If Hugh wants to separate from the collective then why not de-Borg him? I'm sure Crusher could have done it, and it worked for Picard and Anika and the Borg don't obsess over getting them back.

Strange that section 31 did not have an operative on the Enterprise that would have made sure that Hugh saw that collective destroying shape. If they will destroy the founders then surely they will destroy the Borg.

Why doesn't Hugh regenerate when he is damaged? It's been clearly established that the Borg can do this.

Why does Picard tell Geordi of their hiding plan right in front of Hugh? When the Borg take him back they will know of this!

Why is the Enterprise so worried about a Borg scout ship with only like 5 people on it? If Voyager can defeat one like this but bigger then certainly the Enterprise could if they (the Borg) decided to attack.

I thought this was a brillant episode about morals. It's easy to say that Starfleet does not put innocent civilians at risk when there really isn't a war going on, but now Starfleet is fighting the Borg. Picard not using the innocent Hugh really showed moral character.

They show a picture to hugh that apparently is impossible to calculate, and as a result will make the Borg collective collapse. Wouldn't this be a very serious flaw, and isn't it likely that they would come accross such images as they assimilate thousands of species?
Don't they already have such images already floating about in their collective mind? Wouldn't they have protections against such Trojan images/programs?

How come the crew claim that their original virus that they planned to use against the Borg (the picture) would infect the entire collective, but the Hugh emotion thing doesn't affect the entire collective?

They were wrong, given what we saw in Descent?

Before they beam Hugh aboard, Capt. Picard tells someone to get a detention cell ready (or something like that.) He then tells LaForge that they need to block the Borg's subspace signals. LaForge replies that he'll set up a subspace dampening field around the detention cell. How did he know that they were going to put Hugh in a detention cell? I suppose he just assumed that, but he seemed pretty sure of himself.

I'm sorry. I have a very hard time believing that their virus plan would work. I'm sure all cubes are loaded with Norton Anti-Virus. (Then again, that would mean they run Windows... hmmmm)

Cbooton: "If Hugh wants to separate from the collective then why not de-borg him? I'm sure Crusher could have done it, and it worked for Picard and Anika and the Borg don't obsess over getting them back."

If they had de-Borged Hugh, they'd have been stuck with him for the rest of the series. Plus, there'd have been no "Descent" (well, at least the season 6 finale would have been a much-different episode).

I guess I'd be considered a 'barbarian' with my 21st century thinking, but the crew doesn't hang onto their anger for the 11,000 deaths at Wolf 359 for long. Is it conceivable that none of them knew any of the Starfleet,officers that died in battle, and thus haven't got an emotional anchor to hate the Borg? I understand that the concept of the episode was don't hate Hugh, because he's a victim of the Borg, too, but in the end they were much too lenient against the Borg in their subtle attack.

This was the first ep of Star Trek I ever cried in. When it aired for the first time back in the early 90's Barney the big purple dinosaur was all the rage with the kiddies, and his ad kept coming on. The one with that annoying song:"I love you, you love me, we're a happy family...". Since we dubbed this ep "Hugh, the Freindly Borg" I wrote a very special theme based on the same Barney tune:

I love Hugh,
Hugh loves us
We're a happy
Col-lect-Uve

You'll be assimillated in a little while,
Because resistance is futile.

That's actually the "This Old Man" tune. That darn Barney just ripped it off. ;-)

If the Federation is at war with the Borg, then couldn't Dr. Crusher's attempts to save the life of Third Of Five be considered an act of treason or at least giving aid and comfort to the enemy?

There appears to be snow on the ground of the moon, but none of the Enterprise personnel seemed to be bothered by the cold.

Not if she has Picard's permission to do so, and we know Picard's reasons for "rescuing" Hugh are to use him to destroy the Borg.

KAM: do you mean when Crusher saves Hugh after the crash, or when she argues against Picard's plan.

In present day war, our doctors treat the wounded from both sides.

I meant the former.

And it appears the answer to my question is "No".

In BOBW Pt. 2, Crusher suggests using Nanites to infiltrate the Borg to disable them. At that time, it would've taken too long for the Nanites to do their thing. Why didn't the STTNG crew try it in THIS episode? That way, the Nanites would infect the Borg & they'd never hear from them again. (Tada!)

Of course if they did that, there'd be no more "Borg" stories...and we can't have THAT now, can we?

My peeve about this episode is when Hugh says to crusher "Do I have a name?". I, not we. It kind of ruins the end of the episode when Hugh using the word I in front of Picard brings Picard understanding of Hugh's emergent individuality

NANJAO: This story is so syrupy, you can almost smell the pancakes. It's like they hired Fred Rogers (From Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood) to write this episode. I was totally disgusted with Picard's final decision seeing what happens in "Decent" & "First Contact" (The Movie)

Well, Picard did what he felt he had to do. Hugh had attained individuality, and was no longer loyal to the Collective, and Picard thought that sending him back would disable the Collective.

As far as syrupy, well, that final scene at the end of Act 4 was EXCELLENT.

And what does what happened in ST First Contact have to do with this episode?

Picard helped Hugh in this episode & he went back to the Collective. The Borg Collective knew this and "repaid" humanity's kindness by going back in time in "First Contact" (The Movie) to assimilate Earth & almost assimilated the crew as well. If they'd followed thru with their ORIGINAL plan, there'd be no "Descent Pt 1 & 2", and no "First Contact" Movie because there'd be no more Borg.

And then wouldn't everyone be crying foul because such an overall wimpy plan destroyed the Federation's most powerful enemy in a single talky episode? I don't think the alternative would have been received better than what we got. Some things have to be sacrificed for drama.

I still can't see how the events of this episode account for those in the film "First Contact". As far as I'm aware, the motive behind the second Borg attack on Earth was not the return of Hugh to the Collective but rather as a follow-up for the first attack that began with the events of "Q Who?" and continued with "The Best of Both Worlds".

Mark Bowman: Don't they already have such images already floating about in their collective mind? Wouldn't they have protections against such Trojan images/programs?

Rene: How come the crew claim that their original virus that they planned to use against the Borg (the picture) would infect the entire collective, but the Hugh emotion thing doesn't affect the entire collective?

It's my impression that the Borg would have adapted to Hugh's individuality the same way they adapted to the other weapons they had faced over the years, in this case by effectively placing a portion of the collective under "individuality quarantine" - hence the renegade Borg seen in "Descent" AND the "normal" Borg since "First Contact".

Sven - You'd think that after this episode the Borg would think to themselves, "Hey, the humans rescued & healed one of us. Maybe they're not so bad after all. Perhaps we should declare a truce or something." At least, that what I think. However, Matthew Patterson does have a valid point that I should consider.

Sven - You'd think that after this episode the Borg would think to themselves, "Hey, the humans rescued & healed one of us. Maybe they're not so bad after all. Perhaps we should declare a truce or something." At least, that what I think.

Wouldn't that be sorta like assuming that since we gave the North Koreans some food aid, they should immediately give up a half-century of fanatic Marxism and hand over all their nuclear weapons immediately? A nice though, yes, but horribly naiive.

Besides, the Borg don't do what they do out of that type of rationale to begin with. Their whole entire existence, their raison d'etre, is assimilating other species, not conquering them.
From that angle - even augmented with their new knowledge of emotion - their thought processes post-this ep are much more likely to go 'Hey! These humans have abilities and impulses that are of great service to the Collective! Get 'em!'

John A. Lang: Picard helped Hugh in this episode & he went back to the Collective. The Borg Collective knew this and "repaid" humanity's kindness by going back in time in "First Contact" (The Movie) to assimilate Earth & almost assimilated the crew as well.
Luigi Novi: John, what are you talking about? Why are you making up a direct connection between these two things? ST First Contact took place FOUR YEARS AFTER I, Borg. Why, therefore, would you assume that the events of that movie are not simply another attempt to assimilate humanity, which they’d been doing since they first encountered the Enterprise? Why assume it pertains specifically to I, Borg?

John A. Lang: If they'd followed thru with their ORIGINAL plan, there'd be no "Descent Pt 1 & 2", and no "First Contact" Movie because there'd be no more Borg.
Luigi Novi: Why do you automatically assume this? All the evidence from Infinite Regress(VOY) and Child’s Play(VOY) indicates that viruses and other invasive programs never get farther than disabling one Borg ship, and that to protect the Collective, that ship is usually disconnected from the Collective. Why you assume with such certainty that the original program would’ve necessarily worked, especially now after everything we’ve seen in viruses and the Borg, is beyond me.

John A. Lang: Sven - You'd think that after this episode the Borg would think to themselves, "Hey, the humans rescued & healed one of us. Maybe they're not so bad after all. Perhaps we should declare a truce or something." At least, that what I think.
Luigi Novi: Well, then with all due respect, you haven’t really been paying close attention to how the Borg behave, John. You should’ve known by I, Borg that the Borg do not think that way.

To everyone- Please ignore all connections I tried to make between this episode & the other Borg stories & "First Contact".
I just don't like the way the episode ended & I'm entitled to that feeling.

Sure you are, John A. - but you posted your reasons for same to a nitpickers' board, you had to have realised what was coming, right?

If I can humbly offer a little bit of advice...I've discovered that taking a moment to really, carefully consider the context of what I think is a brilliant nit can often save a whole lot of aggravation here on the boards. (Not that it prevents me from sounding foolish on a regular basis anyhow...but it's still a sound principle.)

Point well taken. Thanx.

My question after seeing this ep: If Hugh was such a warm and cuddly borg that he was deserving of a proper "human" name, why isn't Seven of Nine? Maybe she doesn't know about Hugh. Otherwise, she might want to be called Leanne or Jenny or something. Who knows.

Seven *requested* that she continued to be called "Seven of Nine". Janeway asked her if she wanted to be called "Annika".

Yeah, I'd probably turn that down too. =p Thanks!

I think Annika Hanson is a beautiful name, but Seven told Janeway in Day of Honor that she has always been Seven of Nine, indicating that she preferred to remain using that name.

KAM: If the Federation is at war with the Borg, then couldn't Dr. Crusher's attempts to save the life of Third Of Five be considered an act of treason or at least giving aid and comfort to the enemy?

Actually, I don't think that giving purely medical attention is considered "aid and comfort." Didn't they help out North Korean soldiers on M*A*S*H now and again?

In addition, the Borg are slightly different in that every single one of their drones is also a victim. None of them (at least that we know of) has made a conscious, willing decision to serve the Borg and destroy all others. Therefore, I could see a willingness on the part of the crew to help those people and try to save them if possible.

An answer: The Geneva Convention requires humane treatment of prisoners.

And a question: (In case nobody's asked it before), why, in the "hive" metaphor, are individuals called "drones?" A drone has no stinger, does no work, and produces no honey. He just sits around the hive farting on the sofa until it's time to fertilize the queen. Individual borg would properly be called "workers."

Because most of those Borg are either on the government payroll, or belong to a union. Hence, "workers" didn't sound accurate enough.

I don't think every last drone could be called a victim, because I can picture a few people in each species they assimilate being willing to be assimilated, because the Borg's existence appeals to them. Most Borg who were born into it would probably not define themselves as victims, because they are literally part of their society from birth, and could not conceive of a different life (sort of like most humans in The Matrix, and very like many people in our world today). I just think it's a stereotype to assume that every Borg is automatically a victim clamoring to be liberated. It explains why so many Borg rallied to Lore later, since a lot of them were forcibly given individuality after years or even their entire lives without it, and they can't handle life like that.

People who are subjected to severe abuse often do form attachments to their abusers, and have difficulties later in life dealing with being liberated. That doesn't mean they were not victims, or willing participants.

I also fail to see how someone could find having your entire consciousness suppressed and your body mutilated so that you can help kill your friends, family, everyone on your planet and other planets "appealing," but that's just me.

I can understand, however, the resistance of someone assmilated at a very young age to individuality, such as Seven of Nine, but the question of whether those people are "not victims" is debatable.

As for those born into the Collective, I believe Drone(VOY) indicated that no such thing takes place; that infants may be assimilated, but not engineered on their own.

I did not say that I thought the Borg civilization was great or it appeals to me at all. It appears to be an analog of every oppressive culture writ very large. I am simply saying there are people in the world to whom it would. Not every person who supports oppression has Stockholm Syndrome. Plenty of people volunteer to brutalize their fellow human beings in the name of some imagned greater good, or because they enjoy being able to kill without consequences. Plenty more believe in the society in which they grew up, right or wrong, because it's all they know. I am sure that if Borg existed and could be asked what they thought of their culture, many of them would be happy with it, and would honestly believe many of the horrid things they have done were just unpleasant necessities. I can easily picture circumstances in which a person would seek out and join the Borg.

As for children being born into the collective, it could happen. They could install very basic implants in a child before birth, which connect him to the collective. Obviously, part of what is installed at that point would have to protect them from the mental problems that would cause a young child. The first set of implants could lay the groundwork for the rest, so the rest could be hooked up to them.

Chris: Plenty of people volunteer to brutalize their fellow human beings in the name of some imagned greater good, or because they enjoy being able to kill without consequences. Plenty more believe in the society in which they grew up, right or wrong, because it's all they know.

The problem is that the Borg doesn't give one the chance to experience anything! It's not like being a soldier in, say, the Iraqi regime, where you get the chance to be brutal to your fellow humans. As a drone, your entire existence is subverted and your consciousness is supressed. You gain no enjoyment from your actions.

Jesse, you don't need to gain enjoyment to be an effective soldier or torturer. Those that have "fun" can tire of that or find other things that bring enjoyment. The best soldier or torturer is one who simply follows order because he believes that is for the best, that he is doing it for a worthwhile cause and so on.

Isn't this also what the training of the US marines and all bootcamps stress? They try to break the personality and rebuilt it into one that follows orders only. Elsewhere this is called brainwashing and conditioning.

WARNING -- MODERATORS -- A RANT FOLLOWS. IF NECESSARY YOU MAY DELETE IT!

constanze, I'm getting a bit tired of your insistence on calling the US military one that follows orders only.

US military doctrine is actually the opposite of that. Decision making is pushed as low as it can go, because centralized decision making is subject to a decaptitation strike (Note: This happened in Iraq -- even if Hussein wasn't killed, he was taken out of the chain of command, causing command&control problems).

Furthermore, under the UCMJ, soldier are not to blindly follow orders, but must question orders that may be illegal.

Also, I doubt that you have any experience with the military beyond what you have seen on TV. I have dealt with members of all branches of the armed services. Without exception, they have been intelligent, thoughtful people, who hope that they never have to go to war, but if do have to, then they are d*mned well going to win it.

RANT ENDS

Constanze: Jesse, you don't need to gain enjoyment to be an effective soldier or torturer. Those that have "fun" can tire of that or find other things that bring enjoyment. The best soldier or torturer is one who simply follows order because he believes that is for the best, that he is doing it for a worthwhile cause and so on.

First of all, I hope no one thinks I'm implying that soldiers are torturers. I was responding to a specific comment by Chris that sadistic, evil individuals might enjoy life as a Borg drone because they could indulge their appetites. I was pointing out that life as a drone would completely suppress one's ability to gain enjoyment from his or her sadistic acts.

However, a soldier often fights because of a sense of pride. He (I'll use the male pronoun since most soldiers have been male) takes pride in his country, his government, and he wants to defend his people and his family to the best of his ability. In the case of the Borg, there is no motivation for being a drone; you are because once assimilated, you lack the ability to resist. You can't feel pride, duty, or obligation (all of which are "irrelevant" to the Borg anyway). You act because you are compelled to by the collective.

ScottN,

you are right that I do not have personal experience with the military, but rely on TV. However, I rely not only on TV serials, but in the above I was refering to the reports shown regularly on TV about bootcamps and the famous 5-day-training of US marines. Yes, I know that in the marines, and other commando-like branches, the decision-making is pushed down on the lower levels, so the soldiers can act more indepently alone or in small groups, commando-like, not in big units.

However, the very essence of every military is to have people who will obey orders first and think later. They will think about how to best carry out their orders and may show a considerable amount of creative thinking if they have been trained to do so; but they won't start questioning the orders themselves, because then the whole military itself won't work, if the officers can't be sure that orders will be obeyed.

Furthermore, under the UCMJ, soldier are not to blindly follow orders, but must question orders that may be illegal.

Okay, what is the UCMJ? And, more importantly, to what laws are you referring when you say "illegal"? It can't be international law or the geneva convention, since the US doesn't adhere to these (on another board I was told the reason that the US is against international law is that it's not in the constitution, but that's another problem).
For example, it took ages till the officer responsible for the My Lei massacer was tried in an US court, and a few years later, the 8 year (!) sentence was waived. I would have to look up more recent examples of how US soldiers weren't much troubled by illegal orders, or how little consequences the superiors had after giving illegal orders.

Finally, I have a problem with people who join the armed forces voluntarily. (and yes, I know that for poor people its often the only chance to get medical coverage, education and a good job, but I think its deplorable for a civilized nation that the only real chance poor people have is to go into the army and hope they won't get killed if the govt decides stoopidly to start a war.

Without exception, they have been intelligent, thoughtful people, who hope that they never have to go to war, but if do have to, then they are d*mned well going to win it. If you join the armed forces, you should know that you might end up killing other people, and you should know that you'll be doing it for no good reason. I'm no die-hard pacifist, but I don't understand this mindset of people who haven't been attacked on their home soil or suffered through a war for the last 100 years (I don't know how bad this canadian war in 1812 was, but I guess it was only minor) and the civil war - well, that's another matter.

There is a famous quote from kurt tucholsky "Soldiers are murderers". (There have been many debates if its allowed to say that or if its an insult to the honor of soldiers, but so far, all courts in germany have ruled this to be under freedom of speech.) I would rephrase that to "Soldiers are potiental murderers" They decide they will kill other people who have done them no personal harm, for money (soldiers are paid, right?) Its not like manslaughter or self-defense (although some battle situations may be like that) because the principal decision is made beforehand when sb. joins.

constanze -

If you had limited your comment to the "obey first, think later" you elaborate later, I don't think ScottN would have had such a problem. But I think your use of "hot" words like brainwashing, which denote a specific, negative connotation was unnecessary... assuming your point was not to incite an off-topic flame war.

Getting things back on-topic, I agree with Chris that it's dangerous to assume that every Borg is a victim... it's simply mathematically unlikely (if not impossible).

We live in an age where suppressed emotions often lead to tragedy (suicide, Colombine, etc.) This has nothing to do with violent tendencies. Simple existence as a being with all emotion and desires suppressed can be appealing to such an individual.

Okay, what is the UCMJ? And, more importantly, to what laws are you referring when you say "illegal"?

Uniform code of Millitary Justice. BTW if a soldier was ordered to shoot unarmed civillians and they disobayed orders they would not be punished because purposfully killing unarmed civillians is wrong.

If you wish to continue the discussion regarding the military in general, please take it to the Political Musings board. Thank you.

Chris Diehl: I did not say that I thought the Borg civilization was great or it appeals to me at all.
Luigi Novi: I know. I didn't say you did. But Jesse and Darth summed it up perfectly for me. Whether any potential assimilee finds it appealing is moot, because they would not be allowed to enjoy; the assimilee is basically used for his body, and his mind/personality/memories wiped out or suppressed. While it possible in the most liberal stretch of the word, it's so unlikely so as to be impossible, IMHO.

Feelings being irrelevant and feelings being nonexistent are not the same thing. The drones' emotions are suppressed by whatever controls them, but they are not obliterated. I just think some drones, given the choice, would voluntarily do the things Borg do to other races. I can agree that drones are all victims in the sense that after being assimilated, voluntarily or not, they are forced to act against their wishes. In the sense of all drones being invariably forced into becoming Borg, or that all the actions they are made to carry out are automatically disagreeable to them, I disagree. Does anyone disagree with my suggestion that people could exist who would want to be Borg, since people do not always know or consider all the possible outcomes of their choices?

(Not discussion, just information)--
Constanze: It can't be international law or the geneva convention, since the US doesn't adhere to these . . .

:: Actually, the U.S. does adhere to the Geneva Convention. It's just not a signatory.

Anyway, we can take international politics out of the discussion by likening the Borg to something noncontroversial like, oh, a religious cult.

Chris Diehl: Feelings being irrelevant and feelings being nonexistent are not the same thing. The drones' emotions are suppressed by whatever controls them, but they are not obliterated.
Luigi Novi: No, but they have no free will as drones. Whether they'd enjoy doing things that the Borg do to people is pretty much moot. They wouldn't be enjoying it as drones. Do you really think someone who enjoys hurting or killing other people would voluntarily subject themselves to assimilation just because of that, and ignore everything else that comes with it?

Luigi, I think you may have misunderstood part of what I was saying (though I can't be sure)...

For all intents and purposes, a drone has no free will, is incapable of thinking for itself, and cannot feel anything.

However, an individual who (for whatever reasons) feels isolated, lonely, depressed, etc. may find that kind of existence appealing. Certainly, such an individual wouldn't feel "rewarded" in the typical sense... they won't feel pleasure. On the other hand, they won't feel the crappy feelings that bring them down, either.

At the risk of positing another analogy that will be dismissed as flawed... there are people all over the world who turn to chemicals (drugs & alcohol) in an effort to escape the real world. They reach a point where they don't feel pleasure (or anything else), they simply numb themselves to reality... they escape it.

So then the question becomes "Do such people need to be saved?"

Certainly, when drug and alcohol addiction results in things that obviously affect an individual's well-being (job or money loss, rage, etc.), interventions are arranged by friends and families. But when the effects are not so obvious (functioning alcoholics, for example), the determination of victimhood isn't as clear-cut.

I agree with that, Darth, esp. as the wannabee-Borgs will see their new existence as borgs differently before and after assimiliation. How many people get into some group because they think its based on some ideal or principle, without getting enough information first, and find out later that the group really is on a different track?

constanze: I agree with that, Darth, esp. as the wannabee-Borgs will see their new existence as borgs differently before and after assimiliation. How many people get into some group because they think its based on some ideal or principle, without getting enough information first, and find out later that the group really is on a different track?

You're right, of course. Some people are misled, or they misunderstand, and they make a rash decision to join a group that turns out differently than what they wanted it to be. However, it seems difficult to misconstrue the Borg of all races. They don't have a recruiting speech, they don't use psychology or other tactics to influence people. They simply say, "Join us or die." How could a person be misled by that?

Jesse, They don't have a recruiting speech, they don't use psychology or other tactics to influence people. They simply say, "Join us or die."

I thought they said "You will be assimilated. Resistance is useless". (just to be exact)
The Borg do not have a speech when they turn up on your doorstep, but I meant the reputation they have before they come. Think about it: they are part of a big collective, so you won't be alone, you won't be responsible or have to make decisions. And, so far, they have beaten every else in the Alpha Quadrant.

So I think there are different aspects appealing to different people, who might make the borgs assimiliation a little easier when they come around.

Actually, constance, they say, "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile." (emphasis mine).

"Resistance is Useless" comes from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", by Douglas Adams. (It's what the young Vogon guard likes to shout.)

I stand corrected. (I have trouble remembering the original wording, as I mostly hear the translated versions, which I try to translate back to get the meaning).

Remember the DS9 ep. Chrysalis (I think), about the four super-genius on the station? They predicted that war between the federation and dominion would break out, and so many millions would be killed, but if they surrendered, a couple million less would be killed, so they tried to give the military secrets to the dominion, acting in the honest belief it would be in the best interests of their home system. I wonder how many soon-to-be-borgs acted similar: when the borg turn up, you know that they can't be beaten, so you help them with the assimiliation, so people won't be killed unnecessary.

That was actually Statistical Improbabilities(DS9). Chrysalis(DS9) was its sequel, which focused on Sarina.

when the borg turn up, you know that they can't be beaten, so you help them with the assimiliation, so people won't be killed unnecessary.

But I'm sure there are many who, like Picard in First Contact, believe that death is preferrable to assimilation.

I know that this is not canon and should by no means be considered to be representative of the true nature of the Borg, but the novel Star Trek: The Return suggests that, since the Borg would not needlessly waste resources, they would first try to persuade people to cooperate with the assimilation process, forcibly assimilating those who resist later. After all, why would they bother saying "Resistance is futile" if they intended to forcibly assimilate everyone anyway? Logically, by stating the futility of trying to stop them, they would be trying to get their targets to just surrender and give in to assimilation. Clearly, since they continue to use these tactics, they must have had some success in the past.

Note that pretty much all the information we have on teh Borg is presented from a biased perspective. The Borg are so completely alien to us that it is difficult to see how anyone would even consider surrendering to assimilation. True, there would be many who would rather die than be assimilated, but there would also be many who either would have no opinion (assimilated infants) or would decide that they would prefer assimilation, since they would at least continue to exist in some form (Seven has said that the voices of dead drones continue to permeate the collective even after their termination).

-JM

And dont forget those who might see assimilation as a sort of power trip. Sort of the ultimate steroids/drugs/communion.

How could it be a power trip if your mind, thoughts, memories and free will were suppressed?

Sorry I didnt make myself clear enough. The potential assimilates may see it as a power trip until they actually get in the assimilation booth (or plugged with the nanoprobies) and see the downside sort of how some people see drugs as a good thing until they get into the feakal stuff. That way they would volunteer thinking they was goign to get a neat BFG attached to their arm and stuff then the small print of the contract kicks in and they loose a lot more than they gain.

literally, Janeway had it right when she compared negotiating with the borg to "making an appeal to the Devil." It appears that you're going to get a great deal by having the Borg retrofit you with all sorts of weapons and armor and defensive shields so you can go off on a killing spree and nothing can stop you....then as R said, the fine print kicks in and you're bound to serve the Borg for life. Oops.

-JM

I think you mean "metaphorically," not "literally." To be correct, your use of the word "literally" would mean that the Borg are actually a supernatural being from the Judeo-Christian religion. Moreover, the Devil is a tempter. Not a conqueror.

hmm....indeed you are correct, I meant metaphorically. I was trying to say that her analogy was exactly correct.

-JM

Watching some of the Voyager eps. in which Seven explained more of being a Borg explains this ep. better. In one of the Voy. ep. Seven esplains that the Borg assimilate not to conquer, but because they are striving for perfection (this makes them more similar to the vulcans than before).

From a Borgs POV, he's not only rid of unpleasant (negativ) emotions, he will never be lonely again, he doesn't have to bear responsibility (he just follows orders, and he probably won't make mistakes that easy with so much implants and memory to guide) and he is striving for perfection. From that POV, its some sort of mission to assimilate everybody else, because its the only working way to achieve perfection. The Borg assimilate not to conquer, and not only to add the distinctiveness of a species to their own, but also to help everybody else become perfect.

It seems they are much more like a cult or religion than a regime or soldiers.

But I have a problem why Picard gives in to Dr. Crushers pleading so quickly at the very beginning. Shouldn't he simply order the doctor not to endanger the whole ship for one Borg, and shouldn't the doctor obey the order (or at least order to beam her up - the transporter officer should obey Picard!)

Then he tells Dr. Crusher to treat the Borg but leaving him on the surface, without any hint for the Borg rescue team to the Enterprise's presence, but Crusher wants to beam the Borg up. Why doesn't she obey Picard? Although I admire that she wants to help every ill person, shouldn't she see the necessity of saving the whole crew of 1200 people vs. one Borg?

Time and time again, we have seen the crew (including Picard) fight against blindly following orders. It's part of a First Officer's job, for instance, to sometimes act as devil's advocate to the captain's decisions.

Sure, Picard could order the doctor to obey his order, but Crusher would be remiss in her responsibilities as a doctor (not to mention as a human) if she didn't plead the drone's case. Sure, there's a risk. But Crusher obviously felt that Picard's caution may have been overstated.

The Enteprise crew has had previous success in separating someone from the Collective (Locutus)... so successful that Starfleet left the individual in command. Why should this single drone be any different?

Constanze, the ship has just over 1,000 people (1,014, according to two different episodes, one of which was Remember Me), not 1,200. (Pick, pick, pick! )

Maybe Constanze was counting the dolphins as people? ;)

Everyone knows that aliens are assimilated and turned into Borg-- there isn't really a true 'Borg' lifeform-- they're made up of everyone they can get their hands on.

So why wouldn't Picard treat Hugh as another tragic person as he was, and try to recover Hugh's original race memories and maybe contact his home planet or family and try to remove the implants?

Instead, he's considered a Borg and nothing else.

Originally, the Borg WERE their own lifeform, a symbiosis of organic and artificial life cybernetically connected into a single hive mind of extraordinary power and habilities. They had been evolving along that path for thousands of centuries according to Guinan. All they were interested in when meeting other species was their technology, how advanced and original it was and how best to integrate it with their own. They barely even noticed the biological lifeforms that accompanied said technology, unless they made pests of themselves by trying to resist. That all changed in Best of Both Worlds, where, for some obscure reason, the powers that be switched the Borg from assimilating technology to assimilating species. That was NOT an improvement, IMHO.

So why wouldn't Picard treat Hugh as another tragic person as he was, and try to recover Hugh's original race memories and maybe contact his home planet or family and try to remove the implants?

Picard's view of the Borg was very much clouded by the humiliation they had caused him when they assimilated him, and the deep hatred he felt toward them as a result.

Guinan tells Hugh that her people 'are scattered across the galaxy' and 'there aren't alot of us left."
Yes, not many left as their real alien species.
However, who knows how many millions (?) were assimilated and now lived as part of the Collective? Every time the Enterprise (or Voyager, for that matter) encountered the Borg, they could have been fighting Borg that were originally from Guinan's planet.