Summary

• The Borg, a formidable villain in Star Trek, were an amalgamation of humanoid species with cybernetic implants, lacking individualism.
• The Borg's main goal was to assimilate other species and technologies, and their adaptability made them a destructive force.
• The Borg appeared in multiple Star Trek shows and movies, with notable encounters in The Next Generation, Voyager, and First .

The Borg have been one of Star Trek's most formidable villains since their introduction in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Borg were not their own distinct species, but rather an amalgamation of various humanoid species with cybernetic implants. There was no individualism within the hive mind of the Borg collective and their main goal was to assimilate as many other species and technologies as possible. The Borg were controlled and coordinated by a Borg Queen, who, unlike the Borg drones, experienced emotions and a sense of individualism.

In their terrifying first introduction on Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Borg could not be reasoned with, and "Resistance is futile" became their ominous refrain. Although not every Starfleet captain has fought the Borg, they have shown up across five other Star Trek shows and served as the main antagonist of Star Trek: First . With their stripping away of everything that makes humans human and their ability to quickly adapt, the Borg have become one of the most destructive forces the Federation has ever faced. Here is a list of every show and movie that pitted Star Trek heroes against the Borg.

8 Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Borg were first introduced to Starfleet by the omnipotent being known as Q (John de Lancie) when he flung the Enterprise-D across the galaxy in the TNG season 2 episode "Q Who." The Borg went on to cause problems for the Enterprise on multiple occasions, and they famously assimilated Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) himself in the iconic two-part episode, "The Best of Both Worlds." The Borg's assimilation of Picard allowed them to gain knowledge about the Federation and Starfleet, which led to the disastrously one-sided Battle of Wolf 359. In the TNG season 5 episode, "I Borg," the Enterprise rescues an abandoned Borg drone who later becomes known as Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco). After Hugh gains a sense of individualism, he returns to the collective, influencing another group of Borg. These Borg are later used by Data's evil brother, Lore (Brent Spiner), in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to bring down the Federation.

7 Star Trek: First

When the Borg travel back in time and alter the past in Star Trek: First , Captain Picard and the USS Enterprise-E crew must pursue them and make things right. Picard and the Enterprise follow the Borg back to 2063, just before Zefram Cochrane (James Cromwell) achieves warp travel and the Vulcans initiate First with humanity. Borg drones soon invade the Enterprise and capture Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner). The Borg Queen (Alice Krige) then tries to persuade Data to her and turn against his friends. Though Data acts as though she has convinced him, he turns on the Borg Queen at the last minute and helps neutralize the Borg threat. In the end, Picard and his crew ensure that first happens the way it's supposed to, restoring the proper future.

6 Star Trek: Voyager

Not only does Star Trek: Voyager feature former Borg drone Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) as a main character, but the Borg also become the main antagonists of the USS Voyager crew for much of the series. As Voyager takes place in the Delta Quadrant, the home of the Borg, it makes sense that they would have more of a presence on that show. In a move uncharacteristic of the Borg, they send Seven of Nine to Voyager to seek out help from the Federation as they cannot assimilate the mysterious lifeforms known as Species 8472. Over the course of the series, Voyager rescues several children who had been previously assimilated and go up against a Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson). In the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager, Janeway deals the Borg a crippling blow as she infects them with a virus that severs their mental connection to one another.

5 Star Trek: Enterprise

Despite the fact that the Federation's true first with the Borg did not happen until 2365, the crew of the original Enterprise NX-01 had an encounter with the cybernetic race long before that. The Enterprise season 2 episode "Regeneration" serves as a follow-up to Star Trek: First . When scientists on Earth discover the crashed remains of the Borg ship from First , they find two Borg drones on board. After assimilating the scientists, the drones escape into space, which prompts Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and the Enterprise to intervene. Archer pursues the Borg and eventually boards the ship with some of his crew. They are able to cripple and then destroy the Borg transport ship, but not before the Borg send out a signal to the Delta Quadrant with Earth's location.

4 Star Trek: Lower Decks

So far on Star Trek: Lower Decks, the Borg have mostly appeared as holograms. The Lower Decks season 2 episode "I, Excretus" has the most extensive Borg story, as Ensign Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) becomes stuck in a simulation that takes place on a Borg cube. In an attempt to score 100% on his training drill, Boimler runs through the simulation repeatedly, facing off against Borg drones and eventually the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) herself. Though Boimler eventually does achieve 100%, he must continue the simulation to prevent the training consultant from failing the USS Cerritos. Boimler winds up getting assimilated by the Borg Queen, becoming Excretus of Borg, and the experience stays with him even after he's freed from the simulation.

3 Star Trek: Prodigy

The crew of the USS Protostar only face the Borg in one episode of Star Trek: Prodigy, in season 1, episode 12, "Let Sleeping Borg Lie." When the Protostar comes across a dormant Borg cube, the young crew decide to go aboard in search of a way to disable the Diviner's weapon, the Living Construct. Zero (Angus Imrie) offers to be assimilated because, as a Medusan, they're a noncorporeal lifeform that also lived in a hive mind. The other crew are nearly assimilated by the Borg as well, but Gwyn (Ella Purnell) is able to help Zero overcome assimilation and save the other crew. While the crew of the Protostar all make it out alive, they discover that the Living Construct cannot be disabled.

2 Star Trek: Picard, Season 2

Star Trek: Picard season 2 sees iral Jean-Luc Picard and his crew sent back in time by Q to 21st-century Los Angeles. While this season does not feature the Borg en masse, the Borg Queen does play a major role in the season's storyline. When Picard and his friends arrive in the past, the Borg Queen transfers Borg nanoprobes into Dr. Agnes Jurati (Alison Pill), who then must subconsciously fight the Queen. Eventually, the Borg Queen mostly takes over and assimilates several mercenaries who go after Picard. Still fighting the Borg Queen in her mind, Agnes convinces the Queen to become a new type of Borg, building her collective through collaboration rather than assimilation. Jurati becomes the new benevolent Borg Queen and Picard offers her collective provisional hip within the Federation.

1 Star Trek: Picard, Season 3

In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Jean-Luc Picard's past as Locutus comes back to haunt him. After being nearly destroyed by iral Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, the Borg Queen aligned with the Changelings to get revenge on the Federation. The plan nearly succeeded as hundreds of Starfleet officers under the age of 25 were assimilated with the Borg's upgraded assimilation process. The assimilated crew took control of many of Starfleet's most powerful ships and began firing on Earth's planetary defenses. Many Starfleet personnel were lost and Earth's shields were destroyed. Thankfully, iral Picard is able to talk his son, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), out of remaining with the Borg, and the reunited crew of the Enterprise-D take out the Borg Cube. While this appears to be the end of the Borg threat, Star Trek's most relentless villains certainly left their mark on the franchise.