Breaking Borg; Part I

As synonymous as the Klingons and Romulans are with Star Trek, the Borg were established as one of if not the biggest threat to galactic peace - but where have the last 30 years taken them?

Rambling back to 1988 you start out at Q Who from The Next Generation's second season. You knew when this aired that the opportunity to bring the Borg back wouldn't be lost nor would it be too long in the making. If things had gone the way they were planned, the 88-89 season would have ended Borg rather than Grey. The writers' strike put paid to that but it did mean that Michael Piller came on board and pulled out one of the all-time top episodes of Star Trek; the first part of The Best of Both Worlds. Potentially that strike turned the Borg from being the enemy of the year ad a year that was certainly mixed in its quality into one of the deadliest foes Star Trek ever brought us...to a point.

But just look at the Borg in those fledgling The Next Generation years especially the ambiguous Q Who (in which ironically Q takes a massive backseat). There's no sign of assimilation, there's a nursery which would be revisited and promptly forgotten again in Voyager's episode Collective but that sinister, silent, menacing arrogance is there in every aspect of the race. All they want to do is acquire technology and advance themselves further.

Their appearance had been suggested back in The Neutral Zone in a still unexplained reference to all the machine parts being scooped up in the same way as J-25 and also Jouret IV but when you link everything together this thrown in observation doesn't work - wouldn't the Borg have just continued on if they were that close to the Federation or the Romulan Empire? Anyway, that's a conversation to be filed alongside "What Happened to the Conspiracy Aliens..."

Q Who is an exemplary episode introducing us to the cybernetic organisms, their cubic mode of transport and their haunting regenerative ability which we see on the hull of their ship. We're chilled by the way in which they adapt to phaser fire after only a shot and for once the Enterprise looked defeated, relying on the omnipotent Q to save the day. It effectively told us nothing about them. No queen, no real understanding of the hive, no idea where they were from, only that they were coming and come they did.

That flagrant arrogance is even more evident through the lone cubes which attempt to attack Earth in both the legendary two-parter The Best of Both Worlds and Star Trek First Contact but even going solo, their appearances in The Next Generation always brought a chill and a lump to the throat. Their interference was ominous, dangerous to the end and always to be feared. There is not one thing redeeming about them at this point. They exist solely to conquer, assimilate technology and move on, "bettering" themselves at every step.

Both Q Who and The Best of Both Worlds also chillingly pre-empt something else for me - the arrogance of the Federation and more specifically Starfleet. They admit in the two part cliffhanger that solutions to combat the Borg are years off and Picard himself in Q Who believes they are more than prepared for what's out in the great beyond. Starfleet sees itself as untouchable, a force for peace that other races will join or not choose to "oppose" because of its size and potential might (Dominion might have other ideas...) and it takes a cube making it to Earth and be within seconds of attacking before they step up preparations to another level.

The Best of Both Worlds demonstrates everything right about the portrayal of the Borg themselves as they head straight for Sector 001. We still known very little about them and the only assimilation we see on screen is that of Picard to become their figurehead/spokesperson Locutus. Later Voyager does tell us of Starfleet personnel who were taken at Wolf 359 (Unity, Unimatrix Zero, Part II) but at this time the only reason they take Picard is to have a human face and voice when they talk to humanity. The difficulty in defeating them here and in Q Who adds to their menace as an enemy that is keeping Starfleet absolutely on its toes. They are relentless, picking off anything that even looks like it might try and think about putting up some form of defence (Mars defences) or anything that simply gets in its path (USS Lalo) without a care. 

The cube is stopped with the single command; "Sleep" with only the kidnap of Locutus from the cube showing any kind of concern for the Collective but only momentarily. This story remains etched into the core of Star Trek lore to this very day with Deep Space Nine's pilot, Emissary bouncing off the seminal Wolf 359 battle and the loss of Sisko's wife key to the character's motivations. 

Even First Contact opened with Picard remembering his experiences as Locutus. How many references to the encounter are made over the course of the franchise I would hate to count but I think it's a lot and still with Picard it continues to this day. Off the back of it, the season five I, Borg offered the Federation a chance to destroy the race that ultimately backfired but once again that sense of danger posed by them was always there in the background. Hugh may well have broken free from his collective restraints but at the core the Borg were still the cybernetic machines we had seen in Q Who although this time on a little scout ship but there is still something inherent about who this lone Borg is although we are given hints that there is the chance for them to change.

Ultimately we know he returns to the Collective and this is the first point where I think Star Trek managed a disservice to the Borg. Picard's choice not to take out the Collective comes back again and again and for someone who has experienced the true horrors of assimilation, I'm one of those who believes he should have made the call.

The resulting story, Descent, is very much a tale of two halves. The first opens up a lot of questions, adds a new spin to the infamous enemy and then idiotically has Lore show up declare that they are going to take down the Federation. The subsequent season opener doesn't build on this vast opportunity and we have an hour of Geordi trying to convince Data not to torture him. The destruction of the Federation fizzles in ten minutes, the Borg individuality is restricted to a single ship and the edge and action that was borne from the opening firefight and Data's first experience of emotion feel totally underplayed. OK, so it rounds off the Lore story but it left us with the question as to what had happened to the Borg? What's going on with the rest of the Collective?

The Borg here are totally unique. Still drones, still recognisable physically as the beings from Q Who and The Best of Both Worlds the clever choice was to keep this rogue individuality confined to Hugh's ship. I take this as a somewhat standalone Borg piece since they are their own collective unit, not quite total individuals and still somewhat threatening. Perhaps even more deadly given their potentially "illogical" actions such as the desire for revenge we see in the encounter which opens the story. They remained sinister and unknown in these early years with so much unsaid and therefore so much that our imaginations conjectured as to their nature.

The influence of the Borg does expand beyond just the episodes they appear in with repeated nods to the rebuilding of the fleet following Wolf 359. The way in which the updated Starfleet would appear in the form of the Steamrunner, Norway, Saber and Akira classes were designed with a more military purpose in mind and, of course, in the creation of the Defiant which had one, sole reason behind its existence - to defeat the Borg.

To count the episodic one liners that nod to The Next Generation's creation of the Borg are extensive and in at least one Parallels future there's a big-bearded Riker still commanding (if it hasn't exploded) one of Starfleet's last remaining ships... I'd love to see how that universe evolved.

The movie appearance of the Borg is a massive change from their televisual origins. Given the scope of the cinema screen there's no surprise that the basic outfits and pale make-up are taken to another level, giving the drones an even more menacing physical presence. The armour has a more organic feel and the assembly more patchwork and less perfect. First Contact gave us our first real, graphic look at the assimilation process. In fact this is the first time we ever see or understand that the Borg are out to add more drones to the Collective. Truly a terrifying series of events, to this time only Picard had been joined to them onscreen but now it was an ever-present threat. 

First Contact cemented the hive mind concept with the powerful introduction of the Borg Queen, a character seemingly unrestricted by time and space due to her repeated, inexplicable avoidance of death. Her entrance in the movie is one of the great moments from the last 50 years however did she overstay her welcome after First Contact? 

We'll discuss that later. Here she provides that one-on-one nemesis for Picard, a perfect foil for the captain and for Data allowing the audience to easily follow the story and have a figurehead against whom the crew can be directly pitted. Imagine the movie without the Queen and it would be almost a silent production in some scenes. She is the voice of the Collective and ultimately does her death (spoiler!) truly offer the moment when the Borg should have been defeated? Significantly it's also the only time that the Defiant ever took on the purpose for which it was originally built and only just survives. Back to the drawing board perhaps?

Just as with Locutus, the Queen becomes the face of her people and draws the audience successfully into the nature of the species, how they operate and the motivations behind their actions. I solemnly believe that First Contact is the final point in the franchise where the Borg retain some of their mystery and eeriness that makes them a compelling enemy. I suppose their failing is that mass consciousness which means that there has to be some kind of vocal point to which we have to focus but it doesn't take away from their nature. 

The Borg of First Contact are a calculated step forward wielding more deadly weapons (that never get used) and with empty zombified facial expressions to chill you to the core. There's a much less human feel to the drones than we ever see in The Next Generation as well as those variants on the assimilated species - Cardassians, Klingons and more including the Enterprise crew themselves. Aside from the Queen they do remain faceless and as relentless as always but that mystery is somewhat quashed with the introduction of their imperious leader. 

The Borg Queen would reappear more in Voyager (played by Susanna Thompson apart from the finale where Alice Krige returned) but First Contact offers a pivotal point in the evolution of the Borg onscreen from an army of minions led by a central voice to being overseen by a single entity that refers to itself in the singular rather than the plural. 

Linking nicely to that eighth film - but perhaps not sitting too well with fans is the Enterprise episode - and the final appearance of the Borg ironically - in Regeneration. Now aside from the crew of the NX-01 managing to survive the attack in the first place when the crew of the Enterprise-D barely escaped in Q Who it's a fairly neat idea but does screw around with the continuity a bit but we have to understand that techniques develop over time.

The discovery of the Sphere wreckage from First Contact is a brilliant way to bring the series and the cyborgs full circle almost, giving us a core reason as to why they chose to head in the direction of Sector 001. Aside from introducing us to the Borg before we were introduced to them, Regeneration does have one core feature which aligns itself more correctly with The Next Generation than Voyager. It regains the air of mystery and danger that the species represented in that earlier series and gives away nothing to the nature or reasons for the Borg actions. It is a story which, for all its temporal failings, does stay more faithful to their origins than a lot of the Voyager entries. 

Separating the drones from the Queen and placing them against a less powerful adversary than the later Enterprise-E returns them to the faceless minions they were in Q Who and The Best of Both Worlds but adds in the twist that while the viewer knows what might be around the corner, the NX-01 crew are none the wiser to the escaping Borg and we the viewer appreciate just how damn lucky they are to have been spared from assimilation...

I am a firm believer that The Next Generation presented the best and most frightening presentation of the Star Trek foe even if physically the outfitting of the Borg is the most basic. So if that's the case, what happened when Starfleet stepped into the Borg's home turf of the Delta Quadrant...?

To be Continued...

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Picard: The New Stuff

Stepping down and choosing to spend retirement at the family vineyard hasn't worked out quite the way he planned. 

Confirmed with a January 24th 2020 (Amazon Prime) launch date, New York Comic Con was the venue to see the brand new trailer for the upcoming Picard Star Trek series. 

Now reviews of trailers tend to go on shot by shot but looking at this one there’s a sprinkling of new mixed in with action shots, reaction shots and phaser shots.

"Would you like to finish it, Captain?"

"I don't know how."

"That is not true, sir."

1. Data 

Opening with vistas of the vineyard, we focus in on a figure painting - it's Data. Dressed in full The Next Generation uniform, the Soong type android is painting a faceless, hooded woman and asks the approaching Jean-Luc to finish the image. Hes also dressed in the uniform from the same era complete with captain’s pips. 

Now if memory serves, this would only have been filmed a few weeks back since we know Patrick Stewart had implicitly stated he would not be wearing a uniform in this show however it had come to a point where he realised there was no way around it. I don't think speculation is too applicable - this has to be some sort of dream sequence/suggestion that will ultimately link into the bigger picture.

It also appears that Starfleet/the Federation are developing what look like Soong type androids which would link in to what we saw in the first trailer of B-4/Lore in storage. The red suited, blank stare wearing bots definitely have a similarity to the ageless(!) Data - might their existence be a reason for Picard to get a bit upset with the admiralty?

Also here's one for you - the whimsical naming of the androids seems to have returned - the one in the pic above is F-8....F-Eight...Fate? Isn't this a huge clue as to their nature?

2. The New Crew

Again we see the arrival of Dahj (Isa Briones) at the vineyard which could prompt Picard into visiting Starfleet headquarters and having it out with one of the admiralty. Purely conjecture here since this trailer is definitely out of sequence and doesn't specify this. We also have Picard looking up Michelle Hurd's Raffi Musiker who is living in a remote location that is awfully familiar - maybe because it's Vasquez Rocks and has turned up in many a TV show over the years let alone Star Trek. Note too that Jean-Luc has taken Raffi a bottle of Chateau Picard (just next to the green plant)...

We have some new shots of the remaining crew - Doctor Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill) joining the crew as well as (I think) her lab and science complex(?). Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabera) and Elnor (Evan Evagora) appear in quick flash shots. Rios is flying his ship with heads up virtual controls which is pretty nifty while the latter is seen gearing up for combat wielding some large Romulan bladed weapon. I'm shocked that more isn't being made of these new characters and they feel very sidelined in this trailer but given the appearances of other longer loved individuals I can understand where the hype would be centred.

3. Seven and Hugh

Few little clips of the Borg splattered in here. There's that broken Borg cube once again plus a blink and miss of a Borg arm piece (below). Now in the background of this first shot we can see a lab and what appears to be the remnants of an attack of some sort - could it be that these Soong androids are being combined with Borg tech? Is this the same lab because I think it is...

The biggest new arrival here though is Jonathan Del Arco's Hugh who is seen leading Picard and Dahj at one point and also glimpsed having a sneaky look around a corner. The makeup for Hugh is a lot less intrusive than we saw in The Next Generation with his implants resembling those on Seven with a few apparent open scars on his face but none of the large elements from before. 

I would guess over 20 years pieces have become useless, deactivated or irrelevant leading to removal. Seven as noted is back too. At one point toting two phaser rifles (green burst so potentially Romulan) and then seen cradling a lifeless body. The suggestion this is Chakotay is, frankly, garbage but it could be a freed Borg? Someone that Seven has been looking for perhaps? 

Ryan does appear to have quite a wide range of aspects to play as the "new" Seven and not just her more relaxed speech. We know that she will be around for several episodes and given that filming is now over I believe that more of her work from later in the series is included here.

4. The CG

New shots of San Francisco at the end of the 24th Century and also a lab/science complex plus more to mention in...

Note the solar panels on the bridge and the much less cluttered side of the bay - lot less buildings and more in line with the high-rise angles of Into Darkness perhaps?

5. Space...

The first shots of the new hero ship which may or may not be called La Sirena are here - and they're all arse end shots giving us no real sense of what this one looks like. We can tell that it's got a reddened hull and a more industrial feel than we got from the Enterprise and as a merchant vessel this is to be expected.

Maybe the bigger surprise is that we have Romulan Birds of Prey in action against the hero vessel. By this time those ships are around 200 years old(?) but what's to say they weren't in operation during The Next Generation but we never saw them on the front lines because of their age? Absolutely no reason whatsoever.  Sadly though it doesn't help identify what the third ship in the photo below is...!

The inclusion of the Romulan ships plays well against the nod to the Borg and indicates that there will be a good split of the story focusing on these two huge spacefaring powers whom have both had their fair share of society changing events.

During the opening "Data dream" sequence as I'll refer to it for now there are inter-cut shots of alien craft attacking an undetermined installation. These ships are also responsible for the attack we see right at the end of the trailer with the large satellite/craft exploding as one flies past.

"I came here to find safety...but one is never safe from the past."

6. Picard

Down the list but yes, the dog IS called Number One and wakes Jean-Luc at his home. We can all rest easy now.

His return to Starfleet Headquarters sees that junior officer having to check his name while we get a shot of a holographic recreation of the Galaxy Class USS Enterprise before Picard is reminded that he's no longer a part of the galactic organisation and is forced to depart and find his own means of completing his new adventure.

"We have an obligation to investigate."

"There is no WE, Jean-Luc."

"Admiral, I am standing up for the Federation; for what it still should represent!"

"This is no longer your house, Jean-Luc...Go home."

Conscripting his crew must be the first step to making this mission a reality. We know from the trailer he needs their abilities but why these particular people? Why Elnor? Also why isn't Harry Treadway (Narek) not featured here?

"The past is written but we are left to write the future."

We do get to see Picard practicing his fencing skills one more time - ironically the last time this was utilised as part of an episode was I, Borg back in season five which was Hugh's first appearance.

Also showing up is Picard's First Contact era combadge - now 20 years old and surpassed by the latest Starfleet technology. For me this is a spin on the Insurrection scene where Jean-Luc removes his badge and rank pips symbolising his decision to take on a personal crusade. Here it seems he is standing up for what he believes the Federation should be representing by putting it back on, possibly following a conversation with an individual whom I am as yet unable to identify...

7. The Rikers

"Dad..."

"What?!"

"Come out here!"

"Stop yelling!"

"It's Jean-Luc Picard!"

OK, it's THE highlight of the trailer. The return of Will Riker and Deanna is what makes this two minutes of footage feel so complete. Appearing to live in a house very similar to the one Kirk had in the Nexus, Will has definitely retired from Starfleet. Now check the cast list out on IMDB and you'll spot "Kestra" listed who was Deanna's sister from Dark Page in The Next Generation (played by Kirsten Dunst if you recall) so logic would suggest that this is the name of Will and Deanna's daughter who we hear but don't see in the clip.

Like Picard they have retreated away from technology and space-faring to a more sedate lifestyle. Information leads me to believe that these shots must be from later in the series but how they are brought into the story has not yet been revealed. 

Marina Sirtis' time on screen is fleeting with only a welcoming hug for Jean-Luc while Will gets a little more time with his former captain. It's bits that we knew would be happening but to see them onscreen is such a lump in the throat moment. Let's hope that their inclusion isn't limited to sitting by the lake reminiscing over past missions.

"Thank you for not trying to talk me out of all this."

"Believe me I know better."

What do you think to the new Picard trailer? Does it tell you anything new? What's your take?

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The Captain's Trauma: The Podcast Episode Four Extra

Main characters in Star Trek are often subjected to hardships that in TV land only last the 44 minutes or so of a single episode but The Next Generation was bold and ambitious and took on the subject of trauma with both hands.

After Picard’s assimilation by the Borg at the end of season three/beginning of season four, most shows would have just moved on after the ‘rescue’ but in the next episode Family we get into the actual rehabilitation of the central character.

The story is interesting because it deals with some of the issues that people traumatized in combat deal with as they try to find themselves again.

In the story Captain Picard, in a very typical manner of someone traumatized by combat, believes that his injuries are healing.  Deanna Troi who serves as his counsellor of course, challenges him on his belief that he has recovered and his choice of where he wants to go to find himself again.

When Picard goes home it is not the confident starship captain who returns, but a man unsure of himself and where he fits in life.  His encounter with the Borg has changed him and he contrary to assurances to Counsellor Troi is still wounded. 

Only in The Next Generation could the writers be allowed the time to explore this, what I always loved was they resisted the temptation to always make episodes ‘thrilling’ or ‘action packed’. On the contrary, these episodes were nearly always the strongest, and gave us so much to experience (and enabled us to truly relate to these characters). Also, we are never given the easy option of a quick fix for the Captain, as in our own reality, he has to learn to ‘adapt’ ironically to his new mental state.

And as the years of The Next Generation continued we occasionally revisited Picard’s condition, naturally whenever the word ‘Borg’ was mentioned and when dealings with them became necessary. We even see a very stubborn and almost regressively childish Picard as he refused to even acknowledge Hugh the partially un-assimilated Borg (I Borg).

In this episode Picard becomes even annoying one might say, as we are able to see Hugh’s transition but he refuses to entertain the idea that such a thing is possible. We have come to admire and respect Picard for years, but in this episode he demonstrates prejudice (however understandable). In the way that true prejudicial attitudes work, Picard has labelled all Borg as ‘evil’ and beyond help. It seems he has forgotten that they are all victims of a terrible abuse just as he was himself.

But Picard has to form this ‘protective shell’ around himself; he feels that if he begins to feel any compassion or sympathy for one of these creatures, he will be exposing himself to what is now his greatest fear.

Picard always come through, the writers of The Next Generation always show that he is a truly extraordinary man, and whilst he never conquers his problems, he always progresses and pushes through to a point of resolution (no matter how painful)

Then a curveball of sorts for Picard’s life occurred (The Inner Light), in this episode he experiences a whole raft of psychological challenges. After being hit by a nucleonic beam form a mysterious space probe, Picard passes out on the Enterprise and we see him awaken as a man named ‘Kamin’ on another planet and another reality.

This episode is very popular favourite for good reason; the exploration of actually experiencing another reality, another existence is handled beautifully.

We see the passing years of Kamin’s life on the planet of Kataan and again there are similar challenges presented to this man as have been laid before Picard as we know him. He has to experience responsibility for the community, and frustration of not being believed by his people.

It was interesting that Kamin is often shown as being ridiculed and written off as being senile of mad when he tries to advise everyone of the planet’s coming crisis. There is also the anger and feelings of helplessness associated with Kamin’s fight against bureaucracy. These challenges echo our Picard’s own struggles in his position as captain, but also demonstrate perhaps a secret fear that he won’t be heard.

Maybe one could even say that Picard fears being powerless, he is accustomed to being the voice of authority and reason and Kamin’s situation is very much the opposite. Of course we actually see the decades pass for Kamin and his eventual death, but unlike Picard this man has had family, a home-life and a great degree of genuine happiness.

It reminded me of Picard’s brother in Family, he was almost living THAT life, a life he has often envied.

After Kamin’s death and Picard’s return to the Enterprise, it is revealed that only 20 minutes have passed for the captain, but he has not been unaffected, indeed Picard is left again with the enduring trauma and mental effects to deal with.

So on one hand it could be viewed that Jean-Luc has suffered yet another exhausting experience that would damage his mental health further. But, he does seem to have retained a certain serenity and introspection from his life as Kamin. Is it possible that all of this time and room for him to ‘breathe’ whilst living a peaceful family life allowed Picard to partially heal from the Borg trauma?

Not completely of course, but I do wonder if through Kamin, he was afforded a certain extra fortitude to deal with future Borg-related challenges.

It wasn’t just the Borg that provided the catalyst for the many psychological challenges of Jean Luc, he was to be tested again (Chain of Command). In these episodes after a failed secret mission, Picard is captured and tortured by the Cardassian, Gul Madred and against the laws of treaties and such, Madred proceeds to put the Captain through sadistic personally motivated torture.

Interestingly, it isn’t the actual torture , sleep deprivation and such that concerns us, after all we know that Jean-Luc Picard is a man of strong stuff, he has survived the Borg, so what can a petty minded despot really do to him?

No, as a viewer by this point we actually feel that it is the lasting effects that concern us, what will happen afterwards?, will this finally break Picard?

The back and forth between Madred and Picard goes on for a couple of days, and as we all know Picard is finally defiant and resolute (never giving in on the subject of ‘the four lights’). But at the end of the story, we again look in on Picard being counselled by Deanna Troi and his startling confession that he actually nearly gave in to Madred in order to end the suffering.

What is remarkable about this piece of writing is that we, as viewers expected him to reveal this. Far from demanding unreasonable heroism from Picard, we are proud of his humanity, enthralled by his honesty and strength.

Torture, captivity, ridicule, fear, physical abuse and violation have been part of Jean Luc Picard’s Starfleet career. The writers of The Next Generation never gave up on him as a person but also never shied away from the ‘curve’ of mental illness, how it evolves and changes over time, creating both weaknesses and new found strengths.

It culminates of course with a sort of ‘acceptance’ a kind of breakthrough point for Picard after the ‘victory’ over the Borg queen in Star Trek First Contact. Now of course Picard is not alone in being put through the gauntlet of trauma and experience featured in Star Trek as a whole.

Listen to the full discussion as part of our fourth podcast available HERE right now!

Check out our podcast notes from episode four for more suggested episodes.

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