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Ok, I think this will be my last Q related question, for a while... well maybe not.

It is known that Q can morph, or whatever he does, to other creatures including a human form. What's Q's originally alien form? Does anyone know, or is it one of the great Q Mysteries?

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From Memory Alpha:

The exact circumstances of how the Q came to exist is unclear. While Quinn stated that the Q were once not unlike humanoid lifeforms, Q (the being) implied that the Q never came in to existence, but rather always were. (VOY: "The Q and the Grey")

Q basically could take any form they wished, and could become fully human, as was the case with parents of Amanda Rogers.

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    The Q's speak about other Q's as Q and they refer to themselves as Q (except Quinn) so how on earth does one know which Q which is talking about. The Q should name their things something other than "Q" or "Q Continuum" or "Q Technology" or other "Q" and my favorite "Ball and Chains" referring to Q's wife (whose named Q). This is why us lesser species dislike anything with the letter Q in it. such as Queens, Quilts, and (DMV) Queue's. – JustinKaz Apr 28 '11 at 13:50
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    Such a frustrating race... but an interesting one. – JustinKaz Apr 28 '11 at 13:51
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    I'm sure the Q themselves can differentiate between each other's names, at least when spoken by another Q. It's all in the pronunciation. ;) – Jeff Apr 28 '11 at 15:23
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    @Justin: So what you're saying is, "all those Qs sound alike"? What are you, some kind of racist? ;) – Mason Wheeler Apr 28 '11 at 16:27
  • @Manson Wheeler, Lol... no just a Qist. Besides if you got a problem with it feel free to be assimilated (to/)and change your mind. – JustinKaz Apr 28 '11 at 16:31
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I have always understood the Q to be incorporeal in essence. They have an existence in the continuum, which itself is also - like the Q themselves - intangible to ourselves. All of which would mean that the question of "what is their real form" is a meaningless question - like asking what colour energy is, or what shape water.

When they interact with humans, they appear as humans, and limit themselves to a perceptual form that makes sense to humans. When Janeway was taken to the continuum, the appearance of that place was perceptually appropriate for her. And if the "real" form of Q and the continuum is so imperceptible to us, then even understanding what it means to define a "real" form - what do you mean by reality, where all of what we consider real is actually rather ephemeral?

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It has been stated that they have evolved since the instant of the Big Bang, but since their home is outside of space and time there is no way to measure how old they are. They measure time in billions of solar years. One solar year in the Milky Way is 26000 years, the female that Q married in Star Trek: Voyager was said to be 5 billion. They communicate and appear to us in ways that our "primitive, rudimentary 5 senses can perceive", so I would imagine that when they call each other "Q" it's all we are able to hear but they hear more. @Ken, they are a race of individuals who can be added and removed by the Continuum. Cmdr Riker was given the power of the Q once but he gave up the powers. As long as the continuum strips the powers first they can commit suicide with no problems.

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The Q don't "look like" anything. They exist outside of our space-time continuum and, as such, light reflections do not factor into the equation.

Any time you see them, you are seeing a projection.

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  • This seems very opinion-based. – Valorum Dec 6 '15 at 23:01
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    @Richard: Well, it's not. The Q live in their own "continuum", outside of our space-time - well known. The Q can "appear" to people however they want, often using local context as a guide - well known. The Q continuum cannot be perceived at all as it really is, by mere humans - clearly stated and used as a plot point in Voyager. The Q don't "look like" anything, in the way we understand the term/concept. – Lightness Races in Orbit Dec 6 '15 at 23:08
  • Your comment is a far better answer than your answer. That being said, I'm not seeing anything that offers anything new (that isn't already covered in existing answers) – Valorum Dec 6 '15 at 23:47
  • @Richard: I thought you were "on strike"? – Lightness Races in Orbit Dec 6 '15 at 23:50
  • I'm taking a break from editing, reviewing and flagging, hence why there are a half-dozen items sitting in the review queue rather than zero. – Valorum Dec 6 '15 at 23:58

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