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Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) finds herself facing both the issues and the images of the pre-abolition American South in this episode of the popular sci-fi television series Star Trek: Voyager. As a series of supernovas rock the galaxy, Janeway is visited by an alien named Q (John de Lancie) who has a most unusual request to make of the captain -- he'd like her to be the mother of his child. Janeway is not interested, but wants to know what has prompted this offer. Q and Janeway travel to the Q Continuum, where she discovers the dress and behavior are quite similar to that of the South during the Civil War. The Q are also divided against one another over individual rights, and Q is convinced the only answer is to combine the compassion of humans with the gifts of the Q. However, Janeway's support of Q and his followers has dangerous consequences for the captain and her crew. Star Trek: Voyager 53: The Q and the Grey was first aired on November 27, 1996.