The Fate of the Borg Collective: What Would Happen if the Queen Died and the Collective Collapsed?

With the conclusion of Voyager: Endgame, we are left with a significant question: What would have happened if the Borg Collective fell apart after the death of the Borg Queen?

What Happened in Voyager: Endgame

In Voyager: Endgame, Captain Janeway used a virus to disable the assimilation abilities of the Borg Queen. This virus rendered the Collective essentially inert after the death of the Queen. The surviving members of the Collective were left decaying and unable to assimilate new life forms. This scenario left the Collective in a fragile and weakened state.

What Happened to the Borg Collective?

Voyager: Endgame ended without showing the aftermath of the Collective's collapse, but subsequent developments and canonical interpretations have offered some insights. The key point is that the Borg Collective, after the death of the Queen, became effectively inert. Without a central control and no backup plans, the Collective slowly decayed, leaving a handful of necrotic Borg units.

Other Perspectives: How the Collective Survived the Queen's Death

Several alternative perspectives in non-canon materials and future continuities suggest that the Borg Queen did not die as a result of Janeway's virus. Instead, the virus damaged the Collective drastically but not entirely. The physical body of the Queen was destroyed, but her consciousness survived, either backed up elsewhere or re-uploaded.

Even with the damage, the Borg continued their expansion. They viewed the Federation, and by extension the Alpha Quadrant, as a significant threat, leading to a series of genocidal strikes culminating in the devastating Borg invasion of 2381. These strikes were well-documented in official novels and supplementary materials like Star Trek Online.

The Future of the Borg Collective: Insights from Star Trek: Picard

Canonical information on the Borg Collective post-2001 has been limited until the release of Star Trek: Picard. This series provides the first updates on the Borg since Voyager concluded. In Nemesis, the Borg were not a significant threat compared to the potential destabilization of Romulus.

Star Trek: Picard introduces the concept of remnant Borg units and the creation of the J-Borg, a subgroup of Borg derived from the remnants of the original Collective. The events in Picard have significant implications for the state of the Borg, influencing their future actions and interactions within the galaxy.

Conclusion

The fate of the Borg Collective after the death of the Borg Queen is complex and multifaceted. While Voyager: Endgame presented a scenario where the Collective fell apart, non-canon materials and new series like Star Trek: Picard have offered alternative interpretations. Whether the Collective survived the Queen's death, or collapsed and was reorganized, the future of the Borg in the Star Trek universe remains a central and dynamic storyline.

Key Takeaways:

The Borg Queen survived the fall of the Collective in many non-canon interpretations. The Borg underwent significant damage but not complete annihilation, leading to genocidal strikes in 2381. Star Trek: Picard provides new insights into the post-Voyager state and actions of the Borg Collective.

As we continue to explore the vast and rich universe of Star Trek, the fate of the Borg Collective remains a fascinating and complex narrative thread.