Born in 2373, Q2 was the product of the first mating between two Q — Q and a Q female. The duo hoped that their child would bring peace to the fractious Q Continuum. Q asked Captain Janeway to be the boy's godmother.

As an adolescent, the young Q proved himself to be quite a troublemaker — so much so that his father stripped him of his powers and left him on Voyager for a week, hoping that Janeway's "Starfleet ideals" would rub off on the boy. Eventually, Q2 actually began to enjoy life on the ship, and even befriended crewmember Icheb. Though Q2 passed his father's test, the Continuum did not believe he had made sufficient progress, and insisted that he stay human. Q, however, made a plea for his son, and the Continuum agreed to accept Q2 back into the fold, provided Q met one condition — eternal custody of the child.