What if the Borg were made as originally intended - insectoids

[jefferiestubes8]

Budget constraints kept the Borg from being depicted as insectoids as Maurice Hurley had originally intended, though the hive concept survived to become the overwhelming group mind known as the Collective.

The Borg were initially conceived by Maurice Hurley as a race of insects (which were shown in the TNG Season 1 episode "Conspiracy"), but were changed to the more budget-friendly cyborgs that went on to become so famous.

http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Borg

Writer Maurice Hurley had originally planned the season one episode "The Neutral Zone" to be the first part in a trilogy that would introduce an entirely new threat to the Federation. He finally got to proceed with his planned sequel with "Q Who",

TNG, Episode 2x16
First aired: 8 May 1989

Sure the Xindi-Insectoids were among the first sentient insectoid species encountered, were 'Insectoids' in ENT ep.#301 The Xindi and with CGI they were able to be created (at great cost).

By 2269, at least two species of insectoids had been encountered. (TAS: "The Time Trap", "The Jihad")

able to be created as they were drawn only.

What if the Borg were originally premiered in Q Who as insectoid?

 

[DarKush]

I think the idea was cool but I'm happy with the direction they took the Borg in. I think the FX probably would've sucked at that time. Now, if they could've made them look as good as the Xindi insectoids I might have a different opinion.

 

[Nerys Myk]

We would squash them like bugs!

 

[Alienesse]

I think they would have been a lot less scary and a lot less effective. The fact that they are humanoids but not really human due to their cybernetic implants leaves a far stronger impression on the viewer because you can relate to them, but at the same time they are utterly alien. That to me reinforces the idea of assimilation, of losing one's identity and being made one with the collective. The humanoid appearance serves as a reminder of the lost individuality, which to me is THE scariest thing about the Borg.

 

[C.E. Evans]

IMO, the Swarm seen in VOY inherited Hurley's original Borg insect-like concept (even if unintentionally). They may not be as powerful as the Borg in destructive capabilities, but get enough of them together in one place and you tend to forget that...

 

[F. King Daniel]

The way the "Conspiracy" aliens worked, they would have been pretty much Stagate's Gua'uld (I'm probably misspelling that!)

Probably a bit less camp, though.

 

[Nardpuncher]

F##k the Borg in any incarnation!

 

[StalwartUK]

I wouldn't mind seeing some insectoid Borg in the future. Maybe they were the original Borg species (Species 0/1?) before they started going around assimilating everyone.

 

[Finn]

Weren't there a race on TNG that were said to be insectoids, but were not seen on screen?

 

[The Wormhole]

Weren't there a race on TNG that were said to be insectoids, but were not seen on screen?

The Jarada from The Big Goodbye

 

[Finn]

Mmm. They predate both the Borg and the Conspiracy aliens. Of course, we didn't see them

 

[Anji]

The creation of the look of the Borg is a series of happy accidents and I can just add what you've posted to that list.

They are far more effective as evil "robots" than as BSG Ovions.

 

[RyuRoots]

I wouldn't mind seeing some insectoid Borg in the future. Maybe they were the original Borg species (Species 0/1?) before they started going around assimilating everyone.

It's not canon, but the Star Trek: Destiny novels have a pretty good origin story that shows how the Borg came to be and what the first species were, for those that are curious about such things.

 

[TheLobes]

If the Borg were insectoid they would have gotten it on with Species 8472, produced a badass new race, and killed the Voyager crew slowly.

So, in conclusion, it would have been a good thing.

 

[plynch]

The Borg - originally - represent what we fear and should fear: loss of individuality, and "the machine," respectively. By "the machine," I mean the huge, organized, nonpersonal entities that control us (corporations, government agencies, etc.) Lucas knew this when he took care to depict thousands of faceless stormtroopers all marching in precise fashion; and made his shadow figure a machine-man (Anakin/Darth, of course). I always lament the change of the Borg as the series went on. The "mindless," more machinelike Borg were way cooler and scarier than the later Borg-with-a-face (queen).

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The reason the Borg worked so well as baddies is the zombie-vampire-robot combo. Big insects? Eh. Well, maybe if they're voracious and unstoppable, with icky and unsettling insect habits, a la the Xenomorphs. But I still prefer the Borg as they turned out. There's no reason the Borg had to be botched like they were. Using them sparingly so that there would be no need for them to be defeated time and again; and not trying to personify them via a Borg Queen are the two chief ways not to screw them up.

The way the "Conspiracy" aliens worked, they would have been pretty much Stagate's Gua'uld (I'm probably misspelling that!)

Close enuf. The Goa'uld are a cool idea that Stargate never really capitalized on - they were presented as being way too silly and campy, and hard to take seriously, plus they were usually stupid - but wouldn't it be cool, for instance, if something happened with the Trill to turn their symbiotes into critters similar to the Goa'uld symbionts (apologies if I'm getting the symbiote/symbiont terminology backwards).

 

[Sigh]

If Seven were a bug... yeah I'd still hit that.

 

[Avon]

giant insects still wouldnt be as creepy as that bit in best of both worlds were locutus's laser pointer shines into the camera

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

The way the "Conspiracy" aliens worked, they would have been pretty much Stagate's Gua'uld (I'm probably misspelling that!)

Close enuf. The Goa'uld are a cool idea that Stargate never really capitalized on - they were presented as being way too silly and campy, and hard to take seriously, plus they were usually stupid - but wouldn't it be cool, for instance, if something happened with the Trill to turn their symbiotes into critters similar to the Goa'uld symbionts (apologies if I'm getting the symbiote/symbiont terminology backwards).

You really should read the DS9 relaunch novels, if you want to see some interesting Trill stuff. This was back before the MU crap, so it was still fairly decent.

 

[TiberiusMaximus]

If the Borg were insectoid they would have gotten it on with Species 8472, produced a badass new race, and killed the Voyager crew slowly.

So, in conclusion, it would have been a good thing.

That's both an incredibly disturbing and very epic idea. Whoa that's creepy.

I guess assimilation could still sort of work with insectoids...kind of like the Goa'uld or 'Conspiracy' aliens only a bit different, like they were combined with Stargate's Wraith. You could still have the mindless drones that used to be human (or Klingon or Vulcan or what have you) but in a much more disturbing, biological zombie fashion. Yuck. But an effectively terrifying foe nonetheless.

Overall though I like the way the Borg turned out.

The way the "Conspiracy" aliens worked, they would have been pretty much Stagate's Gua'uld (I'm probably misspelling that!)

Close enuf. The Goa'uld are a cool idea that Stargate never really capitalized on - they were presented as being way too silly and campy, and hard to take seriously, plus they were usually stupid - but wouldn't it be cool, for instance, if something happened with the Trill to turn their symbiotes into critters similar to the Goa'uld symbionts (apologies if I'm getting the symbiote/symbiont terminology backwards).

Goa'uld symbiote, Trill symbiont. No biggie. I for one enjoyed the way the Goa'uld were portrayed but I agree that they could have been much more frightening. If they weren't so obsessed with keeping the same host, for one thing. It'd be creepier if they jumped around from host to host and you never knew where they were next. Of course that wouldn't work so well with the god thing.