If Borg assimilated Earth, who's next?

[JesterFace]

The Borg tried to assimilate Earth on TNG. (The Best of Both Worlds 1&2)

Had the Borg succeeded, who do you think would have been the next target? We know they had visited the Neutral Zone during season 1 of TNG, might the Romulans be the next target?

Admiral Hanson said that Klingons sent ships to fight the Borg, but we don't know whether they made it on time. If the Klingons were there, that might have peaked the Borg's interest?

 

[Romulan Loyalist]

Interesting - However...

They also attempted to assimilate Earth in 2373... And we know of the tie in to Borg being on Earth in Regeneration (ST:ENT) - so that being said..

I would think, that after failed attempts in BOBW, and FC, that they would adjust their strategy, (after recovering from the Neuro-Toxin given to the Borg Queen by Admiral Janeway) and then do one of 2 things..

1. Using the Transwarp Network (if parts of it still exist) they would flood the Alpha Quadrant and Beta Quadrant... Several Cubes at Qo'nos, Romulus (or the new Romulan Homeworld), Vulcan (depending on Timeline.. Thanks JJ) and others.. This would be a sort of Borg Blitzkrieg that would immediately overwhelm all 3 major Quadrant powers.

2. Using more conventional means - send waves of Borg Cubes, Spheres, and other assorted vessels slowly through the Delta Quadrant, assimilating and building up as they go... Within 80 years or less the entire galaxy from the Delta Quadrant, through the Beta Quadrant and then finally the Alpha Quadrant would be assimilated.

If your question is, if the Enterprise had failed and not rescued Locutus - then I would say, they would assimilate Earth, and spread to the next inhabited system - The assimilation of multiple Starfleet Captains including Picard gave them knowledge of all species in the area, and they would have been able to methodically jump from one to another without much to stop them. I would think the Romulans would be a little more difficult to overcome however, with their ability to be much more subversive and devious than the Klingons, who would just flood headlong into battle - like a shotgun blast. All the Romulans would need is a batch of Thelaron radiation - and *poof* no more Borg..

IMHO of course..

 

[Shawnster]

How would subversive and devious work against the Borg?

 

[Romulan Loyalist]

If Janeway could subvert the Borg enough to steal engine parts, infect the Borgwith toxins, I would think the Romulans, being much more deceptive - "sneaky" for lack of a better term, would have even greater luck.

 

[F. King Daniel]

The other Federation core worlds: Vulcan, Andoria, Tellar, Alphacent etc.

 

[Timo]

The Borg tried to assimilate Earth on TNG. (The Best of Both Worlds 1&2)

Or then they tried what they were doing in VOY "Child's Play" - say "BOOO!" to Earth, watch it develop mighty anti-Borg weapons, technologies and tactics, and then return to assimilate those. Or then say "BOOO!" again, and again, until Earth finally came up with something worth assimilating.

So the next Borg target after Earth would have been... Earth.

Although no doubt the Borg would be targeting others in the meantime, too. They have plenty of those Cube things, so striking at Earth would be no hindrance to simultaneously bothering the Romulans, the Ferengi or the Vidiians. For all we know, the Borg did that: these aliens would not be inclined to tell the heroes.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[TheSubCommander]

The Borg tried to assimilate Earth on TNG. (The Best of Both Worlds 1&2)

Had the Borg succeeded, who do you think would have been the next target? We know they had visited the Neutral Zone during season 1 of TNG, might the Romulans be the next target?

Admiral Hanson said that Klingons sent ships to fight the Borg, but we don't know whether they made it on time. If the Klingons were there, that might have peaked the Borg's interest?

I think that the next step would be to assimilate the rest of the Federation, probably starting with Vulcan, and on to the other founding member worlds. Once the Federation was completely assimilated, or as close to it as possible, I think the Borg would assess who would be the greatest threat to them. It's hard to definitively say, but I think that would probably be the Romulan Empire. The Romulans and Klingons are probably pretty close to even when it comes to technology and strategy, but the Romulan Empire seems larger, looking at the galaxy map. Plus, I think the reason the Federation and Klingons have an alliance in the 24th century in the first place, is to maintain a balance of power against the Romulans. Given their long standing mutual hatred, the Klingons would have invaded Romulus long ago, if they were confident they could pull it off successfully, like they ended up doing with the Cardassians. So, that implies to me that over all, the Romulan Empire is more powerful than the Klingon Empire, and therefore the greater threat.

 

[Nyotarules]

Mars
Lunar colony (The Moon)
Alpha Centuri
and any other inhabited planet close to Earth

 

[Timo]

I think that the next step would be to assimilate the rest of the Federation, probably starting with Vulcan, and on to the other founding member worlds.

In VOY "Dark Frontier", the Borg Queen appeared to be telling to Seven of Nine that Borg standard procedure at finally assimilating the homeworld of a species would entail hunting down every single survivor and assimilating those, too. So a "cleansing" of the UFP might well be on the menu, perhaps proceeding from the species that had been the most numerous on Earth (no doubt humans) through the next numerous one till the least minority group?

On the other hand, the Borg did not appear to be doing a good job at cleansing the galaxy of El-Aurians in the century or so following the assimilation of that homeworld.

Plus, I think the reason the Federation and Klingons have an alliance in the 24th century in the first place, is to maintain a balance of power against the Romulans. Given their long standing mutual hatred, the Klingons would have invaded Romulus long ago, if they were confident they could pull it off successfully, like they ended up doing with the Cardassians. So, that implies to me that over all, the Romulan Empire is more powerful than the Klingon Empire, and therefore the greater threat.

Then again, the Klingons and the Feds never went to war against each other, either - until the Romulans came out and meddled (perhaps allying with the Klingons to make them bold enough to attempt "Errand of Mercy", perhaps allying with the Feds to make them so confident about Kleaning the Klingon Kronometers in ST6). Perhaps the Romulans are a minor power that is always ready to tilt the balance to bolster their own importance? They themselves don't seem too eager to engage in any overt military action.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[B.J.]

As the alt-timeline Riker put it, "The Borg are everywhere!"

 

[Nyotarules]

Picard should be charged for crimes against the Federation for not using that virus. Imagine an Allied General having a chance to kill Hitler in 1940 and backing out from it....

 

[Timo]

Hmm... Having Hitler alive was probably the only thing that kept the Soviet Union from being defeated by the Nazi Germany a year later. Indeed, killing ol' Adolf at any later timepoint would have been pretty stupid, as anybody stepping in between 1940 and 1943 would have been more competent in leading the war yet no more likely to sue for peace in face of the mounting losses, and offing Hitler in 1944 or 1945 would only have ensured Stalin's total takeover of Europe.

The thing is, Allied Generals knew that much back in the day already. A better analogy would be some totally wild card being played - say, imagine a USAF General who May or May not be named having a chance to nuke all of Soviet Union to cinder in, oh, the mid-1950s and backing out from it...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Nyotarules]

Did the USSR declare war on the USA in the mid 1950's? If not, that would make said USAF General Shinzon if he had done it.

 

[Timo]

But should he be charged for crimes against the United States for not having done so at the time? (Especially since the part where he nukes the USSR to cinder would have worked like a charm - only the consequences would have been unpredictable.)

The Borg never declare war on anybody. They are only out to help, after all.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Shikarnov]

Picard should be charged for crimes against the Federation for not using that virus. Imagine an Allied General having a chance to kill Hitler in 1940 and backing out from it....

I think it'd be more like an allied general having an opportunity to send a mentally ill child into Hitler's midst with a bomb in his belly. It's one thing to ignore a chance to kill the enemy when they're standing in your sights; it's quite another to sacrifice an unwilling -- indeed, an incompetent -- person in the deliverance of that blow.

I suppose, in a conflict that involved involuntarily conscription as a matter of policy, that would probably seem like a small consideration. But would the decision not to act amount to crime? I think no. I just can't imagine a post WWII court convicting somebody for refusing to use a "lesser person" (a mentality against which the allies were fighting) as canon fodder; and I sure as Hell can't imagine the United Federation of Planets -- which is supposed to be far more enlightened -- doing that either.

All that said, I do I think that might have been a more interesting follow up to I'Borg than Descent. Picard being brought up on charges and subsequent arguments concerning what the Federation is about -- especially in times of conflict -- and whether or not he's a criminal for not having destroyed the Borg using Hugh.

---

As for the original question, "If the Borg assimilated Earth, who's next?" I would have to wager that Vulcan would be next. The history, the science, the technology -- they would all constitute valuable commodities for assimilation.

 

[Timo]

That's an interesting issue in its own right: do you have to assimilate a homeworld to get a culture's goodies?

What would be on Vulcan that isn't on Earth? Statues and caves full of ancient artifacts - all no doubt carefully documented in archives assimilable from Earth. Heck, perhaps so carefully documented that the Real Deals could be replicated at will!

Vulcan would have plenty of Vulcans, though. Those might be a prime Borg target.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Nyotarules]

But should he be charged for crimes against the United States for not having done so at the time? (Especially since the part where he nukes the USSR to cinder would have worked like a charm - only the consequences would have been unpredictable.)

The Borg never declare war on anybody. They are only out to help, after all.

Timo Saloniemi

'Resistance is futile you will be assimilated' is a declaration of war. Especially when its said on your turf.

 

[Kemaiku]

Simply a statement of apathetic inevitability.

 

[Timo]

From the Borg point of view, it's probably akin to "Sir, you appear to be on fire (your existence is flawed); I will now put it out (your distictiveness will be added to the Collective); don't worry, it will not hurt (resistance is futile)".

Anything can be a declaration of war if read that way. How many Trek cultures believe in the concept, though? Gowron in "Broken Link" says "Resist us, and there will be war!", clearly indicating that the act of the Klingons conquering Archanis "back" is not a declaration of war in itself...

(Of course, it may be that declaration of peace is the concept the Klingons don't believe in.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Romulan Loyalist]

The only time a War is mentioned with regards to the Borg is with Species 8472 (at least from the POV of the Borg)... All others, are simply an acquisition of sorts.. The Borg do not attack to destroy - they attack to assimilate and absorb... They ignore that which is not a threat, and assimilate (or attempt to) that which is either a threat or that they deem an upgrade so to speak. Comparing the Borg to Nazi Germany is affable - as the Borg do not participate in genocide - oddly enough..

Vulcan - being as they are passive, and tend to refrain from violence unless provoked - could itself stay out of Borg sights for a while.. Their technology is unremarkable - and they are merely passvive scientists for the most part. Unless Vulcans en masse decided to attack the Borg out of retaliation for the Assimilation of Andoria, Earth, and the other Federation worlds, Vulcan itself may be totally overlooked.. Like away teams from the Enterprise D - ignored unless they become a important enough to warrant attention.

Then again - it is hard to say what the Borg find interesting enough to assimilate - maybe the Vulcan mind would be something they find interesting enough to assimilate for.. Perhaps not - they are unpredictable.