Reconciling Enterprise's "Regeneration" with the known Borg timeline?

[SicOne]

IIRC, at the end of the "Regeneration" episode of Enterprise, the crew figured they'd never encounter the Borg again. And yet, it stands to reason they'd have documented this encounter as thoroughly as they have every other alien encounter...but by the time the Enterprise-D discovers the Borg in "Q Who?", it is as if no one in the Federation had ever heard of them before (Voyager's "The Raven" came much, much later). Picard was reduced to asking Guinan for answers.

How this pertains to Trek Lit is, has this discrepancy been handwaved in a book somewhere? Has the answer as to why the "Regeneration" events have been left undocumented in (pre)Federation history been adequately explained?

Additionally, IIRC from one of the DTI books, one of the future "timecops" (the characters from Braxton's time; I'm drawing a blank on their specific names at the moment) had said that the primary timeline is the only one in which the Borg hadn't assimilated the entirety of the galaxy by 2600. I haven't sat down with a refreshing alcoholic beverage and given this some thought, but it occurs to me just off the top of my head that in order to maintain the integrity of this timeline, the only one in which there was a "lesser" Borgpocalypse instead of the wholesale assimilation of the Milky Way, the events of Borg encounters with the Federation from "Q-Who?" forward had to be AS THEY WERE, seemingly untainted of the knowledge gained from the events of "Regeneration", in order to fully lead to the timeline of "Destiny" and the now Borg-free Trekverse. If Picard had any foreknowledge of the Borg when he first encountered the cube in "Q-Who?", recognized the danger, and immediately vaporized it with thunderous volleys of phasers and photorps, it would have changed the whole paradigm of the Borg.

My apologies if this has been asked and answered here or elsewhere; please conduct me to that discussion if it has, and thanks much.

 

[Idran]

What did the nameless cyborgs that assimilated biological beings and technology alike that came from a sphere-shaped ship and tried to signal the Delta Quadrant have to do with the cyborgs calling themselves the Borg encountered in the deep Beta quadrant in a cube-shaped ship and that were described by an omnipotent being as not caring about biology at all, only technology?

It probably just comes down to that. It's been pretty well-established in Treklit by now that there were rumors of the Borg going back ages in the deeper reaches of the Beta Quadrant (connecting it to the missing cities that the Romulans had reported finding in their territory in "Neutral Zone"), rumors that only spread further after the El Aurian refugees arrived in Alpha; it was probably exactly these rumors that inspired the Hansen's investigation, in fact, though I don't think that's been made explicit in Treklit. But as for connecting "Regeneration" to the ship encountered in "Q Who?", it was probably just different enough that there wasn't enough similarity to connect the two except possibly in hindsight.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Wasn't the Borg cube as seen in "Q Who" already headed in the direction of Federation space? So it must have picked up the distress call that was sent at the end of "Regeneration." So we're talking about a time loop, basically.

As for evidence left behind: the Borg didn't leave anything behind when they assimilated the scientists and left Earth, and there was nothing left of their ship after Archer destroyed it. And even if there were: perhaps Section 31 - which was already in existence by ENT's time frame - covered up and/or erased what little records of the Borg remained.

Also: ...what Idran said.

 

[Idran]

Wasn't the Borg cube as seen in "Q Who" already headed in the direction of Federation space?

No, the Enterprise was investigating J-25 VI after Q jumped them there, where they found a missing city like back in "Neutral Zone", and a cube just intercepted them in orbit. The Enterprise tried to run after the brief away mission on the disabled cube, but not in any particular direction, just away from them.

 

[Nyotarules]

The ST novel I've read that explains the 24th century ignorance of 22nd century preFederation Starfleet is 'The Good that men do'. Nog finds out Trip's Tucker death was faked and does not add up to the historical documents and blames the Romulan War for the gaps in official ST history.
If you add 'Destiny series' to the novel timeline then if Captain Erika Hernandez ship never ended up with the Caeliar (spelling) then the Borg would not exist in the first place, so there is a universe where there are no Borg at all! I did think the Destiny explanation was a bit of a stretch but I enjoyed the books. I think the Borg came from V'Ger so its still Earth's fault lol

Destiny series - captive Starfleet crewmen says to alien 'I don't want to be a cy...borg' And the name stuck. Its all Erika's fault for losing that ship!

 

[Nyotarules]

No, the Enterprise was investigating J-25 VI after Q jumped them there, where they found a missing city like back in "Neutral Zone", and a cube just intercepted them in orbit. The Enterprise tried to run after the brief away mission on the disabled cube, but not in any particular direction, just away from them.

As I recall Q saved their butts!

 

[Idran]

I never really got trying to connect the Borg to V'Ger. V'Ger doesn't really have anything at all in common with any Borg technology that we ever saw - it was literally eons beyond the most advanced Borg capabilities in the 24th century, let alone the 23rd or earlier - and the description of what happened to V'Ger doesn't fit the Borg MO whatsoever. The only connection at all is the "machine planet" thing, but the way that V'Ger didn't even think that "carbon units" were life really implies that the "machine planet" was literally just AIs, no biological involvement at all.

 

[Nyotarules]

I never really got trying to connect the Borg to V'Ger. V'Ger doesn't really have anything at all in common with any Borg technology that we ever saw - it was literally eons beyond the most advanced Borg capabilities in the 24th century, let alone the 23rd or earlier - and the description of what happened to V'Ger doesn't fit the Borg MO whatsoever. The only connection at all is the "machine planet" thing, but the way that V'Ger didn't even think that "carbon units" were life really implies that the "machine planet" was literally just AIs, no biological involvement at all.

Until it joined with the 'creator' who knows what influence Decker and Ilia had on it?

 

[Idran]

We know exactly what influence, though; encouraging it to transcend the physical planes and explore other realms of existence.

And having the ultimate beauty of that scene result in the creation of the Borg would really impugn the entire thematic message of the ending of TMP, having something so amazing result in something so horrifying. I mean, how would that be the beginning of the human adventure?

Plus, the ultimate flaw of the Borg is their total lack of creativity, which was exactly what the merging of V'Ger with Decker was meant to overcome in V'Ger.

 

[Gov Kodos]

IIRC, at the end of the "Regeneration" episode of Enterprise, the crew figured they'd never encounter the Borg again. And yet, it stands to reason they'd have documented this encounter as thoroughly as they have every other alien encounter...but by the time the Enterprise-D discovers the Borg in "Q Who?", it is as if no one in the Federation had ever heard of them before (Voyager's "The Raven" came much, much later). Picard was reduced to asking Guinan for answers.

How this pertains to Trek Lit is, has this discrepancy been handwaved in a book somewhere? Has the answer as to why the "Regeneration" events have been left undocumented in (pre)Federation history been adequately explained?

Additionally, IIRC from one of the DTI books, one of the future "timecops" (the characters from Braxton's time; I'm drawing a blank on their specific names at the moment) had said that the primary timeline is the only one in which the Borg hadn't assimilated the entirety of the galaxy by 2600. I haven't sat down with a refreshing alcoholic beverage and given this some thought, but it occurs to me just off the top of my head that in order to maintain the integrity of this timeline, the only one in which there was a "lesser" Borgpocalypse instead of the wholesale assimilation of the Milky Way, the events of Borg encounters with the Federation from "Q-Who?" forward had to be AS THEY WERE, seemingly untainted of the knowledge gained from the events of "Regeneration", in order to fully lead to the timeline of "Destiny" and the now Borg-free Trekverse. If Picard had any foreknowledge of the Borg when he first encountered the cube in "Q-Who?", recognized the danger, and immediately vaporized it with thunderous volleys of phasers and photorps, it would have changed the whole paradigm of the Borg.

My apologies if this has been asked and answered here or elsewhere; please conduct me to that discussion if it has, and thanks much.

A one off encounter goes into a folder and never gets opened again for over a century. How is it surprising that it was forgotten?

 

[Nyotarules]

We know exactly what influence, though; encouraging it to transcend the physical planes and explore other realms of existence.

And having the ultimate beauty of that scene result in the creation of the Borg would really impugn the entire thematic message of the ending of TMP, having something so amazing result in something so horrifying. I mean, how would that be the beginning of the human adventure?

Plus, the ultimate flaw of the Borg is their total lack of creativity, which was exactly what the merging of V'Ger with Decker was meant to overcome in V'Ger.

In the Startrek verse where hope triumphs over adversity, where good looking humans save the day I agree with ya. In the real world where humans tend to botch things with their good intentions nah...V'Ger is the Borgs' mother lol

 

[Nyotarules]

A one off encounter goes into a folder and never gets opened again for over a century. How is it surprising that it was forgotten?

Post Terra Prime

Humanity teeters on the edge of xenophobia (again) Section 31 agents deletes computer files on mysterious cyborgs, Earth is not ready to hear about mystery bogey men.
USS Enterprise crew are promised the best retirement plan money can buy to keep their mouths shut. Archer is guaranteed promotion to the Admiralty, Elizabeth Tucker is secretly healed but the public are told she died, Trip and T'Pol and baby enter the witness protection programme on Denobula, Reed gets a girlfriend and is not doomed to a life of loneliness, Travis gets a life.

 

[Gov Kodos]

Or just document deleted.

Real life is often far more prosaic than literature.

 

[shapeshifter]

Since Novels have been allowed into the discussion, Memory Prime tells a tale about a Federation Historical Depot, "Memory Alpha" losing a lot of data after an attack by the 'Lights of Zetar' aliens.

The record of events depicted in Regeneration could be presumed lost at that time. How convenient, eh?

But I prefer the Section 31 covered it up theory since that org is known to be a little shady plus it is canon.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I never really got trying to connect the Borg to V'Ger. V'Ger doesn't really have anything at all in common with any Borg technology that we ever saw - it was literally eons beyond the most advanced Borg capabilities in the 24th century, let alone the 23rd or earlier - and the description of what happened to V'Ger doesn't fit the Borg MO whatsoever. The only connection at all is the "machine planet" thing, but the way that V'Ger didn't even think that "carbon units" were life really implies that the "machine planet" was literally just AIs, no biological involvement at all.

The Borg are thousands of years old, much older than V'Ger. So V'Ger can't be the creator of the Borg. And as you say, V'Ger doesn't fit anyway - the Borg would have most likely dismissed Voyager 6 as too primitive. It wouldn't be worth their time or effort.

 

[Jedi Ben]

You could invoke time travel changes I suppose:

Pre-First Contact: Colonies mysteriously annihilated in the Neutral Zone, year or so later cue Q-Who and it all kicks off from there.

Post-First Contact: There's now earlier knowledge of the Borg, but it's a different timeline?

Such is time travel craziness....

 

[JoeZhang]

I think the more prosaic information seeking issue is the simplest - even the crew (on the E-D) or their AI running the search don't look for or locate the right files - why does it need to be come complex than that?

 

[Idran]

You could invoke time travel changes I suppose:

Pre-First Contact: Colonies mysteriously annihilated in the Neutral Zone, year or so later cue Q-Who and it all kicks off from there.

Post-First Contact: There's now earlier knowledge of the Borg, but it's a different timeline?

Such is time travel craziness....

You could, but I honestly think that "Q Who" as it stands is no more incompatible with later Borg revelations than "Heart of Glory" is incompatible with later Klingon revelations, or "The Last Outpost" is with later Ferengi revelations. They were all just bumpy starts that have minor clashes with later presentations but overall don't fit horribly into our later understanding of the respective races.

 

[Csalem]

You could invoke time travel changes I suppose:

Pre-First Contact: Colonies mysteriously annihilated in the Neutral Zone, year or so later cue Q-Who and it all kicks off from there.

Post-First Contact: There's now earlier knowledge of the Borg, but it's a different timeline?

Such is time travel craziness....

Yeah that is sort of how I always tried to reconcile it in my mind. E-D "first" meets them in Q-Who. They have their adventures and First Contact happens when the Borg travel back in time.
Archer then "first" meets them in Regeneration. The stories of these cyborgs become lost in history becoming rumours and suchlike which is what the Hansens pursue which leads to Seven of Nine, etc.

Not a great explanation I accept but works for me.

 

[Idran]

The stories of these cyborgs become lost in history becoming rumours and suchlike which is what the Hansens pursue which leads to Seven of Nine, etc.

Why can't it just be rumors drifting out from the area where the Borg actually are known to have been active contemporaneously, though? System J-25 was only 2 or 3 years away at Warp 9-ish, that's like a decade or two at civilian speeds; that might be a slow spread of rumors, but not an insurmountable one. I mean, the El-Aurian homeworld was in Borg territory, and dozens of El-Aurian refugees made it to the Federation core worlds.

The Federation might just not put any stock into the rumors as an organization because they sound so ridiculous and because verifying them would require cutting through Romulan territory to reach the deep Beta Quadrant on what, at the time, would probably have to be a devoted decade-long mission there and back to investigate stories of cyborgs of mass destruction.

Judging by "Q Who", the outer fringes of Borg territory were not nearly as far away as people tend to think.