What do the Borg do when not assimilating people or destroying planets?

[Six of Twelve]

That is, what do they do when on their own in space? What other types of duties do drones have.

The Omega Directive told us that one thing they engage in is scientific research. I, Borg and Survival Instinct each had a small number of drones on scout ships that had crashed on uninhabited planets, but their missions were not made clear, though some sort of research seems likely.

And although all drones are capable of assimilating, I don't think that's the prime duty for all drones. Some would be medical drones, repairing damaged drones and maintaining maturation chambers, some would maintain computer systems, though others would be primarily about assimilation.

Though Star Trek makes it seem as if it's an everyday thing to run into other ships in space, it's probably more likely that a cube can go for months without encountering another ship and I'm sure they've got other things to keep them busy then.

 

[trekyourself]

I'm sure all non necessary Borg are put on standby mode inbetween assimilations. If they're not necessary to maintenance I'm sure there shut down until needed. I can't exactly see them playing connect 4.

 

[ROACHGES]

imagine the Borg playing battle ship

 

[Bagofmostlywatr]

That would be a real downside to a hive mind, no chance of a decent game of battleships. Guess who would be pretty pointless too.

 

[Green Shirt]

imagine the Borg playing battle ship

Or Twister.

 

[Thot Tnak]

I would assume routine maintenance, right? Cyber part malfunctions on a Borg level _must_ be a b*tch!!!

 

[tharpdevenport]

Well, if we [sadly] take into account Voyager, aside from scientific research and maintanance, the Borg seem to be busy with two things:

Exploring for new races to assimilate and building the massive conduit hub (there's probably other hubs in far, far off places, to smaller degrees).

There was an episode where the Borg queen ot 7 of 9 were told by the Borg hive the massive hits they had taken from species 8472, so it had becoem a serious problem for them. Looking at the size of cubes shown (like the massive one from "Q Who?"), I suspect many big cubes are spread throughout the quadrants, setting up new hubs and then traveling outside the quadrants, setting up new planatary bases (since they colonized Earth in the alternate future from First Contact), and assimilating new planets constantly (they're numbering system seems to indicate they quickly stepped up their game and their assimilation had become more rapid).

 

[The Wormhole]

When not assimilating the Borg are either:
-Musing philosophically about perfection.
-Mythologizing the Omega molecule.
-Engaging in their own space exploration initiatives (they discovered Fluidic Space somehow)
-Occasionally breaking up the monotony with a game of Monopoly.

 

[Thot Tnak]

The Borg only perform their individual duties and regeneration. At times, they will come to the aid of other Borg who are injured or who cannot achieve their goal by themselves. Everything else is considered a waste of time and effort. They are in pursuit of perfection through assimilation, although low species with little to no technology are overlooked at times as not beneficial to the collective.

 

[JesterFace]

They are in pursuit of perfection through assimilation, although low species with little to no technology are overlooked at times as not beneficial to the collective.

If the Borg would arrive here, now, I guess they would just take a look and fly on their merry way..? Earth of today doesn't have much to add to the collective?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Routine maintenance.

 

[Paradise City]

The Borg Queen is a saucy little minx as we can see on-screen so maybe we're underestimating the borgs ability to partee?

Maybe the borg do a conga dance on their down time?

 

[trekyourself]

The Borg Queen is a saucy little minx as we can see on-screen so maybe we're underestimating the borgs ability to partee?

Maybe the borg do a conga dance on their down time?

I don't know about the conga. But I darn well guarantee when she gets detached from her hardware she does a mean limbo.

 

[Terok Nor]

Candy Crush
Angry Birds
Clash Of Clans

 

[trekyourself]

Candy Crush
Angry Birds
Clash Of Clans

If the collective spent all their free time playing those games, by the time they were done with the micro transactions, they'd be lucky to be able to afford a shuttlecraft, never mind keep their cubes.

 

[Six of Twelve]

*sigh*. This really wasn't meant to be a joke thread. I thank those who at least made an attempt to give a serious comment.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I imagine that they're a lot like hive species that we're familiar with, like bees or ants...busy, busy, busy. If they're not assimilating, they're acquiring and developing material resources, building infrastructure, etc.

The video game analogy isn't far off...the galaxy is their world-building game.

 

[Paradise City]

*sigh*. This really wasn't meant to be a joke thread. I thank those who at least made an attempt to give a serious comment.

My stab at the Borg Queen organising a conga line has a serious underling point that irked me about the direction they took them in. I think the Borg Queen's written as a "dominatrix" weakened the Borg.

Other than that, the Borg's quest is perfection, so they pursue scientific discovery in all fields and ruthlessly so. Sometimes that gets them into trouble like with Species WhateverThatNumberWas. And that's what they do. That and routine repairs and maintenance.

 

[Six of Twelve]

The scientific research thing revealed in Omega, does hint that they acquire new knowledge least build on knowledge they've previously assimilated.

As for what use would primitive species be to them, id say labor, as even a newly assimilated drone from a primitive species will be just as capable of a drone, once they have the knowledge of the collective downloaded into them, even if they aren't contributing any new knowledge or technology. And, as Seven of Nine said in Omega, they can sometimes contribute germs of ideas that can be cobbled together with other knowledge fragments gleaned from other species.

The only species deemed unworthy of assimilation in canon were the Kazon, and I can fully understand where the Borg were coming from with them.

 

[Griffeytrek]

Have you not been paying attention to the other threads around here? Clearly when we are not looking they are using the Holosuites to have sex with major household appliances.

 

[Relayer1]

Have you not been paying attention to the other threads around here? Clearly when we are not looking they are using the Holosuites to have sex with major household appliances.

http://www.last.fm/music/Quiet+Sun/...,+Daddy+Was+A+Small+Non-Stick+Kitchen+Utensil