Guinan is an El – Orean, they are a race of listeners who were all but wiped out by the Borg. They live scattered across the galaxy light-years from each other, each of them live for a couple hundred years, maybe more, it isn’t ever stated. But it is said that one of Guinan’s children was bad at listening and they grew out of it “in a hundred years or so”. Guinan lived on Earth around the time Mark Twain and Jack London in the 19th century. She met Captain Picard while he and the others took a trip to the past (have these timeline rules come into effect yet or not?).

Season two

26 – The Child

She makes her first entrance in this episode as the hostess of Ten Forward.

29 - The Outrageous Okana

Guinan spends this episode trying to teach Data to laugh. This proves to be harder than it sounds.

34 – The Measure of a Man

Here Guinan is helping to defend Data’s rights. She says that if Data is to be deemed the property of Starfleet, then it would be as bad as slavery, dozens of “Data’s” could be made, denied their “human” rights and used as slaves.

35 – The Dauphin

Wesley wants to learn how to charm a girl, so who does he go to talk to? Riker. Who then acts out a date with Guinan.

41 – Q Who?

It seems Q and Guinan met 200 years ago, and were hoping never to meet again.

Season Three

48 - Evolution

Here is where she talks about here family, more than one marriage, and a lot of children

53 – Booby Trap

Perhaps here the first reference to having met Picard before, she says she is attracted to bald men, because one took care of her, a long time ago. She may have met Picard when they were in the 19th century

60 – Déjà Q

We again get the idea that Guinan doesn’t like Q, the fork stabbing is a bit of a give away. Q is claiming to be human, and to test his sincerity, Guinan picks up a fork and stabs it into the back of his hand. She also seems to find it quite amusing when the Calamarain decide to torture him for a change, “How the mighty have fallen” she says.

62 – Yesterday’s Enterprise

What would the Enterprise do without her. Somehow her El – Orean physiology lets her remember events even after the Enterprise is thrown into the wrong timeline.

63 – The Offspring

Data has created a daughter for himself, Lal, Guinan gives here a job

68 – Hollow Pursuits

She talks more about her family, her Uncle Terkin this time.

73 –The Best of Both Worlds 1

She spends most of this episode advising Picard

Season Four

74-The Best of Both Worlds 2

Riker doesn’t appreciate her advice quite as much as Picard does. But she tries anyway

75 -Family

Guinan talks to Worf’s human parents. About his love of prune juice, and how people come and stare out the window in search of that little star that they call home.

83 – The Loss

When Troi loses her empathic abilities, Guinan tries to help her see she is needed, by pretending she wants to be ship’s counsellor if Deanna quits. Troi says that councelling is a lot more than just listening to people who come into Ten Forward.

89-Galaxy’s Child

Talks to Geordi, about Leah Brahms and how she may not be like the holographic one.

98 – In Theory

Guinan creates a new drink out of, Saurian Brandy, Targ milk and Denesian milk.

99 -Redemption 1

Guinan reckons she can make Worf laugh!

Season Five

100 - Redemption 2

Guinan has to explain to Picard how Tasha has had a half Romulan daughter, who is about as old as she would have been. Guinan says that Picard sent her into the past (Yesterday’s Enterprise)

102 –Ensign Ro

Guinan tells Picard to trust Ro, who really dislikes Guinan trying to counsel her.

122 – I, Borg

Hugh, the Borg that Crusher rescued. It isn’t surprising that Guinan doesn’t like the idea, her people were almost wiped out by his race. But after talking to him, it is her that convinces Picard not to use Hugh to commit genocide.

125 and 126 – Times Arrow 1 and 2

The relationship between Picard and Guinan is explained in these episodes

Season Six

132 - Rascals

Guinan becomes a child in a transpoter accident, along with Ro, Picard and Keiko O’Brien. She seems to like the idea of being a child again!

147 -Suspicions

This time it is the Doctor that she is counselling.

Guinan is the character who has Data’s down to Earth side, yet also something similar to Q almost in her not quite being human. She is the one everyone trusts but they don’t really know why.