Q, the quartermaster of the British Secret Service (MI6), is one of the James Bond franchise's most consistent supporting characters. Portrayed by different actors over the years, Q has always made sure to supply Bond with the best gadgets and also joke around withthe agent from time to time. As a result, their dialogueis everspectacular.
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Q is often at his conversational best when he is instructing Bond how to operate the gadgets he is giving him. He also argues with Bond frequently since the MI6 agent never understands the effort that the quartermaster puts into his work. On occasion, Q takes a break from bantering with Bond to engage other characters too.
"Need I Remind You, 007, That You Have A License To Kill, Not To Break The Traffic Laws."
As Q explains theBMW Agile 54's features to Bond in Goldeneye, he notices that the agent is a bit too excited. Knowing 007 will be cruising through highways at top speed, he reminds him that the agencywont help him if he gets in trouble for breakingtraffic laws.
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Judging from its incredible features such as the self-destruct mode and stinger missiles on the headlights, the BMW Agile could count as one of the best cars Bond has driven. It's thus understandable that Bond would act like a kid with a Christmas present upon seeing it. It's alsobaffling that the MI6 doesn't protect its agents from getting traffic tickets since high-speed chases are often necessary for their line of work.
"007 On An Island Populated Exclusively By Women? We Won’t See Him Till Dawn."
In Octopussy,Bond infiltrates the"Floating Palace," — a luxurious Indian island palace populated only by women — but he goes radio-silent for a while. Vijay, his contact in India, asks Q whether Bond is still on the island and the quartermaster is pretty sure that he hasn't gone anywhere.
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No Time To Die might have discarded the trope of Bond being a womanizer but all the previous movies are heavy on it. All of Bond's colleagues are not only aware of his love for women but also his penchant for mixing work with pleasure. They never worry about it since a one-night-stands never prevent him from getting the job done. On this occasion, Q advises giving Bond space till morning because he knows what the agent is up to.
"I Can Do More Damage On My Laptop Sitting In My Pajamas Before My First Cup Of Earl Grey Than You Can Do In A Year In The Field."
In Skyfall, Bond isn't impressed when the new Q only gives him a thumbprint-sized distress transmitter. He questions whether he is qualified enough and Q has the perfect way to assure him that he is.
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The previous Qs were highly generous when it comes to supplying Bond with gadgets. As a result, he has become a little spoiled and entitled. His frustration upon only being given a tiny transmitter makes sense. What he fails to understand is that the much younger Q knows how to get much work done with very little resources.
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"Don’t Touch That! That’s My Lunch."
Bond picks up Q's sandwich at the MI6 offices in Goldeneye and begins studying it like it's a gadget. The elderly tech guru requests him to put it down because it's not what he thinks it is.
From pens to watches, Q always manages to turn the most common of items into weapons. This has made Bond aware that not everything is as it seems. Even a sandwich could explode. This time though, he is overthinking. No lasers are about to come out of the sandwich. It's just Q's lunch.
"I Answer Directly To M. I Also Have A Mortgage. And Two Cats To Feed."
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Q is skeptical about helping Bond and Swann when they come to him seeking information about the assassin Sciarra's mysterious ring in Spectre. He knows he'll be breaking the rules by helping the two lovers so he makes it clear who his boss is and that he can't afford to lose his job at this particular time. Nevertheless, he still helps them.
Q is right to be worried about his job. Bond has a tendency to put his colleagues in trouble yet he always escapes punishment because he is the agency's golden boy. Others aren't always so lucky. He might air out his concerns all day but Q also knows that saying no to Bond is one of the few impossible things in the universe.
"Explosive Alarm Clock, Guaranteed Never To Wake Up Anybody Who Uses It."
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Bond goes on a revenge mission in License To Kill when Sanchez kills the wife of his CIA buddy, Felix. The unsanctioned murders he commits make the MI6 fire him but while he is his own man, Q offers to help him. One of the gadgets he gives Bond is an explosive alarm clock.
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The gadget itself is interesting and so is Q's choice of words. Normally, alarm clocks are meant to wake up people but this one will do the opposite by blowing up the owner in their sleep. It's a shame that Bond doesn't actually get to use the clock throughout the film. He is literally spoilt for choice as he also has explosive toothpaste.
"You're Not Here To Think. You're Here To Do What I Tell You."
In The World Is Not Enough, Q's assistant, R, gives a summary of the BMW Z8, one of the most expensive cars in the Bond franchise. When he is asked a question, R takes time to think, something that angers Q.
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Q is never known to be the harsh boss so it's a bit unlike him to give R a dressing down. However, he takes his work very seriously and that explains why R's insouciant attitude makes him angry. Nevertheless, the Z8 serves Bond well before it gets sliced in half by a helicopter equipped with giant saws.
"Frequently."
Upon noticing that Bond isn't paying attention as he is explaining how to use gadgets in The Spy Who Loved Me, Qyells at the agent, demanding that he focus. Bond assures him he'll be fine and asks him if he has ever let him down. Well, Q has the perfect one-word answer.
Bond has destroyed just about every gadget Q has ever given him so "frequently" would be an ideal word to describe how often the MI6 agent messes with technology. Bond's poor handling of gadgets has obviously cost the agency millions of dollars but even though that's taxpayer's money, it isn't a major concern in this fictional world.
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"Better Than Looking Cleverer Than You Are."
Bond mentions that the new Q doesn't look as clever as he is in Die Another Die. Q, agrees, adding that it's much better that way than for one to appear intelligent only for them to turn out foolish.
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Q is not only making a remark about intelligence and appearances but also taking a subtle dig at Bond, who he figures isn't that smart. On occasion, the two have enjoyed throwing shady burns each other's way since they don't value each other's work. Q feels that field agents are nothing but reckless brutes while Bond feels that techies are boring.
"The Psi! The, Er, Trident Thingy..."
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With his appearance inNo Time To Die, Q becomes 3rd among the characters with the most appearances in the James Bond franchise. He has a couple of memorable scenes, including one where he and M are monitoring Bond's movement.M can't help but wonder which symbol and the screen show Bond's movement. He asks Q, who mentions that Bond is the trident thingy.
As Q has previously stated, those with knowledge find it hard to explain it to others and that's the problem Q faces here. His technology is so complicated that he doesn't know where to start when explaining to someone in the same field. Despite M's difficulty in understanding the technology, he and Q manage to track Bond just fine.
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