“I never joke about my work, 007.”
-Q in Goldfinger
Q, short for “Quartermaster”, is a long-standing character in the Bond franchise. Like M, Q is a title rather than a singular person. Q is further complicated to pinpoint to one person due to the fact that the original novels remain ambiguous when mentioning him (or her…or possibly it…but we’ll get into this later). The Q featured in a large majority of the films is a hybrid between the Q mentioned in the books and the MI6 armorer Major Boothroyd, who makes a single appearance in Ian Fleming’s Doctor No. However, the position has since been filled by others, both in the novels and films.
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Origin and Background
Geoffrey Boothryod in The Guns of James Bond
The character most commonly known as “Q” has evolved in a way that is unique from any other character in the Bond series. Q actually isn’t necessarily a person in Ian Fleming’s novels, but rather a department. Q branch was mentioned in the first novel, Casino Royale, as well as many subsequent novels. M (among others) often abbreviates it to Q, as in, “See Q for any equipment you need.” This reference is a bit ambiguous as to who or what he’s actually referring to. It is unconfirmed as to whether it is in reference to an actual person with the title of “Quartermaster,” or the branch itself. Regardless, the Q branch featured in both the novels and films is the research and development department of MI6 that equips Bond with a variety of weapons, vehicles, documents, gadgets, and so forth. The continuation novels follow the example set forth by the films with an actual person running the branch. John Gardner’s early novels introduced a character named Ann Reilly, nicknamed Q’ute, who also serves as a minor love interest of Bond’s. Her character quickly disappeared from the series and in an attempt to reflect the films, Major Boothroyd was once again in charge once Raymond Benson became the officially sanctioned James Bond author. The 2011 novel Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver introduced a brand new Q in the form of Sanu Hirani, an original character whose only appearance is in said novel. While no actual character known as Q was featured in William Boyd’s 2013 novel Solo, Bond does visit with a member of Q branch named Quentin Dale, who serves as a Q-like character in that he supplies him with a shaving kit full of sleeping potions while explaining the technical side of things.
Major Boothroyd
Desmond Llewelyn surrounded by a few of the iconic (and not so iconic) gadgets
Throughout the course of the early Ian Fleming novels, James Bond’s standard issue weapon was a .25 calibre Beretta 418. Geoffrey Boothroyd, an amateur arms expert and self-proclaimed Bond fan, later wrote Fleming to express his dismay at Bond’s choice of weapons, claiming the Beretta is better suited for a lady, and not a very nice lady at that! He suggested a list of alternatives and after back-and-forth correspondence, he and Fleming chose to equip Bond with the now iconic Walther PPK. Fleming later named Bond’s armorer in the books after the real Boothroyd, and placed him in the novel to persuade Bond to change guns, echoing the events in real life.
Major Boothroyd introduces 007 to his Walther PPK in Dr. No
Coincidentally, the first official James Bond film happened to be based on the book that Major Boothroyd appears in. Peter Burton played the character in Dr. No. When production began a year later on From Russia with Love, the Major Boothroyd character was included to provide 007 with his gadget-laden attache case. Burton was unable to return, and Desmond Llewelyn was cast in his place. This launched the beginning of an icon. Llewelyn went on to appear in 17 Bond films as the beloved gadget master. His first appearance is rather uneventful and it wasn’t until the following film, Goldfinger, that his trademark personality and laboratory were established as he introduced James Bond to the classic Aston Martin DB5. It is in this film that the character merges with Q branch and he is subsequently referred to as Q rather than Major Boothroyd (with one exception in The Spy Who Loved Me).
Throughout the series, Q served more as a gadget master and technology wizard than an armorer, supplying Bond with a variety of reliable and often far-fetched gadgets to use in the field. He typically scoffs at Bond for what he views as reckless behavior and mistreatment of his valuable gadgets, which usually end up getting destroyed. Q branch is normally portrayed as a laboratory full of activity and a variety of even more ridiculous gadgets that are shown in the background whenever Bond pays a visit. The laboratory itself is often portable, as we have seen Q take his entire entourage to the field to assist in the mission. However, with as many times as this has happened, Desmond Llewelyn rarely had the opportunity to film on-location, and finally payed a large role in on-location filming during Licence to Kill, in which his character played a more central purpose than in any other film.
Incredibly touching tribute to Desmond Llewelyn as Q
With the exception of 1973’s Live and Let Die, Desmond Llewelyn made an appearance in every Bond film from his initial casting until The World is Not Enough in 1999. He was tragically killed in a car accident shortly after the film’s release. His absence left an irreplaceable void in the series, and there will likely never be another actor as long-tenured or universally beloved.
Q visits Bond in Central America in Licence to Kill
R
The 2nd (but kind of 3rd) Q
Major Boothroyd’s [mercifully] short-lived replacement, played by John Cleese, first appeared as an assistant in The World is Not Enough. It is unclear as to whether or not his actual title is R, or if that is just what James Bond calls him in reference to the fact that he is serving as Q’s helper. It is clear upon his introduction that R is extremely clumsy.
In the subsequent film, Die Another Day, he has been promoted to Quartermaster and is solely responsible for issuing Bond’s gadgetry. Bond is initially skeptical of his promotion and acts very cool toward him. But after a much more ludicrous and parody-ridden jaunt through Q-lab than usual, he affectionately calls him Q.
Fortunately for the films and their audiences, the character was discarded after only two film appearances (and a handful of video games) to make way for the series reboot.
Q’s painfully stupid briefing in Die Another Day
Q
Q shows us why he shouldn’t be in charge of MI6 security in Skyfall
The third incarnation of Q in the film series (and fourth actor to play him) is, at this point, only known by his title. After a two film absence, the MI6 Quartermaster returned in the 2012 film Skyfall. Played by Ben Whishaw, this Q is much younger and more tech-savvy than his predecessors, spending the majority of the film building and maintaining computer security systems.
In a nod to the original conception of the character, Q is first seen issuing Bond his standard Walther PPK with a coded palm print reader, as well as a small radio. Additionally, he mockingly references some of the past ridiculousness of the film’s gadgets, specifically citing the pen grenade from GoldenEye.
Honestly, this is the best way to approach the character for future installments. There is no point in re-creating what Desmond Llewelyn did (they tried that with John Cleese, which didn’t work). Q’s altered persona and role also better reflects the times we live in, thus updating the films while staying true to an important part of the Bond formula.
Q makes a welcome return in SPECTRE, which marks the first time we see this version of the character in his lab, which is in a much more secretive location than it has been in the past. We don’t learn much more about him, other than the fact that he owns cats. His briefing is reminiscient of Q scenes of yore, providing him with an explosive watch and [inadvertently] the new Aston Martin DB10 with a few optional extras. He even visits the field to assist Bond during the course of the film.
Bond and Q engage in art theory
The Other Fellas
Q (Casino Royale)
The spoof version of Q, played by Geoffrey Bayldon in the 1967 version of Casino Royale, is briefly shown providing gadgets not for the actual James Bond, but rather for Evelyn Tremble before he sets out to pretend to be Bond.
Honestly, I don’t even remember the character making an appearance in this film. I guess that shows how memorable he actually was…
“Q Algy”
The 1983 rogue Bond film Never Say Never Again came with its own version of Q, played by Alec McCowan, who was mainly meant to reflect the one of the official series. For some unexplained reason, James Bond refers to him not just as Q, but also as Algernon or shortened to Algy (likely because it’s supposed to be his real name).
Q’s personality in this film is unique, however, in that he shows no disdain for Bond and actually expresses gratitude that he has come out of retirement for this assignment. I thought this was a highlight of the film. He serves as a refreshing antithesis to the extremely lame M featured in the same movie.
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Copyright © 2014-2016 by Peter Nordgren
