Risa

Hot take: you don't fully appreciate Q until you've watched all the episodes he's in. That includes the ones in Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

I felt the exact same way about Q after the first episode both as a character and as a concept for the show. They basically introduced God in the first episode of a science fiction show and he is annoying and arrogant.

But he is actually one of the best characters by the time the show is over and his all-powerful nature is toned down a little bit.

Season 1 is pretty goofy and inconsistent overall. Give it a chance and accept it for what it is and by season 4 the writing is some of the best in science fiction TV.

Au Contraire Mon Capitan! You are gonna love me!

Unless you are a completist who's willing to sit through the less than good episodes, you may want to use an episode guide such as this one which I found useful when I went back to rewatch it. Yes Q is kind of annoying, that's actually his character and how everyone in the show feels about him too. But there are also some fantastic episodes with him, so once you get to those, you may not hate his presence as much.

Keep going. It get's much much better. Each season is better than the last, but Season 2 is where the feel of the show stablises and softens; it'll always be jarring when you go back to season 1 after you pass it. Season 3 is definitely where it starts to hit it's stride.

It's largely an episodic show; you could skip to season 3 and go back to the season 1 & 2 later without missing much. A few recurring characters and themese like do Q make more sense if you watch from the start though.

If you're really wavering definitely skip to season 3.

Idk John DeLancie has that "Tim Curry" energy where he chews the scenery well and is fun to watch but wasn't much a fan of Season 1 Q.

It gets better.

If you hated him on Next Gen, you'll really hate him on Deep Space Nine. Fortunately, he only appeared there once.

You're supposed to kinda hate Q. He plays a recurring role here and there throughout the series, but not a central one.

The first season of TNG is a bit rough; it definitely improves.

If it helps - Q introduces a "bad guy" to the series that is so famous that people who haven't seen the series have heard of them.

He's a pretty major character, but that only means one or two episodes per season. He's just got a thing for Picard

I’m jealous that you’re getting your first go through, that was a pretty magical experience.

I usually watch the whole series every couple of years, and I’m due for a watch now, but I can’t. Star Trek was something I shared with my dad, who died two years ago, and I just can’t seem to make myself watch it anymore.

I had no idea there were people who didn’t like Q. His introduction is by far the weakest thing about him but Q is honestly hilarious in subsequent episodes and I think his race are a very poignant commentary on what an actual race of godlike beings would be like if real.

I hate Q but love TNG.

Fortunately he is in few episodes, but unfortunately he is very influential plot-wise when he does appear.

It doesn't ruin how great TNG is to me at all, though

Since others have fully covered the Q portion of your comment I came to say that that cool saucer separation that’s so bad ass happens like 3 times max!

I get that maybe it’s “expensive” or awkward to write or something from the production standpoint that makes it underused, but seriously, is it “expensive” in-universe?! Because they spread that shit out more sparingly than me buying pine nuts!

Other show reference alert: it’s a lot like on Deep Space 9 how rarely Odo changes. If I had that fucking power I wouldn’t hold back! Let’s see, can I squeeze any more complaints in? I never understood the premise on Bewitched that Darren & Sam wouldn’t want to use her powers to make things better constantly! Ok I’m done. For now.

Your supposed to hate Q thats part of the fun. Picard hates him

As great as TNG is, the first season is like the first season of any show: characters are less developed and the vibe is somewhat different than later offerings.

As the show progresses, everything kind of falls into a better place. In fact, the Q character allows for some of the best episodes in the series (e.g. Tapestry). So my advice would be to stick with it and you'll likely feel different later on.

He'll grow on you eventually. And if he doesn't, watch Voyager and DS9 to see him suffer 😈

My wife hates him so much, but loved TNG.

He only show up like once or twice a season.

I like him, but I can see why people wouldn't.