Thinking about it more deeply, the Borg are simply not known for speed or strength. Their MO is basically durability, sheer numbers, and their near-impenetrable personal shielding. So her combat prowess doesn't really scream out Borg to me, unless she's just very minorly augmented by nanoprobes, with a bunch of other stuff going on as well.
That would be hilarious. Some were already shouting "Renegades rip off!" when the character profiles were leaked awhile ago. And they certainly both have the same "let's cram every Trek alum we can into this thing" mentality.
They applied the Doctor's cure to the salamander babies that were left behind in "Threshold," and she is one of them. Kor
She seems to expect Picard to know who she is. After watching her fight I considered the possibility that she was Data in a new body, but I'd expect Data to run up to Picard and quickly identify himself and lay out the situation instead of opening with a riddle. So she's someone Picard either knows, or can be reasonably expected to know. But we don't know where, in this episode, that encounter takes place. So it's possible she's someone who has been in whatever passes for 25th century news programs, and no one the audience has met in prior Trek. Also, another detail in her fight scene is at least one of her opponents gets transported away deftly after she kicks him over that railing — either to keep him from being injured, or to pick off her assailants one-by-one by an unseen ally. I wonder where they're being transported to? INT. ADMIRAL'S OFFICE ADMIRAL HAUGHTY is sitting at her desk, sipping tea while reviewing reports. The moment is interrupted by the chimes of an incoming transporter beam as a series of bruised and battered security officers materialize in thin air and drop to the floor of her office like sacks of flour.
Unfortunately, I get a very "River Tam" vibe from this whole storyline. And I fucking hate River Tam.
Right! I think a lot of us are looking at the way she approaches Picard and assume she's from something we've already seen. But that exchange could be based on something from earlier in that episode of ST:Picard.
Just like Jason Vigo and Wesley Crusher, she's one of Picard's many, many, many unacknowledged bastards.
Fortunately? That doesn't sound very fortunate for her. Edit: Oh you meant.. Nevermind. I misunderstood.
Seven of Nine seemed familiar with Picard and even sort of playfully asked him what he was doing there. WHAT IF. After returning to the Alpha Quadrant, Chakotay and Seven split up. WHAT IF. Seven was paired up with Jean-Luc to give her better insight on reintegrating with her humanity after assimilation. AND. WHAT. IF. They developed a bond, had a (brief) fling and the character is PICARD AND SEVEN OF NINE'S DAUGHTER?!?!? The daughter of the Borg Queen's prized drone Seven of Nine and Locutus would definitely be a target of interest for the Borg. I admit, this sounds highly fanwank-ish, but, look deep into your hearts. It also sounds highly plausible, doesn't it?
Nobody knows or can know. My theory is she is an android of some kind or some hybrid, they - Romulans maybe - finally managed to replicate Data but it involved funky Borg tech. Obviously a dodgy Starfleet Admiral is involved somewhere along the way. She feels safe because of the Locutus link, but maybe a Data link? With all the fuck aboutery going on, Picard or his crew realise that they're possibly involved in the genesis of a new Borg (or reawakening) and she is ground zero for this potential new race.