13

In this answer to Why do the Borg have physical computer interfaces?, the poster states:

As mentioned by MarvelX42, when assimilating a ship that uses screens, it makes sense to just keep using those screens rather than to re-program the whole ship to bypass them. This is especially compelling since we see "Borg consoles" much more often on assimilated ships, like the Enterprise-E, than on native Borg constructs, like the Cubes, where Drones are more commonly locked into their docking stations.

What is the final or end state of a starship of non-Borg origin that has been assimilated by the Borg? In First Contact, we see an attempt to assimilate the Enterprise-E in which the Borg interface their own systems with the Enterprise's existing systems, but the attempt is stopped before it is completed and so we do not find out what would have happened if it had been completed.

When a ship has been fully assimilated, what happens to it?

  • Is it converted into a Cube or other Borg ship design (e.g. existing Cubes might have remnants of whatever ship they were originally deep down somewhere in their cores, or they might become Cubes of Theseus)?
  • Does it become a Borg-mod version of whatever ship it was originally, with many of its original quirks preserved (e.g. somewhere out there in Borg space may be Borgified Cardassian Galor-class cruisers, Klingon Birds-of-Prey, etc., assigned to less-important patrols and missions that do not require the full might of a Cube)?
  • Is it flown to the nearest Borg base and disassembled for parts or materials?

Is this ever explained at any level of canon, including novels?

T.J.L.
  • 5,451
  • 4
  • 29
  • 51
Robert Columbia
  • 18,885
  • 9
  • 74
  • 149
  • 3
    Cannibalised for parts like a stolen Chevy. – Valorum Nov 02 '17 at 16:49
  • 3
    That's an interesting question! I doubt it's covered at all in canon, but would make great novel material. (and perhaps has already) – Z. Cochrane Nov 02 '17 at 16:57
  • I can think of one example of an assimilated ship, but it's from a video game... and it's not really a perfect example for this question. The ship itself isn't actually controlled by the Borg, but by a (certifiably insane) Vulcan. – Ellesedil Nov 02 '17 at 17:12
  • @Ellesedil Which game was that? It sounds interesting. – Vanguard3000 Nov 02 '17 at 17:39
  • 2
    Arctic One, seen in an episode of Enterprise, is an example of a Borg-assimilated ship. Kind of makes you wonder if the unusually-shaped "Borg Scout" used by Hugh et al. was a similar "conversion" rather than a fully Borg construction. Anyway, Arctic One is here: http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Arctic_One – Vanguard3000 Nov 02 '17 at 17:42
  • @Vanguard3000 I thought of that, but Borg Arctic One didn't make it back to Borg space and so we don't find out whether the crew would have turned it over to the Curator of the Museum of Non-Borg Made Ships for preservation and study and then proceeded to new assignments on Cubes or whether they would stick around with the ship as they went exploring and assimilating, dreaming of someday scrounging up enough materials to make it into a full Cube. – Robert Columbia Nov 02 '17 at 17:46
  • See my answer-ified version of my comment for more info. – Vanguard3000 Nov 02 '17 at 17:53
  • @Vanguard3000 Star Trek: Legacy. All 5 captains make an appearance in the game as well, voiced by their original actors. Unfortunately, the execution isn't really that great. The game was rushed out, to its detriment. – Ellesedil Nov 02 '17 at 19:02

1 Answers1

17

Before enter image description here

After enter image description here

Arctic One, seen in an episode of Enterprise, is an example of a Borg-assimilated ship.

From Arctic One's Memory Alpha entry:

In the writer's commentary for "Regeneration" on the ENT Season 2 DVD, the episode's writers revealed that the reason the ship's mass kept growing was that the ship would have eventually evolved into a Borg sphere, implying that the Borg don't have traditional shipyards, but instead take ships they attack and assimilate them. This information wasn't conveyed in the episode, however.

Because it wasn't actually shown in the episode, whether this information represents Star Trek canon remains to be seen. Taking the quote at face value, however, any assimilated ship would just get added to an built up until it eventually becomes a sphere or cube.

Kind of makes you wonder if the unusually-shaped "Borg Scout" used by Hugh et al. was a similar "conversion" in early stages of growing into a sphere or cube.

Community
  • 1
Vanguard3000
  • 8,846
  • 3
  • 41
  • 71