Borg Assimilation

[James Wright]

I know what happens when the Borg assimilate living beings, but what happens to the planets, what happens to the enviroments?

James

 

[c0rnedfr0g]

They are modified to support the Borg. There is a line in FC where Data (I think) describes the Earth's atmosphere, and Picard recognizes it as a "Borg planet."

From MA:

The Borg typically operated in an atmosphere with a constant temperature of 39.1 °C (102.38 °F), 92% relative humidity, an atmospheric pressure of approximately 102 kPa, and trace amounts of tetryon particles. (Star Trek: First Contact) These conditions were presumably conducive to the operation of their cybernetics.

 

[Captain Al]

I've always wondered the same kind of thing, that is, say the Borg assimilates Earth. Does that mean every human being on the planet is a Borg? Even those in remote jungle tribes, the aborigines, the very young, and the elderly? And what about those who are overweight, or morbidly obese?

Assuming the Borg assimilates all of the abovementioned people, I think the concept would doom an entire planet, and entire races of people.

 

[Praetor]

I imagine the Borg might destroy anyone or anything they deem irrelevant on a planet they capture.

 

[Anwar]

I think they'd ignore ones they found unworthy of assimilation, like with the Kazon, and only attack them if they made a threat of themselves.

 

[The Wormhole]

Maybe slightly off-topic, but wasn't there a picture done a while back depicting a Borgified New York City called "New Borg City?"

 

[James Wright]

Remember what was said about Data in "Best of Both Worlds"?

James

 

[USS Excelsior]

And are they really that dependent on an environment anyway. In First Contact they had no problem being out in space.

 

[Praetor]

I think the Kazon are different. The Kazon may be unworthy of assimilation, but they're also (presumably) inhabiting planets the Borg want. If they were, they might be destroyed.

Then again, do the Borg really want the planets to start with?

 

[Anwar]

Perhaps there are resources on planets that do not exist in space?

 

[Praetor]

That's the only thing I can think of. Alternatively, perhaps they use replicators to simply convert most of a planet's raw material into whatever they need, and then harvest the stuff they can't replicate?

 

[Anwar]

We know there are non-replicable substances in the Trekverse, I don't see why it just has to be gold-pressed latinum as the only non-replicable stuff. Maybe Dilithium or whatever Borg Drives are powered by.

 

[Praetor]

Yeah, I'm guessing the Borg still need dilithium, so they must have some kind of mining. OTOH, why not just pulverize the planet into chunks and then mine it away that way? Too many losses when the planet breaks apart?

 

[Anwar]

Maybe they don't want to risk destroying the dilithium when they pulverize the planet?

 

[Praetor]

That must be it.

 

[James Wright]

What happens to the oceans and seas of a planet when the Borg assimilate said planet's?

James

 

[Loqutus]

Well, lets see. They are evil, but not wasters. I feel they would harvest what ever they wished and leave the rest untouched. But, if by harvesting materials, they destroyrd an ecology, they probably would not care

 

[The Badger]

^Yeah, that. Borg would take what they need, as efficiently as possible. They wouldn't go out of their way to screw a planet over, but if the simplest way to get what they wanted ruined everything else, they wouldn't have second thoughts.

 

[James Wright]

The way everybody is talking in this thread, it sounds like the Borg assimilate a planet use all the resources and then pick up and leave. For some reason this just doesn't sound right.

James

 

[Anwar]

It does make them sound more like Space Locusts, but I think they'd keep the planets after assimilation. At least SOME of them, to use as launching points for further assimilation of that area of space.