Unbelievable! See Why These 4 Star Trek Crews Avoided Epic Battles with the Borg

Summary

Despite their status as the primary adversaries in the Star Trek universe, the Borg Collective have never encountered all four franchise crews in the official canon. This is a result of practical choices made during production and the established lore of Star Trek.

The Star Trek: TOS crew never encountered the Borg as the species had not yet come into existence during their time in the 23rd century. Furthermore, in the Star Trek universe, the Borg were primarily confined to the Delta Quadrant at that period.

The absence of the Borg Collective in the storylines of USS Discovery and Deep Space Nine was due to the presence of other formidable adversaries and the emphasis on exploring different narratives within their respective series.

Despite being the most formidable adversaries in the Star Trek universe, four different crews from the franchise have never had the opportunity to confront the Borg Collective in official canon. Initially introduced in 1989 as a fresh antagonist for Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Borg Collective has made numerous appearances throughout television, movies, video games, novels, and comic books. While renowned Starfleet Captains Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, and Jonathan Archer all had encounters with the Borg during their respective tenures, other crews were not fortunate enough to experience this dubious distinction.

The lack of confrontation between the USS Discovery and the USS Enterprise NC-1701 with the Borg Collective can be attributed to real-world production decisions and the established Star Trek canon. Although Deep Space Nine never endured a Borg assault, Lieutenant Commander Worf did lead the USS Defiant, the starship assigned to the station, into battle against the Borg in Star Trek: First Contact. Additionally, it is worth noting that these particular Star Trek crews, which never confronted the Borg, often had their own deadly nemeses to contend with, such as the Klingon Empire, the Dominion, or Species 10-C.

4 Why The Star Trek: TOS Crew Never Fought The Borg

The reason why the Star Trek: The Original Series crew never encountered the Borg Collective was because the Borg hadn't been conceptualized at that time. Within the universe, the Borg were confined to the unexplored Delta Quadrant during the 23rd century, while TOS occurred almost a century prior to Star Trek: The Next Generation's first contact with the Borg. However, some crew members such as Spock lived long enough to become aware of the Borg through events like the Battle of Wolf-359. An interesting non-canonical novel called The Return, co-written by William Shatner, did feature the Star Trek: The Original Series crew in a conflict with the Borg. The novel follows a plot where a Borg-Romulan alliance attempts to destroy the Federation, involving the implantation of false memories into the deceased Kirk's brain using Borg technology. Spock and an older Dr. Leonard McCoy join the crew of the USS Enterprise-D to free their old friend from Borg control. Although it is not considered canon, certain elements, like the Borg character Vox, were later incorporated into Star Trek: Picard season 3.

3 Star Trek's Worf, O'Brien & Sisko Fought The Borg - But The Rest Of DS9's Crew Didn't

Lt. Commander Worf and Chief Miles O'Brien served on the USS Enterprise-D during the Battle of Wolf-359, while Commander Benjamin Sisko experienced significant losses on the USS Sarratoga. Despite the desire for Sisko to seek revenge against the Borg Collective, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aimed to challenge expectations and expand the scope of the franchise. The introduction of Q in season 1 demonstrated that not all elements from The Next Generation would work in Deep Space Nine, including the inclusion of the Borg.

Since Deep Space Nine focused on exploring the Gamma Quadrant and the ensuing Dominion War, there was no logical opportunity to incorporate a Borg episode. Additionally, it seemed that the Borg Collective had not reached the Gamma Quadrant or the outskirts of Cardassian space. As a result, Deep Space Nine, as a stationary space station rather than an exploratory starship, never encountered the Borg. Furthermore, the decision was made early on to assign the Borg to Captain Janeway in the concurrent series Star Trek: Voyager, set in the Delta Quadrant.

2 J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Never Did A Borg Movie

In the 24th century, Star Trek's Prime Timeline Borg Collective does not encounter the Federation until First Contact. However, this may not be the case for their counterparts in the Kelvin Timeline. The second season of Star Trek: Picard revealed that the Borg exist in multiple universes and that the Borg Queen, played by Annie Wersching, can navigate these timelines. As a result, it is entirely possible that Nero's timeline alterations in Star Trek (2009) unintentionally lead to the Borg coming face to face with the Federation a century earlier. This occurrence is similar to how Khan Noonien-Singh was awakened early in Star Trek Into Darkness, effectively moving the Star Trek: The Original Series timeline forward.

The Borg Collective poses a significant threat, as demonstrated by the success of Star Trek: First Contact. While J.J. Abrams' Star Trek films have primarily focused on remaking and reimagining elements from the TOS era, having a Star Trek 4 that showcases Chris Pine's Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise crew against the Borg could guarantee Paramount Pictures the blockbuster success they desire. In a cinematic landscape dominated by crossovers and expansive fictional universes, this storyline could be the ticket to a box office smash.

1 Star Trek: Discovery's Crew Missed The Borg - Twice

The first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery took place after the conclusion of Scott Bakula's Star Trek: Enterprise. In this series, Archer successfully eliminated the remaining Borg drones in the Alpha Quadrant, providing Commander Michael Burnham and the USS Discovery crew with relief from the Borg threat. Nonetheless, they faced their own technological menace in the form of Control, a rogue A.I. capable of overtaking living beings using its version of Borg nanoprobes. Similar to the Borg, Control aimed to eradicate all organic life, but it was ultimately defeated by Discovery, resulting in their unexpected displacement to the 32nd century.

In the distant future, Starfleet wasn't troubled by the Borg due to catastrophic events like the Burn and the emergence of new extraterrestrial dangers such as Species 10-C, encountered by Burnham and her team in Star Trek: Discovery. It was believed that Admiral Kathryn Janeway's actions in the finale of Star Trek: Voyager effectively eradicated the Borg threat. However, Star Trek: Picard season 3 revealed that Janeway's mission was not entirely successful. Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, assisted by his son Jack Crusher and his devoted crew, ultimately succeeded in permanently eliminating the Borg, guaranteeing a future free from the influence of Star Trek's most formidable adversary.