This is actually a really good answer.
My brother’s first thought was The Cigarette Smoking on ‘The X-Files’. As far as I recall, he did sort of keep Mulder alive in some cases. If I’m not mistaken he reveled that he kept Mulder alive so he could see “the truth”.
I love Netflix.
I just saw the first, (two), episodes for the first time, and it was so GOOD. It fleshed out all the characters very well, was philosophical, and had great production value for it’s time.
I’ve seen many episodes, though I’m not a huge fan. Most of them are good. The episodes with Q are some of best. I find him to an amazing character. I suppose you could say God(s) or Jesus… maybe Satan are somewhat similar to him s well. But his method of teaching lessons to/testing humans are unique, and his character is intriguing. I would be curious to figure if there was any inspiration behind him.
I’ll make sure to look up examples, including the ones already given that I’m not familiar with tomorrow.
I like listening to him talk. He has a very colorful vocabulary.
I don’t think Endora feared anybody or anything. Certainly not poor Durwood.
I was referring to Sam’s dad. I could have sworn there was an episode where he was pissed off about something and Endora pretty much fearing his wrath.
I could be wrong though, I don’t think I’ve watched the show in over thirty years.
No, I watch it all of the time. It’s not explicitly mentioned, but Endora and Maurice are either separated, divorced, or have a really open marriage. When they do get together, though, they seem to have some amount of affection between them. But Endora certainly doesn’t seem to be afraid of Maurice.
These days, it’s a commonplace to view Glinda The Good Witch this way: she has the power of popping in and out to deliver condescending know-it-all exposition, plus the magic to deus ex machina problems away – what, exactly, is she doing when our heroes succumb to the poppies? – and folks now delight in speculating about the real reason she doesn’t tell Dorothy about the whole click-heels-all-along bit until after cheerily railroading our heroine into a life-or-death problem-solving quest.
I’ve watched it all on DVD recently and the show was inconsistent on this point (as on a lot of others too). Maurice is generally seen to be the more powerful of the two and does bully Endora and some other witches once when they tried to take little Tabitha away from her parents. In other episodes, he tries to bully her with his supposedly superior powers and she isn’t at all intimidated, implying that he isn’t that great a warlock anymore. “You’re getting older, dear.”
Anyway, I was going to say that many of Sam’s relatives are Q-like in their powers and trickster characterization.
The phrase “Ectoplasmic Interlocutory” comes to mind as the term Endora used to describe the legal status of their marriage.
Mephistopheles in any version of the Faust story.
From Marvel- The Impossible Man is far closer to Q than the other cosmics.
He’s playful and annoying like Q and is obsessed with Earth heroes --especially the Fantastic Four like the way Q is obsessed with Picard.
The Druidcraft tarot cards have characters that bear a strong resemblance to Q though the King of Cups looks more like Dr. Phil.
It’s a good thread…
The Fair Folk in NW European folklore are very Q-like in both power and behavior.
Earl from Saving Grace, an actual angel with a good ol’ boy personality.
{emphasis added}
Hardly a fair comparison, since “poor” Elmer (and others, such as Wile E. Coyote) come after Bugs, who would seem to prefer to be left alone to contemplate life and enjoy carrots. You may as well say that Popeye, who gets his virtual omnipotence * mainly from Spinach is a “trickster” to Bluto/Brutus and to the weird space aliens who once experimented on him.
ETA:
He also was able to reverse something that was vaguely being made mostly invisible, mostly intangible, or mostly destroyed by a ray.
Well, I got it, Bryan Ekers.
And to the cornfield for the rest who didn’t get it.
Trelane is considered an adolescent Q in Q-Squared.
Just barely missed the cornfield.