Although Q himself retains a strong fascination with one Jean-Luc Picard, the captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D was not the only member of the ship's crew to garner the attention of the Q Continuum. During a rescue mission to Quadra Sigma in order to aid a colony in danger, Commander William Riker was put to the test and offered a "gift beyond gifts" - the chance to ascend beyond the limits of his own mortality, obtain godlike powers and become a member of the Q Continuum. In order to ascertain his worthiness of joining the ranks of his species, Q saw fit to adopt the guise of a 19th Century Marshal of France while forcing Commander Riker and his crew to engage in a game of survival. Stranded on a barren landscape, Riker and his colleagues were tasked with surviving an onslaught of Napoleonic soldiers. After being temporarily granted the powers on offer by the Q Continuum, Commander Riker would use these newfound abilities to return his crew to the Enterprise and save them from further danger. Following a power struggle between Q and Riker, the motivations for targeting the commander would subsequently be revealed. Believing that humanity retained the potential to evolve and surpass even their own powers, the Q Continuum wished to enlist Commander Riker in order to study humanity and understand its compulsion for growth. Although Riker would ultimately not become a member of the Q Continuum, their fascination with humanity would continue throughout the subsequent years.