‘Skyfall’ clip: Bond meets Q

A new clip from James Bond's forthcoming big screen adventure "Skyfall" debuted exclusively on Yahoo! Movies this week. In the clip, 007 meets with his new Quartermaster (played by Ben Whishaw) at London's National Gallery. If you'd ever wondered what the q in "Q" stood for, now you know.

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A rather grizzled-looking Bond (Daniel Craig) and the still wet-behind-the-ears Q sit and admire J. M. W. Turner's painting "The Fighting Temeraire" while exchanging introductions. The symbolism of the famous painting — which depicts the great warship Termeraire being towed off for scrap — is not lost on the secret agent, who appears to be going through a mid-life crisis of sorts in "Skyfall."

Watch the new "Skyfall" clip entitled "Quartermaster" below.

Whishaw's Q is certainly a departure from the previous incarnations of the character. MI6's master of gadgets and weaponry was a staple of the series until 2002's "Die Another Day," and was always portrayed by older actors. The 32-year-old Whishaw's appearance in "Skyfall" marks not only the debut of the Q character in a Craig 007 film, but also makes him the youngest incarnation of the character to date.

The most famous on-screen Q was undoubtedly the late Welsh actor Desmond Llewelyn. Llewelyn portrayed the recurring Bond ally in 17 movies (outlasting every 007 actor) before passing the torch to "Monty Python" alum John Cleese in 1999's "The World is Not Enough." Cleese played the role in two films and four Bond video games. It's a shame that Cleese didn't get another go at the character, but the need for a clean break with the campier Pierce Brosnan Bond era is well understood.

See also: 'Skyfall' shows the true face of new Bond girl Naomie Harris

Whishaw's turn in "Skyfall" will cap off an extremely successful year for the actor. The star of the acclaimed BBC series "The Hour" also has a major role in the upcoming science fiction drama "Cloud Atlas — one of the year's most anticipated films, along with the new Bond. The arrival of the two films in theatres at virtually the same time is sure to give the young English actor a major career boost.

"Skyfall" blasts into theatres on Nov. 9.