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

The first season of Star Trek: Picard prominently features a dormant Borg cube controlled by the Romulan Free State, known as "the Artifact". The origin of the Artifact goes unstated in the series, but creator Michael Chabon hinted that the cube may have been a callback to the classic Star Trek: Voyager episode "Timeless". In that episode, a future Harry Kim mentions a disabled Borg ship located in the Beta Quadrant, exactly where the Artifact resided in Star Trek: Picard.

At first glance, the design of the Artifact is just like any other Borg cube, however it is in fact Star Trek's fourth take on the deceivingly simple, utilitarian design.

Featuring heavy channels carved into its surface, the Artifact actually resembles concept artwork produced by John Eaves way back in 1995 for Star Trek: First Contact's "Borg tetragon". Don't remember the Borg tetragon? That's because the the producers of First Contact explored several different Borg ship shapes for the film (including an obelisk) before ultimately returning to the iconic cube shaped vessel from the television series.

However, certain facets of Eaves' concept drawings of the Borg tetragon, like those prominently recessed areas of the hull, returned in his design for the Artifact in Star Trek: Picard.

The interior sets for the Artifact were designed by production designer Mark Worthington, heavily inspired by the work of modernist landscape architect Lawrence Halprin who was known for his cubist spaces. The influence of Halprin's work on the Artifact can clearly be seen in his Portland Open Space Sequence, which was characterized by cascading blocks and "floating" geometric shapes, a lot like Star Trek: Picard's mysterious Borg cube.