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A Brief Perspective on the Borg

© Tanya M. Blakeley

As we all know the Borg first appeared in the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Q Who." In that episode Picard & crew were introduced to the Borg by the race of omnipotent beings called simply the "Q." After that first meeting the Federation realized that they had met their greatest and most dangerous enemy. While the Borg's origins are, as yet, unknown. We do know that their homeworld, along with the bulk of their fleet, is located in the Delta Quadrant. We also know that they assimilated the El Aurian homeworld in the year 2265 (old Earth Calender), and that the Borg are on a constant quest to better themselves by assimilating other races into the Collective.

After the encounter with the Enterprise, the Borg began a quest to assimilate Earth and the rest of the Alpha Quadrant. There are indications that the Borg may have been responsible for the destruction of two outposts that are situated along the Federation and Romulan Neutral Zone, Delta Zero Nine and Tarod IX. At first the Federation and the Romulans each believed the other to be responsible and sent ships to investigate. When the ships arrived and saw the level of destruction, they knew someone else was responsible. The Federation believed that someone was the Borg. With the destruction of the outposts the level of agressive tactics used by the Borg escalated. The Borg then revealed themselves and their presence in the Alpha Quadrant with an attack on the Federation Colony New Jouret IV seen in the Next Generation episode "Best of Both Worlds Part 1."

Also in the Next Generation episode "Best of Both Worlds Part 1," Captain Picard is captured and assimilated by the Borg. In "Best of Both Worlds Part 2," the Borg attacks culminate in the "Battle of Wolfe 359," where Captain Picard is rescued by Commander Riker and crew. During the "Battle of Wolfe 359" the future Commander of Deep Space Nine, Commander Benjamin Sisko (later promoted to Captain) lost his ship and his wife. The Borg were defeated, but not before 39 Starships were either destroyed or damaged.

The Borg reappeared in the episode "I, Borg," when the crew of the Enterprise encountered a damaged Borg Scout ship. All of the Scout's crew were destroyed except one, Third of Five. The crew saved the lone Borg and taught him how to be an individual named Hugh. Hugh was taken back to the crash site, picked up by another Borg Cube and reassimiliated into the Borg

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