The BORG, and the Lost potential

[Discofan]

The problem with the Borg is that they are good only for a small number of uses. After that, they're bound to lose some of their ... "pizzazz". There's only so much that can be done about a robot! So it's understandable why the Voyager team faced with a Villain that was nearing its sell-by date were forced to add new glamorous details that were bound to weaken the Villain in question. They were between the proverbial rock and hard place.

 

[STEPhon IT]

If the budget was unlimited I might have gone for something like other posters here mentioned; a big epic with major stakes as the Borg invade the Federation and neighboring civilizations in large numbers with the intention of assimilating everything.
And while Starfleet and the Federation have to deal with the invasion itself they also have to deal with displaced refugees, species and civilizations hostile towards the Federation seeing opportunities to expand their own territory or just in and steal whatever they can, and the realization that the Federation might actually fall which also puts its leadership under strain.

What I don't have yet is a solution for the crisis but I would not want it to rely on a deus ex machina. It would have to be something that has been introduced before.
The Borg Resistance and the Omega Molecule could perhaps be brought in but that would require the movie watcher to know Voyager and having seen the episodes in which these appeared.
What also would be cool if the major civilizations of the Alpha and Beta Quadrant band together to face this threat so that various recognizable faces could appear in the movie.

In the end the Collective would be defeated or weakened enough that it no longer poses a major threat and explained why they would not re appear in follow up series and movies.

This is a nice idea, but for me I'm thinking if you're going to bring the Borg into a tale, it must be THE BIG EVENT, and also throwing in some big ideas. I love your concept... but what if it was set 50 to 60 years in the future? The Borg has figured out they're extinct, and with that the distant future somehow has a technological decline. The Borg is more of a threat in the future than the present. Starfleet is getting some strange spacial distortions in deep space and believe one of their colony moons has been wiped out from this strange phenomena, the Enterprise is ordered to investigate. Data is sent on a shuttle to study these distortions and like clockwork he is also wiped out but in actuality is drawn into the future. Several moments later Data returns, appears how Brent Spiner is today in physique, and is trying to communicate with them but for some reason the universal translator can't translate it. Through Geordi and Worf they discovered the translator is working correctly but it's English 60 years in the future; time hasn't caught up with his vocal variance.

Anywho, TNG crew with the new Data are off to the future fighting a final battle with the Borg--NO QUEEN--to save the galaxy and also teaching the futurians never forgetting their past and learn from events because they could repeat themselves. What I'm a little if-y is, what would be considered the Borg's ultimate assimilation?

 

[Arpy]

The Borg were NOT too powerful. They were as powerful as they needed to be for what they were.

What wasn’t needed was visiting them endlessly instead of coming up with new aliens.

And however powerful they were, the challenge was to come up with ways around their superiority, not eliminating it. You don’t meet the enemy on their terms.

Making the Borg of human origin is not yet only another trip to the well, not only one that makes little historical sense regardless what Byzantine contrivances they’ll conjure to make it fit, but one that eliminates their unsettling alien mystique. Really bad move IMHO.

 

[Discofan]

The Borg were NOT too powerful. They were as powerful as they needed to be for what they were.

What wasn’t needed was visiting them endlessly instead of coming up with new aliens.

And however powerful they were, the challenge was to come up with ways around their superiority, not eliminating it. You don’t meet the enemy on their terms.

Making the Borg of human origin is not yet only another trip to the well, not only one that makes little historical sense regardless what Byzantine contrivances they’ll conjure to make it fit, but one that eliminates their unsettling alien mystique. Really bad move IMHO.

I don't know, people glued to their smartphone, who can't do anything without it... make me think of Borg, so it makes some sense.

 

[suarezguy]

One of the missed opportunities I thought Berman did was not continue the Borg elements in TNG movies.

So if you had a chance to write or develop a Borg movie after FIRST CONTACT, what would've been your direction for Star Trek's space zombies? Or what were the potential of the Borg you saw where the production should've explored and why?

First Contact was a great sequel to (one of the best episodes) TBoBW but it couldn't be topped or, really, further continued. The one big further concept that would be worthy of doing as a later film would be establishing/exploring the origin of the Borg and/or maybe the crew dealing with a new society or group on the brink of becoming something very similar, deliberately or not.

 

[Arpy]

I don't know, people glued to their smartphone, who can't do anything without it... make me think of Borg, so it makes some sense.

So are the Romulans, Cardassians, Viddians, and half the aliens across the galaxy at similar points in their development. Why not any of those be the origin?

Why not an alien race native to the Delta Quadrant? One that, as said of the Borg in VOY’s “Dragons Teeth,” were a handful of systems 900 years ago.

 

[STEPhon IT]

The one big further concept that would be worthy of doing as a later film would be establishing/exploring the origin of the Borg and/or maybe the crew dealing with a new society or group on the brink of becoming something very similar, deliberately or not.

I love that idea which comes the question, is it possible there are more sects of the Borg? 1 is from TNG storyline where they're a unique species where their thoughts and processes are a unit of one. And the boring version IMO a Queen to tell them what to do. Would an origin explain these versions of the Borg or sadly try to make everything fit?

 

[Farscape One]

Hell, maybe there WERE two versions of Borg, but they had a dividing line like a North/South Korea one. Later, the ones from FIRST CONTACT/VOYAGER built enough numbers to just ssy screw the line, and assimilate the other Borg.

 

[Matthew Raymond]

Hell, maybe there WERE two versions of Borg, but they had a dividing line like a North/South Korea one.

So would the Borg Queen be Kim Jong-Un or Lee Kun-hee?

 

[Ghost]

I probably should put this in the general Trek forum or perhaps fan fic as it is rather fan fic-ish but my own theory on the origins of the Borg with them being hundreds of thousands years old and to make it work with what was told about them in "Dragon's Teeth" of just controlling a handful of systems 900 years before that episodes is that there have been multiple "incarnations" of the Borg.

Roughly a hundred thousand years ago the Borg Collective was created for the first time (I have my own idea on who created them and for what purpose but that is irrelevant now) and it started spreading across the stars, assimilating useful technology and resources it came across and civilizations and species it could use to increase its numbers.
Eventually the Borg ran into an enemy that it could not defeat. This enemy who perhaps recognized the threat the Borg posed to intelligent life across the galaxy tried to completely wipe out the Borg but some remnant survived, perhaps a ship, a couple of drones, or even just nanites, and the Borg went "dormant" for a while until another species or perhaps even members of the enemy who had forgotten about the Borg came across these remnants and were assimilated starting the process all over again.

This happened several times in these hundreds of centuries, the Borg would increase in strength and numbers again and at its peak perhaps tried to take on a civilization or species that it could not defeat and was driven to almost the point of extinction with only a few remnants deliberately or accidentally surviving because the Borg anticipated its defeat or their enemy was not thorough enough to eliminate all traces of the Collective.

The current version Picard and later Janeway encountered are is a thousand years old but it has access to knowledge and technology that goes back back to their point of origin. (hence developing for hundreds of thousand years. I probably mangled that)

It is indeed very hard to top First Contact but I like to think Scorpion came close.
Truth be told I personally do not want the Borg Collective to be "eliminated" from the Star Trek universe (hence why I hate the Destiny books) but it is difficult to keep them scary and unstoppable (kind of like the Alien in the Alien franchise) when the characters and the audience has already learned so much about them.

I am kind of worried that in an epic showdown between Starfleet and her allies and the Borg that the solution to the problem would be a technobabble one. A computer virus or some other technology.
Also, I don't want the Borg to be "redeemed"; turned into a force of "Good". They are not evil in the traditional sense, as Locutus says that the Borg seeks to improve the quality of life for all species.
It is just that they force it upon anyone they deem as being useful to be incorporated into the Collective.

My opinion is that it is best not to explore or reveal the origins of the Borg as a mystery is sometimes much better. It allows people to come up with their own theories which can sometimes be more pleasing than an official explanation. (you don't want to do what Alien Covenant did with the alien)

 

[STEPhon IT]

Truth be told I personally do not want the Borg Collective to be "eliminated" from the Star Trek universe (hence why I hate the Destiny books) but it is difficult to keep them scary and unstoppable (kind of like the Alien in the Alien franchise) when the characters and the audience has already learned so much about them.

I am kind of worried that in an epic showdown between Starfleet and her allies and the Borg that the solution to the problem would be a technobabble one. A computer virus or some other technology.
Also, I don't want the Borg to be "redeemed"; turned into a force of "Good". They are not evil in the traditional sense, as Locutus says that the Borg seeks to improve the quality of life for all species.
It is just that they force it upon anyone they deem as being useful to be incorporated into the Collective.

My opinion is that it is best not to explore or reveal the origins of the Borg as a mystery is sometimes much better. It allows people to come up with their own theories which can sometimes be more pleasing than an official explanation. (you don't want to do what Alien Covenant did with the alien)

If you could tell one final Borg story with TNG crew as a final film, what would you like to see?

 

[Ghost]

If you could tell one final Borg story with TNG crew as a final film, what would you like to see?

Ooh that is a tough one and it is not because I don't think a final confrontation story with the Borg is impossible or I don't want to do it, but I really want to come up with something original which we have not seen before. And especially not one that reads like a fan fic.

First of all a movie like this would be a war movie and seeing what the last TNG movie was like, not to mention the last couple of Star Trek movies I would really like to have seen a different type of story with Star Trek for a change with adventure and mystery but I don't think that would work in this scenario>

When I read your question I had the following couple ideas immediately and then discarded them for included reasons.

1. Centuries from the era of TNG/DSN/VGR the Borg Collective is on the brink of defeat by Starfleet/Timefleet (lets say this is in the 29th Century). In order to change the outcome of the war the Borg sends a ship or fleet back in time to assimilate or destroy the Federation. (this is to much like First Contact and not to mention the Terminator movies, plus the future Starfleet would send its own ships back to intercede)

2. The Borg Collective is under attack by advanced aliens/aggressors from outside the galaxy and it needs Starfleet's help to defeat the aliens that will after defeating the Borg will very likely turn against every other space faring civilization or perhaps every intelligent life in the Milky Way Galaxy. (this is to much like "Scorpion", not to mention a Star Trek TNG/Borg mini series titled "Hive" that was written by Brannon Braga and released by IDW)

3. The Borg have achieved their perceived state of perfection in the future and decide to assimilate the past (basically the plot from Star Trek Spotlight Borg by IDW)

I dislike time travel because it has become such a mess in Star Trek so there will be no time travel, at least not into the past.


My premise for a story would "Starfleet takes the battle to the Borg Collective"

Some of the story/script also depends on what is allowed to be used from the TNG series and other series such as Voyager. I would for example bring the Borg Resistance into it and the remains of the 29th Century Borg "One" from the Season 5 episode "Drone".

If Voyager stuff would be allowed part of the plot is that the Borg Collective has assimilated the technology of One's body and as a result is transforming into an even more powerful and formidable force (upgraded into 29th Century Borg drones and ships)

The Borg Resistance is still fighting the Collective but with the Collective now being much superior Borg Resistance ships are quickly destroyed or re assimilated into the Collective.
With their numbers rapidly declining the Borg Resistance sends representatives to the Alpha and Beta Quadrant to get support for their war against the Borg and to warn the Federation and other major civilizations that the Borg Collective is now a bigger threat than ever.

Alternative if the Voyager stuff can not be used because the company heads feel that it is better to make a story that stands as much on its own as possible the Borg Collective has instead assimilated a powerful civilization whose technology has greatly improved or upgraded the Borg's own.

Starfleet would find out about this change of the Collective, either Picard is still able to "hear" the Collective through his empathic/telepathic link with it or perhaps Starfleet vessels observe or encounter ships of the now more advanced Collective.

The newly available information indicates that the Borg Collective would most likely not only overrun the entire galaxy in a matter of years but that it could also go extra galactic and start sending ships to other galaxies to assimilate cultures and worlds there.

A third alternative idea would be that the Federation and Starfleet (and the other major Alpha and Beta Quadrant civilizations) find out about the upgraded Borg when the Collective sends mines full of nanoprobes to homeworld and major colonies of the various parties and detonates these in close orbit, assimilating most of the populations in a matter of hours.


Whatever the story goes with Picard (perhaps also Admiral Janeway and Seven of Nine) that the Federation and Starfleet can no longer depend on being ignored by the Collective for being a lot priority assimilation target like in the past. Starfleet has proven itself to much of a nuisance for the Collective to ignore.

Likewise building up forces and defenses now for the inevitable coming of the Collective would only delay the inevitable, soon the Borg will be to powerful to defeated in any conventional way or any tricks/unusual tactics Starfleet crews have been able to use against the Collective.
If Starfleet is to defeat the Borg once and for all it must take the initiative and take the fight to the Borg.

Again depending if the Borg Resistance is in it, they would provide the Transwarp corridor that would take a Starfleet task force deep into Borg space.
If the Resistance is not in it Starfleet ships would either be using the Quantum Slipstream or Starfleet now has Transwarp drive of its own. (or a stable wormhole, whatever the plot demands)

One of the goals of the task force is to locate the original Borg homeworld; Borg Prime if you will though I find it a bit of a dumb name. The unimatrix complex shown in Voyager is not their homeworld or central base, it is just one of many such complexes throughout Borg space.

The Borg homeworld would either be central to the Collective and crucial for its functioning/workings or there is something on the original Borg homeworld that could be of use against the Collective (crucial information or technology).

I am divided on if the task force will find a fully assimilated planet like was mentioned in one of the Shatnervere books (the Return), a long abandoned world stripped of everything that was useful, or perhaps go even bigger in scope and introduce a dyson sphere; the Borg Collective has dismantled an entire star system or more to build a dyson sphere or dyson swarm around a star, or perhaps even more exciting; an active black hole from which it is extracting energy. Something big and impacting that shows how advanced the Collective is.

Or perhaps the original Borg homeworld and the dyson swarm/sphere are two separate locations, the more advanced Borg having built the last to fuel their expansion into neighboring galaxies.

Somewhere around this point in the story Picard and the others would learn that the Borg Collective is a creation or remnant of the Preservers or the Progenitors from the TNG episode "The Chase".

Long ago the Preservers/Progenitors started to question what the next step in their biological development was, you don't go from mortal corporeal being to a non corporeal energy based immortal intelligence naturally. The Preservers/Progenitors were looking into post humanism.
Likewise they were also looking into the next step in the development of their society. While their society was much more advanced than even 24th Century Federation regarding representation and support there were a couple of obstacles even some superior version of democratic representation can not overcome.
The Preservers or Progenitors wanted to create a post humanist society, a society in which all important information is available and shared with everyone and all major political and social decisions are made and based on the wishes of all of society's members.

Either the project went terrible wrong or the result was unexpected/went differently than the Preservers/Progenitors had intended. The nascent Borg Collective assimilated the creators and then spread across the stars, assimilating other cultures it came across.

On a sidenote; many years ago I randomly came up with a premise in which the Borg homeworld would be revealed to future Federation Earth that somehow had gone back in time and ended up in the Delta Quadrant and the Borg's creators/species 001 being humanity.
It was never meant for anything serious but had I known that something similar would have been used in the Destiny books I should have put this idea open and wide.

Back to the plot, I would like this information to play a crucial role in the defeat of the Collective but I still have no idea what.

One thing I do not want to go for is that Picard, Janeway, or Seven "fixes" the Collective. I know Trek in general goes for optimistic endings and normally I would not mind one either but I kind of dislike the idea of humans just fixing/solving everything. It just opens the pointless question on how did the galaxy/universe managed to survive before humanity came along.
So no merging with the Collective a la Decker, Ilia replica, and V'ger, evolving the Borg into a higher form of life/making it the creation the Preservers/Progenitors were set out on creating in the first place. Sometimes you just can not make a bad thing good.

Likewise no Preservers/Progenitors to the rescue a la the Caeliar in the Destiny books. If I wanted that I would throw in Q.

There would of course be a number of impressive space battles and some new Starfleet ship designs would be shown that can take on Borg ships so it is not a completely one sided battle.

I would like to end the script on the note of Picard now wondering if perhaps one of the ships the Collective send to another galaxy might have made it before Starfleet managed to defeat the Collective once and for all. And the possibility makes him shudder for if the Collective did and that ship manages to start a new Collective the Borg might one day return to the Milkway Galaxy and then no one can stand up against it.

Phew, what a lot of text. If I have some more thoughts on the subject I will write it in this post.

Edit: well I had one idea which is from a fan fic idea I had. Section 31 would have developed new weapons to fight the Borg, one of these weapons being special nanites that carry a computer virus that makes Borg drone systems make more of these nanites and transmit the virus to other drones. These special nanites would actually either turn Borg cybernetic systems against their organic halves (drones dying from sudden body rejection of parts they require to live) or actually dismantle the drones. (kind of like what the gas/plasma did in First Contact's ending)

Either way is rather gruesome for a Star Trek story and the main characters defeating the Collective this way does not really sit well with me.

Hmm, I have gone back my own wish of not explaining the origins of the Borg. I might scrape that part.

 

[Farscape One]

About your idea of a nanoprobe bomb set off in an atmosphere, assimilating everything...

I am surprised the Borg don't just do this instead of sending ships. Or another thought... when Janeway was helping them fight Species 8472, she suggested a nanoprobe mine. I always wondered if the Borg ever used that idea, and if they did, whoever got assimilated due to that... was Janeway's fault.

 

[DonIago]

The Borg like the personal touch.

 

[STEPhon IT]

Ooh that is a tough one and it is not because I don't think a final confrontation story with the Borg is impossible or I don't want to do it, but I really want to come up with something original which we have not seen before. And especially not one that reads like a fan fic.

First of all a movie like this would be a war movie and seeing what the last TNG movie was like, not to mention the last couple of Star Trek movies I would really like to have seen a different type of story with Star Trek for a change with adventure and mystery but I don't think that would work in this scenario>

When I read your question I had the following couple ideas immediately and then discarded them for included reasons.

1. Centuries from the era of TNG/DSN/VGR the Borg Collective is on the brink of defeat by Starfleet/Timefleet (lets say this is in the 29th Century). In order to change the outcome of the war the Borg sends a ship or fleet back in time to assimilate or destroy the Federation. (this is to much like First Contact and not to mention the Terminator movies, plus the future Starfleet would send its own ships back to intercede)

2. The Borg Collective is under attack by advanced aliens/aggressors from outside the galaxy and it needs Starfleet's help to defeat the aliens that will after defeating the Borg will very likely turn against every other space faring civilization or perhaps every intelligent life in the Milky Way Galaxy. (this is to much like "Scorpion", not to mention a Star Trek TNG/Borg mini series titled "Hive" that was written by Brannon Braga and released by IDW)

3. The Borg have achieved their perceived state of perfection in the future and decide to assimilate the past (basically the plot from Star Trek Spotlight Borg by IDW)

I dislike time travel because it has become such a mess in Star Trek so there will be no time travel, at least not into the past.


My premise for a story would "Starfleet takes the battle to the Borg Collective"

Some of the story/script also depends on what is allowed to be used from the TNG series and other series such as Voyager. I would for example bring the Borg Resistance into it and the remains of the 29th Century Borg "One" from the Season 5 episode "Drone".

If Voyager stuff would be allowed part of the plot is that the Borg Collective has assimilated the technology of One's body and as a result is transforming into an even more powerful and formidable force (upgraded into 29th Century Borg drones and ships)

The Borg Resistance is still fighting the Collective but with the Collective now being much superior Borg Resistance ships are quickly destroyed or re assimilated into the Collective.
With their numbers rapidly declining the Borg Resistance sends representatives to the Alpha and Beta Quadrant to get support for their war against the Borg and to warn the Federation and other major civilizations that the Borg Collective is now a bigger threat than ever.

Alternative if the Voyager stuff can not be used because the company heads feel that it is better to make a story that stands as much on its own as possible the Borg Collective has instead assimilated a powerful civilization whose technology has greatly improved or upgraded the Borg's own.

Starfleet would find out about this change of the Collective, either Picard is still able to "hear" the Collective through his empathic/telepathic link with it or perhaps Starfleet vessels observe or encounter ships of the now more advanced Collective.

The newly available information indicates that the Borg Collective would most likely not only overrun the entire galaxy in a matter of years but that it could also go extra galactic and start sending ships to other galaxies to assimilate cultures and worlds there.

A third alternative idea would be that the Federation and Starfleet (and the other major Alpha and Beta Quadrant civilizations) find out about the upgraded Borg when the Collective sends mines full of nanoprobes to homeworld and major colonies of the various parties and detonates these in close orbit, assimilating most of the populations in a matter of hours.


Whatever the story goes with Picard (perhaps also Admiral Janeway and Seven of Nine) that the Federation and Starfleet can no longer depend on being ignored by the Collective for being a lot priority assimilation target like in the past. Starfleet has proven itself to much of a nuisance for the Collective to ignore.

Likewise building up forces and defenses now for the inevitable coming of the Collective would only delay the inevitable, soon the Borg will be to powerful to defeated in any conventional way or any tricks/unusual tactics Starfleet crews have been able to use against the Collective.
If Starfleet is to defeat the Borg once and for all it must take the initiative and take the fight to the Borg.

Again depending if the Borg Resistance is in it, they would provide the Transwarp corridor that would take a Starfleet task force deep into Borg space.
If the Resistance is not in it Starfleet ships would either be using the Quantum Slipstream or Starfleet now has Transwarp drive of its own. (or a stable wormhole, whatever the plot demands)

One of the goals of the task force is to locate the original Borg homeworld; Borg Prime if you will though I find it a bit of a dumb name. The unimatrix complex shown in Voyager is not their homeworld or central base, it is just one of many such complexes throughout Borg space.

The Borg homeworld would either be central to the Collective and crucial for its functioning/workings or there is something on the original Borg homeworld that could be of use against the Collective (crucial information or technology).

I am divided on if the task force will find a fully assimilated planet like was mentioned in one of the Shatnervere books (the Return), a long abandoned world stripped of everything that was useful, or perhaps go even bigger in scope and introduce a dyson sphere; the Borg Collective has dismantled an entire star system or more to build a dyson sphere or dyson swarm around a star, or perhaps even more exciting; an active black hole from which it is extracting energy. Something big and impacting that shows how advanced the Collective is.

Or perhaps the original Borg homeworld and the dyson swarm/sphere are two separate locations, the more advanced Borg having built the last to fuel their expansion into neighboring galaxies.

Somewhere around this point in the story Picard and the others would learn that the Borg Collective is a creation or remnant of the Preservers or the Progenitors from the TNG episode "The Chase".

Long ago the Preservers/Progenitors started to question what the next step in their biological development was, you don't go from mortal corporeal being to a non corporeal energy based immortal intelligence naturally. The Presevers/Progenitors were looking into post humanism.
Likewise they were also looking into the next step in the development of their society. While their society was much more advanced than even 24th Century Federation regarding representation and support there were a couple of obstacles even some superior version of democratic representation can not overcome.
The Preservers or Progenitors wanted to create a post humanist society, a society in which all important information is available and shared with everyone and all major political and social decisions are made and based on the wishes of all of society's members.

Either the project went terrible wrong or the result was unexpected/went differently than the Preservers/Progenitors had intended. The nascent Borg Collective assimilated the creators and then spread across the stars, assimilating other cultures it came across.

On a sidenote; many years ago I randomly came up with a premise in which the Borg homeworld would be revealed to future Federation Earth that somehow had gone back in time and ended up in the Delta Quadrant and the Borg's creators/species 001 being humanity.
It was never meant for anything serious but had I known that something similar would have been used in the Destiny books I should have put this idea open and wide.

Back to the plot, I would like this information to play a crucial role in the defeat of the Collective but I still have no idea what.

One thing I do not want to go for is that Picard, Janeway, or Seven "fixes" the Collective. I know Trek in general goes for optimistic endings and normally I would not mind one either but I kind of dislike the idea of humans just fixing/solving everything. It just opens the pointless question on how did the galaxy/universe managed to survive before humanity came along.
So no merging with the Collective a la Decker, Ilia replica, and V'ger, evolving the Borg into a higher form of life/making it the creation the Preservers/Progenitors were set out on creating in the first place. Sometimes you just can not make a bad thing good.

Likewise no Preservers/Progenitors to the rescue a la the Caeliar in the Destiny books. If I wanted that I would throw in Q.

There would of course be a number of impressive space battles and some new Starfleet ship designs would be shown that can take on Borg ships so it is not a completely one sided battle.

I would like to end the script on the note of Picard now wondering if perhaps one of the ships the Collective send to another galaxy might have made it before Starfleet managed to defeat the Collective once and for all. And the possibility makes him shudder for if the Collective did and that ship manages to start a new Collective the Borg might one day return to the Milkway Galaxy and then no one can stand up against it.

Phew, what a lot of text. If I have some more thoughts on the subject I will write it in this post.

Edit: well I had one idea which is from a fan fic idea I had. Section 31 would have developed new weapons to fight the Borg, one of these weapons being special nanites that carry a computer virus that makes Borg drone systems make more of these nanites and transmit the virus to other drones. These special nanites would actually either turn Borg cybernetic systems against their organic halves (drones dying from sudden body rejection of parts they require to live) or actually dismantle the drones. (kind of like what the gas/plasma did in First Contact's ending)

Either way is rather gruesome for a Star Trek story and the main characters defeating the Collective this way does not really sit well with me.

Hmm, I have gone back my own wish of not explaining the origins of the Borg. I might scrape that part.

That is an awesome idea or should I say ideas, Ghost!!! I think you should brainstorm these ideas and consolidate them and then figure out how it effects Picard personally in some way? Picard, as we know, felt violated by the Borg because they used his knowledge to man handle the Federation and cost a lot of lives; I wondering during your story does Picard meet another person who had a similar plight with the Borg? This may insight his rage of the Borg. And I think you should write it, I would try real hard to leave out the Voyager subplot because I think your idea is a lot stronger without the reader or viewer needing to do homework in order to understand the movie. Thank you for sharing.

 

[gakelly]

First Contact's entire premise sucked.
If the Borg can go back in time at will, then the entire movie and fight against them was pointless. They would continue to go back in time until they eventually assimilated the Earth and defeated the Enterprise.

 

[DonIago]

It doesn't even make sense that the Borg would travel back in time here. If you're perfectly capable of assimilating Earth in the present ("Oh no, we lost a single cube. That's .000000000001% of our forces!!!"), then why bother to assimilate an Earth that will be less advanced?

One of the novels at least made some effort to rationalize this by suggesting the Borg were influenced by events within the Temporal Cold War at this point, IIRC. Hence why they'd never time-traveled before (that we know of), nor did so again.

 

[saladdays]

Time travel is always wonky. You can sit down and think of all the inconsistencies that exist for time travel, but yet really not know how inconsistent they are because we don't even know if it's really possible in the sense that is usually seen on screen. There is a thread somewhere on here where there was a huge discussion on all of this relating to First Contact

 

[Kemaiku]

Or, have another Spock flashforward of Leland confronting the Borg Queen, decapitating her and claiming the Collective in the name of Control, becoming a new Borg 2.0.

 

[Ghost]

Hello STEPhon IT and Farscape One,

Thank you two for your positive feedback and response on my post. It gives me some new thoughts on how to shape and refine this idea a little further and optional material I should consider also including. (STEPhon IT regarding your idea of Picard meeting someone else who has also suffered losses at the hand of the Borg you really should look up Pocket Books' "Vendetta" by Peter David as I think you might like that one. It has aged here and there a bit as it was made after "Best of Both Worlds" and the depiction of the Borg has changed a lot since then)

First of all, I might go with the opening that Earth, Vulcan, Andor/Andoria, and other major Federation homeworlds and colonies are attacked by the Borg with nanoprobe mines rather than sending in fleet of cubes (perhaps Qo'nos, the Romulan homeworlds, Cardassia, and the homeworlds from other Alpha/Beta Quadrant civilizations), it is a pretty effective opening and it immediately makes it clear how bad the situation is; drawing in the watcher.

I might even drop the whole "The Borg have become even more advanced" subplot as it is not that necessary. The Borg have simply changed tactics, sending nanoprobe mines through transwarp corridors at potential targets and let the assimilated populations take care of the rest.

It is rather like the opening to the Xindi arc however, a ship attacking Earth and making Starfleet send out a ship to find the attackers before they can return to finish the job.

The surviving admirals realize that they can no longer fight the Borg any more from a defensive position, if they are to save Earth and all other worlds that are in the progress of being assimilated they need to take the fight to the Borg Collective.

Perhaps Picard would be aware of the attack through his link with the Collective as was already on his way to Starfleet Command to warn them (explaining why he wasn't on a planet targeted by one of the mines).

At a secret location, perhaps a shipyard where Starfleet designs and builds new ships and weapons that now serves as an emergency Starfleet HQ he runs into old crew members and friends from his days on the Enterprise; Captain or Admiral Riker and Captain Worf (I understand Brent Spiner doesn't want to reprise his role as Data, and the other characters are not really necessary other than a guest appearance. LaForge could perhaps be worked into the plot)

During the meeting of admirals and other high ranking officers on the situation Picard brings up that he remembers from the time that he was part of the Collective that there is a crucial world somewhere in Borg Space, a world of great significance/importance to the Borg, and he believes that this place might pose a vital weak spot in the Collective. This is the world I call "Borg Prime" for now. (unknown to Picard this is not the capital of the Borg Collective but rather the world on which the Progenitors created the first incarnation of the Borg Collective)

Picard believes that an important plot device, lets call it the Primary Node for now; can be found on this world and that the Borg depend on it for the unity and functioning of the Collective (it creates order in chaos).

Starfleet is not capable of taking on the entire armada of the Collective but if they can take out the Primary Node it could disrupt all communication between the drones and ships, rendering the Borg powerless.

Picard urges that this is vital that Starfleet does it now because from the change of behavior of the Collective he believes that the Borg are ready to go extra galactic and send ships and nanoprobe bombs to other galaxies. Starfleet has the duty to stop the Borg before they can spread across the universe.

A big task force of Starfleet latest ships, perhaps commanded by admiral Riker with Picard serving as a Borg expert (I am not sure if Picard would want to be an admiral or remain a captain all his life. In some of the stories I read he eventually retired and pursued other goals such as becoming an ambassador) is to use the transwarp corridors the nanoprobe mines used (explaining why Starfleet can reach the Delta Quadrant so quick) to infiltrate Borg Space and find Borg Prime.

At this point during the story I would like to drop hints that Picard is perhaps hiding something from Riker and Worf or has not told them the entire truth yet.
Eventually during the story Picard would tell Riker that they have to go to Borg Prime and find the Primary Node for a different reason; destroying it would not weaken the Borg, they would simply adapt to compensate. The Node however is in contact with every Borg drone and ship throughout the galaxy which is crucial for Picard's real plan.

Picard tells Riker that in the last decade (I like to take the progress of time between Nemesis and this story into account to explain why the actprs/characters are now older) he has been consulted by a "Special Interest Group" in the Federation (hinting at Section 31 without naming them but it could also be the Starfleet Borg Task Force) that works on new weapons to fight and defeat the Borg.
The deconstruction nanites/nanoprobes I mentioned earlier would be brought up. It is Picard's intention to infect the Borg Collective with a virus that will make all drone cyborg systems and ships automatically construct the new nano probes that will then start to attack Borg technology.

This of course does not sit well with Riker and he asks if Picard is still not over his earlier ordeals with the Collective.
I would like to show that Picard has but that he sees this as the only way to defeat the Collective now that it is on the verge of complete victory.

The Task Force arrives at Borg Prime but rather than finding a fully assimilated planet surrounded by Borg space stations and ships they instead come across a barely habitable world that is stripped of almost everything useful.
Picard doesn't understand but he knows there is something very important on this planet.

During an investigation of the planet Picard, Riker, and other away team members would come across Progenitors ruins including a holographic recording device that when activated greets these newcomers and reveals the origin of the Borg.
The hologram is interactive and might actually be self aware as it responds to questions Picard and the others have. It's systems have been monitoring the Borg Collective since it spread across the stars, have watched how it assimilated civilizations and worlds, being almost destroyed, and then recovering from near extinction and sometimes even assimilating the enemy that almost nearly destroyed it.
It wonders if something like the Borg is not inevitable, that if the Progenitors had not created it that eventually other civilizations would in attempt to make their kind further develop where natural evolution has stopped.

Picard asks the hologram where the Primary Node is if it is not on Borg Prime and the hologram provides Picard with a stellar coordinates on where the Borg capital is located.

The fleet leaves Borg Prime and uses the coordinates to travel to a part of the galaxy close to the Galactic Core where they find the capital of the Borg, a massive active black hole surrounded by thousands of Borg structures.

The crew remarks that this close they should experience the immense gravity forces of the black hole and that it should be impossible for the Collective to build its structures so close to it. Sensors determine that somehow the Borg structures are "dampening" the gravity well of the black hole while siphoning energy from it.
Furthermore ship instruments detect millions if not billions of nanoprobe mines being "grown" on the Borg structures as well as Borg ships.

"A mine for every possible inhabited world in the galaxy" Riker says on hearing this. "And beyond our galaxy" Picard adds.

The captains of the task force are not sure if they can take on a Borg force this size and that they should perhaps return to the Alpha/Beta Quadrant to get additional reinforcements. "We should have asked the Klingons to tag along."

Picard tells them that there is no time to get reinforcements, even if additional ships could be found or build it would already be to late. Soon there is no home for any of the crew on the ship to return to, it will all be Borg.
They must strike now.

Taking on the entire Collective at this point would be suicide but perhaps the Collective can be distracted long enough for Picard and an expedition force to reach the Primary Node and carry out the original plan. (I know I mentioned that I hate techno babble solutions but right now this is the best idea I have)


I had some additional plot points in kind such as that perhaps Picard's contact in the "Special Interest Group" is also on board who has his own grudge again the Borg.
Unlike Picard this character might be more determined to destroy the Borg at any cost, even if it means the lives of billions.

Still near the end of the story he undergoes somewhat of a personality change and urges Picard and remaining members of the expedition force to move on and reach the Primary Node while he covers their rear and holds pursuing Borg drones up for as long as possible. (noble sacrifice)

Picard might not even be the one who insert the virus or does the plot twist that stops the Borg, perhaps one of his accompanying junior officers does. (I have been thinking a lot that this story could be the springboard for a new cast of characters that could appear in a series following up on this story. As we say goodbye to the TNG cast we meet the people who take over the TNG crew's journeys and go where no one has gone before)
Before Picard is able to carry out his plan he is attacked and infected by nano probes and orders whoever is left with him to leave him behind, if necessary shoot him if he becomes a threat to the mission.

Now I had this idea at the Primary Node, this giant structure similar to the Vinculum shown in Voyager would address Picard directly when he approaches it.
It would be perhaps somewhat haughty, asking why single lifeform with a limited lifespan would seek to destroy something that has existed for thousands of years.
It might even bring up arguments or reasons why the way of the Borg is the best for the galaxy or the entire universe. So many limited species in the universe squandering resources and energy on petty struggles and pursuits instead of working towards greater goals.
The Borg will bring them the unity they need and unlike any religion offers true immortality. Every drone that was ever part of it is remembered long after their physical end.

Edit: even if Picard and Starfleet is successful this day? Another species might create their own version of the Borg Collective, the Federation might eventually do so.


Anyway the ending would be that something is causing the Borg structures around the black hole to start to self destruct. One of the consequences is that the artificial gravity nullifying force is also suddenly gone and the black hole starts to draw in the Borg structures, ships, and mines.
The remaining Starfleet task force ships only barely escape and enter the transwarp corridor which starts to collapse behind them. (epic escape)

Next shot is back on Earth/at Starfleet Command. Though the Federation and neighboring civilizations have suffered great losses the Collective was defeated in time and those who had not undergone more intense assimilation could recover (explaining why Picard is there)

Some long speech about the defeat of the Borg, new possibilities etc.

But during the ceremony Picard leaves and Riker and Worf find him alone in a private place looking at the stars.
They talk a bit about their prior experience with the Borg Collective and their recent adventure and how their lives have been changed but at some point Picard brings up the subject of the Borg's plans to travel to other galaxies and start assimilating worlds and civilizations there.
Was the task force in time to prevent the Borg from sending ships or nanoprobe mines to other galaxies? And if some were in transit did they receive the virus or whatever destroyed the Borg in the Milkyway Galaxy? Picard is greatly worried that perhaps a part of the Borg may have survived like it has done before and if that is the case the Borg's claims of being inevitable might come true.

Ending

I guess an additional plot point of this story would be the subject of transhumanism, is something like the Borg inevitable in the development of organic intelligence.

I still do think that a lot of this reads more like the script for a video game rather than a movie.

Edit: before I forget, I had this idea that Picard and the others would perhaps run into the assimilated Progenitor on which the hologram was based on, backing up the claim that through the Borg one can achieve true immortality.

Alternatively the Progenitor character could be the one who is driven to destroy the Borg at any costs, even if it means the lives of billions of beings. "I created it, I should be the one to destroy it!"


Regarding why the Borg traveling back in time to prevent First Contact making no sense.

1. The Federation is no threat to the Borg Collective, it is located in a part of space the Borg might consider a backwater. If it was a threat the Collective would send hundreds if not thousands of cubes to deal with it.

2. Preventing First Contact and the founding of the Federation also unmakes all the technologies and other assets the Collective wants to assimilate. If anything it should want the Federation to exist.