I wish they'd dne more with them, but I thought they were as un/interesting as several other one-offs. I liked them for Naomi's sake.
I think it makes sense they didn't speak. Borg are slaves, a slave that speaks or speaks out of term is ususally beaten & tortured and made an example of. As young children the affects of Borg slavery will say with them for years, the effect is them being used to having others speak for them. Much like Hugh, a good slave keeps it's mouth shut, it's head down and does it's work. Speaking up gets you noticed and deactivated.
I liked them. "The Haunting of Deck Twelve" is a fun episode and one of my favorites; a good Neelix and kid episode. One of my favorite lines is from Mezoti, when she says "Neelix! Continue with the story -- and don't leave anything out!" Pure kid. Having the kids on board was a good idea in order to explore how the Borg handled this aspect of their lifespans. We got to see specifically how they matured, from the Borg baby on up. It also continued a view of Seven's life, how it must have been for her after the events of "The Raven." Without the kids, there would have been no episode such as the one with Icheb's parents, which was one of the most emotional and absorbing stories.
ICHEB. I LOVE ICHEB. and, I liked Mezoti mostly because she was Icheb's cute little snarky partner. I did, however, think Icheb was tamed a little too quickly. He was more fiery in some episodes than others. Although, he was a teenager, and teenagers do tend to be a little bipolarish...rebellious one day and ambitious the next... Also, I love Icheb. love.
Ichy was nice. Both him and Naomi had nice scenes with Seven, teaching her aspects of the humanity Janeway never could have.
Well, so far it's about 1/3 disliking the kids and 2/3 either liking kids and Icheb or not disliking them.
Ever see the movie "GO" with Katie Holmes? The actor that plays Icheb(Manu) makes a small cameo in it.
^Never knew that! I have heard about the movie, though. I just have not seen it, or at least I think I haven't.
I think it was meant to be like a "Pulp Fiction" type film for the younger crowd because it deals with 3 or 4 stories that all happen in one night that all connect due to 6 degrees of seperation. Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf, Ty Diggs, Breken Mayer and a few other well known names appear in it as well. It's not a bad beers & pizza on a Fridat night with friends type of film.
I assumed because it was newly assimilated, it came from a near by star system. So they just took it home. Sounds like a sci-fi movie title: "..It Came From a Near By Star System!"
LOL. Never considered that option myself, though, but now that you mentioned, it is definitely one way to explain it.