 Zack Handlen reviewed the episode for The A.V. Club in 2012 , calling Q an " iconic figure " . Handlen said Q allowed the writers to compare the different reaction of the characters to his presence in DS9 and TNG . However , Handlen felt that Q was not a good fit for DS9 , as the character seemed like an afterthought . Also , the pairing of Vash and Q took up too much screen time compared to the main cast , Handlen noted , while the overall plot involving the " stealth alien " embryo " plays like an abandoned script from early in TNG 's run , and an example of a fascinating concept reduced to a perfunctory MacGuffin , " Handlen wrote . 
