The Enterprise enters a new region of space on their exploration mission. A truly MASSIVE Borg cube approaches, and makes the usual demands. Spock gives an analysis that makes it clear that the Enterprise is hopelessly outmatched. Kirk tries to negotiate first contact, anyway, but quickly figures out that isn't going to work. So he orders Sulu to fly away, maximum warp. For a moment, it looks like they're pulling away, but then the cube begins to catch up. Kirk thinks, then calls down to Scotty and asks if he can bring the aquatic pressure shields up, and Scotty says he can, but he doesn't understand why, and Kirk says to trust him. Those shields go up, putting an odd shimmer around the ship, and Kirk orders all stop and to turn about to face the cube. The cube approaches, makes its usual demands once more. And then also demands an explanation for the unfamiliar energy readings.
Kirk explains that they have a Corbomite device engaged, and that any destructive energies directed at their ship will be reflected back at the cube damaging it. There's a pause, and then the Borg break communication. And then everyone just sits there for a moment, and McCoy says he guesses the bluff actually worked, and the bridge crew begins discussing options from here. Before they actually put anything into motion, though, the Borg reappear on screen, say "we will add the understanding of this technology to our own", and Spock reports that the Borg are beaming the crew off of the ship in groups. Kirk begins to give an order, but before he can complete it, the bridge crew (including McCoy and Scotty at the moment) is beamed away.
They end up on the interior of the cube, and we have a similar sequence to the first time the TNG crew visited a cube, only with reactions from the TOS characters as they would have reacted - McCoy's reaction to the incubation chambers, for instance. Scotty and Uhura figure out that the drones communicate through subspace, and a way to multiply the signals using Uhura's earpiece that should disrupt the Collective's ability to control anything. Kirk says to go ahead, they do, and the drones all fall inactive. They then head for what they believe is the ship's central control node.
The door opens, and there is.... Balok! (Played by Clint Howard again, of course.) It turns out, this was all a test to see how peaceful the Federation was, how long it would be before they resorted to violence. And they passed. The holograms drop away, and we are treated to a look at the Fesarius in modern FX. More aliens file into the room from a door on the other side - Trill, Betazoid, others - and Balok explains that they represent the First Federation, and are now interested in opening a dialog with their government. And so joyously offers them all tranya that it visibly drains the irritation and tension from our crew.
No explanation is given for the Borg in this movie - but perhaps in a later film when it becomes relevant, it could be explained that Balok modeled his threat on a real threat that the First Federation was familiar with from the other side of their space.
I dunno. It feels like it needs something else - a B plot, maybe, but it can't be Bailey, because that would give the whole thing away too early in the film.
Kirk explains that they have a Corbomite device engaged, and that any destructive energies directed at their ship will be reflected back at the cube damaging it. There's a pause, and then the Borg break communication. And then everyone just sits there for a moment, and McCoy says he guesses the bluff actually worked, and the bridge crew begins discussing options from here. Before they actually put anything into motion, though, the Borg reappear on screen, say "we will add the understanding of this technology to our own", and Spock reports that the Borg are beaming the crew off of the ship in groups. Kirk begins to give an order, but before he can complete it, the bridge crew (including McCoy and Scotty at the moment) is beamed away.
They end up on the interior of the cube, and we have a similar sequence to the first time the TNG crew visited a cube, only with reactions from the TOS characters as they would have reacted - McCoy's reaction to the incubation chambers, for instance. Scotty and Uhura figure out that the drones communicate through subspace, and a way to multiply the signals using Uhura's earpiece that should disrupt the Collective's ability to control anything. Kirk says to go ahead, they do, and the drones all fall inactive. They then head for what they believe is the ship's central control node.
The door opens, and there is.... Balok! (Played by Clint Howard again, of course.) It turns out, this was all a test to see how peaceful the Federation was, how long it would be before they resorted to violence. And they passed. The holograms drop away, and we are treated to a look at the Fesarius in modern FX. More aliens file into the room from a door on the other side - Trill, Betazoid, others - and Balok explains that they represent the First Federation, and are now interested in opening a dialog with their government. And so joyously offers them all tranya that it visibly drains the irritation and tension from our crew.
No explanation is given for the Borg in this movie - but perhaps in a later film when it becomes relevant, it could be explained that Balok modeled his threat on a real threat that the First Federation was familiar with from the other side of their space.
I dunno. It feels like it needs something else - a B plot, maybe, but it can't be Bailey, because that would give the whole thing away too early in the film.
