Borg Theories

[Itisnotlogical]

There can be several ways that the Borg were created. My theory is that Starfleet, in the TOS period, began dabbling in nanomachines. A flaw in the nanomachine's programming turned the test subjects into unstoppable cyborgs intent on spreading their infection to others. The Borg, having not discovered how to adapt to phaser weapons, retreated into the Delta Quadrant using a detached saucer section from an Excelsior-class prototype equipped with transwarp drive (in the early models of the Excelsior, the warp drive system was built into the saucer section) when the remaining crew were able to effect a succesful resistance. Starfleet, unable to piece together what had gone wrong, forbade the further production of any nanomachine technologies.

What are your theories?

 

[SilentP]

There's a few flaws in that theory, one being that the Federation were still using nanites in the 24th Century (can't remember the TNG episode's name, but it's the one where Wesley was experimenting with nanites, and they ended up trying to eat the computer core).

Another is that Starfleet's transwarp project failed, though one could say historical revisionism on Starfleet's part could have something to do with it.

 

[Myasishchev]

The one in Destiny is as good as any that for no particularly good reason requires the Borg

Spoiler: Destiny

to originate from humans

. That said, it's pretty well done.

 

[Sci]

The one in Destiny is as good as any that for no particularly good reason requires the Borg

Spoiler: Destiny

to originate from humans

. That said, it's pretty well done.

Spoiler: Destiny

I think it worked with Destiny because it created a sense of symmetry and closure -- it's appropriate that the story of the Borg's ultimate end should also feature their origin. And it does provide us with an explanation for why they call themselves after a contracted version of the English word for a cybernetic organism.

And, as you note, it adds a level of tragedy and depth to the story that's usually lacking when folks write Borg origin stories that are ultimately just simplistic allegories about abusing technology.

There's a few flaws in that theory, one being that the Federation were still using nanites in the 24th Century (can't remember the TNG episode's name, but it's the one where Wesley was experimenting with nanites, and they ended up trying to eat the computer core).

Another is that Starfleet's transwarp project failed, though one could say historical revisionism on Starfleet's part could have something to do with it.

The biggest problem with the OP's theory is that the Borg existed at least as far back as 900 years ("Dragon's Tooth" [VOY]), so they can't have originated from the 23rd Century.

 

[Myasishchev]

^Sci,

Spoiler: Destiny

Well, if we needed an explanation about the Borg's name, it raises a host of questions about half the names used in Trek, obviously nicked as they are from human culture--Elas, Troyius, Kronos/Quo'noS, Ferengi, Vulcan, Romulus, Remus, and so on.

But yeah, I think Mack's Borg origin is as good as a Borg origin could possibly be--assuming humans have to be involved--and I'll grant more compelling than many origin stories about some random humanoids grafting laser pointers and computer fans onto their heads would be. At the same time, my interest was generated more by the Caeliar than the MACOs.

The biggest problem with the OP's theory is that the Borg existed at least as far back as 900 years ("Dragon's Tooth" [VOY]), so they can't have originated from the 23rd Century.

Interestingly, this is the same problem I have with Mack's. The humanity/Borg connection is always going to be very contrived.

 

[Gorn Captain]

Perhaps one of those Billy Mays telemarketing products gone horribly wrong.

 

[USS Excelsior]

And Guinan's comments about the Borg being around for 1000s of Centuries.

 

[Finn]

There can be several ways that the Borg were created. My theory is that Starfleet, in the TOS period, began dabbling in nanomachines. A flaw in the nanomachine's programming turned the test subjects into unstoppable cyborgs intent on spreading their infection to others. The Borg, having not discovered how to adapt to phaser weapons, retreated into the Delta Quadrant using a detached saucer section from an Excelsior-class prototype equipped with transwarp drive (in the early models of the Excelsior, the warp drive system was built into the saucer section) when the remaining crew were able to effect a succesful resistance. Starfleet, unable to piece together what had gone wrong, forbade the further production of any nanomachine technologies.

What are your theories?

F*** NO!!!! Too human-centric and we have seen far too many alpha/beta quadrant connections in the Delta aquadrant

 

[NIUPonyBoy]

Personally I don't see where the OP's theory even comes from. There is plenty of space out there for the Borg to develop on their own. No need to blame human's for them, especially some elaborate 'weakly' faceted conspiracy theory.

 

[hyzmarca]

How about this. Somewhere in the Delta Quadrant a minor not-yet-warp-capable world contains a humanoid species that has been utilizing cybernetics for medical purposes for quite some time, and which has decided to achieve perfect democracy by linking the minds of all individuals together. It actually works, and they produce a sort of utopia. But, as time goes on, children get their implants earlier and earlier, and the collective becomes more monolithic, eventually being dominated by a majority that has never known individuality.

Things become more complicated with the advent of warp drive and the discovery of other species. Peaceful curiosity degenerates into conflict, and this species decides as a group that forcible assimilation of their enemies would be the best way to ensure peace, to make them see the light. It doesn't work out very well. Being connective to the collective against their will only makes the enemy species even more angry, even more violent. The many who voluntarily joined the collective can suppress the few who were forcibly assimilated, but this isn't the slightest bit healthy, and with each forcible assimilation, the collective looses a little bit of its sanity.

This slows their expansion, as the number of minds that are willingly part of the collective must exceed the number forcibly assimilated by several orders of magnitude, or else they risk the collective falling apart. They build their population this way for so long that no Borg alive can remember or even comprehend the concept of individuality, and then they go out to bring peace to the peace of the collective to the galaxy, completely oblivious to what they're taking away from their victims.

Their expansion slows whenever the raging forcibly assimilated minds threaten to overwhelm the always-Borg majority, an occurrence which becomes rarer as their population expands, which would explain why they hadn't conquered the entire Delta Quadrant by now.

 

[Vanyel]

I seem to remember reading an unmade script from Voyager that dealt with the origin of the Borg. They find a space craft and 7 of 9 recognizes the pilot as a member of species 1. He explains the origin of the Borg. His species was developing a planetary defense. He and another man were aboard an orbiting space craft, getting ready to activate the system. When it is activated, the defense system targets its creators and the pilots watch helpless as the Borg assimilate the planet. Trying to find where I read that.

 

[Itisnotlogical]

There's a few flaws in that theory, one being that the Federation were still using nanites in the 24th Century (can't remember the TNG episode's name, but it's the one where Wesley was experimenting with nanites, and they ended up trying to eat the computer core).

Another is that Starfleet's transwarp project failed, though one could say historical revisionism on Starfleet's part could have something to do with it.

Transwarp worked just fine, it failed in Search for Spock because Scotty sabotaged it so they couldn't chase the Enterprise.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

I'm sorry but I don't want ANY link between Humans and the Borg when it comes to their origin. I just want the Borg to be completely separate.
The Borg were around 900 years before Voyager and by that time controlled only a handful of sectors. So we know they basically started to "spread out" 900 years before Voyager and were already in their cybernetic form by that time. The Borg Queen also mentions that Humans are not that different from the Borg before they became what they are.

This all leads me to believe that perhaps the Borg pre-cybernetic were like Humans, they warred with each other and perhaps began developing weapons to try and win the other which lead to the development of the nano-probes and cybernetic enhancements for their soldiers.
Clearly something went wrong, perhaps the scientists on the otherside of the war reprogrammed them into a viral weapon and thought they would wipe out their enemy which backfired and ended up spreading throughout the entire populace. In all the chaos this new Borg species generated a Queen to bring order and the Borg began from there.

 

[Mr.Borg]

You know..there is a you tube video on how the Borg were created. I think it was like the Son'a. First they were a species (I think the queen's species) and then there was a war. And then the species split into two parts. The Borg Part made themselves into cyborgs and starting killing and assimilating everything.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

The Borg Part made themselves into cyborgs and starting killing and assimilating everything.

I find it difficult to believe a species would intentionally and willingly make themselves the way the Borg are.
It makes much more sense that they were developing nano-probes and cybernetics as a weapon in a war and that it all backfired on them.

Would you freely have limbs chopped off for implants and give your freedom up to a collective consciousness? I certainly wouldn't, no intelligent species in the Trekverse would neither IMO.

 

[hyzmarca]

You know..there is a you tube video on how the Borg were created. I think it was like the Son'a. First they were a species (I think the queen's species) and then there was a war. And then the species split into two parts. The Borg Part made themselves into cyborgs and starting killing and assimilating everything.

No, the Son'a are far too young to be the Borg, and they're from the Alpha Quadrent.

The Borg Part made themselves into cyborgs and starting killing and assimilating everything.

I find it difficult to believe a species would intentionally and willingly make themselves the way the Borg are.
It makes much more sense that they were developing nano-probes and cybernetics as a weapon in a war and that it all backfired on them.

Would you freely have limbs chopped off for implants and give your freedom up to a collective consciousness? I certainly wouldn't, no intelligent species in the Trekverse would neither IMO.

Limbs chopped off for implants? Hell yes. A lot of other people would agree, especially those with disabilities which render their limbs useless anyway, but many who are perfectly healthy, as well. Of course, you don't need limbs chopped off for most of the Borg implants, just the big tool arm.

The collective is a bit harder sell, but it depends on how one presents it. I doubt the collective as it is now was the original intent. It might have just been a communication system. Most likely, it was intended to make truely democratic decision making possible, by ensuring that everyone was correctly informed on issues, and that everyone got a vote, but as time wore on it got out of hand, the crushing power of billions of minds who had gotten the implants as children and thus had never really known individuality turned the Borg into what they are now. I doubt that anyone actually considered the possibility before it was too late to do anything about it.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

The Borg Part made themselves into cyborgs and starting killing and assimilating everything.

I find it difficult to believe a species would intentionally and willingly make themselves the way the Borg are.
It makes much more sense that they were developing nano-probes and cybernetics as a weapon in a war and that it all backfired on them.

Would you freely have limbs chopped off for implants and give your freedom up to a collective consciousness? I certainly wouldn't, no intelligent species in the Trekverse would neither IMO.

The implication in Q Who was that they voluntarily modified themselves originally.

The idea is that they could become perfect by doing so. They certainly would be more efficient if they had a collective mind. I do wonder if the Borg mind reprograms other minds or if it's more like a majority will overwhelming the minority one.

 

[dave_R_treker]

Perhaps one of those Billy Mays telemarketing products gone horribly wrong.

 

[Islander]

I'm not sure how it originally ended up in the beaming down in a red shirt thread, but here's my 2 cents on this:

The Borg began in an alternate reality where it's the Terminator that screwed Sarah Connor instead of Kyle Reese...

 

[Praetor]

I seem to remember reading an unmade script from Voyager that dealt with the origin of the Borg. They find a space craft and 7 of 9 recognizes the pilot as a member of species 1. He explains the origin of the Borg. His species was developing a planetary defense. He and another man were aboard an orbiting space craft, getting ready to activate the system. When it is activated, the defense system targets its creators and the pilots watch helpless as the Borg assimilate the planet. Trying to find where I read that.

I remember that, too.

I've always thought the Borg would have been a nice way to explain where those ancient civilizations mentioned periodically as uber-powerful in TOS eventually went...