Random First Contact Thoughts

[Tomalak]

"Quickly, Mr Data lock out the main computer".

That seems to lock it out for the crew as well as the Borg, so their ability to manoeuvre is limited. I think that's why they can't do anything major, and explains why Picard says "we can't get to a shuttlecraft", when the shuttlebay is directly behind the bridge. They couldn't open the doors or get the computer to release a shuttle.

Picard doesn't "sit on his hands" exactly. There's not much he can do - the Borg have killed or assimilated half his crew and adapted to the weapons.

Ok, the computer still works well enough to operate a holodeck and set the autodestruct, so my theory isn't without flaws. That said, Voyager shows us that, bizarrely, Holodecks seem to have an independent and separate power source. The autodestruct would presumably have a backup in case the main computer were compromised.

 

[The Wormhole]

When he beams up and Worf is giving his status report on the Borg overtaking Deck 16 Picard shoots down Worf's suggestion of sending a security team to investigate (when the threat could have possibly been contained) and Picard barks an order to "seal off Deck 16 and post security teams at every access point."

There were equally good chances the responding security team would themselves be killed or assimilated.

When the Borg started taking over Voyager, Janeway opened an airlock and sucked them out into space.

Janeway did no such thing. Chakotay did that while Janeway was unconscious in sickbay. When Janeway woke, she disapproved the tactic.

What does main engineering have? A warp core. What can be done with a warp core? It can be ejected. Into space. Literally, all Picard would have had to do is eject the core, keep the port open into space, and let the Borg threat be eliminated via vacuum.

Considering the Borg had full control of engineering, they could have prevented the warp core from being ejected, or they could have raised a forcefield after the core was ejected.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

Janeway did no such thing. Chakotay did that while Janeway was unconscious in sickbay. When Janeway woke, she disapproved the tactic.

It's been a while since I've seen Scorpion, so I'd forgotten who actually gave the order. The only reason Janeway disapproved of Chakotay's decision was because she was highly in favor of a Borg alliance to safely get through their space and she thought blowing them out the airlock wasn't a good way of reaching a truce.

Picard, on the other hand, was already Ahab-ing it up with complete disregard for the Borg and already assimilated Enterprise crew members. He was going to melt their faces off with plasma coolant, after all. So what's the harm in ejecting the core and blowing them out into space?

 

[Turd Ferguson]

"Quickly, Mr Data lock out the main computer".

That seems to lock it out for the crew as well as the Borg, so their ability to manoeuvre is limited. I think that's why they can't do anything major, and explains why Picard says "we can't get to a shuttlecraft", when the shuttlebay is directly behind the bridge. They couldn't open the doors or get the computer to release a shuttle.

Picard doesn't "sit on his hands" exactly. There's not much he can do - the Borg have killed or assimilated half his crew and adapted to the weapons.

Ok, the computer still works well enough to operate a holodeck and set the autodestruct, so my theory isn't without flaws. That said, Voyager shows us that, bizarrely, Holodecks seem to have an independent and separate power source. The autodestruct would presumably have a backup in case the main computer were compromised.

Maybe I interpreted the movie wrong, but I always assumed Data locked out the computer for everybody EXCEPT for Data. Picard and crew couldn't do anything on their own, and neither could the Borg. Data has lightning fast speed, so he could easily retake computer control, blow the airlock, then reengage the code before the Borg have a chance to react. Of course, this all goes out the window (airlock) once the Borg detain Data outside main engineering.

 

[Vger23]

I rewatched this the other night and still think it holds up, although I do prefer Generations more. Again, as in Generations, Picard is grossly incompetent. When he beams up and Worf is giving his status report on the Borg overtaking Deck 16 Picard shoots down Worf's suggestion of sending a security team to investigate (when the threat could have possibly been contained) and Picard barks an order to "seal off Deck 16 and post security teams at every access point." He then sits on his hands after a failed attempt to retake main engineering and the abduction of Data and lets the Borg overtake more than half the ship.

When the Borg started taking over Voyager, Janeway opened an airlock and sucked them out into space. Why wasn't this done here? "Maybe there isn't an airlock on Deck 16" you may say. Well, we know main engineering is one of the first areas the Borg overtake as a "central point from which to control the Hive." What does main engineering have? A warp core. What can be done with a warp core? It can be ejected. Into space. Literally, all Picard would have had to do is eject the core, keep the port open into space, and let the Borg threat be eliminated via vacuum.

Of course, if this were to have happened, I guess it would have been a super short Borg movie

While I think some of this is a valid criticism...I doubt very much that the writers spend time combing through every possible little fan counter-point that might ever be made as they refine their stories.


And for that, I am forever grateful.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

While I think some of this is a valid criticism...I doubt very much that the writers spend time combing through every possible little fan counter-point that might ever be made as they refine their stories.


And for that, I am forever grateful.

Like I said, I still find the movie enjoyable. In fact, I got choked up on several new parts on my rewatch the other day (the music when Cochrane is getting ready to meet the Vulcans got to me). I just think it's neat thinking of different scenarios of ways movies could have played out

 

[Peach Wookiee]

About the Borg plan... It's a Xanatos Gambit. The Borg Queen had a few ways to win.

 

[Turd Ferguson]

One other thing I thought of today: is there a reason (in-universe) for Picard and crew to be fucking around with Worf when he comes on board? Keep in mind, a Borg cube was just destroyed NEAR EARTH, and a sphere emerges, HEADING DIRECTLY TOWARD EARTH. Picard should be shitting his pants thinking about what the Borg could possibly be up to, coming up with tactical plans to stop the cube, launching volleys of photon and quantum torpedoes, running interference on it... but, nah. Let's chide Worf about his "little" ship for the yuks while the future of humanity is at stake

 

[The Wormhole]

Actually, what always bothered me is after the Borg Sphere goes through the vortex and we see assimilated Earth, Picard then spends a minute or so explaining the situation for the audience. "They've gone back in time and assimilated Earth in the past. I must take the ship back, prevent this from occurring and restore the timeline. Mr. Hawk, pursuit course."

Really, after Data reported Earth was now a Borg world, Picard should have just ordered Hawk to take the ship through the vortex, rather than spend a minute explaining the situation. I know it was done to convey story points to the audience, but someone actually in that situation wouldn't waste time providing a recap of everything that just happened.

This is one serious flaw the movie has. Also got to wonder, did Riker and Geordi wonder what the hell was up with the quantum barrage that just missed the Phoenix?

 

[Jedi Marso]

This is one serious flaw the movie has. Also got to wonder, did Riker and Geordi wonder what the hell was up with the quantum barrage that just missed the Phoenix?

They were probably never even aware of it. The Phoenix was a missile with warp nacelles attached- no real sensors, warning systems for anything external to the craft, or anything like that. They only had a couple little windows to look out of. They were probably absolutely clueless that they'd even been fired on until much later, when they got filled in on current events back on the Big E.