One of the iconic Bond characters missing from the Daniel Craig era is Q. But in Sam Mendes‘ Skyfall Q makes his return – and here’s our first look. Ben Whishaw picks up the reins as Bond’s supplier of gadgetry, reuniting himself with his Layer Cake co-star Craig.

Q stands for ‘Quartermaster’ and he is the head of the fictional British Secret Service research and development division. This long-standing Bond character was most famously played by Desmond Llewelyn (1963-1999) – and more recently by John Cleese (1999-2002). The Skyfall team have decided this incarnation of Q should be decidedly younger than his predecessors – but he definitely still looks like he belongs in R&D. It is just me or does this Q look remarkably like Jake from TV’s Jake 2.0?

So do you think this youthful spark enhances the new Bond era?

In Skyfall, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Directed by Sam Mendes, the film stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Helen McCrory, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Albert Finney and Berenice Marlohe.

Skyfall hits New Zealand screens on November 22, 2012.