The 14 Dumbest Things In Star Trek First Contact
4. Holodeck Bullet Time
How dumb is it that the Borg can adapt to phasers and photon torpedoes and gigantic pulses through the navigational deflector yet in virtually all appearances they’re almost always vulnerable to old-fashioned physical assault and material weapons? Be it the Klingon Mek’leth Worf uses in this film, or just a good right-cross, the Borg seem to have no defense.
Accepting this Smaug-ian chink in their adaptive ability, it makes sense they’d be vulnerable to physical projectiles. But what’s perplexing is that the holodeck can make tangible bullets. What possible reason could there be for an entertainment program to generate potentially lethal projectiles? It seems like yet another holodeck malfunction waiting to happen. This tremendous liability seems like something that would keep the Starfleet JAG office busy forever.
And, come to think of it, why does Picard even bother with the Dixon Hill holo program in the first place? Why not turn off the safety protocols, have the computer generate a tommy gun and a bunch of other Picards with the same weapons, wait for the Borg to come through the door, and go all Scarface on their cybernetic arses?
I know I know…because the movie needs another setpiece...
(One wonders what non-fan audiences made of this, as the holodeck comes out of nowhere for this one scene and is then forgotten.)