Star Trek Picard: Everything You Need To Know About The Borg

The Borg Collective has existed in several forms in the Star Trek universe throughout the years, often taking on the role of antagonist while sometimes fulfilling the role of tentative ally. While the end goal of the Collective may be perfection and unity for all, its methods leave a lot to be desired.

Trace the steps of the Borg's development, from its inception in Star Trek The Next Generation to its most recent iteration in Star Trek Picard. Who are they? What do they want? How will they do it? Are they the race that sent V'Ger back to Earth to find its creator?

And, most importantly, is resistance really futile?

In season one of Star Trek The Next Generation, producer Maurice Hurley came up with an idea. There would be a race of aliens with immense power that would become the deadliest threat that the Federation had ever faced. They would be able to take over peoples' minds. They would wipe out entire colonies and civilisations. They would destroy the Federation's oldest enemy, the Romulans, as a demonstration of power. They would become the definitive Big Bad of the Star Trek universe.

Things did not begin smoothly.

The season one episode Coming of Age introduced the idea that Starfleet was facing infiltration. Admiral Gregory Quinn beamed aboard the Enterprise with his aid, Lieutenant Commander Remmick to conduct an inspection that was truly a screening process for them to see had the Enterprise been overcome. Satisfied that it hadn't been, they confessed their fears to Picard, who found it hard to take them seriously.

Several episodes later however Conspiracy showed us just how correct they had been when Quinn and several other Starfleet Admirals found themselves the victims of parasites controlling their every thought and move. Remmick fared worst as his body had become host to the alien queen. The queen was killed by Picard and Riker, thus causing all drones to die - but not before a homing beacon was sent from Earth out into the stars.

And that was the last time they were heard from.

The idea, while sound, suffered in execution from poor effects and a degree of silliness. The threat needed to be reworked into something grander. The Romulan re-introduction continued as planned, dropping the plot point that several colonies along the Neutral Zone had been destroyed - seemingly scooped directly off the surface of those planets. But while the show took the Romulans in a different direction, this seed of an idea for the new villain remained.

The idea would rest until late in the second season. Q Who? introduces the Borg to the franchise in the form that they would come to be known. Hurled across the galaxy by the omnipotent being Q, the Enterprise D first encounters the Borg in system J-27.

There, a solitary Borg Cube approaches them and informs them simply that resistance is useless and they will be assimilated. What follows is a truly unsettling sequence where the Enterprise is shown to be in no way ready to counter this threat. Losing crew members, losing power and on the brink of losing the battle, Picard admits he desperately needs Q's help and they are returned to the Alpha Quadrant.

But now, the Borg knew of their existence.