lancie's fan favorite on DS9, the original premise compared with what we got, why it does (and doesn't) make sense, and how the story makes more sense if you shift how you look at it.

Chapters Intro (00:00:00) The Original Premise (00:03:06) Vash and Quark: The Perfect Pairing? (00:08:31) She's Got Julian's Attention (00:10:07) A Deeper Purpose for Q? (00:12:42) Like Oil and Water (00:17:47) The Unethical Collector (00:24:52) A Logical Explanation (00:28:12) Welcome to Robert Hewitt Wolfe! (00:29:58) Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:33:26) Closing (00:36:54)

Hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing