The wedding of Captain Jean-Luc Picard to Doctor Beverly Crusher was a small, private affair overseen by the mayor of La Barre, France, and witnessed by the groom’s sister-in-law and the mayor’s wife. At least that’s what the happy couple always told their friends. On the anniversary of that blessed day, however, Worf and Geordi La Forge manage to coax the real story out of the pair, to discover a tale of mythical treasure and a lost civilization in the Delta Quadrant. It all begins when the omnipotent being Q crashes the festivities, declaring himself best man and bringing along an unwilling guest as a surprise for the groom…

All right so previously I've only really read Deep Space Nine fiction. That's the series I love, has the characters I love and by in large the conflicts I care more about. I cut my teeth on The Next Generation crew however--I was a diehard Troi/Riker fan, I wanted Data to be my tutor, Geordi to be my teacher and Jean-Luc to teach me to read (and drink tea - actually his being French and being so British was really confusing to me as a kid).

That said Q, and to a degree Vash, were part of why I watched TNG. And I'll admit they did not work on DS9 - John de Lancie and Patrick Stewart had such a wonderful bantering bromance that it was almost painful to see Q try that with Sisko (Avery Brooks).

So this, which is a culmination of so many decades and movies and books worth of relationship building (world's longest courtship ever), was practically perfect. Full of Q's antics, backhanded compliments, ridiculous displays of narcissistic affection and as always he knew just how to rile Picard up. 'Cause let's face it, who would be a better Best Man then Q?

I will say that in some ways Picard and Crusher came off much more youthful seeming then I remember them being exactly (especially given the last TNG movie). Having not read the canonical book continuations, and only barely keeping abreast of their lives as part of the various serials I do follow (DS9, Titan, Corps of Engineers, Voyager...) I'm not entirely sure how much older they are vs. their last "on screen" appearance.

But oh the fun! Crusher got to show off her smarts sans all that flashy equipment the future has, Picard got to be Archeological Man, Vash got to be quipy, Q got to be (badly) flirtatious and hey no one dies in the end! What more could a person want in a bachelor's party? (Don't ask Worf, he was rather disgruntled by Picard's "passionless" ceremony to Crusher).

Though now *I* want to know more about the Treasure of the Ancients. And maybe follow Vash on her adventures. Since she seems to have so many of them (wonder what she was doing during all the recent wars/invasions/serious crises?)