What if the Borg had attacked DS9?

[F. King Daniel]

Considering the whole show spun off from his wife dying at Wolf 359, I thought a Borg confrontation was inevitable. There's a big grudge and a lot of angst there. It writes itself.

But no. Whatever.

 

[DonIago]

I'm just as glad DS9 (the series) didn't utilize the Borg.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

But the Founders sometimes were in the smooth skin state when Odo wasn't around. I think it was more a natural form they took when they interacted with other beings for one reason or another, and weren't trying to be incognito.

Actually, I believe that the Founder leader (or maybe it was one of the others) did say that the reason they look like that while humanoid is that they were specifically trying to imitate Odo. Probably because they wanted to make him feel at home with them so he'd rejoin the Great Link.

 

[DS9forever]

One of favourite DS9 novels is Lesser Evil, set after the series. The Defiant crew come across an assimilated Starfleet ship and a Changeling marooned together; basically the Borg try to assimilate the Changeling, but she simply crushes the nanoprobes internally by shape-shifting.

The rest of the novel is great too; it was a story pitch to the DS9 writers originally.

 

[Boris Skrbic]

Wanting to take a shot at the Dominion--and to secure the wormhole.

Why would the Borg need a wormhole?

 

[DonIago]

I believe the proper phrasing is, "What do the Borg need with a wormhole?"

 

[DonIago]

One of favourite DS9 novels is Lesser Evil, set after the series. The Defiant crew come across an assimilated Starfleet ship and a Changeling marooned together; basically the Borg try to assimilate the Changeling, but she simply crushes the nanoprobes internally by shape-shifting.

The rest of the novel is great too; it was a story pitch to the DS9 writers originally.

Ahh, part four of the Mission:Gamma series. That was a good run.

 

[Qonundrum]

How do you think Sisko would've handled it? And would the prophets have done anything if the Borg had tried to use the wormhole?

I'd have turned off for good. DS9 found something else to tell instead of latching itself to the Borg, which would be analogous to why Roddenberry did not want TOS as a crutch for TNG. The Borg are the venue of TNG and VOY. DS9 did not need them, as DS9 started with the Dominion, sprinkling in some Maquis, then added the Dominion War to make its own merit (and then some, WOW!) - all while showing more complex situations and the sort of "breaking the rules" and showing "questionable higher-ups" that TOS and TNG either shunned, turned their nose up on, or other generic throwaways (I'm amazed "The Pegasus" did as much as it tried with Pressman (and Riker!)) -- and as a result showing something rather different (and more compelling than the old trite "Slap his wrist" song and dance, DS9 made it far more than a generic plot vehicle and was more engaging (no pun intended) for it.)

Regardless, VOY was far better suited for the Borg given how far out the ship went. That, and Seven had much proper character development for the bulk of her transition. (And whose return for "Picard" (as with Hugh) seems to be inspired and I hope the show is even better than the teaser. (And, yes, they can't keep verbatim Gene's idea of 24th century Trek people - DS9 proved that the vision of humanity was a little too wooden too and softened things up with enough panache as well.))

 

[Qonundrum]

Wanting to take a shot at the Dominion--and to secure the wormhole.

With transwarp hubs? They might try to secure and adapt it, but VOY's databanks would have the wormhole data available. Fanon suggests the Borg found nothing of significance in the wormhole. The idea of Borg in DS9 just would have been too fanservicey and fanwanky.

And after Q and Lwaxana, DS9 seemed to know it had something of its own charm to build instead of leaning off of TNG - and built it well. O'Brien's best easily came from DS9. I might argue Worf had as well, his inclusion did lead to revitalized freshness - as if a puzzle was mostly there but one missing piece had to be found and they found it. (But I still like much of seasons 1-3!)

 

[Tomalak]

Actually, I believe that the Founder leader (or maybe it was one of the others) did say that the reason they look like that while humanoid is that they were specifically trying to imitate Odo. Probably because they wanted to make him feel at home with them so he'd rejoin the Great Link.

I think there was a line somewhere, but given that every Changeling adopts that look, including Odo and Laas, who had no contact with the Link, I think it's some kind of default/innate solid form. The Founders also said they were once solids. That might be their original form.

If not, why would she imitate Odo even when she's alone with Weyoun? And why do the Jem'Hadar immediately recognise Odo as a Founder?

 

[Prax]

The Jem Hadar recognize Odo as a founder even when they've never seen a founder.

Anyways, the Borg don't want the wormhole. They make their own wormholes.

 

[Tomalak]

Exactly, we see in The Abandoned that Jem'Hadar are innately programmed to obey a smooth, featureless visage.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Or maybe its scent?

Starfleet marines could have been rubbing Odo's musk into their hair, and the Jem'Hadar would have put down their rifles and let them gobble up the Dominion.

 

[Unimatrix Q]

Considering the whole show spun off from his wife dying at Wolf 359, I thought a Borg confrontation was inevitable. There's a big grudge and a lot of angst there. It writes itself.

But no. Whatever.

Yeah. I guess the writers and producers working at DS9 would have done a much better job than the people who did Voyager.

 

[DonIago]

How could a Borg confrontation at DS9 end in anything other than disaster for DS9?

The only thing I can think of is that if The Dominion chose that moment to invade and they had to team up with Our Heroes to defeat the cube (say, before it could enter the wormhole and ravage the GQ), then maybe it could be a way to forge an understanding between The Dominion and Our Heroes...but isn't that kind of a Deus ex Machina of its own?

 

[Timo]

Also, the Borg gig is that they Keep. Coming. Back. like any good zombies. Pitting them against divine forces is courting a storytelling disaster: the Borg can't be made to stop coming, but OTOH any gods who fail to stop them for good (which is the only really meaningful way of stopping them) aren't living up to their own gig of having divine powers.

A slap on the wrist of the Dominion, followed by more of the original semi-mysterious semi-indifference, works fine. A slap on the wrist of the Collective... Results in us losing the Borg or the Prophets, conceptually.

That Sisko would have to come to grips with his tragic Borg past is a valid audience expectation. The writers sorta decided to deal with that within the pilot episode already, though - and then, much later, cleverly spun this into the Mirror Universe storyline where the late loved ones can spring back to life, compromising the moral integrity of the hero. DS9 got quite a bit of mileage out of that.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

A "Borg DS9" google search doesn't come up with a ton of weird stuff, but some custom figures are out there...

 

[Tomalak]

Morn of Borg is a work of genius.

 

[Amasov]

When I think about the hell that DS9 unleashed on the Klingon fleet in WAY OF THE WARRIOR, I would have loved to see it do the same to a Borg vessel.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

Exactly, we see in The Abandoned that Jem'Hadar are innately programmed to obey a smooth, featureless visage.

Except in that instance the young Jem’Hadar didn’t realize what Odo was until he morphed before his eyes, and right before that he went to tackle him after being ordered to stop.