Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Borg

9. Before The Borg, The Butt Bugs (And Other Schemers)

Star Trek The Next Generation Conspiracy
CBS Media Ventures

Just when you thought it was safe to put down the mealworms and take off the fakery Doctor Crusher stuck to your neck, it's the bluegills (aka the butt bugs) again!

Given Maurice Hurley's original concept for the Borg, it is perhaps not surprising that, according to Michael and Denise Okuda in Star Trek Chronology: The History of the Future, in the early days of development, plans were hatched for the episode Conspiracy, and the butt bug parasites therein, to lead to the introduction of the Borg. There is little more known about the idea than that, and, evidently, the bluegill-Borg connection was dropped before Q Who. Moreover, if the butt bugs ever did end up meeting the Borg, who'd be assimilating whom?

If that weren't enough nefariousness for you, let's bring in the Romulans! According to The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, The Neutral Zone, also written by Maurice Hurley, was originally intended to be the "first of a multi-part story" which would have seen the Federation and the Romulans join forces to fight the Borg. There was a Writers' Guild strike at the time, however, so that story arc had to be abandoned — picked up, in a sense, 30-odd years later in season one of Star Trek: Picard.

Contributor
Contributor

Jack has been a content creator for TrekCulture since 2022, and a Star Trek fan for as long as he can remember. He has authored over 170 articles, including one of TrekCulture's longest, and has appeared several times on the TrekCulture podcast. He holds a first-class honours degree in French from the University of Sussex, a master's with distinction in Language, Culture and History: French and Francophone Studies and a PhD in French from University College London (UCL). He has previously worked in the field of translation. His interests extend to science-fiction television and film more widely. His favourite series is Star Trek: Voyager, followed closely by Stargate SG-1.