If the Borg had attempted to invade The Dominion and assimilate them could they have done so with The Founders? Would shape shifters had produced shape shifting Borg? Would the attempt not hold when they reverted to their natural state?
Could the Borg assimilate The Founders?
- Thread starter SignGuyHPW
- Start date
When the Borg tried to assimilate Species 8472, they had a hard time doing so because the tissue structure was too dense. I think a Changeling would be able to change their structure on a microscopic level and be dense enough to destroy the nanites. Changelings don't really have cells, or at least that's what we seem to be lead to believe.
Could the Founders modify the Jem'hadar's DNA to resist assimilation? I would assume that would be there frontline defense.
Careful with wording. They're nanoprobes, not nanites. Nanites were part of an experiment by Wesley Crusher gone awry.
--Sran
That's pretty much exactly what happened in one of the novels.
Short-term - the founders can withstand assimilation.
Long-term - the borg adapt their nanoprobes* to assimilate the founders (the founder may be able to turn into water, etc, but if that was only water - not something far more complex masquerading as water - the founder would not be able to think, act, etc).
*Nanoprobes can assimilate not only organics, but also machines made by dense materials, etc. With 8472 the nanoprobes had problems with the immune system, not density of the tissue.
Long-term - the borg adapt their nanoprobes* to assimilate the founders (the founder may be able to turn into water, etc, but if that was only water - not something far more complex masquerading as water - the founder would not be able to think, act, etc).
*Nanoprobes can assimilate not only organics, but also machines made by dense materials, etc. With 8472 the nanoprobes had problems with the immune system, not density of the tissue.
As said, if the founders were merely fog, rocks, fire (as opposed to being complex beings masquerading as fog, rocks, etc), the founders would not be able to think, act, etc.
Give the nanoprobes enough time to adapt by trial and error and they'll find where this complexity hides. And then, it's bye-bye founders.
Give the nanoprobes enough time to adapt by trial and error and they'll find where this complexity hides. And then, it's bye-bye founders.
Borg Founders. Now there's some serious shit. Why hasn't this happened yet?
I'm sure they can think. When Laas was fog and was asked to stop, he did. Plus Odo turns into the objects in his quarters all the time and still remembers to turn back before his shifts. In the first few episodes he listened in on conversations as cups of liquids and broke out of a locker as a bag that was filled and zipped up.
When a Founder masquerades as something, it is completely indistinguishable from that thing. I can only assume, then if one of them changes into something that has no cells, like water or fog, then there would be nothing for the Borg nanoprobes to 'lock on' to.
If a Founder is posing as a human, and is attacked by a Borg, then they would have plenty of time to shape shift into something that could resist assimilation.
The problem for the Founder is, once the Borg figures out they have a regeneration cycle, they'd probably exploit that.
Having to revert to a liquid 18 hours or so, or not being able to totally maintain a solid shape indefinitely, is something of a weakness for the Founders.
This weakness has been exploited at 3 separate times.
Having to revert to a liquid 18 hours or so, or not being able to totally maintain a solid shape indefinitely, is something of a weakness for the Founders.
This weakness has been exploited at 3 separate times.
If Section 31 could figure out a way to attack the Founders at a cellular level getting past their ability to shift form to repair themselves I think the Borg could find a way.
Hell, even the Cardassians had a device to force the Founders to remain in a particular form despite the need to regenerate.
Hell, even the Cardassians had a device to force the Founders to remain in a particular form despite the need to regenerate.
But when the Founders are in liquid state, they have no cells to assimilate. So if the Borg tried to take advantage of that, it wouldn't help much.
A tricorder can't tell the difference between a rock and a transformed founder. That does not mean the founder is merely a rock.
Indeed, the mind of the founder is still there, masquerading as a rock; his body is still there, ready to change shape; all this is biology - or half biology/half technology, etc. The nanoprobes can lock on just fine to these.
S31's virus had no problem attacking founders when they were in the liquid state.
Romulans.
