 Two former writers from TNG , Hannah Louise Shearer and Robert Hewitt Wolfe , wrote the episode . While it would be Shearer 's last Star Trek credit , Wolfe 's work on the script led to him joining the writing team on DS9 . The producers wanted to introduce Q to the show in a seamless manner ; when Shearer proposed a Vash @-@ centric story , Q was added to the script . " Q @-@ Less " highlights the differences between DS9 and TNG by comparing the reactions of Commander Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ) and Captain Picard to Q. On its first broadcast , " Q @-@ Less " received Nielsen ratings of 12 @.@ 8 percent , placing it as the fifth most watched episode of the season . Reception was mixed , with reviewers criticizing the imbalance of time spent with Vash and Q in contrast to the rest of the cast , as well as the unnecessary technobabble in the story and the MacGuffin @-@ like plot device represented by the alien crystal . 
