One of Star Trek’s Best Villains Ruined The Next Generation’s Strongest Addition To Lore

Many of Star Trek‘s most frightening and affecting episodes aren’t the result of space battles; rather, they work because of some deeply unsettling philosophical concept that poses a genuine threat to the Federation. Some of the most interesting ideas came specifically from The Next Generation, when Trek introduced some of its best bad guys, many of which went on to define the franchise as a whole and distinguish it from The Original Series. 

The Borg, officially introduced in TNG Season 2, were among these defining villains, whose lore helped shape the Trek we know and love today. However, when the Borg Queen (played by Alice Krige) was introduced in First Contact, she ultimately undermined what made the Borg so great in the first place. Beloved as a villain, the Queen posed her own kind of threat, but when you consider that the Borg were one of the franchise’s strongest villains due to their operating as a collective, the presence of a singular leader doesn’t make much sense. 

Did the Borg Queen Ruin the Idea of the Borg?

The Borg’s first appearance in The Next Generation was terrifying because of how they resisted the typical Trek villain formula. There was no central figurehead to negotiate with, no ideology to argue against, and no obvious way to gain leverage. The Borg aren’t motivated by personal vendettas, but they assimilate simply because that is their method of operation. The Next Generation episodes “Q Who” and “Best of Both Worlds” are perhaps the best examples of the Borg moving them as a singular system or force of nature. Yet after the Borg Queen appears, it’s easier to view them as a more traditional “society,” which technically makes them more fallible and less of a threat. 

Read Next

What Went Wrong With the Rebooted Star Trek Movies: How the Kelvin Timeline Died

The Queen was introduced in First Contact and further developed throughout Voyager (played by Susanna Thompson). Through her leadership, the Queen fundamentally altered the way the Collective operated, speaking with one distinct voice. When interacting with Data, the Queen expresses interest, curiosity, and obsession; the same kinds of desires and emotions that humans experience. Although Krige’s Queen makes an extremely memorable and formidable antagonist, her presence introduced a hierarchy like that of a beehive (with the Queen as the central authority figure in the Collective), and therefore, the possibility of weakness in the Collective (if the Queen is destroyed, the Collective will collapse). 

While the Queen is often still ranked among the best Trek villains, her presence undoubtedly reduces the fear factor of the original Borg concept. The original Borg did not hate their enemies, but actually barely recognized them. The process of assimilating was merely a procedure. The Queen brought ego, personal desire, and self-control, all concepts that oppose the idea of a completely collective intellect. Instead of expanding the mythology of the Borg, her introduction (however beloved) limited it by returning it to the familiar villain recipe. 

Do you think the Queen made the Borg less scary? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!