came from,
if you ever figure it out.
Are you responsible
for my shifting through time?
I'll answer that question
if you promise not to tell anyone.
- Yes!
- Why?
Sorry!
That's not a "yes" or " no" question.
You forfeit
the rest of your questions.
I expected as much.
You're such a limited creature.
A perfect example
of why we made our decision.
The trial never ended, Captain.
We never reached a verdict.
But now we have. You're guilty!
- Guilty of what?
- Of being inferior.
Seven years ago, I said we'd be
watching you and we have been,
hoping your ape-like race
would show some growth,
give some indication that
your minds had room for expansion.
But what have we seen instead?
You worrying
about Cmdr Riker's career,
listening to Counsellor Troi's
pedantic psychobabble,
indulging Data in his
witless exploration of humanity.
We've journeyed to countless
new worlds, contacted new species,
expanded our understanding
of the universe.
In your paltry, limited way. You have
no idea how far you still have to go.
But instead of using the last
seven years to change and grow,
you have squandered them.
We are what we are,
and we're doing the best we can.
It is not for you to set the
standards by which we are judged.
But it is, and we have.
Time may be eternal,
but our patience is not.
It's time to put an end
to your trek through the stars,
make room
for other more worthy species.
You're going to deny us
travel through space?
No!
You obtuse piece of flotsam.
You're to be denied existence.
Humanity's fate has been sealed.
You will be destroyed.
Q, I do not believe that
even you are capable of such an act.
I? There you go again.
Always blaming me for everything.
This time, I'm not your enemy.
I'm not the one that causes the
annihilation of mankind. You are.
- Me?
- That's right!
You're doing it right now.
You did it before
and you'll do it yet again.
What meaningless double-talk is this?
He doesn't understand!
I have only myself to blame,
I suppose.
I believed in you.
I thought you had potential.
Apparently, I was wrong.
May whatever god you believe in...
...have mercy on your soul.
This court stands adjourned.
Commander, assemble the senior staff
and go to red alert.
We have a bigger problem
than I thought.
Red alert!
I don't believe him. This has to be
another one of Q's games.
He's probably laughing at us now,
watching us jump through his hoops.
Normally, I'd agree.
But this time,
I feel that it is different.
There was a deadly earnestness
about him.
I think he's serious.
Which means, in some fashion,
I am going to be the cause
of the destruction of humanity.
Didn't Q say you
already had caused it?
And that you were causing it now?
Given that there is a discontinuity
between the three time periods
the Captain has visited,
Q's statement may be accurate,
if confusing.
So, what do I do? Lock myself
in a room in each time period?
Maybe not acting is what causes
the destruction of mankind.
What if you were needed on the bridge
and weren't there?
We can't second-guess ourselves.
We should proceed normally and deal
with each situation as it occurs.
Agreed. I've been thinking
about my conversation with Q.
He admitted that he was responsible
for my shifting through time.
Now, it occurred to me that...
...he might be giving me a chance,
somehow, to save humanity.
What makes you say that?
He's always had a fascination
with humanity, me in particular.
He has more than a passing
interest in what happens to me.
That is true. Q's interest in you
has always been similar
to that of a master
and his beloved pet.
- That was only an analogy.
- Capt Picard.
- Go ahead.
- We're approaching the Neutral Zone.
We're on our way.
All stop. Initiate long-range scans.
Captain, there are
four warbirds holding position
on the Romulan side
of the Neutral Zone.
Federation Starships Concord and
Bozeman hold position on our side.
A