 On his way back to his quarters , Captain Jean @-@ Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) steps off a turbolift and instead of finding himself in a corridor onboard the Enterprise , ends up on board a shuttlecraft with Q ( John de Lancie ) at the controls . Picard demands to be returned to the Enterprise , but Q refuses until Picard agrees to at least hear Q 's requests . Q then transports them to Ten Forward , where Guinan ( Whoopi Goldberg ) , who recognizes him , warns Picard not to trust him . Q reveals that he wants to join the crew to assist them as they push further into unexplored regions of the galaxy , asserting they are not ready for the threats they will encounter . Picard chooses to make their own way into the unknown , and rejects Q 's offer . Irritated by Picard 's arrogance , Q sends the Enterprise thousands of light years across the galaxy , then disappears . Lt. Commander Data ( Brent Spiner ) reports that the nearest starbase is over two years away at maximum warp . An agitated Guinan warns Picard to set course for home immediately , but Picard is curious to explore the new area . 
