The Borg are tactically stupid

[Timo]

Trek time travel explicitly has characteristics of both the branching-multiverses model and the single-rewriteable-timeline one. The mixture, on whatever theoretical basis it may rest, seems to serve the needs of the Borg perfectly: past deeds propagate from the "branching point" to multiple branches, including (at least, and significantly) the one the heroes or villains care about and start out from. If they didn't, everybody would just Slide to the preferred universe, rather than bother to go back to the branching point where somebody in some reality fixed things anyway. But OTOH heroes and villains do travel back to do fixes - perhaps merely in order to be sure, perhaps because Sliding is hard to do, perhaps for esoteric necessity X.

The result in any case is a predestination paradox, most of the time. Although probably depending on which specific version of our heroes/villains the camera chooses to follow.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Spot261]

What the Borg should really do is create drones which can pass for their parent species and be used to deliver airborne nanites to target worlds

 

[Timo]

...We never get a good explanation for why strategic bombing in general isn't practical/practiced in Trek. On the surface, it ought to be simple enough to fire a torpedo or a million towards a planet, relying on either stealth or saturation or sheer penetrating power, and thus deliver one or the other of the various single-shot-ends-the-world warheads described in Trek. And a jar of nanites should be among the simpler payloads, quite possibly with a negligible energy signature.

If it's just a question of bushido, of even the Klingons "playing fair", then the ruthless Borg could deliver those jars at will, be it in cloaked torps or aboard innocent visitors who are unaware of the limpets the Collective has attached to their ships.

But this all probably ties to the Borg being unwilling to assimilate the whole galaxy. Who would keep inventing new stuff for them then? And where's the hurry?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[saladdays]

And no, there would be no need for a means of relaying information. The universe would simply either be in need of tampering, or then not. The Borg would not need to be aware whether they or somebody else had already engaged in tampering. They would just make the choice based on how the universe appealed to them.

But if they had no reference point, they would not be able to determine if the universe as it exists is better or worse than one they had tried before, correct? I mean, even if the current universe is seemingly not as appealing as it could be, it could actually be the best outcome they have tried over a million times and they would have no way of knowing that.

But this all probably ties to the Borg being unwilling to assimilate the whole galaxy. Who would keep inventing new stuff for them then? And where's the hurry?

Good point. It makes perfect sense for the Borg to assimilate at a snail's pace.

 

[Farscape One]

You know, the Borg have assimilated multiple races with cloaking technology. Why don't they just use cloaking devices in their assimilation tactics?

 

[Timo]

But if they had no reference point, they would not be able to determine if the universe as it exists is better or worse than one they had tried before, correct?

Yup. But our starting premise is that the Borg have acquired a time machine, or at least have discovered that they could acquire one. The psychological pressure to make use of it would involve a threshold level of discomfort with the way things are - so all we need here is setting the threshold so that the Borg do feel they need to travel back to pester Cochrane, until they don't.

But that's just one threshold out of potentially infinitely many, and it need not be special. Perhaps in a universe where Cochrane flies and the UFP exists, the one we see at the conclusion of the adventure, the Borg simply declare those bits "fine" and apply their time machine onto something else? With such a hammer, they probably face no shortage of nails. And most of said nails would be out of sight of our heroes and their tiny corner of the Milky Way.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Timo]

You know, the Borg have assimilated multiple races with cloaking technology. Why don't they just use cloaking devices in their assimilation tactics?

They are the Latter Day Saints of the galaxy - they think assimilating is a service to the victims. Doing it under cloak would probably feel like an offense, akin to breaking-in-and-decorating.

Using cloak for other stuff is probably fine, though. After all, the Borg also are the Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) of the galaxy, extremely difficult to spot under most circumstances. Quite possibly they have assimilated some impressive stealth tech and put it to use.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tenacity]

You know, the Borg have assimilated multiple races with cloaking technology. Why don't they just use cloaking devices in their assimilation tactics?

The same reason they annouce themselves?

 

[DonIago]

I feel like "Why don't the Borg use cloaking technology?" is akin to "What does God need with a starship?"

 

[DonIago]

Yup. But our starting premise is that the Borg have acquired a time machine, or at least have discovered that they could acquire one. The psychological pressure to make use of it would involve a threshold level of discomfort with the way things are - so all we need here is setting the threshold so that the Borg do feel they need to travel back to pester Cochrane, until they don't.

But that's just one threshold out of potentially infinitely many, and it need not be special. Perhaps in a universe where Cochrane flies and the UFP exists, the one we see at the conclusion of the adventure, the Borg simply declare those bits "fine" and apply their time machine onto something else? With such a hammer, they probably face no shortage of nails. And most of said nails would be out of sight of our heroes and their tiny corner of the Milky Way.

Timo Saloniemi

Of course, if you go by multiverse theory, the Borg are either in a timeline where they have no need to build a time machine, or if they build one then it doesn't change anything for them regardless because you can't change timelines, you can only send things into the past of other timelines.

 

[Jinn]

This would not change the fact that they had a working time machine. And not just the knowhow for building one, but the actual physical specimen. They could launch it again and again and again, every time being the first time, until they observed a suitably changed universe and would decide that there was no need to launch the time machine for the first time.

Also, if they really should have send the sube back in time first and then let it travel to Earth, as to not alarm the Federation that already one time against all odds beat them.

 

[SpyOne]

We do get a clue as to what the Borg's actual objective is: just before the Enterprise hoes back in time there is a glimps of the surface of the Earth, presumably reflecting what would happen if the Borg got what they wanted and the Enterprise didn't interfere. It is an assimilated Earth.

Yes, if time travel was Plan A instead of a desperate Plan B then there must be a reason why the Borg wanted/neede to be close to Earth before going back in time as the other way around seems easier.

 

[at Quark's]

^Perhaps there was a very powerful political entity somewhere between the Borg and Federation space in 2063?

Or, perhaps Borg have a compelling programming imperative to assimilate whatever 'worthy' cultures they encounter along the way, and they would get sidetracked in assimilating any cultures they already had assimilated long ago, in the future ...

 

[Farscape One]

Probably because the journey to Earth 300 years in the past didn't have as many warp capable species, and thus fewer resources to use to assure the trip there to complete the Plan A fully.

 

[Kytee]

If we assume a single timeline ; is it possible that when the Borg sent the signal in the past, it caused some un anticipated changes to history that culminated in the 24th century Borg never getting Time Travel tech ?

 

[Nyotarules]

Well there is one universe where the Borg were very successful in defeating the Federation, the Riker 'Borg are everywhere' verse. Do the Borg know about parallel universes, so they can contact their successful cousins?