borg in star trek picard

Star Trek: How Picard's Assimilation by the Borg Radically Changed the Franchise

Jean-Luc Picard's assimilation by the Borg Collective was a monumental event in Star Trek, even though it only lasted for one two-part episode.

Jean-Luc Picard was assimilated by the Borg for only six days on Star Trek , constituting one two-part episode bridging Seasons 3 and 4 of The Next Generation . And yet that was the defining moment for the character, with the fallout extending through numerous episodes of The Next Generation , the film Star Trek: First Contact and all three seasons of Picard . Locutus of Borg's actions had effects well beyond TNG , stoking deep resentment toward Picard in Deep Space Nine 's Captain Benjamin Sisko after Sisko lost his wife during the Battle of Wolf 359.

The Borg were first encountered in The Next Generation Season 2, Episode 16, “Q Who?,” and presented as so unstoppable that Picard had to swallow his pride and beg Q for help to escape them. The episode ended with the Borg presumably on their way to Federation space and time running out on finding a way to stop them. The plot came to a head a little over a year later in Season 3, Episode 26, “The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1,” when they returned as powerful as ever -- and abducted and assimilated Picard.

RELATED: How The Next Generation's 'The Best of Both Worlds' Altered Star Trek

Locutus of Borg Wreaked Havoc That Still Haunts Picard

The assimilation itself took place largely off-screen, and the details were only hinted at. The Borg selected Picard to act as their spokesperson in the subjugation of the Federation, allowing Star Trek to demonstrate the effects of Borg assimilation and how it could be used against a targeted species. As captain of Starfleet’s flagship, Picard was privy to every strategy, tactic and technical specification in the fleet. Once the Borg knew those things, there was little the Federation could do to stop them.

However, the same connection allowed the crew of the Enterprise -D to access the Borg network. They did so in the next episode -- Season 4, Episode 1, “The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2” -- and put the Borg to sleep before they could finish their conquest. At that point, Picard was left to recover and the Borg were temporarily vanquished.

The choice of Picard let The Next Generation illustrate how implacable the Borg were as foes and how little anyone -- even the captain of the Enterprise -- could do to stop them. However, the abduction ran counter to the established understanding of the Borg, which viewed no one individual higher than any other. Ostensibly, they conducted it to more smoothly facilitate humanity's assimilation, but that never seemed to be a priority before, and it went against the whole notion of their unstoppable nature.

RELATED: Captain Shaw Just One-Upped an Iconic Sisko Moment with Picard

First Contact took steps to remedy that with the introduction of the Borg Queen. As Locutus, Picard served as the Borg Queen's “consort,” which permitted him certain privileges of rank. The Queen fully intended to use Data as a replacement, suggesting that the position was far more important than just heralding the conquest of a new species. As it turns out, the Queen wanted Picard to choose assimilation willingly, as she believed Data had done. Free will was the one thing the Borg couldn't take by force, and if her most tenacious foes submitted, it would finally render their defiance of her irrelevant.

Whatever the reason, Picard’s assimilation was so momentous that The Next Generation returned to it time and again. In fact, the next episode in Season 4, “Family,” concerned itself primarily with his struggle to put the trauma behind him. Borg assimilation and Picard’s reaction to it gave Star Trek more complex villains than fans had ever seen before. The Borg reappeared numerous times, and the Queen returned in Star Trek: Picard Season 2 as an ally of sorts. Season 3 revisited the effects of Wolf 359. Picard's brief tenure as Locutus reshaped the entire world of Star Trek .

Picard’s new Borg Queen explains how she fits into Star Trek canon

There have two Borg Queens before Annie Wersching. Now she’s the third Borg Queen... or maybe the fourth?

Resistance is futile. Or, in the case of the new Borg Queen in at least one timeline of Star Trek: Picard Season 2, resistance is optional.

In the second episode of Season 2, “Penance,” we meet a very different Borg Queen than we’ve ever seen before, and possibly a different one than we met in the first episode. Ahead of the next Borg revelation in Picard , Inverse caught up with the new Queen, Annie Wersching, to get a sense of how her take on the character is brand new.

The first thing to know about Annie Wersching’s Borg Queen is that she’s a different version of the character than the Queen we met in First Contact or Voyager . After Jean-Luc and his allies find themselves in an altered version of their own timeline, the Borg Queen they encounter is imprisoned and scheduled for public execution by the brutal Confederation of Earth.

The imprisoned Borg Queen confronting Dr. Jurati.

“We’ve never really seen a Queen not completely in control, ” Wersching says. “She starts in such a strange place of distress. There’s silence in her head and it's maddening. There’s no hive. No Collective. She’s like ‘What the hell is going on?’”

Viewers might have a similar question. In the Season 2 debut of Picard , we met a strange black-robbed Borg Queen with tentacles and a face shrouded by a mechanized hood. We don’t know if that Queen is also played by Wersching, but Dr. Jurati (Alison Pill) makes a point of saying that the Queen’s outfit is “new.” So in Episode 2, when Wersching’s Queen is introduced, Jurati describes her as “more typical,” because she superficially resembles the Queens we’ve met before in First Contact (Alice Krige) and Voyager (Susanna Thompson).

“Of course, after I was cast, I re-watched all the Borg episodes. A lot of TNG. A lot of Voyager, ” Wersching says. “I watched First Contact . But I didn't necessarily watch it all over and over and try to mimic either Susanna or Alice. I just wanted to see what they did, take it in, and then have my own take on it.”

The Borg Queens. Top: Annie Wersching in Star Trek: Picard. Bottom, left-to-right: Susanna Thompson in Star Trek: Voyager , Alice Krige in Star Trek: First Contact , and the mysterious masked Borg Queen in the Picard episode “The Star Gazer.”

Picard’s “Penance” addresses the question of various Borg Queens more directly than any Trek episode before. Seven (Jeri Ryan) and Jurati refer to them as a type of Borg leader, rather than just one person. This is echoed in how Wersching talks about the role too.

Canonically, there have now been different Borg Queens. In this new timeline, the Queen could have begun her life as a different person. And because Wersching was in an episode of Star Trek before , things nearly got very complicated. In the 2002 Enterprise episode “Oasis” she played Liana, a character unwittingly raised by holograms created by her father Ezral, played by the legendary René Auberjonois. To Inverse , she reveals that she and producer Akiva Goldsman briefly considered connecting that continuity.

“Akiva said ‘We could make it that she’s actually Liana, and maybe she actually had been assimilated,’” Wersching says. “We thought about making this whole connection. Obviously, we didn’t go there. But Akiva said, ‘It’s the Star Trek world. We can make anything work.’”

For Wersching, appearing in Picard has brought her acting career full circle. 20 years ago, her brief appearance on Enterprise was her “first television job ever.” Now, just like the Borg Queen, Wersching’s Star Trek experience spans generations. “I was a theater kid before that. I kept asking Scott Bakula and Connor Trinneer to help me if I was doing anything too big. Star Trek was my first big learning experience.”

Annie Wersching on Enterprise in 2002.

Wersching teases that there are even bigger surprises coming in Picard Season 2. Specifically, she mentions that her connection with Picard regular Agnes Jurati will play out differently, and more surprisingly, than any other Borg-human relationship before.

“We’ve never seen a Queen obsessed with someone like this before,” Wersching says. “Yes, they’ve been obsessed with Locutus or Seven of Nine. But there’s something about Jurati that is fascinating to the Queen. With most of the humans, [the Queen] is annoyed. But with Jurati, she’s like ‘Wait a minute. maybe I can use you.’ It’s a really weird and interesting relationship that they turn to. I can’t wait for people to see it unfold.”

Star Trek: Picard season 2 airs new episodes on Thursdays on Paramount+.

Ryan Britt's new book on the history of Star Trek's biggest changes. From the '60s show to the movies to 'TNG,' to 'Discovery,' 'Picard,' Strange New Worlds,' and beyond!

• Science Fiction

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

The Best of Borg worlds: The 7 essential Borg episodes to watch before Star Trek: Picard

Credit: CBS

In 1989, in the episode “Q, Who?” Star Trek: The Next Generation took the word "cyborg" and clipped it down to its cold essentials, gifting the world with a new terror: the Borg. Though Doctor Who purists might tell you the Borg are a knock-off of the Cybermen, the black leather aesthetic combined with laser-pointer eyepieces and that chilling catchphrase — "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile" — all cemented the Borg as one the most iconic sci-fi concepts of all time.

The Borg is essentially internet addiction writ large, an enemy that makes you part of its server. In Star Trek: Picard , the Borg are back and several of the main characters (Picard, Hugh, Seven of Nine) were all previously assimilated by the Borg Collective. This means that revisiting some of the more pivotal Borg moments is essential for your Picard homework.

The Borg appear in six episodes of The Next Generation , one episode of Deep Space Nine , one episode of Enterprise , the film Star Trek: First Contact , and 23 episodes of Voyager . And, if you count every single episode of Voyager in which former-Borg Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) appears, that’s 100 episodes right there. So that’s possibly a total of 32 episodes or 108 Borg episodes and 1 feature film, depending on how you look at it. That’s a lot of Borg to binge! So, in honor of Borg efficiency, here are the 7 essential Borg stories to quickly assimilate and help make watching Star Trek: Picard even more ... engaging.

Note: There are ZERO spoilers for Star Trek: Picard ahead. Episode numbers use the Netflix and CBS All-Access watch order for ease of bingeing.

01 . The Next Generation: Season 3 Episode 26 and Season 4, Episode 1, “The Best of Both Worlds Parts 1 and 2”

Although the first canonical appearance of the Borg happens in the TNG Season 2 episode "Q, Who?" whispers of the Borg are hinted at as early as the Season 1 finale, "The Neutral Zone." That said, you don't really need to start getting your Borg on until the Season 3 finale, "The Best of Both Worlds."

That's the famous episode where Picard is singled-out to be assimilated by the Collective, and the Borg make a bee-line to conquer Earth. The conclusion of this two-parter was the Season 4 premiere of TNG , and the repercussions of that episode changed Jean-Luc Picard forever.

02 . The Next Generation: Season 5, Episode 23, "I, Borg"

In Star Trek: Picard , the former-Borg know as Hugh (Johnathan Del Arco) has a semi-regular role, and in the trailers , we've seen a more human-looking Hugh in a few quick shots. What's happened to Hugh since The Next Generation hasn't been revealed yet, but Hugh's origin story is this classic episode, "I, Borg."

The Enterprise finds an injured Borg, Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and La Forge (Levar Burton) decide to nurse the Borg back to health to learn more about the Collective. Without spoiling anything, this changes the way Picard and everyone else starts to think about the Borg in a big way. Hugh returns in the two-parter "Descent," in Season 6 and season 7, but you can probably skip those ones if you're pressed for time. This is the essential Hugh episode, and, probably defines the possibilities for what can happen to former Borg drones.

03 . Voyager: Season 5, Episode 15, “Dark Frontier”

Arguably, to fully prepare for Seven of Nine's (Jeri Ryan) return in Star Trek: Picard , you might want to rewatch the entirety of Star Trek: Voyager starting with Seven's first appearance in the season 3 finale "Scorpion Part 1." But, that's also little like saying you should rewatch every episode of TNG to make sure you know everything about Jean-Luc Picard. Seven of Nine is one of the greatest Star Trek characters of all time, and creating a list of the very best Seven episodes is its own thing entirely.

But, if you're only trying to download the most essential Borg lore into your brain, rewatching the epic "Dark Frontier" won't disappoint. This episode reveals how Seven was first assimilated into the Borg collective, and why. Plus, it suggests that all former Borg drones have a complicated relationship with the Collective and the Borg Queen in specific.

When it originally aired in 1999, "Dark Frontier" was presented as an extra-long two-hour episode. Netflix preserves it this way, but sometimes, you'll see reference to "Dark Frontier Part 1 and Part 2." Don't be confused; it's all the same thing.

04 . Voyager: Season 6, Episode 16, "Collective"

This episode introduced yet another variation on what it was like for former Borg drones to suddenly live outside of the interconnected hivemind of the collective. The difference this time was that the liberated Borg were all kids. Sure, Hugh was young , but he wasn't a little kid. In this episode, Seven becomes a de facto mother figure/teacher to a group of children, who, just like her, had been assimilated when they were super young. This episode also introduces the character of Icheb, a reoccurring ex-Borg who would later develop an obsession with Starfleet history, with a special interest in Captain Kirk.

05 . Voyager: Season 6, Episode 26 and Season 7, Episode 1 “Unimatrix Zero Parts 1 and 2”

As its title suggests, "Unimatrix Zero," is kind of like the Matrix in The Matrix . But, in this version, the idyllic cyberspace world is a good thing, because it's literally the only place Borg drones can "go" to be themselves. In the virtual sanctuary of Unimatrix Zero, Borg can meet, and converse, and imagine how they may have been or looked before they'd been assimilated. They can also meet and speak with drones whose bodies are plugged into Borg ships millions of light years apart.

So, basically, it's a secret virtual reality chatroom for people who are enslaved by an AI hivemind, which, if you think about it objectively — even outside of the context of Star Trek — is a freaking awesome idea for a story. As a two-part episode of Voyager , "Unimatrix Zero," is one of the best. And as a Borg episode to prep you for Picard , the essential thing about "Unimatrix Zero" is that it basically proves that even when we think we know everything about the Borg, we totally don't.

Credit: Paramount Pictures

06 . Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

It's Picard and Data versus the Borg!

Hailed as perhaps the greatest Star Trek film of all time (or at least in a dead heat with The Wrath of Khan ), First Contact mostly focuses on Picard's deep-rooted hatred for the Borg, and his desire to enact his revenge, no matter what. It also is the first introduction of the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), a character who adds a layer to the Borg that makes them seem both much scarier, and weirdly a little more explicable. The Borg Queen is deranged, to be sure, but it's not clear she's evil , per se.

If you haven't seen the movie, I won't tell you what happens between her and Data (or her and Picard) but let's just say, this: the Borg Queen might be the most interesting villain in all of Star Trek . And, based on everything we learned in Star Trek: Voyager , she also might be indestructible.

07 . Voyager Season 7, Episode 24: "Endgame"

Before there was Avengers: Endgame , there was Voyager: Endgame ! In the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager , Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) , travels back in time from the year 2404, to help get the USS Voyager home to Earth about 23-years sooner than they did the first time around. Future Janeway's workaround is all about hijacking a transwarp hub used by the Borg to pop-around the galaxy with relative ease, much quicker than the Starfleet warp drives. But, Admiral Janeway's plan involves slightly more than just stealing some propulsion tech.

Without spoiling anything, the ending of this episode will make you wonder what state the Borg Collective could possibly be in during the time of Picard . "Endgame" took place in 2378, and the events of Picard happen in 2399. Whatever happened to the Borg in those 21 years might not be 100 percent answered in Picard . But, in terms of the Star Trek timeline, "Endgame" is where we left the Borg. So, when we see them again, the events of this episode will almost certainly have impacted the Collective. Even if they're too shy to mention it.

Star Trek: Picard debuts Thursday, January 23 on CBS All Access.

• Star Trek: Picard

Related Stories

Remembering Evolution, David Duchovny's Wild 2001 Sci-fi Film

Did Marty Die (Twice?) in Back to the Future?

The Hunger Games Timeline, Briefly Explained

Were Back to the Future and Goonies Set on the Same Day?

Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood and Honey Creators Tease Shared Universe

Blumhouse Announces "Halfway to Halloween" Film Fest: Details

All of The Leprechaun Movies, Ranked

Eternal Sunshine Director Made Wild Request of Jim Carrey Ahead Of the Film's Shoot

All the Leprechaun Movies Now Streaming on Peacock

Back to the Future Easter Eggs You Almost Certainly Never Saw Revealed

John Carpenter's The Thing: Definitive Oral History

The Best Fantasy Movies Streaming on Peacock

Recommended for you.

Linda Hamilton on Resident Alien Role: "I'm Not the Funny Girl, I'm the Straight Man"

The Classic Twilight Zone Episode That Inspired Jordan Peele's Us

Resident Alien's Alan Tudyk on Harry's New Love Interest, Edi Patterson's Blue Avian

Star Trek: Picard Series Finale Ending Explained And What The Post Credits Scene Means

What an ending and possible beginning.

Star Trek: Picard has kept fans with a Paramount+ subscription entertained for years, but all good things must come to an end. The series decided to go out with a bang with a massive reunion of the cast of The Next Generation and brought back all of Patrick Stewart 's co-stars for a story that introduced Jean-Luc to his previously unrevealed son and a dastardly plot tied to Changelings and the Dominion War. In the end it set the stage for a final showdown between Picard and the Borg, but who came out on top? 

For those that want to know or just need a breakdown of all that occurred, we have you covered. Here's what went down in the Star Trek: Picard ending and that post-credit scene that absolutely threw into question one major event we saw in a prior season. 

The Borg Queen Was Defeated

The Borg Queen returned in the final episodes of Season 3 of Picard , though viewers soon realized she was behind the scheme all along. Through the use of Jack and a pact with the Changelings, she assimilated all Starfleet officers under the age of 25 and managed to take control of a bulk of the fleet on Frontier Day. It seemed she had finally found a way to punish humanity and restore the Borg empire until Jean-Luc and friends got involved. 

He, Riker, and Worf managed to sabotage the Borg Queen's cube and rescued Jack from being held by the Collective. Her plot was foiled, and she was blown to pieces along with the cube. I would like to think that this means the Borg threat is effectively gone from Starfleet, but can the Borg ever truly be defeated? Somehow, somewhere, they always seem to find a way back into the story. 

Jean-Luc And Crew Played A Game Of Poker

With the Borg threat behind them and Starfleet saved, Jean-Luc and the crew hit the bar to celebrate a job well done. After some words exchanged back and forth, Jean-Luc pulled out the cards, much to the delight of the rest of the Enterprise D crew. They all gathered around the poker table, and had a blast talking through each hand. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation fans should know why this is more or less the perfect way to end Picard , given how many times we've seen the crew gathered around a poker table. In fact, this scene seems like a direct homage to the series finale of TNG , which features a very similar overhead poker table scene. It might be one of the best nods to the series this season had, so it's fitting it came toward the very end. 

Seven Of Nine Became Captain Of The Enterprise G

Seven of Nine helped buy the Enterprise D time by navigating the Titan through the Borg-controlled fleet and distracting them, and played a key role in helping save the day. As her old crewmate, Tuvok, reminded her, however, she was complicit in a number of Starfleet violations throughout Star Trek: Picard Season 3. Seven accepted that perhaps her viewpoints weren't in line with that of Starfleet and handed in her resignation. 

CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER

Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News

Of course, Tuvok wasn't there to deliver news of her termination but to inform her of her official promotion to Captain. Later, we saw Seven assume command of the Titan, which was renamed the Enterprise G in honor of The Next Generation crew. With Raffi as her Number One, Seven sent out the opening orders of her run as captain. Unfortunately, the camera cut before we got her official catchphrase, but if there's a spinoff, I'm sure we'll hear it there. 

Jack Joined Starfleet As An Ensign

One year after being saved from Borg assimilation by his father, Jack Crusher decided that he, too, wanted to follow in his parents' footsteps and join Starfleet. Thanks to an expedited Starfleet Academy program and possibly some nepotism, the character was officially an ensign in the flash-forward scene. 

Jack is serving on the Enterprise G as "special council to the captain" and will sit next to Captain Seven of Nine on the bridge. That's quite a job for an ensign, though with Jack's level of experience traveling with his mother, not undeserved. 

Beverly And Jean-Luc Are Together? 

A lot can happen in a year, including Jean-Luc going from being happily in love with Laris to possibly being back with Beverly Crusher. A picture Jack placed on his nightstand showed Picard and Beverly smiling and walking together, and they appeared to be in formal attire. Apparently, it's open for interpretation, but I'm leaning toward them reconciling. 

If that's the case I can't help but feel a little sad for Laris,  who helped push Jean-Luc out into space in order to find Beverly! I guess she could've figured something was up when he wasn't making calls home after being gone for so long, but imagine worrying about him during the Borg invasion only for him to come home with that news. If Picard and Bev are together it's rough stuff for those who were excited that Orla Brady returned to play Laris , but a tremendous payoff for Star Trek fans who wanted to see Picard and Bev together all these years . 

Q Returned In The Post-Credit Scene, Despite His Death In Season 2

The post-credits scene cut to Jack in his quarters on the Enterprise G , unpacking his belongings for his long mission. He was interrupted by a familiar face and one that viewers were likely not expecting. Actor John De Lancie was back as Q, but like, how? He died in Season 2 of Picard , right? 

The only clue that Q gave was that he was dead in a linear sense, suggesting that the version talking to Jack in the future was a younger version of the Q that died. It didn't make a ton of sense, but all things when it comes to the Q Continuum are confusing, so that bit isn't too surprising. It seems like we'll eventually get more answers on Q's return in some form or another, whether that's through a spinoff series, comic, or novel. 

Star Trek: Picard is over, but viewers will be able to binge it to their heart's desire over on Paramount+ . The future is bright for Trek on the whole, so I would encourage anyone who enjoyed this season to stick around for all the upcoming shows on the horizon. 

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

Michael Weatherly Is Getting Ready To Shoot NCIS, And His Dapper Fashion Personifies The Spinoff’s Setting

Invincible Season 2 Thankfully Avoids A Superhero Pet Peeve Of Mine

Chicago Fire Revealed A New Kind Of Fallout For Brett Leaving, And I Kinda Wish It Lasted More Than One Episode

Most Popular

By Jerrica Tisdale April 02, 2024

By Alexandra Ramos April 02, 2024

By Adreon Patterson April 02, 2024

By Danielle Bruncati April 01, 2024

By Sarah El-Mahmoud April 01, 2024

By Jason Wiese April 01, 2024

By Eric Eisenberg April 01, 2024

By Mack Rawden April 01, 2024

By Philip Sledge April 01, 2024

By Dirk Libbey April 01, 2024

By Hugh Scott April 01, 2024

• 2 ‘A Very Complicated Guy’: Fallout’s Walton Goggins Told Us About Playing Possibly The Biggest Villain Of His Career (Other Than Justified’s Boyd Crowder)
• 3 Superman: There's A Wild Rumor Going Around About The Villain In James Gunn's Reboot, And I'm Really Hoping It's Not True
• 4 Chicago Med's Oliver Platt Is A 'Consummate Performer,' But Dr. Charles May Have Just Ruined A Relationship
• 5 Michael Weatherly Is Getting Ready To Shoot NCIS, And His Dapper Fashion Personifies The Spinoff’s Setting

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

Picard's season 2 Borg twist just changed Star Trek forever

"Resistance was futile."

Picard season 2 episode 10 spoilers follow.

The Borg assimilated themselves almost immediately into pop culture following their Next Generation debut in 1989. And this disturbing hive mind hasn't really left Picard's thoughts since either. Because after he himself was assimilated by The Federation's greatest foe, trauma from that encounter still lingers, even now.

But even with all that thrown into the mix, longtime fans were still surprised to see the Borg come to Picard ' s aid at the start of this new season . And that wasn't just any old Borg either.

This new Queen seemed different from anything that Starfleet had encountered before. Yet that didn't stop Picard from trying to blow up his own ship to kill her — and everyone else aboard — without a second thought.

To be fair though, Jean-Luc thought he was stopping the deadliest threat he's ever known from expanding even further throughout the cosmos. But as season two evolved, it soon became clear that this new Borg Queen was actually an ally of sorts, or at least someone he used to consider as a friend.

Fans guessed it early on , but it wasn't until the final episode of season two that Picard revealed this new Borg to be none other than Agnes Jurati, a former crewmate who is now bonded with the Queen.

Throughout the latter half of this season, the pair fought for control over Jurati's body until they finally reached an understanding. Rather than try and assimilate the whole universe without the universe's consent, the pair decided to create a new Borg Collective that embraces the individuality of each distinct member. It's still a hive mind, but not like before. Anyone who joins will do so willingly.

It's impossible to understate what an absolute game-changer that is for Star Trek . Up until this point, the Borg have arguably been the biggest threat that the Federation has ever faced.

The idea of them collaborating with anyone other than themselves was unthinkable. "Resistance is futile," after all. But now a new hybrid Queen is suddenly asking not just for a truce, but to actually join the Federation temporarily.

It's not a trick either. With the arrival of that mysterious transwarp conduit, Borgrati, as we like to call her, realises that an alliance is the best thing for everyone, including her former allies in Starfleet. Something out there created this anomaly, something potentially more powerful than both the Borg and the Federation combined.

There are also some visual clues that suggest Borgrati's intentions are genuine too. Gone are the Borg cube and sphere vessels, now replaced with a more organic design to reflect their evolved way of thinking. Yes, individuals have broken free before, but this is an entirely new Collective, one that transforms the Borg's identity and therefore reputation in this world.

Is there another, more traditional Collective still out there somewhere? Probably yes, perhaps somewhere beyond the Alpha Quadrant, but still, they now have a new capacity for change on a much wider scale than we've ever seen before. So even if the deadly Borg do reappear, there's hope now, especially if Borgrati and her own Collective remain on side.

That seems likely if we look ahead to their role in the future. Because Star Trek Discovery recently revealed that the Borg are no longer a threat in the 32nd century, which implies that the Borg's development in Picard season two will continue to have ramifications for centuries to come.

It's rather fitting that peace with the Borg began here in Jean-Luc's final journey. Given what they once did to him, it will mean a lot for Picard to be the one who helps broker new ties between the Collective and the Federation.

In doing so, the Admiral will leave a lasting legacy of peace beyond perhaps anything else he's accomplished to date. And most importantly of all, it signifies that he will have also overcome his own trauma by learning to finally accept the Borg in their new, evolved form.

Unless everything goes to shit in season three . But even if that does happen, at least we'll have Worf.

Star Trek: Picard season 2 airs Thursdays on Paramount+ in the US and Fridays on Amazon Prime Video in the UK.

Titan Comics Star Trek - Picard: The Classic Chronicles

Paramount Home Entertainment Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 1-7 [Blu-ray] [Region Free]

Titan Books The Autobiography of Jean-Luc Picard

After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival. 

In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy , where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.

David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.

Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends. 

As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times , INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek , The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound . 

.css-15yqwdi:before{top:0;width:100%;height:0.25rem;content:'';position:absolute;background-image:linear-gradient(to right,#51B3E0,#51B3E0 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 2.5rem,#E5ADAE 5rem,#E5E54F 5rem,#E5E54F 7.5rem,black 7.5rem,black);} Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek advent calendar available to pre-order

Sir Patrick Stewart wants to do new Star Trek film

Star Trek: Picard star teases possible return

Picard star LeVar Burton on working with daughter

Picard season 3 fails fan-favourite Star Trek pair

Picard's shock death fails classic Trek character

Picard star addresses big change from Next Gen

Picard boss responds to surprising season 3 cameo

Picard stars talk emotional season 3 confrontation

Star Trek's Jean-Luc Picard movies getting boxset

Picard's Michael Dorn breaks down Worf's return

Advertisement

Supported by

‘Star Trek: Picard’ Series Finale Recap: Saying Farewell

In the end, the final season of “Picard” was a worthy send-off for the “Next Generation” crew.

• Share full article

By Sopan Deb

Season 3, Episode 10: ‘The Last Generation’

“What began over 35 years ago ends tonight,” Jean-Luc Picard says, standing on his favorite bridge and glaring at his most distasteful enemy. It recalled his “The line must be drawn here!” from “First Contact.”

This was ostensibly a reference to the Federation’s longstanding battle with the Borg, but it also applies to “The Next Generation” franchise. (The show began airing in 1987 and 35 years ago would be 1988.) And if this is the last time we see these characters, that’s OK. Not because this season of “Picard” wasn’t a strong one. Quite the opposite, in fact: It was quite good and recaptured everything that made “Next Generation” what it was.

The characters all used special skills to work together and save humankind. Some of the dialogue was campy. There were plot holes. And there were classic “Star Trek” tropes, like Jean-Luc nonsensically going to the Borg cube, when he was likely the least physically capable of the old crew in fighting off the Borg.

But overall, this season was a worthy send-off for the crew. It wasn’t perfect, but neither were the show or any of the movies. But it was worth doing. The story justified its existence, advancing each of the main characters and filling in some gaps.

And it confirmed one last time that “The Next Generation” was greater than the sum of its parts. That might have been why the first two seasons of “Picard” didn’t work as well. Jean-Luc wasn’t the best character he could be without his old friends. The chemistry wasn’t as fluid, and the story wasn’t as deep.

In the finale, we learn a bit about what the Borg have been up to, though I remain baffled that no one brings up Jurati or the whole Good Borg thing from last season . (Maybe it was for the best.) There was no collective left — only the Borg Queen remained, she claimed, though we know from last season’s events that this isn’t exactly true.

It was Jack who found the Borg Queen, at least in her telling. She speaks in a way that is contrary to what we’ve known about the Borg: She says she was lonely and that the Borg were left to starve. (This kind of undercuts the Borg’s whole message of being the perfect beings.) But now, the Borg want to evolve rather than assimilate, and Jack is the perfect partner to do that. (In order to survive, the Borg Queen, I think, resorted to Borg cannibalism. Yikes! Hope those drones won Employee of the Month or something.)

The Borg and the changelings came to an agreement in which the changelings would be the Borg’s vehicle to carry out some villainous plan to help them procreate. Aside from an ill-fated revenge that they didn’t really need the Borg for, I don’t know what the changelings really got out of this alliance.

Elsewhere, classic Star Trekking happens. Worf and Riker fight off some baddies on the cube. Beverly uses her now finely honed combat skills to fire weapons. (It’s somewhat amusing that Geordi refurbished the Enterprise D for display at the fleet museum and also included a loaded torpedo system. Thank goodness he went above and beyond!) Data shows off his lightning fast piloting skills, assisted by his newly acquired gut instinct.

Beverly is faced with an impossible decision: Blow up her son and save the galaxy, or, uh, don’t. I loved that Geordi is the one who asks her permission, because he now understands a parent’s love for a child. And when it comes time to fire on the beacon, Geordi really, really doesn’t want to do it.

Jean-Luc finds another solution. He assimilates himself so he can get in contact with Jack in the Borg collective. Jean-Luc isn’t human, of course. He is an android — apparently, he can just plug himself in to the network like a flash drive. Jean-Luc tells Jack that he is the missing part of Jean-Luc’s life. (Patrick Stewart plays this perfectly.)

Jean-Luc is finally able to admit to himself how lonely he was outside of Starfleet, and that Starfleet merely covered up that loneliness rather than filling it entirely. Jean-Luc gives his son something he’s craved his whole life: approval and unconditional love. And Jean-Luc also won’t let his son go. He offers to stay in the hole with him so they can climb out together, and Jean-Luc gets to be the father he never knew he wanted to be.

Eventually, Jean-Luc pushes Jack to unassimilate himself and turn against the Queen. And that’s that: The universe is saved again. Our thanks to the crew of the Enterprise for the umpteenth time.

The episode ends in the only appropriate way for the “Next Generation” crew: They sit around and toast one another. Jean-Luc quotes Shakespeare, and then they whoop and play cards just like at the end of “All Good Things…,” the series finale of the original “Next Generation.”

The end wasn’t perfect, but it was proper. And that’s about all you can ask from a season like this. I don’t need any more — I want the Enterprise D crew to Costanza it and leave on a high note. They’ve earned it.

Odds and ends

Somewhat amusingly, Jean-Luc does not express any concern for or otherwise mention Laris throughout this season , another example of the team behind “Picard” trying to erase the first two seasons of the show from existence. But Laris, for her part, actually appeared in the season premiere and, one could argue, help put the events of the reunion in motion.

I keep thinking about that scene early this season with Riker and Jean-Luc at the bar, when Riker has to defend the honor of the Enterprise D. We didn't know it then, but that foreshadowed the whole season.

I would have liked to hear more about what Worf has been up to since the events of “Nemesis.” At the end of “Deep Space Nine,” Worf was named an ambassador to Qo’noS. In “Nemesis,” Worf somehow just becomes a member of the Enterprise crew again with little explanation. In this season, it is implied that Worf helped destroy the Enterprise E — more detail would have been nice.

The “Worf as comic relief” thing, as when he fell asleep on the bridge immediately after he helps to save civilization, also wore thin. But there is a fun callback in the last scene of the episode: Beverly saying Worf should have another glass of prune juice. A warrior’s drink!

Pavel Chekov’s son, Anton, being president of the Federation was a nice touch. Anton is likely a reference to Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov in the rebooted feature films beginning in 2009. He died in 2016 as a result of a car accident .

When Seven and Raffi figure out a way to transport assimilated crew members off the bridge using phaser rifles, it’s quite the deus ex machina. That technology would’ve been helpful all season!

That was a funny moment when the cook is ordered to pilot the Titan. He didn’t even finish flight training, why is Seven making him take the wheel? Have Raffi do it! (Within minutes, the cook executes complicated evasive maneuvers, so that must have been some training.)

At first, I found New Data to be jarring but after a couple episodes, this version grew on me. When he says he hates the Borg, you can see the Lore side of him burst through. It’s a fresh take on Data and Brent Spiner pulls it off.

That was a nice bit of wordless acting from Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis when Riker heads down to the cube for yet another mission with Jean-Luc. The swashbuckling Riker gives the slightest of smiles, as if to say, “You know who you married. You know why I have to do this.” And Troi reluctantly agrees. Later, when Troi tells Riker he will only have a minute or so to save Jean-Luc once the Enterprise fires on the Cube, he responds again with cool confidence in a near death situation.

There will certainly be some disappointment among fans that Kate Mulgrew did not reprise her role as Admiral Janeway this season. The events in “Voyager” presumably are the reason the Borg cube was in such terrible shape when Jean-Luc beams aboard. Given the multiple references to Janeway and what was happening on Earth, it would have been nice to have gotten a glimpse of her. (And man, how gnarly does the Borg Queen look now?)

Ah, there’s Tuvok, offering Seven her own ship. As Vulcan as ever.

In the grand scheme of things, this is still only the second most successful attack by the Borg on Earth. Sure, they get to Earth, bring down the planetary defense systems and attack cities directly, all while using Starfleet ships. But in “First Contact,” they actually went back in time and assimilated all of Earth before the pesky Enterprise crew initiated a do-over. And honestly, if Jean-Luc and his merry band hasn’t been able to rescue Earth from Evil Jack, they could have just done what they did last season or in “First Contact”: Go back in time. It’s easy!

Troi gets to drive the Enterprise D again. It went better than it did last time, when she crashed it.

Beverly is an admiral now? What a promotion, considering the decades she spent out of Starfleet running a rogue operation. I wonder if Riker, Geordi or any of the others were like, “Hey, what about us?”

Ed Speleers did an admirable job as Jack Crusher. It’s not easy to go toe-to-toe with Patrick Stewart, but Speleers fits in seamlessly as Beverly and Jean-Luc’s son. (While we’re here, what’s up with Jack’s brother, Wesley?)

I hope all of you stuck around for the post-credits scene. Q is still alive! Of course he is. We don’t acknowledge last season around these parts.

Sopan Deb is a basketball writer and a contributor to the Culture section. Before joining The Times, he covered Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign for CBS News. More about Sopan Deb

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig have wound in and out of each other’s lives and careers for decades. Now they are both headlining an Apple TV+ comedy of wealth and status .

Nicholas Galitzine, known for playing princes and their modern equivalents, hopes his steamy new drama, “Mary & George,” will change how Hollywood sees him .

Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth met while filming “Fargo” in 2017. Now married, they have reunited onscreen in “A Gentleman in Moscow.”

A reboot of “Gladiators,” the musclebound 1990s staple, has attracted millions of viewers in Britain. Is appointment television back ?

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

• Lower Decks
• Short Treks
• Strange New Worlds
• Deep Space Nine
• Star Trek: Picard
• The Next Generation
• The Original Series

Klingons & Breen In Star Trek: Discovery Season 5?

Breaking – star trek: infinite ends development, multiple star trek movies in development, first look at star trek: section 31, star trek: prodigy season 2 has officially premiered, review – star trek: discovery season 5 episode one & two, review – star trek: defiant #13, review – star trek #18, new series – sons of star trek, review: star trek: picard ‘firewall’, religion in star trek.

Why The Borg Are Star Trek: Picard’s Real Enemy

Since the introduction of season 3, Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer) has been touted as the big bad. However, Star Trek: Picard’s Real Enemy might be closer to home. It’s already been established that Vadic answers to someone else. Therefore, Star Trek: Picard Season 3 might be dealing with a familiar enemy. We already have Changelings, which connect with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . However, we think The Borg has something to do with the plot of the third and final season.

The second season of Star Trek: Picard dealt with the Borg. However, it also established another “faction” of Borg, led by Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) as their Queen. Additionally, hints have been that “The Real Borg” are still kicking in the Star Trek Universe. Therefore, we’ve got a theory on how the Borg are involved in the third and final season. It would also connect with a clue that has been accidentally dropped by the third season. SPOILER WARNING. You’ve been warned that we’re going into theory and speculation.

Are The Borg Picard’s Real Enemy?

When we first heard about Season 3, Star Trek: Picard’s Real Enemy was unclear. However, now that “The Face” has been introduced and it seems they employ Captain Vadic, it makes us question who is really pulling the strings here. Therefore, we strongly believe The Borg is Star Trek: Picard’s Real Enemy. The first major hint to this is Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). An immediate giveaway is “The voices in his head”. Jack has these voices and mysterious visions. An accidental subtitle in an earlier episode listed this voice as “The Borg Queen”.

Another theory concerns Jean-Luc Picard’s (Sir Patrick Stewart) original body. It’s been revealed in Star Trek: Picard that someone has stolen the body from Daystrom Station. Vadic had a hand in this. Therefore, if she delivered this to her actual employer, who The Face seems to represent or is. We then return to Jack and the villains needing him or his body to complete their plan. A running theory that wraps these two points together is that there is something in Jack’s blood.

Jack Crusher is the son of Jean-Luc Picard. As Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) put it during Episode 5, “Imposters”, Picard was once such a powerful Borg that they gave him a name. Locutus of Borg. Therefore, you’ve got to wonder if Star Trek: Picard’s Real Enemy is trying to do something Borg related to Picard’s original body. They would need Jack due to his close genetic connection to his biological father. It’s worth noting that Vadic made a comment that Jack was not meant for Beverly Crusher. Perhaps another Queen?

This comment by Vadic would also mean why the villains may want Jack is not connected to Beverly Crusher. So definitely has nothing to do with Crusher’s connection with ghosts or their son being a Traveler.

The Borg Invasion of 2381

Before the Star Trek: Picard series, post- Star Trek: Nemesis stories were told via books. Notably, one book series, the “Destiny Trilogy” regrouped our hero characters via crossovers and ships to deal with a devastating Borg Invasion. The malevolent species launched attacks at various worlds that crippled Starfleet and many species. This became known as a historical attempt by the Borg Collective to completely exterminate the Federation and other factions like the Klingon Empire.

Ultimately, it did not go to plan. The Borg Collective was dismantled and subsequently absorbed by another species. We won’t get into that right now. It’s a little complicated. However, I highly recommend reading the original books about this. The story is very interesting to read. Much like The Battle of Wolf 359 , this caused major damage to the Federation Starfleet. Leaving them with over 40% of the fleet lost in the battles.

Locutus Of Borg

Jean-Luc Picard’s past as Locutus of Borg has never really been forgotten. How could you, though? Captain Shaw brought it up, being a survivor of The Battle of Wolf 359. Previous seasons of Star Trek: Picard have also touched on it. So when we look at a possible return for Locutus, could it actually happen? If you need someone powerful to crush The Federation, call up one of the hardest villains anyone ever encountered. But is this possible? Well, somewhat.

Ultimately it depends on who Star Trek: Picard’s Real Enemy is. If they are The Borg, it would make sense from one angle. As Showrunner Terry Matalas revealed, he thinks the OG Borg are still licking their wounds in the Delta Quadrant. Likely brute force via assimilation might not work in their favour. When has that ever really worked in Star Trek? So the Borg might have to employ alternative methods to seek the destruction of the Federation. This could involve working with another species—the Changelings.

We could actually see a final battle between Jean-Luc Picard and Locutus of Borg. This would be a fantastic way to bind the stories of Star Trek: The Next Generation together with Star Trek: Picard . An enemy which Picard has never faced off against but has haunted his entire life. Part of me wonders if we’ll see Locutus taking control of Starfleet ships, forcing Jean-Luc and crew to return to the classics. You know what I am hinting at happening here. It’s already been hinted at in the sixth episode of Season 3.

The Real Enemy Is A Hybrid Species

An idea that has been floated around is a hybrid species. We’re already seeing bits of this with Vadic’s Changelings. Due to their experiments at the hands of the “Project Proteus” operation, her sect of Changelings differed from those within The Great Link, such as Odo. However, what if we’re seeing a merge between a Changeling and a Borg? Basically a hybrid species. Think about it, who would actually win if The Dominion encountered The Borg? This question has been on Trekkies’ minds for decades.

The Face, who appears to be Vadic’s master, has made reference to her physiology before. Noting that it’s not as special or complex as she thought it was. Now, if you listen to how The Face speaks, it somewhat reminds you of the way The Borg views other species. Additionally, stating that if Vadic fails, she and her force’s existence would become meaningless. What if The Face is some Borg Hybrid with Changeling physiology? It could make sense and further connect the dots here.

Unfortunately, we could also have the effect where The Face works for someone else, such as The Borg. Vadic’s boss wants Jack Crusher and likely who Picard’s original body was delivered. Therefore this is Star Trek: Picard’s Real Enemy or someone else serving another. Complicated right? As of Episode Seven, we know hardly anything about Vadic’s master and their relation to a possible Borg threat. Yet the parts are added together slowly.

So are The Borg Star Trek: Picard’s Real Enemy? Who knows! Hopefully, the upcoming episode eight will shed some light on the mystery. We only have two episodes left of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 after this week, so there is not much to work with in theory crafting. Naturally, if The Borg is to return, sadly, we will not have Annie Wersching as The Borg Queen. The actress sadly passed away in January.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3  airs on Thursdays via Paramount+ for those in the United States. Additionally, on Crave and the CTV Sci-Fi channel for viewers in Canada. However, new episodes air Fridays via Amazon Prime Video in international regions like the United Kingdom. Paramount+ also streams the episodes in select locations, such as Italy, Germany and France.

More From Trek Central

📰 – INTERVIEW: Star Trek: Picard Showrunner Talks Season 3!

🔥 – NEW Star Trek: Picard Clip Starts The Season 3 Plot

🔍️ – Explore Star Trek: Picard’s Stargazer

Join the Star Trek conversation via our social media platforms:

• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TrekCentral
• Instagram – https://instagram.com/TrekCentral
• Twitter – https://twitter.com/TheTrekCentral
• YouTube – https://youtube.com/TheTrekCentral
• Mastodon – https://mastodon.social/@[email protected]
• Discord – https://discord.gg/fF2heMbfW8
• Star Trek Picard
• Star Trek The Next Generation
• Star Trek Theory

more star trek 🖖

Physiology [ ]

The physiology of each Borg drone varied according to the species which it was assimilated from. ( Star Trek: First Contact ) Drones were typically humanoid, although the Collective demonstrated a willingness to assimilate non-humanoid lifeforms. ( VOY : " Scorpion ")

A set of Borg implants after removal

Upon assimilation, a drone would cease to grow body hair and would develop a pallid skin coloration, differing from its original skin pigmentation. Cybernetic implants were either surgically attached to the body or grown internally by nanoprobes injected into the bloodstream; in certain cases these implants could cause severe skin irritation. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds "; Star Trek: First Contact ) The nature of these implants varied from drone to drone depending on the drone's intended function, but the basic nodes of interlink for communications with the Collective and a myo-neural cortical array to control movements were implemented in every drone. In most cases, an eye would be replaced with an eyepiece that improved its vision and an arm would be amputated altogether to make room for a functional prosthetic; in tactical drones, a weapon would be included, and some drones had medical tools built in to heal drones who had minor injuries. ( VOY : " The Gift ", " Dark Frontier ") The implants of a fully assimilated drone allowed it to function for extended periods without shelter, food, water, or even air. A drone could even survive in the vacuum of outer space. Lily Sloane , a human observer local to the Earth of the 21st century , characterized Borg drones as "bionic zombies " after hearing a description of them, albeit before observing them directly. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

A drone's only requirement was a supply of energy to maintain the implants that in turn maintained its biological functions. This energy was supplied during regeneration cycles within a Borg alcove . Upon receiving damage, a drone would return to the alcove for assessment of the damage. Severely damaged drones were disassembled and scavenged for reusable parts. ( TNG : " Q Who ", " I Borg ")

Infant Borg

The Borg did not procreate; they would add to the Collective's population only by assimilation. ( VOY : " Drone ") Borg infants were not accepted to the collective until they matured to a certain age. Until reaching this age, assimilated infants and youths were placed inside maturation chambers . ( TNG : " Q Who "; VOY : " Collective ")

Borg drones were equipped with myriad technologies integrated into their bodies which enabled them to perform their duties within the Collective, several of which were universal to all drones. A neural transceiver kept them connected to the hive mind . ( VOY : " Scorpion, Part II ") A personal force field protected each drone from most energy-based attacks. ( TNG : " Q Who ") A drone was able to communicate with their ship by signals across a subspace domain, the basis of their hive mind, which Data likened to a transporter beam . ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ") Each drone possessed a pair of assimilation tubules embedded in one hand for the purpose of instantly injecting individuals with Borg nanoprobes. ( Star Trek: First Contact ) A cortical processor allowed a drone to rapidly assimilate visual information. Borg drones were also equipped with a neural processor, which kept a record of every instruction that particular Borg receives from the collective hive mind. Captain Picard used one such processor to discover that the Borg were attempting to use the deflector dish of the USS Enterprise as an interplexing beacon to contact the Borg in 2063. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Drones also contained fail-safe mechanisms designed to deactivate and even vaporize their own bodies, thereby allowing the Collective to eliminate damaged or dead drones without leaving their remains to be exploited by outsiders. ( TNG : " Q Who ") The captured drone Third of Five also made comments indicating that this vaporization may have been a form of resource re-absorption. ( TNG : " I Borg ") One of these fail-safes was also intended to deactivate drones automatically if they experienced strong emotional states, which the Borg interpreted as a sign of disconnection from the hive mind. ( VOY : " Human Error ")

The Borg typically operated in an atmosphere with a constant temperature of 39.1 °C (102.38 °F ), 92% relative humidity, an atmospheric pressure of approximately 102 kPa , and trace amounts of tetryon particles. According to Amina Ramsey , the Borg smelled like old trash bags . ( LD : " Much Ado About Boimler ").

History [ ]

A Borg skeleton on a ruined planet

The precise origins of the Borg were unclear. As of 1484 , they were reported as controlling only a handful of systems in the Delta Quadrant , but by 2373 , they had assimilated thousands of worlds. In addition to this stronghold in the Delta Quadrant, the Borg also dispatched vessels throughout the galaxy via transwarp conduits . ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth ", " Scorpion ", " Endgame ")

A Borg vessel traveled back in time from 2373 in an unsuccessful attack on Earth in 2063 . ( Star Trek: First Contact ) Drones which survived this defeat were discovered and reactivated by Human scientists in 2153 , and transmitted a subspace message to Borg space before being destroyed by Enterprise NX-01 . ( ENT : " Regeneration ")

The Borg entered the home system of the El-Aurians at some point in their mutual history, swarming through it, scattering its native inhabitants and leaving little to nothing of the El-Aurians in their wake. ( TNG : " Q Who ", " I Borg ") In 2293 , the Federation offered aid to the El-Aurian refugees fleeing the Borg. ( Star Trek Generations ) These refugees included Guinan , who would later provide secondhand knowledge of the Borg invasion of the El-Aurian system to the crew of the USS Enterprise -D during an encounter in the 24th century. ( TNG : " Q Who ", Star Trek Generations ) However, these earlier incidents contributed almost nothing to the Alpha Quadrant 's awareness or understanding of the Borg Collective.

By the 2340s , rumors of an alien race called "The Borg" had reached the Alpha Quadrant, inspiring exobiologists Magnus and Erin Hansen to set out in search of them. Their research took them all the way to the Delta Quadrant, before they and their daughter Annika were assimilated in 2350 . ( VOY : " The Gift ", " The Raven ", " Dark Frontier ") Borg activity in the Alpha Quadrant, including the assimilation of the USS Tombaugh in 2362 and assimilation of outposts along the Romulan Neutral Zone in 2364 , were complete mysteries to Starfleet. ( VOY : " Infinite Regress "; TNG : " The Neutral Zone ")

The Collective's true nature was finally revealed to the Federation in 2365 when Q took the USS Enterprise -D to meet a Borg cube near the J-25 system . ( TNG : " Q Who ")

In late 2366 , a Borg cube invaded Federation space and assimilated Jean-Luc Picard , whose tactical information contributed, along with the Borg's own vastly superior power, to Starfleet 's disastrously one-sided engagement with the cube, the Battle of Wolf 359 . A fleet of forty starships assembled to combat the cube. All but one of these Federation ships were destroyed, while the cube itself remained intact, damaged but healing rapidly. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ", " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "; DS9 : " Emissary ") The Enterprise -D recovered Picard and used his connection to the hive-mind to disable the cube before it could attack Earth. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ")

During the 2370s , the Borg were beset by several major setbacks in the Delta Quadrant, as witnessed by the crew of the USS Voyager .

The Borg-Species 8472 War decimated the Collective from 2373 - 2374 . ( VOY : " Scorpion ", " Scorpion, Part II ") Voyager 's liberation of Seven of Nine allowed Unimatrix Zero to create an active resistance movement in 2377 . ( VOY : " Unimatrix Zero ", " Unimatrix Zero, Part II ")

In 2378 , a crippling blow was delivered to the Borg when Voyager discovered one of their transwarp hubs and destroyed it, killing the Borg Queen (again) and devastating the Unicomplex in the process. During this battle, the Borg were infected with a neurolytic pathogen , which was carried by an alternate future version of Admiral Janeway and designed to disrupt the hive mind, to 'bring chaos to order'. It was this pathogen that killed the Borg Queen and allowed Voyager to destroy the transwarp hub. ( VOY : " Endgame ") The pathogen decimated the Borg Collective, leaving them reduced a handful of drones slowly cannibalized to sustain the Queen's last remaining body by 2401 . ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

In 2384 , a Borg cube rendered dormant by the neurolytic pathogen was encountered by the USS Protostar . The crew proceeded to venture into the cube in order to access the vinculum to gain information on how to remove a weapon called the living construct from their ship. When the Medusan Zero volunteered to be assimilated to get the information, this act caused the cube and the drones aboard to wake up. The crew barely managed to escape as they helped Zero to break free from the Collective, who then managed to put the Borg back to sleep. ( PRO : " Let Sleeping Borg Lie ")

The Borg emerge from Jupiter on Frontier Day, 2401

The Borg Collective was still believed to operate as late as 2399 . ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ") On Frontier Day in 2401, this was confirmed after discovery that the main faction of the Borg were working with the rogue Changelings in a plot to assimilate the Federation via a different means than normal. With the Changelings infiltrating the Federation and spreading Picard's Borg-altered DNA through the transporter system, the Borg were able to quickly gain control over 339 starships, and their crews with only those over 25 years old being immune to their takeover. ( PIC : " Võx ") This proved to be the last stand for the original Borg with the Cube, the Queen and all of her remaining drones being destroyed by the rebuilt USS Enterprise -D , presumably bringing an end to the Borg threat. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

In the far future , extant Borg assimilated into galactic society, with Borg children learning side-by-side with children of other species. ( LD : " Temporal Edict ")

Alternate timelines [ ]

Confederation of earth [ ].

Borg Singularity in 2401

In 2401 , an atypical Borg Queen reached out to Admiral Jean-Luc Picard seeking membership in the Federation. Much to the Federation's confusion, this Borg Queen was vastly different to the Queen that had been encountered before and her Collective wasn't nearly as outwardly hostile. However, once aboard the USS Stargazer , the Queen began assimilating the ship and through it, the Stargazer's fleet. In response, Picard activated the ship's auto-destruct , stopping the assimilation. ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ")

In that moment, Q had removed Picard, Agnes Jurati, Seven, Raffaela Musiker, Cristóbal Rios, and Elnor from this timeline, and placed them in an alternate 2401. In this timeline, the Borg had been hunted to extinction by the Confederation of Earth , leaving only the Borg Queen . ( PIC : " Penance ")

The Singularity and Federation vessels deflecting the energy burst

After being returned from 2024 to 2401 by Q , Picard deactivates the auto-destruct, having deduced that the strange Borg Queen was actually the Queen from this timeline that had merged with Dr. Agnes Jurati in 2024 and had set out to create a different Collective, one based on mercy and choice. These Borg had sought out the Federation's help to stop an energy wave that threatened countless lives and by combining the shields of the Federation fleet and the Borg ship, the two former mortal enemies were able to stop it. However, the Borg didn't know the source of the energy wave or the massive transwarp conduit that emerged from it, only that it was a threat to everyone. Picard granted the Borg Queen's request to grant the Borg provisional membership in the Federation so that the Borg could be "the Guardian at the Gates" watching out for whatever this new threat was. ( PIC : " Farewell ")

Parallel universes [ ]

Picard's death [ ].

In one alternate quantum reality , Captain Jean-Luc Picard was lost in the Battle of Wolf 359 and William T. Riker succeeded him as the captain of the Enterprise -D with Worf as his first officer . ( TNG : " Parallels ")

Victory over the Federation [ ]

A disheveled Riker of a Borg controlled quantum reality

In another alternate quantum reality, the Borg, after emerging victorious at Wolf 359, successfully conquered the Federation. A battered Enterprise -D, which was likewise under Riker's command, was one of the few remaining Starfleet ships by 2370 . The Riker from that reality was desperate not to return to his universe once all of the Enterprises began spilling into a single universe from a quantum fissure .

After the present reality's Enterprise -D fired lightly upon the other ship to draw the alternate reality crew's attention away from that crew's attempt to prevent the closing of the fissure, the heavily damaged ship was accidentally destroyed when its shields collapsed and their warp core overloaded , due to having a weakened warp containment field , as Riker presumed, from fighting with the Borg. ( TNG : " Parallels ")

Borg-Earth [ ]

Borg-assimilated Earth

In another alternate timeline, the Borg were successful at preventing First Contact in 2063 and had assimilated the Earth. In 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 . ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Culture [ ]

A trio of Borg drones, including one of Klingon origin

The Borg Collective was made up of, at the very least, trillions of humanoids referred to as drones. ( VOY : " Dark Frontier ") Through the use of their cybernetic implants, the Borg interacted by sharing one another's thoughts in a hive mind . Upon assimilation, these trillions of "voices" would overwhelm the drone, stifling individual thought and resistance to the Collective's will. ( TNG : " Family ") To some drones these voices could eventually become a source of comfort, and their absence a source of pain. ( TNG : " I Borg "; VOY : " The Gift ")

Borg philosophy was governed by a primary directive to add the biological and technological distinctiveness of other species to that of the Borg. In this manner, the Collective sought to achieve its definition of perfection; all other pursuits were deemed irrelevant including commerce and trade. Accordingly, Borg drones did not engage in any activities except their duties and regeneration . ( TNG : " Q Who ", " The Best of Both Worlds "; VOY : " Scorpion, Part II ") Individual drones have demonstrated puzzlement at other species' unwillingness to be assimilated, the drones believing in the superiority of their way of life.

Having no regard for individuality, Borg drones were identified with designations rather than names. A drone's designation typically described its position within a group, e.g. " Third of Five ." To identify a drone more specifically, its function could be appended to this designation, for example " Seven of Nine , Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01 ." In the same manner, the Borg referred to alien species by number rather than by name. ( TNG : " I Borg "; VOY : " Scorpion ")

If a drone was sufficiently injured or otherwise in distress, other drones would offer assistance. ( TNG : " I Borg "; VOY : " Dark Frontier ") However, if a drone was deemed irreparable by the hive-mind, the Borg would deactivate it and redistribute any salvageable components throughout the Collective. ( TNG : " Q Who ")

Borg drones ignored alien species until they demonstrated the potential to be a threat, or to be a suitable candidate for assimilation. This indifference even extended to their attitude to people boarding their vessels; the drones went about their business as long as the intruders did not interfere. When addressing a small number of individuals, drones would simply attempt to assimilate them without comment. Before assimilating a larger population, such as a starship or an entire culture, the Borg would collectively transmit a standard announcement of their purpose and the futility of resistance. ( TNG : " Q Who "; VOY : " Dark Frontier "; Star Trek: First Contact ) Species which the Borg found unremarkable or detrimental would be deemed unworthy of assimilation. As of 2374 , the Borg considered the Kazon beneath their notice, and by 2376 , they only took interest in the Brunali if they detected sufficiently relevant technology. ( VOY : " Mortal Coil ", " Child's Play ")

Even examples of civilizations which had previously been targeted for assimilation could be passed over; while moving to engage the dire threat to the Borg presented by Species 8472 , a group of Borg ships encountered Voyager , but, while one ship did pause momentarily to scan the Federation vessel, the Borg ship and its companion ships quickly moved on without attempting to attack or assimilate the interloper in their space. ( VOY : " Scorpion ")

Representatives of the Collective: Locutus with the Borg Queen

On the rare occasions that the Borg were willing to open any dialogue with individuals, they would choose a single drone to speak for the Collective. Jean-Luc Picard was assimilated and given the name Locutus in the misguided assumption that such a representative would lower the Federation's resistance to assimilation. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds ")

Seven of Nine speaks for the Collective

The Omega molecule

When Kathryn Janeway successfully negotiated a truce with the Borg and refused to discuss the terms via a neuro-transceiver , the Collective agreed to communicate via Seven of Nine. ( VOY : " Scorpion, Part II ")

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 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 ")

Tactics [ ]

The Borg had a tendency to "scoop" all machine elements from a planet, leaving great rips in the surface where remaining sections of the road system suggested a city had once been. ( TNG : " The Neutral Zone ", " Q Who "; VOY : " Child's Play ")

The Borg were known to retrieve their own damaged technology, including nonfunctional Borg cubes. However, when a cube underwent submatrix collapse , the collective would immediately sever its link to the afflicted population, considering it dead. ( VOY : " Unity "; PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

Technology [ ]

Borg technology was a combination of technologies assimilated from other cultures, and technology developed within the Collective itself, in order to overcome obstacles to its goals. When confronted by a problem it could not solve with its existing resources and/or configuration, the entire Collective would work in concert to consider all possible solutions, and implement the one determined to be the most efficient. By applying the unique skills of each drone to a task, the hive mind could engineer new technologies and solutions at a pace that would astound an individual. ( TNG : " Q Who ", " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ")

The Borg were usually exceedingly quick to adapt; their shields would often nullify nearly any energy weapon, and their weapons could usually penetrate nearly any shield or defense, within minutes. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Spacecraft [ ]

Borg cubes, arguably their most iconic ship design

Borg vessels were highly decentralized, with no distinct bridge , living quarters, or engineering section. Each ship was collectively operated by its complement of drones, under the general direction of the hive mind. Owing to the Collective's disregard for aesthetic considerations, the architecture of Borg ships took the form of basic shapes such as cubes and spheres and were made from a tritanium alloy. Borg ships were capable of regenerating from damage. ( TNG : " Q Who "; VOY : " Endgame ")

Each Borg spacecraft was equipped with a vinculum to interconnect its crew, which was in turn connected to a central plexus that linked the ship to the Collective. ( VOY : " Infinite Regress ", " Unimatrix Zero ") In addition to warp drive , vessels were fitted with transwarp coils that could achieve even greater speed by opening transwarp conduits . ( TNG : " Descent "; VOY : " Dark Frontier ") When critically damaged or otherwise compromised, a Borg ship would self-destruct to prevent outsiders from studying Borg technology. ( TNG : " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ") In other situations, only the valuable technology would self-destruct, such as the case of the crew of Voyager's first attempt to steal a transwarp coil. USS Voyager encountered several damaged Borg vessels, notably including the cube carrying Icheb , Mezoti , Azan , and Rebi , and a sphere carrying a transwarp coil, which Voyager stole. ( VOY : " Collective ", " Dark Frontier ")

Infrastructure [ ]

Borg structures were located in deep space, in planetary systems, or on planets themselves. Each planet that the Borg modified showed a typical climate and assimilated infrastructure adapted from the previous inhabitants. ( Star Trek: First Contact ; VOY : " Dark Frontier ", " Dragon's Teeth ")

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 ")

The Borg also constructed structures that had specific functions, such as the transwarp hub . There were six such known hub locations in the galaxy that allowed Borg vessels to deploy rapidly to almost everywhere within it. These transwarp hubs had many structures for opening portals on them, and inside their corridors were interspatial manifolds which supported the transwarp conduits . Several of these manifolds that led to the Alpha quadrant were destroyed by Voyager via transphasic torpedos and collapse of the conduit itself on the vessel's return to the Alpha Quadrant . ( VOY : " Endgame ")

Appendices [ ]

See also [ ].

• Borg Collective
• Borg language
• Borg philosophy
• Borg spatial designations
• Borg species
• Borg species designations
• Borg starships

Appearances [ ]

A Borg in the database of Voyager

• " The Best of Both Worlds "
• " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "
• " Descent "
• " Descent, Part II "
• DS9 : " Emissary "
• Star Trek: First Contact
• " Blood Fever "
• " Scorpion "
• " Scorpion, Part II "
• " The Raven "
• " The Killing Game "
• " Living Witness "
• " Hope and Fear "
• " Infinite Regress "
• " Dark Frontier "
• " Survival Instinct "
• " Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy "
• " Collective "
• " Child's Play "
• " Unimatrix Zero "
• " Unimatrix Zero, Part II "
• " Imperfection "
• " Flesh and Blood "
• " Shattered "
• " Endgame "
• ENT : " Regeneration "
• " Remembrance "
• " Maps and Legends "
• " The Impossible Box "
• " Broken Pieces "
• " The Star Gazer "
• " Penance "
• " Assimilation "
• " Watcher "
• " Fly Me to the Moon "
• " Hide and Seek "
• " Farewell "
• " The Last Generation "
• " Envoys " (holograms)
• " Temporal Edict "
• " Crisis Point " (hologram)
• " I, Excretus " (holograms)
• " wej Duj "
• PRO : " Let Sleeping Borg Lie "

Background information [ ]

Concept and development [ ].

The conceptual genesis of the Borg, who were intended to replace the Ferengi as Star Trek: The Next Generation ' s main villains in its second season, was as a race of insectoids , an idea that would ultimately require modification due to the series' budgetary constraints. As Maurice Hurley explained in the March 1990 issue of Starlog (#152, p. 33): " What we really wanted to do, but couldn't because of money, was create a race of insects...insect mentality is great because it is relentless. The Borg are a variation of an insect mentality. They don't care. They have no mercy, no feelings toward you. They have their own imperative, their own agenda and that's it. If all of them die getting there, they don't care. We needed a villain who could make you dance, and the Borg could do it! "

Hurley made it a plot point in " The Neutral Zone " that Federation and Romulan starbases along the Romulan Neutral Zone had been mysteriously wiped out, having been "scooped off" the face of the planet in the same way that would later be referenced in " Q Who " and shown in " The Best of Both Worlds ". Intentions to lay more extensive groundwork for the Borg's introduction were frustrated by the Writer's Guild strike of 1988 . By the time of their first appearance in "Q Who", the species had been changed from insects to their more budget-friendly cyborg form. ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , pp. 169 & 180)

The Star Trek Encyclopedia  (3rd ed., p. 52) stated: " Writer Maurice Hurley derived the name Borg from the term cyborg (cybernetic organism), although it seems unlikely that a people living on the other side of the galaxy would know of the term. "

According to Michael and Denise Okuda in their Star Trek Chronology  (2nd ed., p. 290), there had been plans to connect the parasitic beings from " Conspiracy " to the Borg, but these were ultimately abandoned: " At the time the episode was written, this was apparently intended to lead to the introduction of the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation' s second season. The Borg connection was dropped before 'Q Who?' (TNG) was written, and the truth about the parasites remains a mystery. " They also noted that, following production of the latter episode, it was "half jokingly speculated" by Gene Roddenberry that the machine planet encountered by Voyager 6 , leading to its transformation into V'ger , "might have been the Borg homeworld." ( Star Trek Chronology  (2nd ed., p. 23))

A Borg insignia

The Borg insignia, which first appeared in "Q Who", was described on its own Star Trek: The Next Generation - Inaugural Edition trading card (82-A) as " Resembling a great red claw over a background of circuitry, the symbol of the Borg is as mysterious as the race it represents. The Borg symbol may possibly define an amalgam of living tissue with computer circuits... " [2]

Westmore's Borg make-up is reviewed for "Q Who"

Michael Westmore revealed that the Borg actors were glued into their suits, and had to be unglued if they needed to use the bathroom. [3]

The idea for the sound of the Borg's multiple voices speaking in unison was thought up by sound editor Bill Wistrom and co-producer Merri Howard . After experimenting with different techniques, they discovered a way to lay multiple voices over one another and "make it sound like it was 8 million people," explained Wistrom. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 147 , p. 32)

Chronologically, the first known in-universe appearance of the Borg to Humanity was in the 1996 motion picture Star Trek: First Contact , in which the Borg traveled back to the year 2063 to enslave the Human race. The writers of the Star Trek: Enterprise episode " Regeneration ", Michael Sussman and Phyllis Strong , stated, in the audio commentary on the ENT Season 2 DVD release, that it was their explicit intent to have the episode deal with the consequences of events depicted in Star Trek: First Contact , the Borg wreckage encountered in that episode being the debris of the Borg sphere destroyed by the Enterprise -E in that movie.

While it is not explicitly stated in "Q Who", Q implies that the sole focus of the Borg is on the technology of the USS Enterprise -D, and the Borg show no interest, in that episode, in the crew (although the segment of hull that the Borg remove from the ship apparently contained several crew members). By their next appearance, "The Best of Both Worlds", the Borg's objectives had changed to the assimilation of lifeforms, and this change of premise was referenced in dialogue. Subsequent episodes ignored the change in premise entirely.

Director Cliff Bole , who directed the "Best of Both Worlds" two-parter, thought highly of the Borg. He enthused, " The Borg are like Klingons. You can do anything you want with them. They're fun and a real expensive thing to play with. With them, you can do a big production value [...] The Borg allow you to have fun with the camera, the lighting and everything else. They challenge the imagination. " ("Cliff Bole – Of Redemption & Unification", The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 17 , p. 31)

Through the course of Star Trek history, further retroactive continuity changes appear to have been made in respect of the Borg. As of "Q Who" and "The Best of Both Worlds", it appeared that Starfleet had never heard of the Borg. Subsequently, Star Trek: Voyager s " Dark Frontier " and Star Trek: Enterprise s " Regeneration " showed that not only was Starfleet previously aware of the existence of the Borg, Federation scientists actually pursued them – even if they were considered mere rumor. Further, although Guinan indicates in "Q Who" that her people were attacked by the Borg, it is implied that Starfleet was not aware of the threat. However, it was later revealed in Star Trek Generations that Starfleet, in fact, rescued the El-Aurian survivors of the Borg attack including Guinan, and it seems unlikely that Starfleet would not inquire as to the cause of their plight.

The existence of the Borg Queen was a controversial change made to the Borg during the writing of Star Trek: First Contact . While the writers had intended to stay true to the original concept of the Borg as a collective hive, they found it difficult to maintain the dramatic impact of villains without having a central face. Thus, they created the Queen. In the film, she claimed to have been present during the events of " The Best of Both Worlds ", which in retrospect would appear to have negated the reason for Picard's assimilation in that episode (it was claimed that the Borg needed a single representative to speak for them). While the Queen appeared to be killed at the climax of First Contact , she apparently survived unaffected by the Borg's next appearance in Voyager 's " Scorpion ". While many fans have attempted to reconcile this, there has never been an official explanation for her survival (save for an enigmatic comment by the Queen), and the appearance of relatively identical Borg Queens in later episodes. Some, though, have theorized that the Borg Collective contained many queens that served as focal points to different branches of their society. Still another explanation is that the Borg were in possession of innumerable copies of their Borg Queen, and that the superficial death of one version simply resulted in the activation of a similar version to take her place, in a similar fashion to the Vorta . The latter theory was corroborated by Rick Berman in an interview in Star Trek: Communicator . ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 121 )

Impact and legacy [ ]

The Borg were considered as an enemy for the Deep Space 9 crew (along with the Klingons , Cardassians , and the Romulans ) when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was in development. Rick Berman later commented, " The Borg are not the kind of bad guys that are practical to use on a regular basis. " Whereas the Cardassians were eventually chosen for the main villain role, the Borg made no further appearances in Deep Space Nine after " Emissary ", although they were mentioned in episodes such as " The Storyteller ", " Playing God ", " The Search, Part I ", " The Way of the Warrior ", " For the Cause ", " Let He Who Is Without Sin... ", and " In Purgatory's Shadow ". ( Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before ) According to Robert Hewitt Wolfe in a tweet dated 28 January 2019, following the premiere of Star Trek: Voyager , a mandate was passed to the writing staffs of both Deep Space Nine and Voyager that the Borg (along with Q, following his single appearance on Deep Space Nine ) were only to be used on Voyager while Deep Space Nine retained creative control over the Alpha , Beta , and Gamma Quadrants , which Wolfe called "a fair trade." [4]

The Borg were considered by some commentators to be the greatest villains of Star Trek: The Next Generation . However, they were featured in only six episodes throughout its seven-year run. The creators have stated that this was due to the fact that the Borg were so powerful, and so it was not easy to come up with solutions for beating them. However, as time passed and future series went into production, the concept of the Borg evolved to include inherent flaws that could be exploited in many different ways – leading them to appearing in nineteen episodes of Star Trek: Voyager (although in only a fraction of these appearances were the Borg the primary villains; many episodes had them in supporting or otherwise non-antagonistic roles). This generous use caused many fans to complain that the Borg were being used too often on Voyager . TNG, DS9, and one-time VOY writer Ronald D. Moore once said of their perceived overuse, the Borg had been defeated so many times, that they had "lost their teeth." ( citation needed • edit )

Following "Regeneration" and the season it was in, ENT Season 2 , Brannon Braga stated, " We have no plans to see the Borg ever again. " ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 145 , p. 30)

In 2006 , the Borg were honored with their own DVD box set Star Trek: Fan Collective - Borg , featuring a number of their more memorable appearances in the Star Trek universe.

In an interview with StarTrek.com published on 1 April 2019, the actor Alan van Sprang , who played Leland in Star Trek: Discovery , echoed fan speculation regarding a potential connection between Control and the origins of the Borg: "I think it's very intriguing. When I first read the script I thought, 'Oh, is this the making of the Borg? Is that how it happens?' We're as much in the dark as anybody else, but as soon as I saw that, I thought, 'This is like The Borg.' The Next Generation' s Borg episode just blew my mind [when I watched it originally], let alone when Picard became Locutus . That's the first thing I thought of, which kind of tickled me to no end. 'Wow, I'm just going to milk this for all it’s worth.'" [5]

In an interview with TrekCore.com published on 19 April 2019, Michelle Paradise , then writer and co-executive producer of Discovery , clarified: "It's interesting — we weren't thinking Borg at all. I mean, we talked about all sorts of different things in the room, but there was never any intent on our part to parallel that in any way. I can certainly understand why people started to think we were going in that direction, but it was never where we intended to go with it." [6]

In an Instagram story dated 12 March 2020, Michael Chabon , then showrunner of Star Trek: Picard , opined of the same theory: "It has the virtue of making sense. But I don't think it's much fun." [7]

Apocrypha [ ]

The absence of the Borg from Deep Space Nine was explained in the novel The Siege , when a Borg cube tries to pass through the Bajoran wormhole and is destroyed by subspace compression; Sisko concludes that this event will cause the entire Collective to believe that the wormhole is unstable and would now avoid it.

In the alternate timeline seen in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine book series Millennium , the Borg forged an alliance with the Federation to defeat Weyoun . The entire Borg Collective was destroyed along with the universe. This entire timeline was later reset thanks to Benjamin Sisko.

In an alternate timeline in the game Star Trek: Armada , the Borg succeed in conquering the Alpha Quadrant. Using a clone of Locutus, the Borg manage to assimilate Spock , kill Worf, and assimilate Earth. The timeline was reset thanks to Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise -E, who travel back in time with the aid of a ship from the future to prevent Spock's capture.

In the game Star Trek: Legacy , an alternate explanation was given to the creation of the Borg which states that the probe V'ger created the Collective to serve as its heralds in its search for knowledge. However, the creation of the Borg Queen resulted in the creation of an entity that abandoned the original intent of V'ger . This is also similar to the Shatnerverse version of events.

In the current volumes of the Next Generation Relaunch series of novels, the Borg have been driven to near extinction as a result of the Starship Voyager 's destruction of the Queen and the transwarp conduit network. However, they begin to reconstruct the Collective by building a massive cube in the Alpha Quadrant, in order to launch a vengeful new offensive against the Federation; their first strike results in the assimilation of Admiral Janeway and the destruction of Pluto before the Enterprise -E manages to destroy the cube with the original Doomsday Machine .

In Star Trek: Destiny a history of the Borg was presented. They were survivors of the Caeliar Gestalt and the crew of the Earth ship Columbia NX-02 thrown back in time and into the Delta Quadrant following an attack on a Caeliar city ship. The Caeliar forced the Humans into a perverted form of their Gestalt (a mental linking of the Caeliar) based upon the will of the last surviving Caeliar and not the whole. They launched a final attack of Federation space with over 7,000 cubes at their disposal; however, they were stopped after the Caeliar were made aware of their responsibility for the Borg's actions. The Collective was dismantled, and the assimilated Borg drones were accepted into the Caeliar's gestalt. Former drones fully regained their individuality (as evidenced by Seven of Nine's remaining implants dematerializing). This was followed up in the novel Full Circle . Q later noted that this timeline's invasion was provoked by Admiral Janeway's trip to the past in " Endgame ", reflecting that, if she had done nothing, the Borg would have eventually launched a massive assault on the Milky Way galaxy centuries in the future that would have completely assimilated all other life. The Voyager relaunch novel Unworthy explores the aftermath of the destruction of the Borg, including some Federation scientists trying to harness remaining Borg technology and Voyager encountering a vast fleet called the "Indign" consisting of species who actually wanted to be assimilated but were considered unworthy of that "honor" by the Borg.

In the Star Trek: The Original Series short story "The Trouble with Borg Tribbles" from the anthology book Strange New Worlds V , a Borg cube encountered a pod full of Tribbles which had traveled through a micro-wormhole from the Alpha Quadrant in early 2268 . This was the Borg's first contact with life from that part of the galaxy. The Borg assimilated the surviving Tribbles, only to find that their instinctive drive to eat and procreate was starting to overwhelm the hive mind, causing a widespread series of malfunctions.

The comic book series Star Trek: Countdown shows that Nero 's ship, the Narada , was enhanced with a mixture of Romulan and Borg technology. The sequel miniseries Star Trek: Nero has the Borg, the Narada and V'ger originating from an unknown civilization on the " machine planet " that was seen inside V'ger in Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

The Star Trek: The Manga story "Side Effects" in Shinsei Shinsei provided a different story to the creation of the Borg, with an experiment gone wrong to save a race through the daughter of one of the 1,000 or so survivors. Cybernetic implants, along with DNA from nine different species designed to keep a disease from spreading caused the girl to go insane and gain a twisted idea of saving her people. However, the intervention of Captain James T. Kirk made the situation even worse, as the laboratory where she was augmented collapsed and was sucked into a black hole . But an escape pod with the girl was launched, and apparently catapulted far into the past by the slingshot effect , where her cybernetic implants and DNA evolved to where she became the very first Borg Queen.

In the game Star Trek Online , the Borg have resurfaced after thirty years and have conquered several Federation sectors, including the Mutara sector . The Borg of 2409 look much more like zombies, with some of their cybernetic implants looking like bones coming out of their bodies.

The Cybermen and the Borg

The comic book crossover series Star Trek: The Next Generation - Doctor Who: Assimilation² involves a plotline in which the Cybermen of the Doctor Who universe alter time and space in order to form an alliance with the Borg. The united cyborg force proves to be a devastating threat to the Federation, but the two races end up turning against each other, with the Cybermen going to war with the Borg and forcing the crew of the Enterprise -D and the Eleventh Doctor and his companions to ally with the Borg to restore the Collective and vanquish the Cybermen. At the end of the series, the Borg start to investigate time travel in order to find a way to assimilate the Doctor.

In The Delta Anomaly , a book set in the alternate reality created by the Romulan Nero 's attack on the USS Kelvin , the serial killer known as The Doctor ( β ) is suggested to be related to the Borg. This therefore establishes an earlier contact with Earth than in the prime reality.

The Borg of the alternate reality

In Star Trek: Boldly Go , a comic series also set in the alternate reality and after the events of Star Trek Beyond , the Borg make an appearance as the villain in the first arc of the series, seeking the Narada due to their awareness of its ties to the Borg. They attempt to assimilate Spock , but the primitive assimilation of this era is unable to cope with his hybrid DNA. The shock of his escape and the retrieval of other near-assimilated officers enables the Federation and the Romulans to destroy the Borg.

External links [ ]

• Borg at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Borg at Wikipedia
• 2 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Star Trek: The Next Generation

Q Saved Star Trek's Federation From The Borg In TNG

• Q's warning about the Borg in Star Trek TNG saved the United Federation of Planets from certain destruction.
• The Borg's encounter with the Enterprise-D led to Earth's vulnerability being exposed, prompting Starfleet to better prepare.
• The Battle of Wolf 359 could have been much worse without Q's intervention, which helped slow down the Borg Cube.

By warning them about the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Q (John de Lancie) saved the United Federation of Planets - and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) - from certain destruction. Introduced in the premiere episode of TNG , Q developed a certain fondness for Captain Picard and made a habit of antagonizing the Captain of the USS Enterprise-D. While Q's initial appearance in "Encounter at Farpoint" was certainly adversarial, he grew more and more interested in humanity as TNG went on. Although the crew on the USS Enterprise-D may not agree, Q's actions often helped Picard and his crew just as much as they annoyed them.

In one of Q's best Star Trek episodes , Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, episode 16, "Q Who," the omnipotent being sends the Enterprise hurtling thousands of lightyears across space, where they encounter the Borg for the first time. When Borg drones beam onto the Enterprise, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) destroys one only for another to appear in its place. The Enterprise tries and fails to outrun the Borg Cube, and quickly finds itself outmatched. If the Borg had made it to Earth before the Federation learned anything about them, the Borg would have caused much more damage than they did.

Everyone In Star Trek Who Beat The Borg

Q saved the federation by introducing them to the borg in star trek: tng's "q who", q likes humanity (and picard) more than he lets on..

Soon after the USS Enterprise-D arrives seven thousand light years from their previous location in Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Q Who?", they discover a planet with giant craters where the cities should be. This discovery prompts Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) to remark: "It is identical to what happened to the outposts along the Neutral Zone." This line proves that the Borg already knew about Earth and humanity (which is later more firmly established when the Borg appear in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise) . Q's intervention, then, did not reveal the Federation to the Borg, but rather warned Starfleet about what was already coming.

Because of this encounter, Captain Picard then provides Starfleet with everything he learned about the Borg, allowing them to better prepare for a potential attack. If the Borg had approached Earth with no warning, the Federation would have responded as they always do when encountering new species - with peaceful curiosity. Picard responds this way in "Q Who," attempting to communicate with the Borg before using any kind of force against them. Q's actions put Starfleet on the defensive, and as Picard says, gave them "a kick in [their] complacency."

The Enterprise lost 18 crew members in its initial encounter with the Borg. These losses may have been prevented if Picard had accepted Q's help sooner, but it's clear Q doesn't place the same value on individual human lives.

The Battle Of Wolf 359 & Its Aftermath Could've Been Much Worse Without Q

Starfleet suffered a devastating loss, but it could have been wiped out entirely..

At the end of Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Q Who," Picard remarks that Q may have done the right thing in warning them about the Borg. Q even offered his help earlier in the episode, but Picard refused (which is understandable, given their history). It will be a while before the Borg return, but when they do, they deal the Federation a devastating blow. In the excellent TNG two-parter, "The Best of Both Worlds," the Borg assimilate Captain Picard and turn him into their mouthpiece, Locutus. Locutus then leads the Borg in an attack at Wolf 359, where Starfleet suffers one of its worst losses prior to the Dominion War.

After the Battle of Wolf 359, Starfleet began developing more defensive technology, including warships like the USS Defiant, which proved invaluable during the Dominion War.

However, the battle slowed the Borg Cube down, if only slightly, allowing the Enterprise-D to catch up with the Cube before it reached Earth. Data and Worf then rescue Picard from the Cube and use his Borg knowledge and connections to destroy the Borg ship. If the Enterprise had been unable to rescue Picard, not only would Earth likely have sustained significant damage, but Starfleet would have lost one of its best and most influential Captains. Whether Q's goal was to save the Federation or simply to save Picard, his actions in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Q Who" helped prepare the Federation for future conflicts with the Borg and other powerful enemies.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is streaming on Paramount+

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s)

Writers Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Where To Watch Paramount+

Filed under:

• 2024 Spring Entertainment Preview

Star Trek: Discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants

Imagining the future of the future

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Star Trek: Discovery is finally free to do whatever it wants

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that even among the greatest television shows in Star Trek history, most of them take two seasons to stop being kind of bad. Never has that been more true or more excruciating than in the case of Star Trek: Discovery .

Polygon is looking ahead to the movies, shows, and books coming soon in our Spring 2024 entertainment preview package, a weeklong special issue.

Often it felt like what Discovery was really doing in its early seasons was discovering what didn’t work. Strong performances from a great cast? That works. A Klingon design that absolutely nobody liked ? Definitely not. But despite the stumbles, Discovery season 1 had still averaged C’s and B’s with reviewers, and had built an audience and a subscriber base for Paramount Plus. On the strength of Disco ’s first season, Paramount greenlit Star Treks Picard , Lower Decks , and Prodigy , three new shows covering a huge range of ages and nostalgic tastes. And spinning out of Disco ’s second season, which introduced familiar , nostalgic characters and a brighter, more Star Trek-y tone, Paramount produced Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , inarguably the best new addition to the franchise since 1996.

Star Trek: Discovery crawled so that the rest of modern Trek could run... and then it started to walk. The show’s third season saw the USS Discovery and crew in the place that should have been their starting blocks: the bleeding future edge of Star Trek’s timeline. Thanks to season 3’s groundwork, season 4 became the first time that Discovery had a status quo worth returning to. In its fifth and final season, Star Trek: Discovery is finally free — free in a way that a Star Trek TV series hasn’t been in 23 years.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is such an elder statesman of the television elite that it’s easy to forget that it was daring. The show’s triumph wasn’t just that it featured a new cast of characters, but also its audaciousness in imagining the future of the future — and making that future unmistakably different . The Original Series showed a racial and national cooperation that seemed fantastical in its time, with an alien crewmember to denote the next frontier of embracing the other . Next Generation saw that bet and raised it, installing a member of the Klingon species, the Federation’s once-feared imperialist rival state, as a respected officer on the bridge of Starfleet’s flagship.

Next Generation ’s time period — one century after Kirk’s Enterprise — wasn’t a nominal choice, but a commitment to moving the story of Star Trek forward. From the show’s foundations, Gene Roddenberry and his collaborators, new and old, set a precedent that the Federation would evolve. Therefore, in accordance with the utopian themes of the franchise, old enemies would in time become friends. Next Generation embraced The Original Series ’ nemeses and the rest of ’90s Trek saw that bet and raised it again, pulling many of Next Gen ’s villains into the heroic fold. Voyager welcomed a Borg crewmember and disincorporated the Borg empire; Deep Space Nine gave the franchise the first Ferengi Starfleet cadet, and brokered a Federation-Klingon-Romulan alliance in the face of an existential threat.

But Discovery — at least until it made its Olympic long-jump leap 900 years into the future — couldn’t move Star Trek forward. So long as it was set “immediately before Kirk’s Enterprise,” hemmed in by the constraints of a previously established era of Star Trek history, it could graft on new elements (like Spock’s secret human foster sister) but it couldn’t create from whole cloth (like a galaxy-wide shortage of starship fuel that nearly destroyed the Federation). Like its predecessor, the ill-fated Star Trek: Enterprise of the ’00s, it was doomed to hang like a remora on the side of the events of The Original Series , or, if you’ll pardon another fish metaphor, doomed like a goldfish that can only grow as large as its half-gallon fishbowl will allow.

Discovery ’s later, free seasons in the 32nd century have shown the Federation at its most vulnerable, a subtler echo of Picard ’s own season 1 swing at fallen institutions . (Fans of Voyager and Deep Space Nine know that this is an extremely rich vein of Trek storytelling.) In its third season, Discovery solved a galaxy-wide fuel crisis that had shattered the community of the Federation. In its fourth it fought for a fragile new Federation alliance and its millennia-old ideals.

And those seasons have also boldly committed to the idea of imagining the future’s future — 900 years of it. The centuries-old rift between Vulcans and Romulans is long healed, Ferengi serve as captains in Starfleet, the work of Doctor Noonien Soong has brought new medical technologies to the fore.

Even still, Discovery hasn’t been truly free in its third and fourth seasons. Star Trek: Picard was out there, forming new past elements of a post- Next Gen / Voy / DS9 era that Discovery had to abide by. And, after all, the show still had to make sure there was something for its own next season to come back to.

But now — with Prodigy and Picard finished, and Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks locked into their settings of Star Trek’s established past, and Starfleet Academy and Section 31 not yet in production at the time that its final season would have been written — Discovery has reached the final final frontier for a Star Trek show. If you’re a Star Trek fan, that should excite you.

Not since Deep Space Nine in 1999 and Voyager in 2001 has a Star Trek series had the freedom to wrap up its run with the Federation in any state it wants to. With franchise flagship Next Generation at an end, and Voyager restricted to the Delta Quadrant only, Deep Space Nine used its last seasons to throw the Federation into all-out war, making sweeping changes to the established ficto-political norms of ’90s Trek. Voyager used its finale to do what Captain Picard never could: defang the Borg (mostly).

We don’t know exactly what Discovery will do with that freedom. Season 4 directors have talked about reaching “ into the past to get further into the future ,” and likened it to Indiana Jones. Official news releases have said the crew will “uncover a mystery that sends them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries.” But speculating on what that means would be beside the point.

Discovery , the show about an intergalactically teleporting starship, can finally, actually, go anywhere. It’s been almost a quarter of a century since a beloved Star Trek series was so free to boldly go. Let’s hope they’re very bold indeed.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 premieres with two episodes on April 4 on Paramount Plus.

Spring 2024 entertainment preview

Loading comments...

Is 'Legacy' About to Boldly Go? Whoopi Goldberg May Be Returning To 'Star Trek'

Her 'The View' co-host Joy Behar may have spilled the beans on-air.

The Big Picture

• Whoopi Goldberg's potential return to Star Trek as Guinan sparks excitement among fans and co-stars, but she denies any involvement.
• Goldberg plays Guinan, a centuries-old alien known for her wisdom and signature hats.
• Besides Star Trek , Goldberg is also rumored to reprise her role in Sister Act 3 .

Is Whoopi Goldberg returning to Star Trek ? Her The View co-host Joy Behar seems to think so, at least. As captured by Twitter user Kyle Arking , during an appearance by Zoë Saldaña and director Marco Perego on the talk show to discuss their upcoming film The Absence of Eden , the conversation turned to the latest announcement of a fourth Star Trek film starring Saldaña and her crewmates from the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot film. Saldaña was asked if she had any updates herself, prompting Behar to advise Goldberg, "don't tip your hand yet" and not to "let them know you got the job." Saldaña (who had no updates on her own Star Trek projects, but would welcome a return) was enthusiastic about the prospect of Goldberg's return to the role of Guinan, but for her part, Goldberg denied everything.

Goldberg is a longtime Star Trek fan who became enamored of Star Trek: The Original Series as a child when she saw the late Nichelle Nichols playing Lt. Uhura — a groundbreaking role for a Black woman at the time. Following the series' revival with Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1989, Goldberg lobbied for a role on the show; the recurring role of Guinan, the USS Enterprise-D 's bartender who debuted in the series' second-season premiere, was written for her. Goldberg would go on to appear in 29 episodes of the series, and the films Star Trek: Generations and Star Trek: Nemesis . She reprised the character in the second season of Star Trek: Picard .

Where Guinan would return is up in the air; while the character's long lifespan means she could pop up in any of the current Star Trek series, Patrick Stewart has discussed his interest in another Next Generation movie . Following the end of Picard Season 3, fans have also been clamoring for a Legacy spin-off series . Guinan could easily appear as a guest star in the potential series to give Picard's son, Jack Crusher ( Ed Speleers ) some much-needed advice.

Who Is Guinan in 'Star Trek'?

A member of the mysterious alien El-Aurian species with a fondness for enigmatic wisdom and enormous hats, Guinan is centuries-old, and first encountered Jean-Luc Picard and his Enterprise crew in 19th-century San Francisco. In the 23rd century, her homeworld was destroyed by the Borg ; she became a refugee and was rescued by the Enterprise-D 's predecessor, the Enterprise-B , as seen in Star Trek: Generations .

Having befriended Picard, she became the bartender at Ten Forward, the Enterprise 's lounge, and dispensed drinks and advice to the ship's crew and passengers. She was occasionally drawn into the Enterprise's adventures herself, confronting the omnipotent Q, warning Picard of the Borg, and once getting de-aged to childhood in a transporter accident. As of Star Trek: Picard , she has opened a bar in 25th-century Los Angeles.

How New 'Star Trek' Shows Get Made, According to Alex Kurtzman [Exclusive]

Guinan may not be the only past role Goldberg is looking to reprise. Sister Act 3 , in which she would return to the role of Deloris Wilson, is still in the works, according to Goldberg herself.

Whoopi Goldberg's potential return to Star Trek remains unconfirmed . Stay tuned to Collider for future updates. The franchise returns on Paramount+ when Star Trek: Discovery premieres its fifth and final season on April 4. You can watch Picard and many other shows from the franchise on the streamer right now.

Star Trek: Picard

Follow-up series to Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) that centers on Jean-Luc Picard in the next chapter of his life.

Watch on Paramount+

Screen Rant

Star trek into darkness deleted scene shows what carol marcus & picard's jack crusher have in common.

A deleted scene from Star Trek Into Darkness answers why Carol Marcus is British in the Kelvin timeline, and what she has in common with Jack Crusher.

• Dr. Carol Marcus and Jack Crusher share British accents from their upbringing in London, linking their Star Trek legacies.
• Carol Marcus investigated her father's shady torpedoes on the USS Enterprise, filled with frozen Khan followers.
• Both characters have potential futures in the Star Trek universe, with Carol possibly appearing in "Strange New Worlds."

A deleted scene from Star Trek Into Darkness reveals why Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) is British in the alternate Kelvin Timeline of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies, and the reason is something Carol has in common with Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) in Star Trek: Picard . Dr. Marcus, the daughter of the diabolical Admiral Alexander Marcus (Peter Weller), came aboard the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) to investigate her father transporting experimental torpedoes on Kirk's ship. Carol learned the torpedoes contained the cryogenically frozen followers of Khan Noonien Singh (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Although they exist in separate Star Trek timelines , Carol Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness and Jack Crusher in Star Trek: Picard season 3 are both Starfleet royalty . Jack is the son of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), although the son never knew his father until the events of Picard season 3. Jack inherited organic Borg DNA from his father, but Picard saved Jack from the tragic fate of becoming Vox of Borg. Together with the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, they slayed the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) and saved the galaxy.

Star Trek Into Darkness Ending & Problems Explained

Star trek into darkness' deleted scene explains carol marcus' british accent is similar to jack crusher's, carol and star trek picard's jack crusher have similar upbringings.

A deleted scene from Star Trek Into Darkness posted by @AosdailyBTS on X shows Captain Kirk quizzing Dr. Carol Marcus about why she is aboard the Starship Enterprise. When Kirk tells Marcus to "drop the accent," Carol reveals her British accent is real because she was raised in London by her mother while her father, Admiral Marcus, ran Starfleet. Check out the deleted scene below:

Carol's backstory of being raised in London is just like Jack Crusher's. As Dr. Beverly Crusher explained to Jean-Luc in Star Trek: Picard season 3, she and Jack lived in London when he was young, and the accent just "stuck." Amusingly, Beverly explains that it must be the Picard DNA that affords Jack a British accent as if accents can be inherited like Jack's organic Borg DNA . But Carol Marcus, whose backstory was established in Star Trek Into Darkness ten years before Star Trek: Picard season 3, had an absentee Admiral father and gained a British accent while living in London with her mother, just like Jack Crusher.

Star Trek Into Darkness ' deleted scene takes place right before the controversial moment when Carol strips to her underwear and is ogled by Captain Kirk.

Carol Marcus' Star Trek Future Vs. Jack Crusher's Star Trek Future

Carol's comeback may be sooner than jack's.

Both Carol Marcus and Jack Crusher have tentative Star Trek futures. Carol was name-dropped in Star Trek 's first-ever musica l episode, when Lt. James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley) told Lt. La'an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) that he has a pregnant girlfriend named Carol. This could mean Carol Marcus may appear in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 , although it's unlikely that she will be played by Alice Eve on the Paramount+ series.

There's no telling if the Kelvin Timeline's Carol will be seen again if Star Trek 4 happens.

Jack Crusher's Star Trek future depends on whether Star Trek: Picard season 3's proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy, happens . Despite ardent fan demand, and the actors and creatives' willingness to return, no Picard spinoff is in development at Paramount+. This means Ensign Jack Crusher's adventures aboard the USS Enterprise-G and what comes of Jack meeting Q (John de Lancie) are in drydock. There's a chance Picard could continue as a Star Trek streaming movie on Paramount+, but Alice Eve's version of Carol Marcus wasn't in Star Trek Beyond and there's no telling if the Kelvin Timeline's Carol will be seen again if Star Trek 4 happens.

Source: @aosdailyBTS on X

Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek: Picard season 3 are streaming on Paramount+