Borg starships
Encyclopedia
In the Star Trek
fictional universe
, Borg starships are huge interstellar
spacecraft used by the Borg
race to assimilate other species. All of their ships are simple geometric solids
with greeble
d exteriors and very generalized and decentralized
designs.
Borg cube is a variety of immense, cubic
starship that functions as part of the Borg Collective. It was first seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation
episode "Q Who?" upon the Borg's first contact with the Federation
Starfleet
in 2365. The cube appears to be the principal spacefaring unit of the collective; it is by far the most common Borg craft seen on-screen and the type of vessel used in both the episode "The Best of Both Worlds" and the film Star Trek: First Contact
.
The only unifying principles in the design of a cube are its shape, a decentralized/generalized arrangement, a size of several thousand meters per edge, and a hosting of tens or hundreds of thousands of drones. Erin Hansen, the mother of the future Seven of Nine
remarks that the cube they studied was 28 cubic km in volume. This number sizes the length, width, and height dimensions at over 3 km. In Star Trek: First Contact, the atmospheric pressure aboard a Borg ship is described as being two kilopascals
above what would be normal on a Federation starship, relative humidity
is an average 93%, and its internal temperature is 39.1°C.
In terms of offense and defense, a Borg cube is a fleet in and of itself. Common capabilities of cubes include high warp
(transwarp) capabilities, self-regeneration and multiple redundant systems, rapid adaptability
to almost any assault (though not complete immunity, in Star Trek: First Contact it's shown that sufficient firepower from Federation ships could still destroy a Borg Cube after it adapted to their weapons), and various beam
(tractor beam
s and cutting beams) and missile weapons. A single Borg cube has, on multiple occasions, taken on entire Federation fleets and held its own. Cubes have been commonly known to carry sphere ships in cavities covered by large slide-away hatches in the outermost layers.
Two basic styles of cube have been seen. The first, seen in The Next Generation, had an outer layer composed of a thin, mostly perpendicular
framework of greeble
s, allowing a yellowish glow to emanate from within. The second, seen in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Voyager
, has a more solid-looking exterior with perpendicular and diagonal
greebling, and less of a noticeable green inner light. The differences between the two types are due to enhanced detailing and use of computer-generated imagery
between series.
In the apocryphal game series Star Trek: Armada
and its sequel
, the Borg cubes serve as the capital ships in the Borg fleet. Fitting with their behavior in the series, cubes are equipped with a "holding beam
" which immobilizes an enemy ship while sending Borg drones over to assimilate the ship's crew. Cubes also have the ability to assimilate the special weapons of enemy ships, which can then be fed through a secondary structure to equip every cube with the same weapon. For gameplay reasons, cubes are nowhere near as massive or as powerful as those in the actual series, though they are still slightly more powerful (and expensive) than the other races' capital ships. In the sequel, eight Borg cubes or their tactical cube variants can be joined together to create the Fusion Cube and Tactical Fusion Cube, respectively. These massive vessels carry the collective capabilities of their component ships, including crew, offense, and defensive systems, bringing their capabilities more in line with those of the cubes in the series.
The Borg tactical cube ship is a heavily armored variant of the standard Borg cube. It was seen in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Unimatrix Zero".
This type of vessel is also featured in the Star Trek: Armada II
video game, where the only difference between tactical and regular cubes is improved offensive and defensive capabilities. The tactical cube was also featured in Star Trek: Legacy
, in which it is a larger and more powerful Borg cube.
In 2375, a Borg probe confronted the USS Voyager
in an attempt to assimilate the ship and its crew. Voyager fought back, and at one point during the battle the probe was forced to remodulate its shields. During this vulnerable moment, Voyager beamed a photon torpedo aboard the probe which detonated near the power matrix, resulting in the probe's destruction.
The probe left behind eight kilotons of debris, from which Voyager salvaged a variety of equipment including: two power nodes; two data nodes; twelve plasma conduits; an auto-regeneration unit made of some kind of lightweight polytrinic alloy; a servo-armature from a medical repair drone, which included a laser scalpel, biomolecular scanner, and micro-suture all rolled into one instrument; and a transwarp coil damaged beyond repair by fusing its field regulator (per Borg protocol when a vessel is critically damaged).
The probe is referred to as the "Interceptor" in the Star Trek: Armada series of computer games, and is the only Borg vessel therein capable of unassisted transwarp.
ship to direct all Borg operations. This ship is contained within the Unicomplex
, the Borg's base of operations. Its diamond-like appearance, with its blue octagonal spheres located at the top and bottom, makes it stand out among other Borg vessels. This type of vessel was first seen in the Star Trek: Voyager
episode "Dark Frontier", where it leaves the unicomplex to participate in the assimilation of species 10026.
It remains unknown about how many of this type of ship were built, but it is conceivable to assume that there is only one, since it is constructed specially, for the personal transportation of the queen, which contains her 'lair' and the central processing center for all Borg operations. The weaponry of this ship includes both fore and aft torpedo launchers. Like the Borg cube it can travel at transwarp speeds as it is seen in the episode 'Dark Frontier' pursuing the delta flyer into a transwarp conduit.
The ship and Queen were both destroyed when the USS Voyager collapsed the transwarp conduit the vessel was traveling in. The ship was rebuilt soon after (or possibly a replacement vessel took its place) as part of the ship's interior (the Queen's lair) was re-seen in the episode "Unimatrix Zero" and again in "Endgame", (in which it was destroyed once again).
Within the Star Trek: Armada computer game series and various other games, this type of ship is referred to as the Borg Diamond and serves as the Borg science vessel.
on a moon in the Argolis cluster in the episode "I, Borg" (TNG).
In the game Star Trek: Armada, the Borg Scout is depicted as a very small and quick ship that is shaped like a cone. The shape changes considerably between the original Armada and Armada II.
. This particular sphere was seen to be capable of time travel
. After traveling back in time and attempting to disrupt humanity's first contact, the sphere was destroyed. Some of its wreckage crashed in the Arctic, as shown in the Star Trek: Enterprise
episode "Regeneration".
It is unknown if other sphere ships are commonly carried aboard cubes or commonly possess time travel capabilities. They are equipped with reactive armor and carry a complement of 10,000 Borg drones.
Borg spheres were also seen in several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. During the episode "Unimatrix Zero, Part 2", a Borg Sphere is shown firing both phasers and disruptors. In addition, in the final Voyager episode, "Endgame", a sphere is the last ship under the Borg Queen's control and is sent to overtake and destroy Voyager. The sphere does not succeed, and is destroyed by Voyager from within upon exiting the transwarp corridor.
In the Star Trek: Armada game series, they are depicted as light cruisers that have the ability to rapidly regenerate their shields for a short period of time, while in the Voyager episode "Dark Frontier" Seven of Nine refers to one as a scout ship.
, totally unlike the standard geometric Borg designs. However, the vessel was still heavily armed, capable of great destructive power.
Only one ship of this type has been observed; the ship attacked the research outpost on Oniaka III, as well as the MS-1 colony, using previously-unknown transwarp conduits to appear suddenly over the target and launch a quick attack.
A schematic variant of this design was briefly seen in the Star Trek: Voyager
episode "Scorpion, Part 2
", which recounted the brief alliance between the Voyager
crew and the Borg in their fight against Species 8472
. Referred to as a "multikinetic neutronic mine", the drone Seven of Nine
proposed it to Captain Janeway
as a high-yield weapon for delivering enhanced nanoprobes
after having deemed Starfleet photon torpedo as insufficient.
This design is also seen in the game series Star Trek: Armada
, which refers to it as an "Assimilator" class. Its special weapon is similar to the cube's holding beam, but can't immobilize ships and transfers the current crew to the general available crew pool instead of transferring new crew over to the vessel itself.
In Armada II the newly assimilated crew is stored on the vessel itself, until its maximum crew level of 200 is reached, then the remainder is transferred to the crew pool.
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
, Borg starships are huge interstellar
Interstellar medium
In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, dust, and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space...
spacecraft used by the Borg
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
race to assimilate other species. All of their ships are simple geometric solids
Solid geometry
In mathematics, solid geometry was the traditional name for the geometry of three-dimensional Euclidean space — for practical purposes the kind of space we live in. It was developed following the development of plane geometry...
with greeble
Greeble
A greeble or nurnie is a small piece of detailing added to break up the surface of an object to add visual interest to a surface or object, particularly in movie special effects. They serve no real purpose other than to add complexity to the object, and cause the flow of the eye over the surface of...
d exteriors and very generalized and decentralized
Decentralization
__FORCETOC__Decentralization or decentralisation is the process of dispersing decision-making governance closer to the people and/or citizens. It includes the dispersal of administration or governance in sectors or areas like engineering, management science, political science, political economy,...
designs.
Borg cube
The archetypalArchetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
Borg cube is a variety of immense, cubic
Cube
In geometry, a cube is a three-dimensional solid object bounded by six square faces, facets or sides, with three meeting at each vertex. The cube can also be called a regular hexahedron and is one of the five Platonic solids. It is a special kind of square prism, of rectangular parallelepiped and...
starship that functions as part of the Borg Collective. It was first seen in the Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
episode "Q Who?" upon the Borg's first contact with the Federation
United Federation of Planets
The United Federation of Planets, also known as "The Federation" is a fictional interplanetary federal republic depicted in the Star Trek television series and motion pictures...
Starfleet
Starfleet
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet or the Federation Starfleet is the deep-space exploratory, peacekeeping and military service maintained by the United Federation of Planets . It is the principal means by which the Federation conducts its exploration, defense, diplomacy and research...
in 2365. The cube appears to be the principal spacefaring unit of the collective; it is by far the most common Borg craft seen on-screen and the type of vessel used in both the episode "The Best of Both Worlds" and the film Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s...
.
The only unifying principles in the design of a cube are its shape, a decentralized/generalized arrangement, a size of several thousand meters per edge, and a hosting of tens or hundreds of thousands of drones. Erin Hansen, the mother of the future Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine is a fictional character on Star Trek: Voyager, portrayed by actress Jeri Ryan. Born human, she was assimilated by the Borg at the age of six. Eighteen years later, Voyager left Borg space with Seven on board, after attempts to negotiate passage through Borg space proved only...
remarks that the cube they studied was 28 cubic km in volume. This number sizes the length, width, and height dimensions at over 3 km. In Star Trek: First Contact, the atmospheric pressure aboard a Borg ship is described as being two kilopascals
Pascal (unit)
The pascal is the SI derived unit of pressure, internal pressure, stress, Young's modulus and tensile strength, named after the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is a measure of force per unit area, defined as one newton per square metre...
above what would be normal on a Federation starship, relative humidity
Relative humidity
Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
is an average 93%, and its internal temperature is 39.1°C.
In terms of offense and defense, a Borg cube is a fleet in and of itself. Common capabilities of cubes include high warp
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
(transwarp) capabilities, self-regeneration and multiple redundant systems, rapid adaptability
Adaptation
An adaptation in biology is a trait with a current functional role in the life history of an organism that is maintained and evolved by means of natural selection. An adaptation refers to both the current state of being adapted and to the dynamic evolutionary process that leads to the adaptation....
to almost any assault (though not complete immunity, in Star Trek: First Contact it's shown that sufficient firepower from Federation ships could still destroy a Borg Cube after it adapted to their weapons), and various beam
Directed-energy weapon
A directed-energy weapon emits energy in an aimed direction without the means of a projectile. It transfers energy to a target for a desired effect. Intended effects may be non-lethal or lethal...
(tractor beam
Tractor beam
A tractor beam is a device with the ability to attract one object to another from a distance. Since the 1990s, technology and research has labored to make it a reality, mostly at microscopic level. Less commonly, a similar beam that repels is called a pressor beam or repulsor beam...
s and cutting beams) and missile weapons. A single Borg cube has, on multiple occasions, taken on entire Federation fleets and held its own. Cubes have been commonly known to carry sphere ships in cavities covered by large slide-away hatches in the outermost layers.
Two basic styles of cube have been seen. The first, seen in The Next Generation, had an outer layer composed of a thin, mostly perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
framework of greeble
Greeble
A greeble or nurnie is a small piece of detailing added to break up the surface of an object to add visual interest to a surface or object, particularly in movie special effects. They serve no real purpose other than to add complexity to the object, and cause the flow of the eye over the surface of...
s, allowing a yellowish glow to emanate from within. The second, seen in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
, has a more solid-looking exterior with perpendicular and diagonal
Diagonal
A diagonal is a line joining two nonconsecutive vertices of a polygon or polyhedron. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word "diagonal" derives from the Greek διαγώνιος , from dia- and gonia ; it was used by both Strabo and Euclid to refer to a line connecting two vertices of a...
greebling, and less of a noticeable green inner light. The differences between the two types are due to enhanced detailing and use of computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
between series.
In the apocryphal game series Star Trek: Armada
Star Trek: Armada
Star Trek: Armada is a real-time strategy game published in 2000 by Activision. The game's look and feel is based primarily on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and features a few of its main characters and ships. Playable factions include the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the...
and its sequel
Star Trek: Armada II
Star Trek: Armada II is a real time strategy computer game published by Activision in 2001, based upon the Star Trek universe. The game was developed by Mad Doc Software. It is the sequel to Star Trek: Armada. Star Trek: Armada II was released by Activision a year after they acquired the full...
, the Borg cubes serve as the capital ships in the Borg fleet. Fitting with their behavior in the series, cubes are equipped with a "holding beam
Tractor beam
A tractor beam is a device with the ability to attract one object to another from a distance. Since the 1990s, technology and research has labored to make it a reality, mostly at microscopic level. Less commonly, a similar beam that repels is called a pressor beam or repulsor beam...
" which immobilizes an enemy ship while sending Borg drones over to assimilate the ship's crew. Cubes also have the ability to assimilate the special weapons of enemy ships, which can then be fed through a secondary structure to equip every cube with the same weapon. For gameplay reasons, cubes are nowhere near as massive or as powerful as those in the actual series, though they are still slightly more powerful (and expensive) than the other races' capital ships. In the sequel, eight Borg cubes or their tactical cube variants can be joined together to create the Fusion Cube and Tactical Fusion Cube, respectively. These massive vessels carry the collective capabilities of their component ships, including crew, offense, and defensive systems, bringing their capabilities more in line with those of the cubes in the series.
Borg tactical cube
This type of vessel is also featured in the Star Trek: Armada II
Star Trek: Armada II
Star Trek: Armada II is a real time strategy computer game published by Activision in 2001, based upon the Star Trek universe. The game was developed by Mad Doc Software. It is the sequel to Star Trek: Armada. Star Trek: Armada II was released by Activision a year after they acquired the full...
video game, where the only difference between tactical and regular cubes is improved offensive and defensive capabilities. The tactical cube was also featured in Star Trek: Legacy
Star Trek: Legacy
Star Trek: Legacy is a video game released by Mad Doc Software for Windows-based PCs and Xbox 360. The game, a strategy/action and space combat game, was published by Bethesda Softworks...
, in which it is a larger and more powerful Borg cube.
Borg probe
First seen in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Dark Frontier", this small, oblong-shaped Borg vessel is about half the size of an Intrepid-class Federation starship. It has about the same amount of firepower, and is capable of transwarp speeds.In 2375, a Borg probe confronted the USS Voyager
USS Voyager (Star Trek)
The fictional Intrepid-class starship USS Voyager is the primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It is commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway....
in an attempt to assimilate the ship and its crew. Voyager fought back, and at one point during the battle the probe was forced to remodulate its shields. During this vulnerable moment, Voyager beamed a photon torpedo aboard the probe which detonated near the power matrix, resulting in the probe's destruction.
The probe left behind eight kilotons of debris, from which Voyager salvaged a variety of equipment including: two power nodes; two data nodes; twelve plasma conduits; an auto-regeneration unit made of some kind of lightweight polytrinic alloy; a servo-armature from a medical repair drone, which included a laser scalpel, biomolecular scanner, and micro-suture all rolled into one instrument; and a transwarp coil damaged beyond repair by fusing its field regulator (per Borg protocol when a vessel is critically damaged).
The probe is referred to as the "Interceptor" in the Star Trek: Armada series of computer games, and is the only Borg vessel therein capable of unassisted transwarp.
Borg Queen's ship
The Borg Queen uses an octahedralOctahedron
In geometry, an octahedron is a polyhedron with eight faces. A regular octahedron is a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at each vertex....
ship to direct all Borg operations. This ship is contained within the Unicomplex
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
, the Borg's base of operations. Its diamond-like appearance, with its blue octagonal spheres located at the top and bottom, makes it stand out among other Borg vessels. This type of vessel was first seen in the Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
episode "Dark Frontier", where it leaves the unicomplex to participate in the assimilation of species 10026.
It remains unknown about how many of this type of ship were built, but it is conceivable to assume that there is only one, since it is constructed specially, for the personal transportation of the queen, which contains her 'lair' and the central processing center for all Borg operations. The weaponry of this ship includes both fore and aft torpedo launchers. Like the Borg cube it can travel at transwarp speeds as it is seen in the episode 'Dark Frontier' pursuing the delta flyer into a transwarp conduit.
The ship and Queen were both destroyed when the USS Voyager collapsed the transwarp conduit the vessel was traveling in. The ship was rebuilt soon after (or possibly a replacement vessel took its place) as part of the ship's interior (the Queen's lair) was re-seen in the episode "Unimatrix Zero" and again in "Endgame", (in which it was destroyed once again).
Within the Star Trek: Armada computer game series and various other games, this type of ship is referred to as the Borg Diamond and serves as the Borg science vessel.
Borg scout
The Borg scout ship is cuboid in shape but considerably smaller than its counterpart, the Borg cube. The Borg scout ship is only several metres in length, width and depth, and holds a crew of five. A Borg scout ship was found by the crew of the Enterprise-DUSS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)
The USS Enterprise is a 24th century starship in the Star Trek fictional universe and the principal setting of the Star Trek: The Next Generation television series...
on a moon in the Argolis cluster in the episode "I, Borg" (TNG).
In the game Star Trek: Armada, the Borg Scout is depicted as a very small and quick ship that is shaped like a cone. The shape changes considerably between the original Armada and Armada II.
Borg sphere
The sphere ship was first seen in the movie Star Trek: First Contact, where it was stored within a Borg cube ship under a large slide-away hatch and used as an escape vessel upon the destruction of the cube in the Battle of Sector 001Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: First Contact is the eighth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise, released in November 1996, by Paramount Pictures. First Contact is the first film in the franchise to feature no cast members from the original Star Trek television series of the 1960s...
. This particular sphere was seen to be capable of time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. After traveling back in time and attempting to disrupt humanity's first contact, the sphere was destroyed. Some of its wreckage crashed in the Arctic, as shown in the Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series. It follows the adventures of humanity's first warp 5 starship, the Enterprise, ten years before the United Federation of Planets shown in previous Star Trek series was formed.Enterprise premiered on September 26, 2001...
episode "Regeneration".
It is unknown if other sphere ships are commonly carried aboard cubes or commonly possess time travel capabilities. They are equipped with reactive armor and carry a complement of 10,000 Borg drones.
Borg spheres were also seen in several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. During the episode "Unimatrix Zero, Part 2", a Borg Sphere is shown firing both phasers and disruptors. In addition, in the final Voyager episode, "Endgame", a sphere is the last ship under the Borg Queen's control and is sent to overtake and destroy Voyager. The sphere does not succeed, and is destroyed by Voyager from within upon exiting the transwarp corridor.
In the Star Trek: Armada game series, they are depicted as light cruisers that have the ability to rapidly regenerate their shields for a short period of time, while in the Voyager episode "Dark Frontier" Seven of Nine refers to one as a scout ship.
Rogue Borg ship
In the two-part TNG episode "Descent", a group of rogue Borg began attacking Federation outposts and colonies in several outlying sectors with a new type of vessel, informally known as the rogue Borg ship. This unusual design was asymmetricAsymmetry
Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry.-In organisms:Due to how cells divide in organisms, asymmetry in organisms is fairly usual in at least one dimension, with biological symmetry also being common in at least one dimension....
, totally unlike the standard geometric Borg designs. However, the vessel was still heavily armed, capable of great destructive power.
Only one ship of this type has been observed; the ship attacked the research outpost on Oniaka III, as well as the MS-1 colony, using previously-unknown transwarp conduits to appear suddenly over the target and launch a quick attack.
A schematic variant of this design was briefly seen in the Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
episode "Scorpion, Part 2
Scorpion (Star Trek: Voyager)
"Scorpion" is a two-part episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the cliffhanger between the third and fourth seasons composed of the 26th episode of the third season and the first episode of the fourth. It introduced Seven of Nine and Species 8472 to the series, and is generally regarded as the two most...
", which recounted the brief alliance between the Voyager
USS Voyager (Star Trek)
The fictional Intrepid-class starship USS Voyager is the primary setting of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It is commanded by Captain Kathryn Janeway....
crew and the Borg in their fight against Species 8472
Species 8472
Species 8472 is a fictional extraterrestrial race in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. They inhabit another dimension called fluidic space. These beings are rendered by animation from Foundation Imaging, Inc...
. Referred to as a "multikinetic neutronic mine", the drone Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine is a fictional character on Star Trek: Voyager, portrayed by actress Jeri Ryan. Born human, she was assimilated by the Borg at the age of six. Eighteen years later, Voyager left Borg space with Seven on board, after attempts to negotiate passage through Borg space proved only...
proposed it to Captain Janeway
Kathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. As the captain of the Starfleet starship USS Voyager, she was the lead character on the television series Star Trek: Voyager, and later, a Starfleet admiral, as seen in the 2002 feature film Star Trek...
as a high-yield weapon for delivering enhanced nanoprobes
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
after having deemed Starfleet photon torpedo as insufficient.
This design is also seen in the game series Star Trek: Armada
Star Trek: Armada
Star Trek: Armada is a real-time strategy game published in 2000 by Activision. The game's look and feel is based primarily on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and features a few of its main characters and ships. Playable factions include the United Federation of Planets, the Klingon Empire, the...
, which refers to it as an "Assimilator" class. Its special weapon is similar to the cube's holding beam, but can't immobilize ships and transfers the current crew to the general available crew pool instead of transferring new crew over to the vessel itself.
In Armada II the newly assimilated crew is stored on the vessel itself, until its maximum crew level of 200 is reached, then the remainder is transferred to the crew pool.