I, Borg is a powerful, intelligent episode that makes all the right choices for the all important “next” Borg episode, the one that would, necessarily, have to follow The Best of Both Worlds. The story is excellent and the acting, particularly from Hugh, is spot on. All-in-all, I, Borg is one of the best episodes of TNG.

Responding to a distress signal in a remote system, the Enterprise finds the wreckage of a scout craft. Amongst the debris, they find just one survivor: an adolescent Borg. Dr. Crusher, ever the humanitarian, insists that they assist the injured Borg, and repair his injuries. After an all-too-brief hesitation, Picard consents and the Borg is beamed directly into a holding cell, where Dr. Crusher does indeed restore him to health.

It would seem a bit odd for Picard to so quickly agree to render assistance to the Borg, especially considering what happened to him in The Best of Both Worlds. And, true enough, Picard’s motivations aren’t purely humanitarian. He plans to infect the Borg with a type of computer virus that would, in theory, eliminate all Borg … every last one of them. And so we get the inherent moral conflict of the episode: is it acceptable for Picard to use this one Borg as an instrument of destruction for the entire race of Borg? An enemy that has sworn to assimilate the entire Federation?

Picard sets LaForge to work, with the assistance of Dr. Crusher, to figure out a way to “program” the Borg with the virus. And this sets up the brilliance of I, Borg. LaForge and Dr. Crusher begin to work closely with the Borg, who identifies himself as “Third of Five.” They even give him a name, “Hugh.” And so, by personalizing the enemy, the episode gives us an intimate, and vital, view into this grand conflict between Borg and Federation.

As it turns out, without the collective entering his thoughts, Hugh begins to discover his individuality. He and LaForge even manage to forge (pun intended) a friendship. Hugh not only learns the meaning of friendship, but he also learns that resistance is not futile. This is done rather well by the episode, one step at a time. It’s plausible. And it’s captivating. And it’s the key to turning the against what would have been a horrific act on the part of Picard.

As one would expect, Picard, and Guinan, harbor a deep hatred for the Borg. But when LaForge talks to Guinan, he is able to turn the tables on her. Instead of Guinan prompting a crew member to follow his/her conscience, LaForge prompts Guinan to confront Hugh, to talk with him. And so Guinan does.

And when she finishes her discussion with Hugh, she pushes Picard to do the same. The scene between Hugh and Picard (whom Hugh recognizes as Locutus), is particularly compelling. And it culminates with Hugh’s outright refusal to assimilate the Enterprise and his friend, LaForge, by saying “I will not.”

Both Guinan and Picard see the sheer hubris and immorality of their intentions. And Picard is left with a very dangerous, yet necessary decision: give Hugh the choice to seek asylum on board the Enterprise — knowing full well that doing so would be very, very dangerous. Hugh realizes this, too, and so he chooses to return to the collective. The danger to him is that the Borg would erase his memory, and every last bit of his individuality. It’s a sacrifice he chooses … for the sake of his friends on the Enterprise.

But all is not lost. As Picard says … perhaps the spirit of Hugh’s individuality will spread throughout the Borg. And, perhaps, that could lead to a profound change that might, someday, result in the end of hostilities.

As the episode concludes, LaForge and Hugh say their farewells. As he is beamed back aboard the Borg ship, Hugh gives one last nod to LaForge hinting that, perhaps, his individuality will not be entirely lost.

I, Borg is a worthy sequel to The Best of Both Worlds. It plays off of the very natural consequences of those epic episodes. And it personalizes the story in such a way that is exceptionally relevant to our society, especially now, almost two decades after its initial release.

Topics: Borg
Filed under: TNG Reviews