Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks #4!
I’m convinced few are as terrifying as the Borg, and for good reason: they defeat you by assimilating you into their collective. Now, in Star Trek: Lower Decks #4, Tendi and Rutherford, with help from some extradimensional aliens, create a better version of the Borg.
Ryan North is currently writing the One World Under Doom miniseries for Marvel.
Star Trek: Lower Decks #4 is written by Ryan North and drawn by Jack Lawrence. Two non-corporeal aliens have taken possession of Tendi and Rutherford. The aliens place Tendi and Rutherford’s consciousness into the ship’s computer. While on the computer, the two are able to meld their knowledge with the enormous computing power of the ship. When the aliens turn violent, Tendi and Rutherford construct bodies for themselves out of various mechanical parts, including, hilariously, Data action figures. Using their new bodies and brain power, they are able to save the Cerritos.
The Borg Were a Different Kind of Star Trek Enemy Species
The Borg Could Not Be Reasoned With--And Made You One of Them
Tendi and Rutherford, whether they realize it or not, may have just stumbled onto a better version of the Borg, one that is the perfect synthesis of flesh and machine. The Borg, hailing from the Delta Quadrant, are amalgamations of organic beings and mechanical parts. Devoid of personality and humanity, the Borg managed to conquer much of the Delta Quadrant, and were making excursions into the others when Q initiated first in the episode “Q Who.” The Federation and the Borg would fight more times over the years, before they were defeated for good in Picard season three.
The Borg were originally intended to replace the Ferengi as Star Trek: The Next Generation's main bad guys.
The Borg were Star Trek’s scariest aliens. Before Q placed the Enterprise in the Borg’s path, he told Picard there were species in the galaxy unlike anything he had seen before–and he was right. All of Star Trek’s other enemy races, such as the Klingons or the Romulans, could be reasoned with. These races were not monoliths and there was a diversity of thought. Not so with the Borg. The Borg are one, as the assimilation process robs a person of their individuality. They are given a designation, and become one of the many.
Not All Cyborgs in the Star Trek Universe Are Evil
The Bynars and Even the Federation Use Cybernetic Technology
Star Trek has depicted over the years other races that also walk the line between machine and human.
Star Trek has depicted over the years other races that also walk the line between machine and human. In the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, fans met the Bynars. These diminutive humanoid aliens, who work and live in pairs, are all wired to a central computer on their homeworld. They do not have names like humans do, and when not communicating with other species, they speak in code. In their first appearance, the Bynars attempt to hijack the Enterprise’s computers to save their planet. The Bynars would later appear in season four of Star Trek: Lower Decks.
We Never Thought Star Trek Would Do It, But Spock Just Embraced the Borg
The Borg strike fear into the hearts of everyone in the Star Trek universe, and now the impossible has happened: Spock has been assimilated.
The Star Trek franchise has also shown the Federation and other Alpha/Beta Quadrant powers engaged in cybernetic research of their own. The Federation has a Cybernetics research division, as seen in Picard season one. Starfleet personnel also have cybernetic components. Lower Decks’ own Rutherford is one such example, and his cybernetic implants augment his brain power. They also, as seen in Lower Decks’ finale, regulate his emotional state as well. Rutherford received his implants after an accident, raising questions about disability and accessibility at that time. Geordi La Forge’s VISOR could also be considered in that light.
A forerunner to Geordi La Forge's VISOR can be seen on a background crewmember on Star Trek: Discovery.
In typical Star Trek fashion, the issue of cybernetic implants has been handled with subtlety and nuance. The Borg represent everything bad about mixing flesh and machine, taking it to its horrifying extreme. Even though the Borg’s origin has never been revealed, they are still a cautionary tale about the evils of cybernetics. The Federation, on the other hand, seeks a harmonious balance between the two, and they have had great success in this area. Rutherford exemplifies this approach. His cybernetic implants enhance the quality of his life, rather than turning him into an unfeeling automaton.
Tendi and Rutherford May Have Hit On A Good Version of the Borg
However, Starfleet May Have Trouble Duplicating the Results
Tendi and Rutherford create their own, good version of the Borg in Star Trek: Lower Decks #4. After the non-corporeal aliens put the duo in the ship’s computer, they are able to think faster and process more information–just like a computer. The bodies they build for themselves, while jury-rigged, are also mechanical in nature. While there is no organic material present, the pair still retain their humanity–unlike the Borg. If the Federation can duplicate the process, they will be able to create better cyborgs and computers.
Star Trek's Cutest Borg Has Returned (in The Form Fans Demanded)
Latinum, the cutest Borg in the Star Trek universe, returns for a special anniversary celebration, alongside other franchise icons such as Sisko.
Unfortunately, this will remain a pipe dream for Federation cybernetics researchers. Tendi and Rutherford only got their awesome cybernetic upgrades thanks to a race of aliens from another dimension, aliens that are now dead. The aliens used their god-like powers to create the perfect synthesis of organics and mechanics. It is possible that, one day, the Federation could repeat the process, but it is unlikely, leaving the dream of a more wholesome Borg unfulfilled in the Star Trek universe.
Star Trek: Lower Decks #4 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!
