Borg

:This article is about the fictional race of aliens. For other uses, see Borg (disambiguation).

The Borg change over time

The cybernetic beings called the Borg have changed significantly over the years. Initially, they were a mysterious group of marauders that snatched entire starships or took over planets in order to collect technology. They were not interested in the organic life forms inhabiting said starships and planets. In their second appearance, they began to rather crudely and frighteningly assimilate people by surgically altering them for joining the collective. From their third appearance forward, their interest in obtaining alien technology has been greatly reduced. Assimilating different life forms into their collective structure became their main mode of operation. As time went on however, the method of assimilation was updated with the more efficient method of injecting nanoprobes into the individuals. The nanoprobes would grow electrical input pathways to facilitate the later insertion of the Borg's notable brain uplink to the collective, holographic eye replacement and forearm control unit.

Related Topics:
Starship - Planet

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Borg nanoprobes are injected into the bloodstream by a number of tubules that spring forth from the hand of a Borg drone. The nanoprobes are about the size of a red blood cell and travel through the victim's bloodstream to various tissues and locations throughout the body. The purpose of the Borg nanoprobes are to prepare the body for assimilation. They do this by attaching to cells and re-writing their DNA to alter the victim's biochemistry as well as form higher structures such as electrical pathways, processing and data storage nodes, and ultimately Borg implants that spring forth from the skin like spiders.

Related Topics:
Bloodstream - Red blood cell - DNA - Spider

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It is probable that the nanoprobes utilize iron from blood cells to replicate and create higher structures, though the fact that Vulcans, for example, can be assimilated in a similar fashion, depite the fact that their blood is copper based, rather than iron based, adds an element of doubt to this theory. It may on the other hand suggest that Borg nanoprobes are capable of adjusting the atomic structure of metallic elements in order to create metals more appropriate to Borg physiology. Breaking down red blood cells would cause asphyxia or suffocation in the victim, also aiding in the submission to forces taking the body away for full implantation. This also alters the appearance of veins and capillaries large enough for nanoprobes and creates dark veins that appear to snake across the surface of the skin as the cyber-infection spreads. Based on the size of a single nanoprobe and the volume that could be injected in the short time of a drone attack, it is estimated a single injection carries at least five million nanoprobes.

Related Topics:
Iron - Vulcans - Copper - Atomic structure - Asphyxia - Suffocation

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the episode "I, Borg" (the title is a reference to Isaac Asimov's story I, Robot), the Enterprise crew captured a single Borg who appeared to be detached from the collective with his whereabouts unknown. Seeing an opportunity to study their enemy, he was taken aboard the ship. Eventually, due to separation from the Borg collective, the Borg (given the nickname "Hugh" by the crewmembers) began to develop an individual personality. Events eventually led to his returning to the collective. Though he seemed to lose his individuality, the introduction of his experiences into the collective had far reaching consequences. Some eventually broke away. They later joined with Lore, Data's prototype brother who helped them express their newfound freedom through hatred ("Descent").

Related Topics:
I, Borg - Isaac Asimov - I, Robot - Lore - Data - Descent

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The purely collective nature of the Borg was later modified in ', which introduced the Borg Queen. The Borg Queen is a central locus for the Borg collective consciousness and is unique within the collective, bringing "order to chaos" and referring to herself as "we" and "I" interchangeably. The function of the Borg Queen within the Borg seems to be that of a coordinator, as in an ant colony, and less so of a leader in the traditional sense. Her unique autonomy allowed her to have an intimate encounter with Data. It has been postulated however that both the Borg Queen's and Locutus's functions are merely that of spokespeople and tacticians. This would allow the Borg to maintain a creative edge as well as having the advantages of a true collective. Many pieces of fan-made literature postulate that there is at least one 'Queen' per ship and a single "true" Borg Queen at Unimatrix 001.

Related Topics:
Borg Queen - Ant - Data - Locutus

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the Voyager episode "Drone", the Doctor's mobile emitter (obtained from the future in the episode "Future's End, Part 2") combines with Seven of Nine's technology to form a 29th century version of a Borg drone. Its capabilities included an internal transporter, improved speech capabilities, multi-dimensional adaptability, and greatly improved shields. Fortunately for Voyager, this drone's enhanced capabilities did not make it into the Collective at large (the drone sacrificed its life to save Voyager's crew).

Related Topics:
Drone - Future's End - 29th century - Transporter - Shields

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~