The Borg

[at Quark's]

^In order to beat these supposedly (near-)invincible Borg, you need either:

a) access to a power greater than theirs, or
b) unexpected weak spots and/or Achilles' heels

There aren't many more flavours than that, I'm afraid.

a) was used in the first episode (Q Who), and b) essentially in all the episodes after that, having the collective (pun intended) effect of nerfing the Collective more and more.

 

[JesterFace]

Picard had been a Borg, he knew a thing or two about it.
Maybe he chose the plan that had more potential to work.
Plan 1 was to send Hugh back with something printed on his memory that could damage the Borg.
Plan 2 was to send an individual Borg to the collective, a drone that was already a member of the hive mind. That could be more effective.
Also, plan 1 was like Geordi said, sending Hugh cack to the collectice like a walking bomb, plan 2 was more "human" way to do it.
STNG, the trial of humanity, works well in that way.

Also, here's where my headcanon comes in. Prepare for.... weirdness.
As I'm not a fan of what happened in Descent 1 & 2, I like to think that what Picard anticipated in 'I Borg' did happen. After 'I Borg' there was no Borg. There were individual Borg drones like we saw in 'Descent' only individuality spread through the entire collective, not just one ship that picked up High. But that's just me, fortunately headcanon is allowed.

 

[Jedi Marso]

(The real life reason is of course budget constraints. In the original Borg concept, they were supposed to be insectoid.)

Insectoid Borg would have been the stuff of nightmares. Especially arachnid-esque Borg. Picard would have used the virus on them then. I hope.

 

[Farscape One]

That's why 31 infected the founders. Nechayev probably was working with 31, that would make perfect sense. Doesn't make it right to, as Guinan put it, use a person to destroy his race, like 31 used Odo.

I actually don't think Necheyev was working with or for Section 31. I think it's too easy to lump any decision made by an admiral that seems morally controversial as being a part of that organization.

Necheyev was a bit cold and a hard ass, but I never got the sense that she was a 'badmiral' or nefarious or evil. I find her one of the more interesting ones during the TNG/DS9/VOY era. (I think a series set in the mid 24th century with her character as one of the leads or recurring would be interesting.

 

[DonIago]

Insectoid Borg would have been the stuff of nightmares. Especially arachnid-esque Borg. Picard would have used the virus on them then. I hope.

Kind of horrible to think that whether or not Picard chose to use the pretty picture would be solely dependent on what the Borg looked like.

 

[DonIago]

I actually don't think Necheyev was working with or for Section 31. I think it's too easy to lump any decision made by an admiral that seems morally controversial as being a part of that organization.

Necheyev was a bit cold and a hard ass, but I never got the sense that she was a 'badmiral' or nefarious or evil. I find her one of the more interesting ones during the TNG/DS9/VOY era. (I think a series set in the mid 24th century with her character as one of the leads or recurring would be interesting.

Given Nechayev's generally cool interactions with Picard, I actually found her antagonism toward him here relatively understandable. She comes off as being a strict pragmatist who wasn't around during the events that she's judging and is looking at it solely in terms of what she believes would have been the best option for the greatest number of people.

 

[Frontis]

I never really cared about the Borg being logical.
What counted for me was that've been scarry and dangerous.
Later, especially in Voyager and Picard they got ridiculous.

 

[TheCaptainsLog]

Kind of horrible to think that whether or not Picard chose to use the pretty picture would be solely dependent on what the Borg looked like.

So you're saying that Picard's decision on insect hive mind horde with lasers and interstellar travel that want to assimilate you should clearly be rejected, but because Borg are white and humanoid that having a hive mind with lasers and interstellar travel might be ok ... within certain parameters... Is that what you are suggesting?

 

[at Quark's]

Kind of horrible to think that whether or not Picard chose to use the pretty picture would be solely dependent on what the Borg looked like.

In fact, I could see TNG Picard make a speech on that. How we shouldn't decide to take the more destructive course of action of the two just because they look scary and repugnant to us.

 

[SithHappens]

Won't a cube be the most efficient space ship design? Maximum space and no need for being streamlined as space travel doesn't demand it

 

[TheCaptainsLog]

Won't a cube be the most efficient space ship design? Maximum space and no need for being streamlined as space travel doesn't demand it

You wouldn't be able to pass through atmospheres though, you have to have a way to deflect heat and gases.

 

[at Quark's]

Won't a cube be the most efficient space ship design? Maximum space and no need for being streamlined as space travel doesn't demand it

You wouldn't be able to pass through atmospheres though, you have to have a way to deflect heat and gases.

The Borg value efficiency, but they don't necessarily have the same ideas about it as we do. Look at how easily they sacrifice drones in phaser fires before they adapt, for example. Our idea of efficiency probably would be to let the enemy fire, analyse their phaser frequencies and adapt, while taking cover until that adaptation is complete. They don't.

 

[DonIago]

So you're saying that Picard's decision on insect hive mind horde with lasers and interstellar travel that want to assimilate you should clearly be rejected, but because Borg are white and humanoid that having a hive mind with lasers and interstellar travel might be ok ... within certain parameters... Is that what you are suggesting?

I'm saying that if Picard's decisions regarding the Borg are based solely on their physical appearance that that's pretty damn awful of him.