Live and Let Die daringly broke a notorious James Bond trend for actor Roger Moore's first Bond entry. Though he was referenced, the character Q did not appear during the film, nor did Desmond Llewelyn return until Moore's next film The Man With The Golden Gun. Llewelyn had a career-related excuse for not reprising his role, but the creators of Live and Let Die also cited a creative reason for keeping Q out of Moore's Bond debut.
Roger Moore's first James Bond film Live and Let Die premiered in 1973. He took on the role of Agent 007 after Sean Connery and George Lazenby's respective eras, though Connery returned to play bond in Irvin Kershner's Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again. James Bond's iconic gadget-maker Q was famously left out of Live and Let Die despite being mentioned by name. Guy Hamilton's adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel of the same name was the first and only Bond film not to include Q until Daniel Craig's era - with the gadgetry mastermind not showing up in either Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace.
Even though Q was absent from Live and Let Die, he still had a significant presence in the movie. The opening scene with Roger Moore revealed new gadgets Bond would later weaponize against Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big. One of those gadgets was a highly magnetized wrist watch which was claimed to have been made and repaired by Q. Despite 007's excessive use of the gadgets Q supplied him with, this was the only scene in Live and Let Die where Q is even mentioned. There are two major reasons why Q wasn't in the Bond film. Primarily, Q's actor Desmond Llewelyn did not have time in his schedule to return because he was filming the TV series Follyfoot. Furthermore, the producers for Moore's Bond debut reportedly stated "too much was being made of the films' gadgets" in the franchise. Llewelyn believed downplaying Bonds' gadgets was a poor idea for Agent 007's ongoing saga, but Live and Let Die's production pressed on regardless.
Why Q Wasn't In Live & Let Die (& Why He Returned Later)
Desmond Llewelyn's hunch regarding why it was a bad idea to downplay the gadgets in James Bond ended up being validated when Live and Let Die received extreme backlash for cutting Q's part. The head of MI6's technical department was then regarded as an indispensable fan favorite. With a plot still hinging on Bond's gadgets, Live and Let Die proved Q can never be removed from 007's story altogether. He is integral to James Bond's action-packed journey. Due to the backlash, Q was permanently brought back to the series until the character was again absent in Daniel Craig's debut Bond film Casino Royale. Craig was reportedly unhappy with Q's removal in his era, so Ben Wishaw was cast in the role for Craig's third film Skyfall.
It is fortunate that the James Bond trend Live and Let Die broke did not last long; because Q making an appearance in every installment is not only a staple of the franchise but fundamental for setting up each movie's action. Q is Bond's most vital counterpart since, without him, 007 would have no gimmick to stand out. Live and Let Die was the first James Bond film not to feature Q and may have influenced Daniel Craig's era to break the trend again - but it must be said that Bond is undeniably better when backed up by MI6's Quartermaster.