"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile." - The Borg Collective
A Borg drone of Cardassian origin.
The Borg are a race of cybernetic beings - part organic, part machine - originating from the Delta Quadrant. One of the most feared races in the galaxy, the Borg exist as a hive mind, many working as one. They have one fixed goal: the assimilation of other worthy beings and technologies into the Collective.
Physiology
Since the Borg assimilate beings from every race they have encountered (with few exceptions), the physiology of the 'average' drone varies. However, all drones have certain common aspects. All Borg are cybernetic, their organic bodies merged with synthetic tissues and cybernetic implants. The Borg also make extensive use of Nanites in their drones for repair, maintenance, and assimilation purposes. All drones are linked to the Collective through subspace transceivers.
Origins
The Borg Queen.
The precise origins of the Collective are unknown. However, it seems likely that their homeworld, the Unicomplex, is located somewhere in the Delta Quadrant. Starfleet assets have encountered references to their existence at least 900 years ago, and possibly earlier. According to some, the Borg were "far less impressive 900 years ago."
History in the Alpha Quadrant
First Contact
The history of humanity's encounters with the Borg has become rather more complicated than previously believed, due to recent discoveries in Starfleet's historical database. Indeed, the exact date of first contact with the Collective has shifted somewhat. Reports received from Captain Picard of the Enterprise-E following the battle at Earth in 2373 suggest that humanity's first contact with the Borg took place in April of 2063, following a temporal incursion made by a Borg Sphere shortly after the battle. The Sphere was destroyed in Earth orbit, after it attempted to interfere with First Contact. It was believed that the Sphere's presence had no impact on the timeline.(Star Trek: First Contact)
However, records recently unearthed at Starfleet Headquarters, and long thought lost, have revealed a further encounter with the cybernetic species. In 2153, scientists investigating unusual debris at the North Pole reactivated two drones found preserved in the ice.
The two drones assimilated the science team and used an arctic transport to escape from Earth, intending to head to contemporary Borg space. The Enterprise, which at the time was the closest vessel to react, engaged and destroyed the vessel, but not before the drones transmitted pulsar triangulation coordinates towards the Delta Quadrant. The message was expected to arrive at its destination some 200 years later. (ENT: "Regeneration").
After this incident, near the late 2260s, Starfleet encountered the El-Aurian refugees and had a possible connection of the cybernetic species they had encountered in 2153. As early as 2293, specifically stardate 9521.6 (seen on Captain Janeway's screen in "Scorpion, pt. 1), Starfleet had opened an official file on the rumors of the Borg and began to study these rumors.
Although it is not clear whether the signal ever arrived it is interesting to note that the Borg began to make incursions into the Alpha Quadrant in the 2350s. These early incursions left very little evidence but some people did begin to believe that a hitherto unknown power was making its presence felt. This led Magnus Hansen and Erin Hansen to petition Starfleet for the loan of a ship so that they could find hard evidence of this species. They took their daughter Annika Hansen aboard the ship, the USS Raven, and set off. By 2356 they had found evidence of the Borg but they were assimilated before they could inform Starfleet of their discovery. (VOY: "The Raven")
Thus the Borg incursions continued without the Federation’s knowledge. The largest of these incursions occurred in 2364 when the Borg wiped out a series of Romulan and Federation outposts in Sector 30 and Sector 31 on the borders of the Romulan Neutral Zone. (TNG: "The Neutral Zone")
In mid 2365, the Enterprise-D was thrown into Borg space by the entity known as Q where they encountered a Borg cube. Although they suffered losses, the Enterprise-D became the first ship to survive such an encounter and so managed to inform Starfleet of the existence of the Borg. (TNG: "Q Who?")
First Attack on Earth
Locutus of Borg.
Via these various contacts, the Borg were now fully aware of humanity and made their first concerted attempt to assimilate the entire race in late 2366. A single cube destroyed the New Providence Colony, the USS Lalo and kidnapped Captain Picard when the Enterprise-D attempted to intervene. Picard was partially assimilated and became a Borg drone known as Locutus of Borg. The cube proceeded towards Earth and engaged Starfleet in the Battle of Wolf 359, resulting in the destruction of 39 Federation ships including the USS Saratoga, the then post of Benjamin Sisko, his son Jake Sisko, and his wife Jennifer Sisko, who was killed in the battle. On arrival at Earth an away-team from the Enterprise-D successfully rescued Picard/Locutus. Data used Picard's/Locutus' connection to the Borg to implant a 'sleep' order in the cube, making it regenerate, and that created a power-net feedback, destroying it. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I", "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II", DS9 "Emissary")
The Rogue Collective
The Enterprise-D again encountered the Borg in 2368 when they rescued a single drone from a crashed Borg shuttle. This drone was cut off from the collective and slowly regained an individual identity, eventually being named Hugh. Although a plan was put forward to use Hugh to destroy the collective in its entirety it was vetoed by Captain Picard and Hugh was returned to the collective. However his presence had unforeseen consequences. (TNG: "I, Borg")
The individuality present in Hugh spread through the ship he returned to causing a catastrophic separation of the ship from the rest of the collective. This rogue mini-collective was unsure how to cope with its freedom and so fell under the influence of the android Lore. He persuaded them to aid his plan to conquer Earth. Using the rogue ship they attacked several outposts before being tracked down by the crew of the Enterprise-D. They destroyed the Borg ship and were able to persuade the remaining members of the mini-collective of Lore’s unreliability. The mini-collective then disappeared into space and has not been encountered since. (TNG: "Descent, Part I", "Descent, Part II")
Second Attack on Earth
The main Borg collective made another attempt at Earth in 2373 once more sending a single cube. The Federation lost a number of ships in the Battle of Sector 001 but the cube was destroyed using information supplied by Captain Picard of the Enterprise-E. His knowledge of the cube’s weakness appeared to derive from his earlier connection to the collective. While the cube was destroyed, a Sphere escaped the battle and travelled back to 2063 followed by the Enterprise, thus creating the first Borg contact mentioned above. The battle was also humanity’s first encounter with the Borg Queen (although there is evidence that she was present at Wolf 359). (Star Trek: First Contact)
Since that point, there has been little Borg activity in the Alpha Quadrant, however the situation in the Delta Quadrant has been very different.
History in the Delta Quadrant
The Borg are a major presence in the Delta Quadrant. Their far border seems to be marked by the Nekrit Expanse. Several worlds in that region (including the homeworld of the Sakari) have suffered from Borg attacks.
The New Cooperative
In 2368 a Borg Cube in the Nekrit Expanse suffered a major electrical failure. This resulted in the death of the majority of the Borg on board and separated the survivors from the Collective. They escaped to a nearby planet and began re-building their lives as individuals.
Many races were represented on the new planet including a number from the Alpha Quadrant. They included Humans, Romulans, Cardassians, Klingons, Farn and Parein. Sadly as their personalities returned, so did their original hatreds and differences. Within a short time, the planet became a warzone.
One group of survivors set up a cooperative in an attempt to find a peaceful solution to the conflicts. They were unable to achieve this and were running out of supplies when they encountered Lieutenant Commander Chakotay of the USS Voyager. He helped them repair their communications while they healed him of a serious head wound by bringing him into a temporary mini-collective.
On returning to Voyager he explained their plan to use the abandoned Borg Cube to bring all the planet's inhabitants into a new collective mind and so stop the war. Although applauding the ideals behind the idea, Captain Janeway would not allow the plan to go ahead.
Using their communications array the cooperative took over Chakotay's mind using a lingering effect of the mini-collective. They forced him to re-start the Borg Cube and so formed the New Cooperative. Unexpectedly, the Cube and its Borg inhabitants also re-activated, however the Cooperative activated the Cube's self destruct mechanism and destroyed it.
The resulting hive mind seemed benevolent but there was no telling how much of a danger it could present in future. (VOY: "Unity")
The Borg-Species 8472 War
In late 2373, the USS Voyager found itself about to enter Borg territory in the Delta Quadrant. On scanning the area they discovered a region of space with little or no Borg activity, which they named the "Northwest Passage". The passage, however, would later be discovered by the Voyager crew to be swarming with an alien presence even more dangerous than the Borg: Species 8472.
Species 8472 originated from fluidic space, and had been attacked by the Borg in their realm some months previously. Species 8472 fought back, however, and the Borg soon found themselves on the losing end of a war with a species whose tactical abilities far outweighted their own. The Borg were able to defeat Species 8472, though, with help from Captain Kathryn Janeway of Voyager, who negotiated a temporary alliance with the collective in order to secure safe passage through Borg space. Janeway oversaw the development of a new nanoprobe-based bio-weapon that was designed to attack Species 8472 at a cellular level. The Borg-Species 8472 War was the first significant defeat that the Borg had suffered in centuries. (VOY: "Scorpion, Part I, Scorpion, Part II")
Seven of Nine
During the altercation with Species 8472, the drone that had been Annika Hansen, now designated Seven of Nine, was separated from the collective. After some initial trouble she became a member of Voyager's crew and provided valuable information on the Borg.(VOY: "Scorpion, Part II, The Gift")
In mid-2375, Voyager's crew prepared to raid a damaged Borg sphere to steal a transwarp coil and so shorten their journey home. Seven was contacted by the Borg Queen, who revealed that she had set a trap for Voyager and its crew would be assimilated if she did not return to the Collective. Seven reluctantly agreed, learning that she was deliberately granted her freedom as part of a larger plan to assimilate humanity. Seven resisted the Queen's attempts to convince her to develop a nanoprobe virus and was eventually rescued by Voyager's crew. (VOY : "Dark Frontier")
Unimatrix Zero
Korok, a member of Unimatrix Zero.
In late 2376 the USS Voyager discovered a group of Borg who had a specific genetic mutation and were thus able to revert to their pre-Borg selves while regenerating. This occured in an artificial construct known as Unimatrix Zero, which took the form of a dream state. Seven of Nine was one of these Borg and she was contacted by the other members of the Unimatrix who were on the verge of being discovered. With some assistance from Voyager's crew, the drones were given the ability to retain their individuality outside of the construct. This allowed them to launch an open revolt, plunging the Collective into civil war. (VOY : "Unimatrix Zero, Part I, Unimatrix Zero, Part II")
Final Defeat
A major defeat came at the hands of the USS Voyager in 2378. Voyager discovered a nebula that had readings suggesting dozens of wormholes. However, upon entering, they saw a Borg cube and were forced to abandon their attempt to return to Earth. Shortly afterwards, an alternate timeline Admiral Kathryn Janeway arrived and told (present-day) Captain Janeway to return to the nebula. Armed with new, advanced anti-Borg weapons, Voyager easily destroyed two cubes. When they reached the coordinates, they discovered a Borg transwarp hub. Realizing that this was a major tactical advantage to the Borg, Capt. Janeway ordered her crew to figure out a way to destroy it.
Adm. Janeway entered her shuttle inside the hub's Unicomplex and allowed the Borg Queen to assimilate her. Meanwhile, Voyager entered the transwarp network. The hive mind was then disrupted by a neurolytic pathogen in Adm. Janeway's brain. With the collective in disarray, Voyager launched its torpedoes at the network's support beams, causing a chain reaction that destroyed the network.
However, as the network collapsed, Sphere 634 pursued Voyager inside a transwarp conduit. Voyager maneuvered within the sphere as it emerged less than a lightyear from Earth. Admiral Paris ordered all available ships to intercept. As the Starfleet armada opened fire, Voyager destroyed Sphere 634 from inside. The fleet then escorted Voyager to Earth. (VOY: Endgame)
Culture
The Borg have no culture in the traditional sense of the word. Their sole purpose is the assimilation of other beings. To them, art, music, leisure, all are irrelevant; however, they hold a near-reverence for the Omega molecule (which they classified as Particle 010, which they consider to be an expression of flawlessness.
Alphanumeric Code
Borg Alphanumeric code.
Alphanumeric code is used as the Borg written language and also for information encoding and transmittion of data throughout the collective. It consists of circular symbols with geometric shapes cut out of them. It can be seen on various control panels, labels, and viewscreens within borg structures. It is written in many different directions: in horizontal lines going from left to right and right left, and vertically. As the name suggests, the symbols represent both alphabetic characters that represent sounds; and numbers; with much Borg terminology comprising alphanumeric sequences.
The code is immensely complex and consists of at least 50 characters.
Spacecraft
Borg vessels are amongst the most powerful in the galaxy. Highly decentralized, they have no bridge, living quarters or engineering section. All drones collectively operate the vessel, under the general direction of the Collective as a whole, and the Borg Queen as a nexus.
Examples of Borg vessels include:
- Cube
- Sphere
- Scoutship
- Probe
- Diamond
- Tactical cube
- Rogue ship
Technology
Ship technology
- Alcove
- Autonomous regeneration sequencer
- Central plexus
- Cortical processing subunit
- Cutting beam
- Data node
- Distribution node
- Maturation chamber
- Power Distribution Node
- Regenerative shield
- Reticular node
- Tractor beam
- Transwarp coil
- Transwarp hub
- Vinculum
Drone technology
- Assimilation tubule (Injection tubule)
- Cortical implant
- Exo-plating
- Extraction tubule
- Designator interface circuit
- Regenerative shield (Personal shield)
- Thoracic assembly
- Interlink node
- Ocular implant
- Proximity transceiver
- Vocal subprocesser
List of Borg
- Azan
- Borg Queen
- Crosis
- Riley Frazier
- Hugh (Third of Five)
- Icheb
- Korok
- Lansor (Two of Nine)
- Locutus
- Mezoti
- One
- Orum
- P'Chan (Four of Nine)
- Rebi
- Seven of Nine
- Marika Willkarah (Three of Nine)
List of Species seen as Borg Drones
Appearances
See also
- Borg Philosophy
Related Topics
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