# Star Trek question: How did the Borg Collective get started? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 17, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773 "2004-06-17T01:02:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/1 "2004-06-17T01:02:44Z")
In _Star Trek,_ the Borg are not a race as such, they are an amalgamation of races. But how did the Collective get started? Machines don’t design themselves; they must be designed by sentient life-forms – or by sentient machines, which must, ultimately, be designed by sentient life-forms. I would imagine there was some one sentient species that developed mechanically-assisted telepathy and decided, just as an experiment, to start hooking themselves together in a stable group-mind, and then the whole thing just got out of hand . . . Did any of the episodes of any of the TV series deal with this? (In Spider Robinson’s _Deathkiller_ series, mechanically assisted telepathy also leads to the incorporation of humans into a group-mind – but this is presented as a **good** thing.) ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/2 "2004-06-17T01:12:23Z")
It is the inevitable final outcome of a culture adopting widespread LASIK eye surgery. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/3 "2004-06-17T01:20:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Did any of the episodes of any of the TV series deal with this? No. There is no Star Trek canon that explicitly states the origin of the Borg. There are some theories, but they never get much more significant than “Maybe the same aliens that built V’ger also built the Borg.” ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/4 "2004-06-17T03:46:05Z")
One interesting canon point: the Borg Queen came from Species 125 - _Dark Frontier, Part II_ - VOY The lowest number species encountered by Borg in canon is Species 116, which was encountered “many centuries ago…” _Hope and Fear_ - VOY ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/5 "2004-06-17T04:50:05Z")
There’s a fanfic that explains how the borg came to be, although it’s not canon. I can’t remember the URL, so here’s a synopsis. Keep in mind that this is from memory, and I might be getting some details wrong. Basically, about 1.2 million years ago there was an alien civilization (what the borg would later call species 001) that just discovered FTL travel and made first contact with another race. The princess of species 001 was engaged to marry the prince. However, she found out that her fiancee was ploting with the leaders of the other alien civilization to enslave species 001 The princess got mad, and used the nanoprobe technology that was being used for peaceful purposes to assimilate the prince. Her thought process was along the lines of “if our minds are linked, there will be no more painful secrets, and there will be peace”. Then she assimilated the rest of the population, becoming the first borg queen. Later, she assimilated the second species, and then the borg existed. ---
**Author:** ![caphis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/6 "2004-06-17T06:10:11Z")
[hijack] Back when DS9 was doing open submission scripts, I wrote a spec that centered around the origin of the Borg. They didn’t buy it, obviously, but it did get me an invite to come pitch. [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/7 "2004-06-17T06:17:00Z")
Well…there’s two possibilities: One, overintelligent AI which seeks out to better itself, realizing that perfection lies in the balance between biology and machines, and starts combining the two. Two, as has been stated before some culture seeks to create a hive mind which goes out of control. Oh, yeah, and a third possibility which somehow involves Opal becoming the Borg Queen. Quite frankly I think it’s better the Borg be left unexplained, as it is a well known fact that mystery adds to machismo ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/8 "2004-06-17T06:17:42Z")
Who started the collective? _ **TECHNO-HIPPIES!** _ ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/9 "2004-06-17T06:28:29Z")
Or, conversely, advanced wireless networking technology + conservative talk radio. “It’s perfectly harmless, my friends. This will just make it _soooooooooooooo_ much easier for me to give you my thoughts for the day, and you’ll be informed up to the nanosecond on the latest evil schemes of dem liberals…” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/10 "2004-06-17T06:52:35Z")
That’s really cool, **Caphis**. What was your take? And as \*\*SPOOFE \*\* said, there’s no canon explanation of the genesis of the Borg although the most common fan wank does include V’ger being one of its drones. Spock too, sometimes. It’s generally best to avoid those types though. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/11 "2004-06-17T07:07:30Z")
My theory is that it’s a kind of wireless internet run amok. Start with the internet we have now. Advance technology to the point where computers are cheaply enough produced that a large portion of the population has them. Second, advance networking technology to ultra-high wireless bandwith–any computer can talk to any other computer located anywhere instantly. Third, advance interface technology to the point where an interface module can be directly implanted into the brain, or the computer itself has been miniturized to the point where it can be implanted in the brain. From this point, we can speculate that one of several things happen. First, the connectivity from one mind to another gradually strengthens to the point that the hive-mind is created through a kind of techno evolution. Second, a virus or bug accidently aligns all of the brains connected to a single control program or mind. Third, somone creates a virus for the purpose of controlling the world, and it either has unintended consequences, or the hive-mind is the intended result. I’ve always seen the Borg as a parody of internet groupthink created by insular sites like Stormfront, Star Wars, or John Byrne forums. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/12 "2004-06-17T13:05:50Z")
I thought it was more along the lines of a self-help book loving culture running totally amock. Eye-upgrade here, super-strong robotic arm there, a “fricken” laser beam for your head and the next thing you know your assimilating your neighbors. . . 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/13 "2004-06-17T13:15:49Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > It is the inevitable final outcome of a culture adopting widespread LASIK eye surgery. It works good at first, but at the ten-year point, your eyes fall out! [/flanders] ---
**Author:** ![caphis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@caphis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caphis)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/14 "2004-06-18T05:19:48Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > That’s really cool, **Caphis**. What was your take? While I was writing it, I knew it wouldn’t be bought because I was tinkering with the things that one was specifically told to avoid in Trek spec scripts (time travel, revealing huge things that should be left to writers, etc), so I just basically wrote to show my ability. In my version; basically, it was a human working with Cochrane who traveled back in time and engineered the Borg. There’s more, but I’ll have to dredge up the script to find the details since I haven’t read it in years. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/15 "2004-06-18T06:52:18Z")
Well, in the Borg’s first appearance, Q described them as the “ultimate users…They’re not interested in humans. They just want your technology. They’ve identified it as something they can consume.” I kinda got the idea that the Borg originated from a planet of technophiles, to whom actually _merging_ with technology was like Nirvana. Of course, they’ve changed the Borg so much over the years, I don’t know _what_ to think about them…First, they just wanted technology. Then, they wanted to “improve the quality of life” in the galaxy, via assimilation. Then, they were trying to acheive “perfection,” and would actually _ignore_ species that they didn’t feel were “advanced” enough to warrent assimilation… Not to mention the changes in the “structure” of the Borg mind—at first, it seemed that the Borg only had _one_ consciousness, one “self.” In effect, there was only _a single “Borg”_, spread over billions of bodies. Nowadays, that concept seems to have been watered down a bit, to more of a “hive of insects” analogy. (Don’t get me started on the whole “Queen” thing…Ech.) ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/16 "2004-06-18T07:14:12Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > Nowadays, that concept seems to have been watered down a bit, to more of a “hive of insects” analogy. (Don’t get me started on the whole “Queen” thing…Ech.) When they were first conceived, the Borg were going to be insects. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/17 "2004-06-18T15:32:38Z")
It starts like this, you see… **Washington Post:** > [@](#): > > A surgical implant that stimulates the brain should get government approval > to treat chronic depression, an expert panel of federal experts said > yesterday – marking the first time an implanted device has been recommended > for the treatment of a psychiatric disorder. > > Using a technique known as vagus nerve stimulation, the device uses > electrodes implanted in the neck to activate brain regions that are believed > to regulate mood. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/18 "2004-06-18T16:01:18Z")
There was an episode of _Star Trek: Voyager_ in which Chakotay plugged himself into a “miniature collective” – 8 or fewer people that used Borg technology but were totally independent from the Borg (and who regularly unplugged themselves from said collective). He experienced the ultimate in intimacy with the population’s token Hot Chick by sharing thoughts with her. The experience almost seemed … addictive. I’ll bet that’s how the Borg got started. The experience of suddenly receiving all the thoughts and emotions and life experiences of another is the most thrilling thing in the universe. But once it’s over, you come down from that “high” and your joined-mind life starts to become boring again. More boring than before, in fact, because now you’re not acting as an individual any longer. Once you’ve plugged that first person into your Collective, you want more. And more. _AND MORE._ It becomes an insatiable hunger. You have to get more people plugged in, whether they want to be or not. The Borg are the ultimate junkies. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-question-how-did-the-borg-collective-get-started/250773/19 "2004-06-18T16:12:39Z")
Well, when an Engineer 3rd class and his polyphasic scanning regulator love each other very much…