It does go a ways to explaining the mystery of their would-be season one origins in The Neutral Zone. They were probing in, instead of full on invasion.
I like the idea that they'd determine a species unworthy until a certain point. I'd place that point right at where the UFP's civilization is at, right when it all went down, still woefully outmatched, but possessing some tasty tech, maybe not ship tech, but certainly other more personal types, like Picard's artificial heart, Geordi's VISOR, their android tech like Data, their medical advancements in repairing organisms... All things I imagine the Borg might be short on & could make crafty use of
It also explains why Q drops them on our gang in Q-Who. It wasn't far off before they qualified for membership anyhow
Whilst yes the federation still did possess some interesting technology for them for sure. They even had ways of evading their technology and defeating them at times. I still would imagine that a better time to assimilate the feds would of been further into the future for the simple fact that there is only a finite number of species in the galaxy at the time the Borg is around. So they should maximize the potential of every species they encounter.
The Borg could still quite easily defeat starfleet for basically the entire time we watch any of the shows. So I think leaving it a few more decades would of been best. It would ensure Borg supremacy throughout the entire alpha and beta quadrants for hundreds or thousands of years to come. No species or group of species, except the Romulan Empire could pose a threat to them if they assimilated the federation at a time where the feds were the dominant power. They could then repeat the process with the Romulans as well actually. Then wait for other species to build up and do it again.
The Borg should operate on the assumption of an infinite timeframe and that their species lasts forever. That way they plan accordingly and then get the best possible technology that they can, regardless of combat losses.
You know I'd actually also go as far to say that the Borg should approach each engagement where their highest projected combat casualties is only a few hundred or thous
The concept of "assimilating a species" is an iffy one. The Borg can acquire technology, tactics and other ideas by assimilating individuals, or even by provoking without assimilating (such as with Icheb's world, and presumably also with the Federation). When do the Borg put paid to their party line and actually assimilate an entire species, down to the last individual, so that they can enjoy the promised improvement in their existence?
So far, only in "Dark Frontier". And there the Queen did it to spite Seven. The Borg have targeted numerous species (perhaps all the ten thousand plus that they have numbered), but they did not assimilate even all of the El-Aurians, the only other species so far confirmed to have been hit with an actual Armageddon annihilation. Every other "species assimilated" may be of the "we got one of 'em, and all their secrets" type instead.
I, too, like to see the Borg as master strategists, or master accountants, which usually is the same thing. They assimilate when it is optimal, and they assimilate a species when it is the right time for a species to cease to exist. But the Borg appear to be everywhere, and everywhere our heroes go, they encounter species/cultures at different levels of advancement, including those supposedly high above the Borg. It doesn't appear, then, that the Borg would feel obligated to eliminate species that are evolving into threats. They are good at hiding, at least for the brief duration of species evolution where X might grow into a threat but hasn't yet grown up enough to simply ignore the Borg.
I'd argue, then, that there is no single right time for terminal assimilation. But probably no wrong time for it, either. If a fleet of Cubes needs ten million crew all of a sudden, and there's a stone age planet below, poof goes that species. If a resource is located at Y and some locals are annoyingly in the way, poof goes that species. The Borg can afford to think small.
Timo Saloniemi
Yes I agree they certainly have the luxury in many circumstance to "think small" in the ways you mentioned. Out of necessity, they might need to "recruit" or gather resources. However, I was mainly talking about how they would proceed towards total assimilation of a species if they didn't need to use them for another purpose other than that of their main goal of perfection.
Although it's quite possible that they don't attempt to assimilate all species they encounter. I have to say that it's probably more likely that they do, or at the very least intend to. They express on numerous occasions that their ultimate goal towards humanity is total assimilation. We know it's not simply partial assimilation because in best of both worlds and FC they make attempts at complete assimilation. Even if the BOBW attempt did seem to be mainly a probe into the federations defences. Also they have partially assimilated federation outposts in best of both worlds and The Neutral Zone. Yet they still express a desire for full assimilation
The El-Aurian's and species 116 are examples of species that have been assimilated to the point that their cultures collapsed completely. All that was left was a few stragglers. Now this could be intentional, or it could be pure luck for the survivors. Who knows. Where do we draw the line at full assimilation I guess? Perhaps one not need be drawn.
There are risks and rewards to leaving a small portion of a species alive I suppose. They might rebuild again and get more technology to add and then the Borg could repeat the process. Yet it also leaves the Borg exposed to an a threat that could come back to bite them if the species finds a way to thrive in another part of the galaxy or relocate to another galaxy and plot their eventual revenge. It'd be interesting to see what a show creator would say about whether or not it was the Borg's intention to leave a small group of survivors.
We can't say for sure that the Borg aren't inclined to assimilate a species that is evolving into a threat just because the Borg are in many places in the galaxy. We aren't aware of the lifespan of the collective. It could be only a few thousand years old for all we known. Who knows how fast a cyborg species can grow haha. So we can't say one way or another if they've been around for the advancement of many species that eventually took a position of technological superiority to them and then dismissed them or thought of them as more of an interesting experiment like the Q do.
The only species of near/slightly greater technological prowess has been species 8472. Which would of ended horribly for the Borg if not for Janeway's intervention. The Borg actually made a mistake with a species that was crossing the threshold of equal threat to them and made an attempt at assimilation. This was probably done because of a lack of knowledge of their target.
That's the biggest problem the Borg face with more advanced races. Observation can only get them so much information to work with. At one point they have to make a decision whether or not to assimilate a ship or being or the whole species. If they make a mistake, like with 8472, and attempt to assimilate one ship just to gather more information so they can decide upon whether or not they should fully assimilate. Then that mistake could cost them dearly and end their whole race if that ship is able to resist or can communicate with the rest of their species and start a war.
Even though there are many species beyond the Borg and they might just of progressed past them over time. I'd have to say that is probably unlikely and that it's more likely those species were around before the Borg reached their current power. If not purely for the reason that these species would of had to of been at a point in their progression when they feared the Borg. Therefore either revenge or simply generousity and sympathy towards the rest of the galaxy's inhabitants, any species that surpassed the Borg after being underneath them, would almost certainly "come back" and either destroy them or free their drones. I'd say the latter is more likely to be honest.
