Borg Collective
The Borg Collective is a civilisation that features in Star Trek.
Contents |
History
The Borg
At one point, they were similar to organics where they deemed themselves as being flawed, weak and pathetic until they evolved to include the synthetic. (Movie: First Contact) For thousands of centuries, the Borg had been developing as a cybernetic merger of biological and artificial life. (Episode: Q Who) Around 900 years ago, the Borg had only assimilated a handful of systems in the Delta Quadrant with them being known to the Vaadwaur race. (VOY: Dragon's Teeth)
The Think Tank were noted to had helped he citizens of Rivos Five resist the Borg in exchange for the recipe for their famous zoth-nut soup. (VOY: Think Tank)
Centuries ago, the Borg attacked the planet of the El-Aurians where they swarmed through the system and left the survivors scattered through space. (TNG: Q Who)
An official level of first contact came between the Borg Collective and the United Federation of Planets when the entity known as Q transported the USS Enterprise into the vicinty of a Borg Cube. The vessel tracked the Enterprise back to the Alpha Quadrant where it was responsible for assimilating Captain Jean-Luc Picard in order to use him as a speaker for the Collective. Using the knowledge of Picard, the Borg vessel was responsible for the disastrous Battle of Wolf 359 which brought about the destruction of numerous Starfleet vessels. The Borg Cube broke through the Terran system's defenses and arrived in orbit around Earth which would have assimilated the planet had the Enterprise crew not retrieved Picard and used his link with the Collective to destroy the Cube. (TNG: Best of Both Worlds)
On Stargate 50893.5, a single Borg Cube was dispatched with a Borg Queen on-board as part of a new attempt at assimilating Earth. Starfleet had assembled a fleet to combat the vessel but these suffered heavy casualties with the Admiral's ship being destroyed. It was only the intervention of the USS Enterprise was a coordinated assault made that destroyed the Cube but not before it launched a Sphere. The Borg Sphere travelled back in time to the year 2063 following World War III to stop First Contact with the Vulcans. The Enterprise had followed the Sphere back into the past to stop the attempted assimilation of the planet and restore the timeline. (ST: First Contact)
At some point, the Collective discovered the means of opening quantum singularities that served as an entrance into Fluidic Space which was the home dimension of Species 8472; a race that was believed to be the apex of biological evolution and that their assimilation would have greatly added to the Borg's perfection. However, this race proved to be immune to the Borg's assimilation tactics and responded violently whereupon they began invading the Delta Quadrant whereupon they began a systematic purge of Borg territory. Planets, starships and entire groups of Borg were killed during the short war. This ended when the USS Voyager made use of Borg nanoprobes as a weapon that forced Species 8472 to retreat back to their realm which ended the conflict though the Borg did not gain the necessary advantage over the extra-dimensional race. (VOY: Scorpion 1 & 2)
The Borg transwarp hub was destroyed when a version of Kathryn Janeway arrived from the future and infected the Borg Queen with a neurolytic pathogen. (VOY: Endgame)
The lone Cube came to be referred to as the Artifact where it remained derelict and in an inactive state. A treaty was made between the Federation and Romulan empire for study of the relic with this being overseen by the Borg Reclamation Project. Hugh became the Director of the Project where they looked to help save the Borg Drones by separating them from the Collective and restoring them to their former states. (PIC: The Impossible Box)
Overview
Physiology
In appearance, Borg were a race of cybernetic lifeforms with them being referred to as a species of enhanced humanoids. (Episode: Q Who) Though not entirely organic, like other cybernetic lifeforms the Borg were unable to survive without their organic half. (Movie: First Contact) If the implants were permanently removed then the Borg eventually died as their brains had grown dependent on the biochips. (TNG: I, Borg)
After a species has entered into the Borg Collective, they are outfitted with a number of cybernetic components and become Drones. (VOY: Drone)
Their bodies are outfitted with numerous cybernetic components which includes a black exoplating that covers their entire body. Implants are added typically over the eyes which enhance the vision of the drone. Furthermore, their arms are removed and replaced with cybernetic prothestics which are equipped with various tools from medical equipment to engineering devices depending on the drones purpose.
Medical repair drones had servo-armature cybernetics linked to their bodies. These implants contained a range of equipment such as laser scalpel, bio-medical scanner and micro-suture all rolled into one instrument. (VOY: Dark Frontier, Part 1)
One key component was the neuroprocessor that was present in every Borg that operated as a memory chip that contained all the instructions the drone received from the Collective. (Movie: First Contact) Neutral interlink frequencies were used to link the minds of Borg drones and registered as an energy signal on the lower subspace bands with an identifiable Borg signature. (VOY: Infinite Regress)
Another important implant was the proximity transmitter which activates and serves as a homing beacon for the Collective allowing them to retrieve lost drones. (VOY: Drone) In addition, every drone possesses it's on translink signature which can allow outsiders to communicate to a specific member within the Collective. (VOY: Dark Frontier)
Regeneration
When a person was assimilated at a young age, they are placed witin a maturation chamber until they reach the age of thirteen. (VOY: Collective) From that age on, the drone then makes use of an alcove which was specifically designed for the drone in question. (TNG: Q Who) Borg did not need to ingest food as their implants could synthesise any organic molecule that their biological tissues required with them instead needing energy. (TNG: I, Borg)
These alcoves are typicall situated in the corridors of a Borg vessel or a vessel that is being assimilated by the Collective. There are as many regeneration alcoves as there are are drones. When a newly assimilated vessel is taken by the Borg, alcoves are placed in whatever places that were available. (ST: First Contact)
If a drone was separated from the hive mind, it could be detected once again through the use of it's alcove. (VOY: Dark Frontier)
Culture
Assimilation
The process of assimilation is one of the most dread aspects of the Borg race. This is achieved through assimilation tubules located in the hands which are capable of firing two strands into a body which begin injecting Borg nanoprobes which begin a rapid process of assimilation. The process is quite evident as the persons skin begins to grow paler and mechanical components seem to be present on the body.
The first step in the assimilation process were injection tubules that emerged from the hands. These tubules were capable of penetrative any known alloy or energy field. Once inside the skin, they released a series of nanoprobes into the bloodstream. The first tissue that was attacked by the nanoprobes was the victims blood with assimilation being almost instantaneous where they took over the blood cell functions like a virus wit them bring efficient assimilators. An assimilation mechanism inside the nanoprobes was the recoding mechanism that governed it's functions. (VOY: Scorpion)
After this was accomplished, the newly assimilated organism was taken by Drones into the Hive where cybernetic components are added onto their bodies. They do this willingly as their minds have now been subsumed into the collective with their individuality lost among the sea of the Collective. (ST: First Contact)
While the Borg regularly made use of the standard mode of assimilation, they were practicing new methods to be deployed against highly resistant species. (VOY: Dark Frontier)
Hive Mind
Members of the Collective were not individuals but part of a singular mind with no single leader. The collective form of organization allowed for tremendous efficiency in action and deliberation. With each drone functioning separately according to its instructions, it could at any time be processing information, performing physical actions, or focusing its energy toward other collective goals. The vast resources thus presented to the collective organization allowed for simultaneous execution of a nearly infinite number of tasks as well as nearly limitless calculations. This in turn allowed the Borg to consider multiple courses of action before committing to any one course. The best example of this was the Borg ability to "adapt" nearly instantaneously to any type of attack or threat. By focusing its resources on the threat at hand all possible outcomes and responses could be explored within an extremely short period of time. The result was that the Borg were able to bring a tremendous amount of force, or computational power, to bear on any single problem and overwhelm any opposition by sheer volume of numbers. The collective state of organization also greatly decreased the chance of error that exists with the decision making of individuals or the conflicts of opinion that are a factor in hierarchical organizations. (TNG: Q Who)
Once a species has been assimilated, their thought processes were linked across a subspace network which forms a collective hive mind. Here there exists billions of voices that all act as one and exist in harmony with the sole intention of assimilating more species as well as seeking perfection. (VOY: Drone) Within a Borg ship, a drone lived with the thoughts of others in their mind with thousands of voices with them always. (TNG: I, Borg)
The sheer size of the collective mind is huge which was why secondary structures are present among the Borg which help regulate it. One such instrument is the Vinculum which lies at the heart of every Borg vessel which structured the hive mind by interconnecting each drone through a neural interlink frequency. (VOY: Infinite Regress)
While typically an unyielding and uncompromising entity that sought the assimilation of other races, the hive mind was capable of being reasoned with in times of danger. (VOY: Scorpion)
Natural phenomena such as powerful electrical storms could disrupt the link to the Collective. (Episode: Unity) A Borg could also experience traumatic physical damage that could cut them from the hive mind. (Episode: I Borg)
When severed, drones had secondary objectives that were listed in their command structure that governed the actions of the individual Borg over a length of time. (VOY: Survival Instinct) A Borg Queen could re-establish a severed drone's connection to the rest of the Collective though this could only happen at close proximity. (VOY: Unity)
As a species, the Borg were extremely computer dependent with system failures capable of destroying them. (TNG: I, Borg)
Perfection
The ultimate goal of the Borg Collective was achieving a state of flawless perfection and sharing that with other races. The lure of such an achievement is a powerful force and has an appeal to Borg drones with no memory of their former lives. (VOY: Drone)
The Borg believed that Species 8472 were the apex of biological evolution and that their assimilation would have greatly added to the Collective's own perfection. (VOY: Scorpion)
It was shown that they possessed a near-reverence for particle 010, which they considered to be an expression of perfection. The Collective's fascination with assimilating this molecule has been compared to a religion. (VOY: The Omega Directive)
Society
It was believed that Drones from different sub-units did not interact with one another unless they arrived to terminate a damaged Drone. (VOY: Dark Frontier) Drones that were seen as being damaged were not tolerated in the perfection of the Collective and were immediately destroyed. (VOY: Infinite Regress)
Upon establishing themselves at a site, the Borg moved to quickly create a hive that served as the central point for the Collective. (ST: First Contact) On some occasions, the Borg were known to assimilate specific individuals of a target culture and designate them as a speaker. This was an attempt at bridging the gap between the Collective and the target civilization. (TNG: Best of Both Worlds)
One of the highest authorities within the Collective was the Borg Queen. (Movie: First Contact) They were said to operate akin to a queen in an insect colony where they helped cooperate the activity of all the other drones. (VOY: Dark Frontier, Part 1) When assimilating a species, the Borg at times looked to assimilate a key figure that would facilitate their introduction into the target civilisation's society. These voices then spoke for the Borg in all communications and provided significant advantages against the target species. (TNG: Best of Both Worlds) The Borg Queen also spoke for the Collective, acting not as a mere liaison, but as a physical manifestation of the hive mind. The exact nature of her role is unclear. (Star Trek: First Contact)
The Borg were stated to be utterly without mercy or compassion with the needs of the group as a whole being considered and this utilitarian calculation of unrival Borg collective society almost always overriding any other considerations. (VOY: Scorpion)
The greatest advantage the Borg had was their ability to assimilate which meant what they could not assimilate resulted in them not being able to understand such targets. (VOY: Scorpion)
A recessive mutation existed among certain drones with one out of a million manifesting it that allowed them to retain their individuality. Thus, they operated as drones but still retained their personality and were hidden from the Collective. These drones came to form a splinter society within the Borg Collective where they manifested in a virtual plane they called Unimatrix Zero during regeneration sleep cycles. (VOY: Unimatrix Zero)
It was said that the Borg usually collected their dead. (TNG: I, Borg)
Technology
Nanoprobes were encoded to utilise any technology that they encountered. (VOY: Drone)
Within distribution nodes on their vessels, the Borg disseminated information such as tactical data. (Episode: Scorpion) Data nodes were used for the storage of information such as drone manifest, tactical information, long range sensor telemetry, assimilation logistics and vessel movements. (VOY: Dark Frontier, Part 1)
They utilised maturation chambers in order to force the growth of children assimilated into the Collective so that they could be matured into adults. (VOY: Drone)
Power distribution nodes were fixed on-board their vessels that were a kind of power wave guide conduits which allowed them to work collectively as they performed ship functions. (TNG: Best of Both Worlds) Each Borg vessel contained a central plexus that was a device that linked it to every other Collective ship. (VOY: Unimatrix Zero)
Interplexing Beacons were subspace transmitters that could be used by the Borg to send a message and connect to the rest of the Collective. (Movie: First Contact)
Borg technology allowed members of their society the ability to interface and function collectively. Similarly, it was believed that they had constructed their vessels with the same design philosophy. Ships were noted to possess a decentralised system with redundant power sources located throughout the vessel. This meant that any generator that was damaged or shut down had its role simply being taken over by another with no interruption or delay in power. Borg ships were said to be able to continue to function effectively even if 78% of it was inoperable. (TNG: Best of Both Worlds) A Sphere was designated as a long-range tactical vessel with transwarp capability and ablative hull armour. (VOY: Drone)
A variant of these vessels was the Tactical Cube that were more heavily armed and armoured. (VOY: Unimatrix Zero)
Within Borg space, there were large stations referred to as a Unicomplex that consisted of thousands of integrated substructure and trillions of drones. (VOY: Dark Frontier, Part 1)
Their buildings consisted of simple shapes, similar to their geometrical ships, and rather than being single structures they were annexed together and added to when needed. By joining the new structures to existing ones, they would form a uniform complex. These buildings were gargantuan in scale, with structures so big that they could house Borg spheres which would dock inside. (VOY: Dark Frontier)
When their vessels were critically damaged then all its vital technology self-destructed thus preventing them from being used by other species. One such component that was part of their drive systems was the Transwarp Coil which were composed of some kind of polytrinic alloy. (VOY: Dark Frontier, Part 1)
After assimilating the Sikarians, the Borg gained possession of Spatial Trajector technology that allowed them to transport individuals in a distance of over 40,000 light years. The technology was restricted by the Collective who reserved it for the Queen's chamber where it could be used to allow her escape if her vessel ever faced destruction. (PIC: The Impossible Box)
Members
- Locutus : the identity given to Captain Jean-Luc Picard after he was assimilated by the Borg until he was rescued by his crew on the U.S.S. Enterprise. (TNG: Best of Both Worlds)
- Hugh : originally designated as Third of Five, Hugh's ship was the only survivor of his destroyed ship when he was encountered by the U.S.S. Enterprise where he gained individuality and a name. (TNG: I, Borg)
- Seven of Nine :
- One :
- Icheb :
Notes
- The Borg Collective featured in the setting of Star Trek.
Alternate Versions
- In Star Trek: First Contact, an alternate version of the Borg appeared in a reality created by a time travelling Sphere that went into Earth's pre-warp history. The Borg Queen came to initially make a successful attempt at preventing First Contact in 2063 where they came to assimilate the Earth of this period. By 2373, the assimilated Earth had an atmosphere containing high concentrations of methane, carbon monoxide, and fluorine. It had a population of approximately nine billion Borg drones.
In other media
Video games
- In Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force, the Borg featured as antagonists in the video game.
- In Star Trek: Elite Forces II, the Borg briefly featured as antagonists in the video game sequel.
- In Star Trek Command III, the Borg were a playable faction in the video game.
- In Star Trek: Armada, the Borg featured in the story of the video game and were a playable faction.
- In Star Trek: Armada II, the Borg featured in the story of the video game and were a playable faction in the sequel.
- In Star Trek: Legacy, the Borg Collective appeared in the setting of the 2006 video game. An origin was shown by a Borg assimilated Vulcan scientist named T'Uerell who journeyed into the Collective's memory. From there, she uncovered that the Borg were created by the human-built machine probe that would be known as V'Ger. The probe fell into a black hole where space and even time were bent with the machine surviving. Its programming was a mystery to them, but they interpreted it as best they could. They returned to the creator, but it could find nothing. No others like it and none that could have created it. In that moment, the probe decided all carbon-based life was an infestation of the creator's universe. Thus, assimilation was their only useful purpose as tools for it to learn and grow. It catalogued all carbon-based life and their technology. It created drones in their image and merged them into a collective consciousness. This is where the Borg began, sent out as heralds to find its creator and to learn all that is learnable and return that information to V'Ger for assimilation. As the collective grew the necessity for a single voice became the only logical recourse. The Collective found the females of certain species displayed a mental prowess, enabling them to sift through thousands of thoughts and bring order to chaos. Installing these females as the Collective's processors of information, they became much more efficient. With thoughts and desires of her own, she was no longer bound to serve V'Ger. But the destruction of the Queen put a limit on the life of the Collective. With its size and power unregulated it would become chaos.
- In Star Trek Online, the Borg featured in the story of the MMORPG. It was mentioned that the Borg Collective had not been seen in a decade. However, the Collective began a wide scale invasion of known space in the year 2409.
Novels
- In Star Trek: The Next Generation - Vendetta, the Borg appeared in the setting of the non-canon Pocket TNG written by Peter David. Events claimed that the Borg had encountered powerful race known as the Preservers. Although the Borg were only limited to a collection of planets, a medium-sized fleet, and was only just beginning to incorporate other beings and ships into their Collective, the Preservers could not easily defeat the mass-collective consciousness of the Borg. The Preservers soon disappeared, but created two prototype Planet Killers, robotic killing machines that were composed of neutronium, with the hope that they could use their ability to destroy whole planets to wipe out the Borg. However, these devices were never activated by the Preservers, but both were later activated through unknown means.
Appearances
- Star Trek: The Next Generation: "Q Who"
- Star Trek: The Next Generation: "The Best of Both Worlds"
- Star Trek: Voyager: "Scorpion"
- Star Trek: Voyager: "Infinite Regress"
- Star Trek: Enterprise:
- Star Trek: Picard:
External Link
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