Star Trek: 10 Secrets Of The Borg Cube You Need To Know

10. Model Kit Parts And Paper Clips

The Borg vessel was first described in Maurice Hurly's script for the Star Trek: The Next Generation second season episode "Q Who", reading:

It's box like, with none of the aerodynamic qualities associated with most spaceships including the Enterprise. This is a case of form following function.

The motion control model of TNG's Borg cube was fabricated by Kim Bailey and Starlight Effects, then known primarily for their work in television commercials. Starlight constructed a custom interior and mounting armature then systematically built the cube out layer by layer, finishing the model with a detailed paint job. Due to the cubical shape of the vessel, TNG's VFX producers requested Starlight only build five of the six sides in order to facilitate easier management of the model's internal lighting and mounting systems.

Despite its distinctive and unique look, TNG's VFX team disliked the model, calling it ugly and bemoaning how difficult it was to light and film.

It may be painfully obvious now that Star Trek: The Next Generation has been restored in high definition, but, yes, those are plastic parts taken from off-the-shelf model kits, glued together to create the intricate piping and conduits of the Borg cube's surface. According to Gary Hutzel, when constructing the stunt Borg cube that was blown up using pyrotechnics in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2":

I ended up sitting on a table and taking basically model kit parts, stripping all the parts off, taking the little frames – the little plastic frames that they come on – and gluing them to the side of this box... and then spray-painting it, looking at it and sticking more stuff on, spray-painting it some more until, finally, it looked like the Borg ship.

When the Borg cube returned to attack Earth in 1996's Star Trek: First Contact, a new cube was designed by prolific starship illustrator John Eaves. This second Borg cube was constructed by Industrial Light and Magic and, while the filming model was smaller than the one used in TNG, it was considerably more detailed to stand up to the scrutiny of the big screen.

Like the movie cube's television predecessor, First Contact's Borg cube was covered in intricate mechanical details created through acid etched brass and custom styrene parts. Also like the TV cube, ILM's model shop turned to everyday items to embellish the Borg cube, using paper clips to embellish the ship's surface.