Borg Collective
The Borg Collective is the name of the entirety of the Borg race from Star Trek.
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History
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)
One of the latest attempts by the Borg to assimilate the planet Earth resulted in the destruction of the Cube which was destroyed by a combined Starfleet attack group. However, the Cube managed to dislodge a Sphere which time travelled back into Earth's past after the outbreak of World War III. The USS Enterprise travelled back in time as well where they managed to destroy the Sphere and prevent the Borg's attempt at disrupting first contact between Humanity and the Vulcan race. (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)
Background
Physiology
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.
Another important implant is 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)
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.
After this is accomplished, the newly assimilated organsm is 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
Once a species has been assimilated, their thought processes are 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)
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)
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)
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)
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. (ST: First Contact)
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