Editing Q (James Bond) (section)

==Novels==
The character Q never appears in the novels by the author [[Ian Fleming]], where Q and the Q Branch are only mentioned;<ref name="Griswold (2006)">{{Cite book|last=Griswold|first=John|title= Ian Fleming's James Bond: Annotations And Chronologies for Ian Fleming's Bond Stories |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uariyzldrJwC&q=Ian%20Fleming's%20James%20Bond%3A%20Annotations%20And%20Chronologies%20For%20Ian%20Fleming's%20Bond%20Stories&pg=PA2|publisher=[[AuthorHouse]]|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4259-3100-1|pages=25–26}}</ref> however, Q does appear in the novelisations by [[Christopher Wood (writer)|Christopher Wood]] as well as the later novels by [[John Gardner (British writer)|John Gardner]] and [[Raymond Benson]], who adopted Eon's decision to combine the character with '''Major Boothroyd''', the armourer from ''[[Dr. No (novel)|Dr. No]]''.

In John Gardner's novels, the post of Q is taken over by Ann Reilly (called Q'ute by her colleagues). She also forms a relationship with [[James Bond (literary character)|James Bond]]. It is supposed that she held the post for a short while only, because Raymond Benson's novels return Boothroyd to the post without explanation. [[Jeffery Deaver|Jeffrey Deaver]]'s ''[[Carte Blanche (novel)|Carte Blanche]]'' introduces the character Sanu Hirani, who is referred to as 'Q' in that novel.

[[Charles Fraser-Smith]] is widely credited as the inspiration for Q<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13918865.300-review-careful-carruthers-that-paper-clip-is-loaded-.html |title=Careful Carruthers That Paper Clip Is Loaded |magazine=[[New Scientist]]|date=14 August 1993 |access-date=2 May 2012}}</ref> due to the spy gadgets he built for the [[Special Operations Executive]]. These were called Q-devices, after the [[Royal Navy]]'s [[World War I]] [[Q-ship]]s. In the Fleming novels there are frequent references to Q and Q Branch with phrases like "see Q for any equipment you need" (''[[Casino Royale (novel)|Casino Royale]]'') and "Q Branch would handle all of that" (''[[Diamonds Are Forever (novel)|Diamonds Are Forever]]''), with a reference to "Q's craftsmen" in ''[[From Russia, with Love (novel)|From Russia, with Love]]''.

===Major Boothroyd===
In the sixth novel, ''Dr. No'', the service [[armourer]] Major Boothroyd appears for the first time. Fleming named the character after [[Geoffrey Boothroyd]], a firearms expert who lived in [[Glasgow]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Macintyre|first=Ben|author-link=Ben Macintyre|title=Was Ian Fleming the real 007?|newspaper=The Times|date=5 April 2008|url = http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3652410.ece|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080718204646/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3652410.ece|url-status = dead|archive-date = July 18, 2008|access-date=8 April 2008}}</ref> who had written to the novelist suggesting that Bond was not using the best firearms available.

===Ann Reilly===
Boothroyd is also referenced occasionally in the Bond novels of John Gardner, but the author preferred instead to focus on a new character, Ann Reilly, who is introduced in the first Gardner novel, ''[[Licence Renewed]]'', and promptly dubbed "Q'ute" by Bond.

=== Kim Sherwood novels ===
Q is a quantum computer in the ''Double 00 Trilogy'' by Kim Sherwood.