Unveiling the Epic Borg Transformation of Star Trek's Jack Crusher: A Revelation Bigger Than Picard

Summary

In a remarkable deviation from the norm, Jack Crusher retained his hair following assimilation into the Borg collective, an uncommon distinction not bestowed upon his own father, Picard.

In Star Trek: Picard season 3, the decision to allow Jack to maintain his hair may have been made for production reasons, symbolizing his crucial role as the central figure in the Borg Queen's scheme.

Given the Borg Collective's defeat, Jack Crusher is likely the only named individual to have been assimilated by the Borg and retain his hair, thereby establishing him as an exceptional and notable character within the Star Trek universe.

In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) surpassed the changes the Borg made to his father, Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The Blu-ray and DVD release of Star Trek: Picard season 3 includes enlightening commentary tracks by showrunner Terry Matalas and the cast, including Ed Speleers. During the commentary for the series finale, "The Last Generation," they mention a fascinating exception granted to Jack Crusher by the Borg.

Jack Crusher played a crucial role in Star Trek: Picard season 3. As the son of Jean-Luc Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), Jack was revealed to be the key figure in the Borg Queen's (Alice Krige) plan to assimilate Starfleet, enhance the Borg, and seek revenge against the United Federation of Planets. Having grown up without his father, Jack spent his early life exploring the galaxy in search of connection. Unbeknownst to him, the nightmarish visions that haunted him since childhood were a result of the organic Borg DNA inherited from his assimilated father, who became Locutus of Borg in the iconic "The Best of Both Worlds" episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Jack Crusher’s Borg Change Was Bigger Than Picard’s

When Jack Crusher became Vox, assimilated by the Borg Queen and tasked with transmitting a signal that would turn young Starfleet Officers into Borg, he was granted a unique privilege - he was allowed to keep his hair. Normally, organic beings lose their hair during the Borg's cybernetic conversion process. However, Jack, now known as Vox of Borg, retained his brown locks, a significant change akin to the Borg Queen giving him a name, just as she did to Jack's father, Jean-Luc Picard. As Captain Liam Shaw, portrayed by Todd Stashwick, accused Jean-Luc in a scene from Star Trek: Picard season 3, Locutus was "the only Borg so deadly they gave him a goddamn name!"

During the commentary track for the season 3 finale of Star Trek: Picard, titled "The Last Generation," the actors and Terry Matalas shared some lighthearted moments poking fun at Jack Crusher retaining his hair as a Borg. Jeri Ryan, who portrayed former Borg Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager, humorously noted that she was not allowed to keep her blonde locks when her character was depicted as a Borg Drone. It raises curiosity about whether the Borg would have allowed Locutus to keep his hair in Star Trek: The Next Generation if Jean-Luc Picard had not been initially bald.

Why The Borg Gave Picard & Jack Crusher Names & Hair

The Borg distinguished Jean-Luc Picard and his son, Jack Crusher, from the countless others they assimilated by giving them names. Initially, Locutus was believed to be the Borg's representative against the United Federation of Planets, but in Star Trek: First Contact, Captain Picard discovered that the Borg Queen desired Locutus as a companion or counterpart. Likewise, Jack Crusher, known as Vox, was likely intended for more than just relaying the Borg's signals. The Borg Queen had been nurturing Jack since birth and considered various names before settling on Vox.

For reasons known only to the Borg Queen, she saw Picard and Jack as unique, even though they ultimately joined forces to defeat her and the Collective. In season 3 of Star Trek: Picard, the decision to let Ed Speleers keep his hair as Jack was likely a production choice, as Crusher would always be saved by his father. By rescuing Jack with his hair intact, it allowed him to reunite with his parents on the USS Enterprise-D while still maintaining his original appearance, albeit with Borg cybernetics. Now that the malevolent Borg Collective has been conquered, Jean-Luc Picard and Jack Crusher are likely the last individuals to have been named by the Borg, and Jack will be the only one to retain his hair.

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