Borg: Encyclopedia II - Borg - Assimilation

Borg - Assimilation

Initially, the Borg were a mysterious group of marauders that snatched entire starships or took over entire planets and societies in order to collect and assimilate their technology, being less interested in individual lifeforms (TNG: "Q Who?"). In their second appearance, "The Best of Both Worlds", they began to rather crudely and frighteningly assimilate individuals – namely, Picard – into the collective by surgically altering them. Thereafter, incorporation of different lifeforms into their Collective was heightened and their interest in obtaining alien technology became less prominent.

Moreover, the method of assimilating individual lifeforms into the Collective has changed over time. Throughout, infant and fetal humanoids have been grown in an accelerated state and surgically receive or develop implants tied directly into the brain, as well as ocular devices, tool-enhanced limbs, armour, and other prosthetics.

Borg - Nanoprobes

Later, in Star Trek: First Contact, the method of assimilation was enhanced with the more efficient injection of nanoprobes into individuals. Borg nanoprobes are injected into the bloodstream of a victim by a number of tubules (usually two) that spring forth from the top of the hand (or some other extremity) of a Borg drone. The nanoprobes, each about the size of a human red blood cell (RBC), travel through the victim's bloodstream to various tissues and locations throughout the body and latch onto individual cells. The nanoprobes rewrite the cellular DNA, altering the victim's biochemistry, and eventually form larger, higher structures and networks within the body such as electrical pathways, processing and data storage nodes, and ultimately prosthetic devices that spring forth from the skin like spiders.

Once within an organic host, nanoprobes utilize metallic molecules from humanoid blood cells (e.g., iron from humans, or copper from Vulcans) to replicate and create higher structures. To that end, Borg nanoprobes are capable of adjusting the atomic structure of metals and molecules, creating ones more appropriate for Borg prostheses and nutrients essential for humanoid survival. Breaking down RBCs would cause asphyxia in the victim, also aiding in their submission to forces prior to full assimilation. This also alters blood vessels throughout the body, creating visibly dark tracks that snake across the surface of the skin as the cyberinfection spreads. Based on the size of a single nanoprobe and the volume that could be delivered in the short time of a drone attack, a single injection can carry at least five million nanoprobes.

In the Voyager episode "Drone", the Doctor's mobile emitter (obtained from the future in the episode "Future's End, Part 2") combines with Seven of Nine's technology to form a 29th century version of a Borg drone. Its capabilities included an internal transporter, improved speech capabilities, multidimensional adaptability, and greatly improved personal shields. Fortunately for Voyager, this drone's enhanced capabilities were not assimilated by the Borg Collective: the drone, in fact, sacrificed itself to save Voyager's crew.

In one Voyager episode, Neelix suffers a serious illness that caused much tissue damage, and is cured by an injection of Borg nanoprobes that had been altered to convert to Talaxian (= Neelix's race) and not to Borg. It worked. Neelix was worried that he might start to assimilate the crew, but that did not happen.

Borg - Borg species identification

The Borg have encountered and assimilated thousands of species and (reportedly) trillions of lifeforms throughout the Milky Way galaxy. The Borg identify species uniquely with a number assigned to them upon first contact.

The following is a list of species and their respective numbers, sorted in ascending order by number. Some species have been identified only by their Borg identification and do not have a "name".

The species numbers seem to be assigned according to the order in which the Borg encountered the species in question. In addition, the assigned numbers generally increase proportionately with distance from the center of Borg space in the Delta Quadrant; the numbers can, therefore, be assumed to be a general chronology of first contact between the Borg and particular species.

As well, there are some inconsistencies with these premises. For example, the Ferengi have a lower designation number than the Talaxians, which would suggest that the Borg encountered the Ferengi first (perhaps somehow encountering the two Ferengi stranded in the Delta Quadrant in "The Price" (TNG) or somehow learning of them when Quark and company time travelled to 1947 Earth in "Little Green Men" (DS9)). However, Talax(ia) is far closer to Borg space than Ferenginar, so it is strange that the Borg could have encountered the Ferengi before the Talaxians.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Assimilation", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki