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riddles >> what happened >> Q
(Message started by: alien2 on Mar 16th, 2010, 12:26pm)

Title: Q
Post by alien2 on Mar 16th, 2010, 12:26pm
Q is omnipotent. He visited star ship Enterprise several times, usually causing them problems. He visits again the captain of the Enterprise Jean-Luc Picard in his quarters. He tells him that he would like to be a member of his crew. But since he knows that captain doesn't like him, and he likes to test Picard, he continues - If I complete a task chosen by you, mon capitaine, I'll be your first officer for some time. The only limitation is that you cannot give me a task that lasts more than 24 hours. You only dislike me. There are others who truly despise me. You could benefit from having such a powerful entity like me on your side. There's nothing I can't do. I can make the universe disappear and then bring it back within blink of an eye. If you refuse to play this little game, I'll take Enterprise to the Delta Quadrant right into the heart of the vast Borg territory. I give you one day to think about it. - What task could captain give him so that Q doesn't become his officer?

Title: Re: Q
Post by Three Hands on Mar 16th, 2010, 3:34pm
[hide]Give Q the task of ensuring that Q never becomes Captain Picard's First Officer. Might cause the universe to frown at the paradox, but hey...[/hide]

Of course, if Q is truly omnipotent, there's no way to prevent him from becoming whatever he wishes to become... ::)

Title: Re: Q
Post by pex on Mar 16th, 2010, 4:11pm
Yeah, the first thing that came to my mind was to ask Q to [hide]commit suicide[/hide], resulting in a similar paradox.

[edit][hide]Killing Picard[/hide] seems to work, though.[/edit]

Title: Re: Q
Post by Grimbal on Mar 17th, 2010, 3:15am
[hide] Ask Q to defeat Chuck Norris [/hide]

Title: Re: Q
Post by ephyzy on Mar 24th, 2010, 10:35pm
Tell Q to

[hide]transfer every aspect of his omnipotence to Jean-Luc Picard. If he succeeds within 24 hours, Jean-Luc can go back on his word and Q will be powerless to cause trouble. If he fails, all well and good.[/hide]

Title: Re: Q
Post by Whiskey Tango Foxtrot on Mar 27th, 2010, 11:54am
Give Q the task of [hide]coming up with a task he is not able to complete.  If Q is omnipotent, there is no such task.[/hide]

Title: Re: Q
Post by Grimbal on Mar 29th, 2010, 2:12am
He could refuse to play and start computing an escape route from the Borg territory through hyperspace.

But really, he can defeat Q by pure logic by proving that an omnipotent being cannot exist.

Title: Re: Q
Post by towr on Mar 31st, 2010, 12:46am

on 03/29/10 at 02:12:39, Grimbal wrote:
But really, he can defeat Q by pure logic by proving that an omnipotent being cannot exist.
That depends on how you define omnipotent. There is nothing logically inconsistent about the powers Q displays, and there isn't a physical limit to them either.

Title: Re: Q
Post by alien2 on Jan 13th, 2011, 6:39am
Interesting ideas all.



Tell Q to create a stone so heavy that even he could not lift it. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnipotence_paradox)

Title: Re: Q
Post by JiNbOtAk on Jan 27th, 2011, 10:53pm
Of course, when you put it like that, you could replace <stone> with any other object that you fancy.

I remember the first time I read this riddle, I misread the first part as : "Q is impotent." Now, that would have been interesting.  :P



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