Spotlight On: Borg

by Charlie Plaine, Chairman

20th April 2008

"My people encountered them a century ago. Our cities were destroyed, our people scattered across the galaxy. They are called the Borg - protect yourself or they will destroy you." - Guinan

Story

No adversary is more threatening, more horrifying, than the soul-crushing Borg Collective. Originating from parts unknown (rumored to be the Delta Quadrant), this race of cyborg people have but one goal - expansion through assimilation. Assimilation of technology, of information, and of people - who become soulless, mindless drones, forever trapped in a half-mechanical body.

In 2364, a series of both Romulan and Federation colonies along the Neutral Zone disappeared - seeming as if they had simply been scooped off the planet. One year later, with the help of the immortal Q, the Federation had their first official encounter with a Borg Cube, explaining the origins of the attacks and introducing the Alpha Quadrant to a relentless new foe.

Interestingly enough, there were rumors about the Borg in the Federation prior to 2365. Before the formation of the Federation, the Earth ship Enterprise encountered a small group of cybernetic life forms originating from wreckage discovered on Earth, but they were destroyed before they could be investigated. In the 2350's, rumors inspired a pair of Federation scientists to try and hunt down the cybernetic race - but their fate remained unknown for decades.

In 2366, the Federation suffered horrendous casualties to a single Borg vessel, which was finally stopped in orbit of Earth. This "close encounter" inspired significant technological and tactical advancements within Alpha Quadrant fleets, so they could be better prepared for the Borg's inevitable return. Yet, when the Collective tried to assimilate Earth again in 2373, the Federation suffered significant losses before defeating the Cube with the timely assistance of Captain Picard and the U.S.S. Enterprise-E.

It was during the attack on Earth in 2373 that the Federation became aware of a single, commanding voice behind the collective hive mind - the enigmatic Borg Queen. The origins of the Queen are as mysterious as the origins of the collective, but through encounters with the Starships Enterprise and Voyager, it was learned that she "leads" the collective and has the ability to replace - or, at least, be replaced.

The status of the Borg Collective is currently unknown. Captain Janeway and the crew of Voyager infected the collective with a virus that caused significant chaos within the hive. If the Borg survived, then rest assured... they will be back.

Episodes

The Borg made their first on-screen appearance in The Next Generation as the primary threat for Picard and his crew. They were featured (briefly) as a back story element for Deep Space Nine's Commander Sisko, but did not appear again until Voyager, where they again became a recurring adversary. Voyager also featured the character of Seven of Nine - a reclaimed Borg Drone - from the third through the final seasons. They appeared in a single episode of Enterprise and did not appear in The Original Series.

Great Borg Episodes:

• TNG's "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I & II"
• TNG's "I, Borg"
• First Contact
• VOY's "Scorpion, Part I & II"
• VOY's "Dark Frontier, Part I & II"
• VOY's "Unimatrix Zero, Part I & II"
• ENT's "Regeneration"

In-Game

The Borg arrived in the card game in Call to Arms, and with the exception of a few icons on missions, do not appear at all in Second Edition or Energize. The boutique product, Reflections 2.0, provides quite a few valuable Borg cards. In the past few years, the Borg made strong appearances in To Boldly Go and These Are the Voyages, but every expansion after Call to Arms offers something for the Borg player.

Head over to our forum and discuss your favorite Borg episodes, vote in our Borg polls, and talk about your favorite Borg decks and strategies. Stay tuned this week for lots more Borg content!