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The Borg is the 27th expansion of Star Trek CCG 1st Edition . It is published by Decipher on 19 September 2001. The set consists of 143 cards.

The Borg is the perfect companion set to the popular Voyager expansion. 143 cards include new Borg personnel and ships, a new Hirogen affiliation, new cards for the Vidiians , Kazon , Federation, and other affiliations, additional Delta Quadrant missions, and new dilemmas, objectives, and other cards to enhance the Voyager, full environment, and Warp Speed format decks.

The set is available in 11-card booster packs (6 common, 4 uncommon and 1 rare) with 30 booster packs in a box.

Decipher issued a double-sided Rules Supplement and Card List sheet inserted into each booster box.

This set is noted for the following:

  • Introduced the Hirogen affiliation
  • Included the official black border release of Seven of Nine white border promo first seen in The Dominion expansion
  • Included the Ultra-Rare Reginald Barclay found in 1:121 packs and another range of Rare+ cards (33% more rare than the normal Rare}
  • 1 Type Breakdown
  • 2 Rarity Breakdown
  • 3 Card List
  • 4 Errata Cards
  • 5 Packaging
  • 6 Additional Information
  • 7 External Links

Type Breakdown [ ]

  • 6 Equipment
  • 3 Facility (2 Borg and 1 Hirogen)
  • 5 Interrupt
  • 8 Objective
  • 80 Personnell (18 Borg, 18 Federation, 3 Ferengi, 18 Hirogen, 3 Kazon, 5 Klingon, 30 Non-Aligned, 3 Romulan and 2 Vidiian)
  • 14 Ship (4 Borg, 4 Federation, 2 Hirogen, 1 Kazon, 1 Klingon, 4 Non-Aligned and 2 Romulan)

NOTE: There are 24 Dual Affiliations cards, thus the totals are higher than the amount of a card type.

Rarity Breakdown [ ]

  • 40 Uncommon
  • 1 Ultra Rare

Card List [ ]

Errata cards [ ].

The following Decipher cards have had corrections made by The Continuing Committee (see Physical Errata Cards ). These cards are virtual cards.

  • 1 - Ankari "Spirits"
  • 9 - The Weak Will Perish
  • 28 - Hirogen Hunt
  • 29 - Relics of the Chase
  • 42 - Assimilate Planet
  • 45 - Eliminate Starship
  • 46 - Establish Gateway
  • 47 - Harness Particle 010
  • 129 - Liberty

Packaging [ ]

The Borg booster box

Additional Information [ ]

  • The Borg was printed on 121 card sheets by Teagle & Little, USA.
  • Each print sheet consisted of an 11 x 11 format.

External Links [ ]

  • The Borg at CCGTrader
  • The Borg at The Continuing Committee
  • Star Trek Customizable Card Game Encyclopedia of Collecting at The Continuing Committee

Startrek favicon

  • The Borg at Wixiban.com
  • 1 Marvel OverPower (expansion)
  • 2 Q-Continuum
  • 3 DC Comics Deck-Building Game

Borg Cube Feature Spotlight

By gabriel 7 November 2023

star trek ccg borg cube

Resistance is Futile!

We are no strangers to the Borg in Star Trek Fleet Command. Whether it’s the officer on our ships, the Ex Borg Faction, or the many Borg foes scattered across the galaxy, they are a force to reckon with!. However, for the first time in Star Trek Fleet Command history, we have a piece of their tech never thought to be attainable. Commanders, the Borg Cube is at your disposal now, as one of your ships, and we have all the information you need to get up to speed:

Acquiring and Tiering Up

The Borg Cube is available to all Commanders operations level 28 and above. The blueprints can be obtained from the free and elite tracks of the Update 60 battle pass. Unlike any ship before, the Borg Cube is meant to grow with you as you progress through your Star Trek Fleet Command journey and scales based on the power of your other Faction Ships. The Borg Cube is formidable and will be on par (or better) with your  faction ship’s power. You can see the breakdown of the tier requirements for the Borg Cube here:

As you can see, the Borg Cube grows progressively stronger, all the way to operations level 70, at which point, it will become the most powerful ship in Star Trek Fleet Command, surpassing the strongest Epic faction ship.

Borg Cutting Beam

On top of its natural combat prowess, the Borg Cube has a Cutting Beam, one-of-a-kind active ship ability that allows you to do damage outside of normal combat. To charge the Borg Cutting Beam, you must deal hull damage in normal combat situations with the Borg Cube. Once charged, you may select the ship you wish to fire upon from anywhere in the same system and select the Borg Cutting Beam Icon on the enemy pop-up. Note: The Borg Cutting Beam can not be used on Armadas, Stations, or Alliance Star Bases. Also, the Borg Cutting Beam will have diminishing returns on its damage when attacking a target a higher ops level than you are.

The Borg Cutting Beam is also unique in that it bypasses all defenses and does direct hull damage. Current officers in Star Trek Fleet Command and research not found specifically for the Borg Cube will not affect its damage or charge rate Destroying hostiles with the Borg Cutting beam provides full loot that you would typically gain from the target as well as Technological Distinctiveness.

star trek ccg borg cube

Upgrade and Research By destroying enemies with the Borg Cutting Beam, you will be rewarded with Technological Distinctiveness. This material can only be seen in the battle log after destroying a hostile. The amount of Technological Distinctiveness you receive will increase based on the level of hostile you destroy with the Borg Cutting Beam.

star trek ccg borg cube

This material can then be exchanged in the refinery by navigating to the “Borg Cube Refinery in the “Support Tab” for either upgrade material to tier up your Borg Cube, or for the material needed to progress the new Borg Cube research nodes, which can be found in the Ex-Borg research tree. As you progress your Borg Cube, you will need Borg Data Nodes from one of the three factions (Federation, Klingon, and Romulan). Upon reaching one of the above milestones with your faction ships, you will be rewarded with a Borg Data Node from the corresponding faction, which can be claimed in the gifts tab. This means that if you so choose, you can acquire and tier up three Borg Cubes. Note: If you already have a faction ship high enough for, say, a tier 8 Borg Cube, then you will get all Borg Data Nodes needed to get to tier 8.

This is a power never before seen in Star Trek Fleet Command, and we know you will use it well. 

Remember: We are the Borg, You will be Assimilated, Resistance is Futile!

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star trek ccg borg cube

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The Borg Cube is the most common ship design used by the Collective. They are the mighty gigantic dreadnoughts of the Borg fleet. With a volume of 27 cubic kilometers and spanning more than 3,000 meters on every side, Cubes are the perfect embodiment of Borg mentality and efficiency. Housing enough Borg drones to assimilate a planet with enough weapons and defensive capability to face most enemy fleets unharmed, its primary function in the Collective is to destroy or assimilate all vessels and stations it encounters.

  • 1.1 Construction
  • 1.2.1 Combat
  • 1.2.2.1 Generic Interior
  • 1.2.2.2 Transwarp Chamber
  • 1.2.2.3 Shield Matrix
  • 1.2.2.4 Hangar Bay
  • 2.1.1 Power Nodes
  • 3.1 High Energy Disruptor Beams
  • 3.2 High-Yield Gravimetric Torpedos
  • 3.3 Cutting Beam
  • 3.4 High Energy Tractor Pulse
  • 3.5 Polaron Beam
  • 4.1.2 Automated Regeneration Units
  • 4.1.3 Multi-Regenerative Security Fields
  • 4.1.4 Auto-Destruct Sequence
  • 4.1.5 Chroniton Projection Conduits
  • 4.2.1 Regenerative Hull Armour
  • 4.2.2 Tritanium Shape Memory Alloy Hull
  • 4.2.3 Ablative Hull Armour
  • 4.2.4 Adaptive Shield System
  • 4.2.5 Shielding
  • 4.2.6 High Level Structural Integrity Field
  • 5.1 Thrusters
  • 5.2 Warp Drive
  • 5.3 Transwarp Drive
  • 6.1 Grid and Subjunction Theoretical Layout
  • 6.2 Internal Volume and size
  • 6.3 Gravamatric Torpedos
  • 6.4 Randomized Weapon Locations
  • 6.5 Power Systems
  • 6.6 Power Usage
  • 6.7 Cutting Beam
  • 6.8 Holding Beam
  • 6.9 Polaron Beam
  • 6.10 Exterior conduits and pipes
  • 6.11 Thrusters

Vessel Design [ ]

Construction [ ].

Borg Cubes are constructed similarly to drone implants, armor plating, and other Borg technologies, however on a much larger scale. A vessel deemed worthy of assimilation that is sufficiently well-powered and can sustain drones for an adequate amount of time is the initial catalyst for cube construction (ENT: "Regeneration"). Nanoprobes reconfigure computer-controlled systems and begin modifying software and hardware to create standardized Borg technology like shield emitters, regeneration alcoves, or weapons arrays (VOY: "One","Raven"). Meanwhile, drones begin harvesting raw resources from the vessel's structure and construct the basic framework of the cube. Some Borg Cubes begin as smaller Borg vessels and are constructed from materials recovered during assimilation, or through salvage operations of destroyed or disabled Borg vessels. Because all Cubes conform to a standard template, a precise determination of resources required reveals if a particular vessel or spatial phenomenon warrants investigation. If the sufficient number of resources are present, the crew of the Borg vessel may be directed to begin conversion of their vessel to a Cube.

Alternatively, facilities similar to the Unicomplex may also include provisions to construct new Cubes and other vessels (VOY: "Dark Frontier"). Salvaged components and resources are delivered to the complex, sorted, and repurposed based on the needs of the Collective. A Unicomplex would then serve as a Borg shipyard, distributing drones and materials to active Borg vessels, and creating new ones as more systems are assimiliated.

General Operation [ ]

Borg cubes are in fact closer to traveling city ships than starships. Despite their enormous size, 50% of the internal volume is unoccupied and empty space, and a miniscule 0.2% of its internal mass are actual walls and floors with the rest being alcoves, corridoors, on-board facilities, hangar bays and various other vital systems [1] . Forgoing such irrelevancies as cantinas, personal quarters (sonic showers, food replicators, personal computers), holodecks, turbo-lifts, stairs, internal com system and an interactive voice-activated computer system [2] , the vessel saves a great deal of power which is re-routed in-to other more vital systems such as weapons and shields, significantly increasing their effectiveness. The internal temperature of Borg vessels is 39.1°C with a humidity of 93% [3] . When drones run low on power or are simply no longer required for any task, they return to their regeneration alcoves. Due to the massive crew compliment, drones are not typically required to leave their assigned deck; however, they may do so using the ship's transporters. The interior of a Cube consists of thousands of catwalks, walkways, hangar bays, pipes and conduits lined with Borg alcoves. Cubes possess a generalised interior design: there are no specific bridge, living, or engineering sections [2] . Because all drones possess equal technical knowledge and maintenance capabilities, the nearest drones are assigned to repair any malfunctioning system. Unlike the design of all other known races, Borg vessels typically possess no particular exit or entry hatches from the exterior to the interior of the vessel, as the entire ship is essentially open to the vacuum of space. The interior pressure of the Cube is however maintained by high energy forcefields and structural integrity fields with multiple redundancies. ya

Image is property of Paramount Pictures.

The very appearance of the cube is designed to be cold and intimidating, its colossal size dwarfing even the mightiest of battleships. Despite the unusual design of using symmetrical geometric shapes, there is also a great deal of logic and many advantages in doing so. Each side is identically armed and armored, denying enemy species the luxury of any directional weaknesses in defenses and blind spots in firing arcs. Each Borg vessel's weapons systems are located differently, which also denies enemy races the capability of immediately identifying and destroying firing ports. Suicide attacks against the Cube are also impractical, due to its colossal size. An additional benefit of the generalised interior design is the aspect of presenting no particularly beneficial and specifically vulnerable targets on which enemy vessels may focus attacks. The vessel's highly decentralized design and endless redundancies, allow vital functions to be run from any part of the ship. As a result, a Borg Cube is capable of remaining operative even when up to 78% of the vessel is destroyed [4] .

Interior Architecture [ ]

Generic interior [ ].

The interior of the cube.

Transwarp Chamber [ ]

Internal view of the transwarp drive chamber.

Shield Matrix [ ]

Internal view of the Shield Matrix aboard a Borg vessel.

Hangar Bay [ ]

Internal view of a hangar bay within a Cube [5] .

Internal view of a hangar bay within a Cube with a captured Delta Flyer and an unidentified larger alien vessel.

onboard facilities maturation chamber, assimilation chamber,

Power Systems [ ]

The Borg utilize a unique method of powering almost all their on-board systems, maintaining their highly decentralized interior design they do not rely upon a single warp core or such devices in order to solely generate power for the entire vessel. Each vessel generates its own power via power nodes - each device capable of generating an enormous amount of power. Borg vessels however possess hundreds, thousands perhaps even millions depending upon their size and class. These power nodes are spread throughout the vessel collectively producing a sufficient amount of power which the vessel requires at any given time. Only a fraction are active at any one time with additional redundant power sources located throughout the ship [4] which activate and begin generating power as another power node fails. As their power demands increase as a result of construct additional weapons and alcoves for newly assimilated drones the vessel may construct additional power nodes. Additionally, the method of dispersing their power ouput makes it almost impossible for intruders to sabotage the entire vessels power systems at once, in the event one power node is disabled only the small section which it powers and the devices in that section lose power for 4.8 minutes causing a manipulation effect in the vessels subspace field before another node activates and restores power [4] . The only system which does not rely upon power nodes are the transwarp drives which are powered by the transwarp coils themselves [4] .

Power Requirements [ ]

Power nodes [ ].

179,000 Borg alcoves costing 30 Megawatts each: 5,370,000 Megawatts (5.37 TeraJoules/s).

Six 7,500,000 TeraWatts Weapons Systems: (7,500,000 TeraJoules/s).

Adaptive shield matrix: 5,850,000,000,000,000 Megawatts (5,850,900 TeraJoules/s).

Six Transwarp Coils 180 Teradynes

Total Power Requirement: 18,721,080 TeraJoules/s

Weapon Systems [ ]

Disimilar to that of all other races, the Borg's weapon systems do not vary from ship class to ship class, all using identical weapons systems utilizing the latest and most efficient weapons from newly assimilated species.

High Energy Disruptor Beams [ ]

Disruptor Beam destroying Akira class.

High-Yield Gravimetric Torpedos [ ]

Class 10 photon torpedo

High-Yield Gravimetric Torpedo

High-Yield Gravemetric Torpedoes, are specially designed and used by the Borg. The weapon emits an advanced graviton inversion field, with a complex phase variance of gravitons to create a gravimetric distortion, causing gravimetric shear in its target causing severe structural damage. The complex phase varience allows the torpedo to pass through shields uninterrupted.

Cutting Beam [ ]

A Cutting Beam is a weapon outfitted primarily to Borg scout vessels, it is an intensely powerful laser capable of instantaniously penetrating double-layers of high density duranium, tritanium armors (TNG - Best of Both Worlds). Used in conjunction with a standard tractor beam the Borg have used this beam to extract segments from ships and even planets, abducting entire cities at once. The beam is however unable to penetrate newly developed armor designed to disperse particle weapons such as Ablative Armor.

Cutting Beam slices a segment out of the Enterprise-D

High Energy Tractor Pulse [ ]

Borg vessels utilize a High Energy Tractor Pulse (Tractor Beam) which places extreme gravitational stresses on all sides of the enemy vessel simultaniously. The magnitude of the force is tuned precisely to each ship class and vessel, once perfectly tuned the forces are insufficient to crush the vessel however sufficient to completely overwhelm the vessels impulse engines and maneuvering thrusters even if they are set to full-power they will be unable to compete against such forces. The beam also disrupts the vessels warp field, preventing it from escaping using a warp jump.

U.S.S Voyager held helplessly by a Borg Cube

Polaron Beam [ ]

Whilst not conforming to an offensive weapon in the conventional sense, Borg vessels possess a device capable of emitting an extremely focused Polaron Beam upon targeted enemy vessels, the beam is very narrow, roughly an inch in width and causes no damage, sweeping enemy vessels from starboard to port. The Polaron beam penetrates all surfaces, midly exciting the molecular particles of the surfaces it is projected upon and polarizing it at a distinct polarization frequency, which is combined with a specially calibrated sensor tied in-to the beam which detects polarization at this particular frequency. The combination of these two devices within a single scanning beam allows Borg vessel to collect information such as hull alloy density, conposition, interior vessel layout and a lifeform count.

Borg Cube scanning the U.S.S Voyager with a Polaron Beam (VOY - Scorpion)

Defense Systems [ ]

Internal defense systems [ ], automated regeneration units [ ], multi-regenerative security fields [ ], auto-destruct sequence [ ], chroniton projection conduits [ ], external defense systems [ ], regenerative hull armour [ ], tritanium shape memory alloy hull [ ], ablative hull armour [ ], adaptive shield system [ ], shielding [ ], high level structural integrity field [ ], propulsion systems [ ].

Borg Cubes are capable of rotating between their many faces, allowing them to use all of their weapons to their full capacity when needed, allowing for a rapid rate of fire of torpedos and disruptors.

Thrusters [ ]

Thrusters are positioned upon both corners on all vertical faces of the Cube, movment is achieved by firing which-ever happens to be the "aft" thrusters in this particular engagement and rotation is achieved by firing one aft side thruster and one frontal thruster.

Warp Drive [ ]

The standard warp drive is capable of a maximum speed of 9.98, meaning newly developed Starfleet ship classes such as: Sovereign, Intrepid and Prometheus are able to slightly outmatch the vessel at warp speed.

Transwarp Drive [ ]

Borg conduit drive

Structural integrity field allowing the Cube to withstand Transwarp stresses.

Within unison with the Transwarp Hub network maintaining the stability of the Transwarp conduit network, Borg vessels may engage their Transwarp Drive and accelerate to unimaginable speeds, approximated to be twenty times the speed of standard Federation warp speeds, this grants Borg vessels high maneuverabily and quick deployability across the galaxy.

Due to the aero-dynamicly unsound design of a cube the Borg compensate by projecting their structural integrity field several meters ahead of the vessel to act as an arrow-head designed to shear the extreme gravametric forces past the vessel.

Theoretical Clarification [ ]

Cubemap

Grid 9-2, subjunction 12 is apparently near the center of the cube.

Grid and Subjunction Theoretical Layout [ ]

"Grid nine-two, subjunction 12. Our very own workplace, it's near the centre of the cube." - Janeway, "Scorpion". I managed to extrapolate a rough map showing where the grids and subjunctions of the cube should be from Janeway's statement. The only thing missing is the third dimension.

"You have entered grid 9-2, subjunction 12. Proceed." - The Borg, Scorpion.

Internal Volume and size [ ]

The statistics regarding internal volume were all speculation stated on ditl.org by its author Graham Kennedy of which I completely agree with using the Borg interior shots as a reference the entire inside of the vessel seems to be a huge void, which begs the question of where the technology like vinculums and the cone shaped core we see on First Contact are?

Have a better explaination? Submit a theory!

Gravamatric Torpedos [ ]

"Gravimetric torpedoes are torpedoes used by the Borg Collective, the construction of each torpedo demanding astounding amounts of resources which makes their construction far too costly and unviable to any other race without the advantages of the vast resources of the Borg. The weapon emits an advanced graviton inversion field with a complex phase variance of gravitons to create a gravimetric distortion causing gravimetric shear in its target which causes severe structural damage" This information as taken from non-canon sources however the theory of the torpedoes being too costly to build was the only plausible reason to explain why other races dont copy borg weaponry if its so powerful.

Randomized Weapon Locations [ ]

"Each Borg vessels weapons systems are located in differently from vessel to vessel which also denies enemy races the capability of immediately identifying and destroying firing ports" This was the only way I could explain why each and every Cube seems to fire from different places when they are encountered, also fits perfectly with the Borg's idea or generalization but conflicts slightly with their ideals of symmetry on their vessels.

Have a better explanation? Submit a theory!

"A manipulation effect in the Borg's ships subspace field, a definite pattern at 4.8 minute intervals during the first confrontation. Might indicate high output auxiliary generators kicking in one theory is that their systems are decentralized with redundant power sources located throughout the ship that is a reasonable conclusion, borg technology is given each member of their society the ability to interface and function collectively it is likely they have constructed their ship with the same philosophy you knock out one generator and another one takes over without interruption" Power systems description section is no longer theoretical and has been confirmed by the statements above featured in Best of Both Worlds.

This was all theoretical information based upon the power output numbers of borg systems by ditl.org. After having the shield and weapons I calculated the other systems using a power current calculator and added them all together for a total power output.

Have a better explaination? Submit a theory! 

Power Usage [ ]

"the vessel saves a great deal of power which is re-routed in-to other more vital systems such as weapons and shields" Speculation based on observation, never seen a turbo lift or staircase in a borg ship so they obviously save power which allows them to put it in-to every other system and it's more efficient anyway which the Borg are all for however as the power source for a Borg vessel is a complete mystery the need to save power is questionable.

Have a better explanation? Submit a theory! 

"The beam is however unable to penetrate newly developed armor designed to disperse particle weapons such as Ablative Armor."

It was the most logical assumption and is also well-based, ablative armour can resist phasers, then lasers will be useless against it. It was also the only reason I could think of why we've never seen the cutting beam after DS9, the Borg probably realized it's quicker to assimilate the entire ship than chop it up and assimilate the pieces.

Holding Beam [ ]

"force is tuned precisely"

Logical deduction because otherwise if they used the same force for all vessels every shuttle would have been crushed like a tin can when they used it.

The entire description of the Polaron beam was an assumption attained from reading about polaron particles on wikipedia which I wasn't really able to keep up with, the particles slow down and hold others together from what I read so made the best guess I could how that translates in-to some kind of flash scanner.

Exterior conduits and pipes [ ]

" conduits which act like blood vessels and capillaries"

Assumption and speculation based upon the well-founded establishment that the Borg use elements of organic design in everything they do, makes perfect sense and explains why the strange conduits should be covering the outer surface instead of a smooth chrome armor like other races do.

The way I explaned thrusters is once again not strictly proven or stated anywhere but it's the best guess to show why a cube can both move forward and rotate simultaniously, imagine a cube floating on water, which way it rotates depends on the corners you push.

  • ↑ Star Trek Voyager - "Dark Frontier"
  • ↑ 2.0 2.1 Star Trek: The Next Generation - "Q Who?"
  • ↑ Star Trek First Contact , Paramount Pictures 1996
  • ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Star Trek The Next Generation - "The Best of Both Worlds"
  • ↑ Star Trek Voyager - "Collective"
  • 1 Species Designations
  • 2 Assimilation
  • 3 Borg Cube

Borg Rules Guide

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  • 1 Gray's Digital Edition Borg Rules Guide
  • 2 INTRODUCTION
  • 3.1 Facilities, Reporting, and Quadrant Restrictions
  • 3.2 Collective Vs. Hive
  • 3.3 Borg Personnel
  • 3.4 Borg Affiliation Ships
  • 3.5 Cooperation
  • 3.6 Objectives
  • 3.7 Scoring points
  • 3.8 Assimilation
  • 3.9 Borg Away Team Restrictions
  • 3.10.1 Personnel Battles
  • 3.10.2 Ship Battles
  • 3.11.1 Deck Construction
  • 3.11.2 The Seed Phases
  • 3.11.3 Play Phase

Gray's Digital Edition Borg Rules Guide [ ]

Please Note: The last version of the Borg rules guide by Decipher was Version 1.6.

Gray's Digital Edition Borg Rules Guide is a modified version of Decipher's 1.6. However, it has been updated for Voyager and The Borg expansions. It is the only supplement to Gray's Digital Edition Rule Book , and supports many of the same links to expanded information. It is meant as a companion guide, and therefore has been shortened (under the assumption that the player is already familiar with the gameplay and rules established there). 

INTRODUCTION [ ]

The Borg, introduced in the Star Trek: First Contact expansion in 1997, represented the first fully playable affiliation added to the The Star Trek™ Customizable Card Game™ since its premiere in 1994. And they were, to use Q’s words, not like anything you’d ever seen.

Borg 101 [ ]

Facilities, reporting, and quadrant restrictions [ ].

All Borg affiliation cards (except assimilated counterparts) have a ∆ icon and are native to the Delta Quadrant. Thus, they follow normal quadrant rules for seeding facilities and reporting cards. Because there are no missions containing the Borg Affiliation icon, both ❖Borg Outpost (the basic outpost for the Borg affiliation) and ✶Unicomplex (which fuctions similar to other affiliation's Headquarters) seed (or plays) at any ∆ space mission with no affiliation icons. ❖Transwarp Hub (the other outpost facility for Borg) seeds or plays at any ∆ nebula (regardless of affiliation icons).

❖Borg Outposts may be built at a planet they’ve assimilated (even a homeworld) "where you have a Borg ENGINEER", as specified on the card. Although you may build ❖Borg Outposts on the Alpha or Gamma quadrant spacelines in this manner, you may not report cards for duty at such outposts (because the outpost is not native to the quadrant). However, such an outpost may perform other appropriate functions such as repairing ships or extending SHIELDS .

The game text of Borg Cube (also Queen’s Borg Cube and Locutus’ Borg Cube ) allows your Borg personnel to report aboard the ship in any quadrant. Thus, a Borg Cube functions as a “mobile outpost” for Borg personnel. This is a primary method for bringing assimilated counterparts into play, as their lack of a ∆ icon will not allow them  to report at your Borg Outposts. Likewise, your Borg Sphere may report directly aboard a Borg Cube in any quadrant.

Collective Vs. Hive [ ]

All of your Borg affiliation cards in play make up your Borg collective . All of your Borg affilaition cards at one spaceline location (or time location ), whether in space, on a planet, aboard a ships or facility, etc., make up a Borg hive . Some cards may affect your entire collective; others may affect all your Borg in one hive. In a Borg vs. Borg game, each player has a collective, and both may have hives at the same location.

Borg Personnel [ ]

Most Borg Personnel cards represent drones . A drone's lore lists its "Identification" (which identifies it as a particular type of drone), a description of its "Task" and its "Biological Distinctiveness" (species of origin; however, the species of Borg drones are irrelevant to the Borg). Borg drones list no gender; gender is irrelevant to the Borg. ✶Borg Queen ,  assimilated counterparts such as Locutus of Borg , and former Borg of non-Borg Affiliations such as Icheb , are not drones. A Borg is considered to be both Borg species and its species of origin.

Gender is irrelevant. Borg drones list no gender; and while ✶Borg Queen and counterparts have gender, Borg pers onnel are not affected by gender-related game text on non-B org cards (e.g., Male's Love Interest , Matriarchal Society , Alien Groupie , Arachnia ).

Borg personnel have no classifications, though several of the personnel types appear as skills. Needed skills, including personnel types, which do not appear on Borg Personnel cards may be obtained by assimilation of opposing personnel or by using ✶Borg Queen' selectible skill. Regular skills (including ✶Borg Queen's selected skill) may be shared throughout a Borg hive using the Interlink Drone's skill. Your Borg may also share CUNNING using the Unity Drone's skill.

Borg special skills provide many functions supplied by Equipment cards for other affiliations (ex: STRENGTH enhancement for personnel, RANGE and SHIELDS enhancement for ships). They may also use equipment cards, subject to certain limitations (Borg Affiliation may not use hand weapons for any purpose).

Each Borg drone has an icon identifying which subcommand it is assinged to within the Borg collective.

Icon sc comm

- Communication

Icon sc nav

- Navigation

Icon sc def

Subcommand icons are used primarily to staff Borg ships, but also have other uses indicated by cards. Some Borg, such as ✶Borg Queen, have more than one subcommand icon, but may each contribute only one icon at a time to meet ship staffing requirements unless otherwise specified. ( Seven of Nine is an exception; her game text allows her to apply all three of her subcommand icons to staffing a ship.)

Borg Affiliation Ships [ ]

Each Borg ship has a bonus point box. These bonus points do not contribute to a Borg player’s score, but are earned by your non-Borg opponent whenever he destroys your Borg ship in battle (and only in battle).

Borg-affiliation ships are not affected by Plasma Fire , Warp Core Breach , Isabella , Into The Breach , Hugh , or the second function of Anti-Matter Spread . (They are affected normally by the first function of Anti-Matter Spread, like any other ship.)

Borg Cubes (including Queen’s Borg Cube and Locutus’ Borg Cube) allow "Borg Use Only" Equipment cards (but not other Equipment cards) to report aboard the ship.

Cooperation [ ]

Borg don’t mix or cooperate with cards of other affiliations (they are not compatible with them). A player using Borg Affiliation cards may not stock any non-Borg Affiliation personnel, ships, or facilities in their game deck or any side decks, including former Borg such as One , or a Mission II with a built-in non-Borg outpost (even if they do not use that function of the card). If a player has Borg and non-Borg cards present together (The Naked Truth , Frame of Mind , etc.), normal house arrest rules apply. (A card bearing the “Borg Use Only” icon in its title bar can be stocked in your deck and used only when playing the Borg affiliation.) See playing Borg

Objectives [ ]

Unlike other affiliations, Borg never attempt missions. Instead, a Borg player uses Objective cards to accomplish goals such as destroying a ship, scouting a space location, or assimilating a planet. Some Borg objectives score points; others confer different benefits, such as disrupting the timeline (e.g., Stop First Contact )

When you are playing Borg and you have an uncompleted "Borg Use Only" Objective card face up in play, this is defined as your current objective. You are limited to one "Borg Use Only" current objective at a time. You may have any number of non-"Borg Use Only" objectives in play at a time. (You may also have other "Borg Use Only" cards such as incidents in play.)

When you play (or activate) a "Borg Use Only" Objective card, you must immediately target an appropriate location, ship, personnel, etc., as specified by the objective. Objectives may target solved or unsolved mission locations. The objective then allows your Borg to scout the ship or location, initiate battle, abduct a target, etc. See scouting , scouting locations , scouting ships . Your Borg must complete scouting (if an objective involves scouting) and meet any other listed requirements (such as having Borg present at the location) before you may probe (usually at the end of your next turn) to determine your current objective’s outcome and score its points, if any. See probing

Scoring points [ ]

A Borg player scores points, both positive and negative, only from "Borg Use Only" cards and cards which specify that they affect Borg. When you or your Borg are confronted with any other card which is point-related, play out the card but ignore the points. If that card presents a choice, you must choose an option which is not point-related, if possible. Points you score from completing "Borg Use Only" objectives are non-bonus points. Any other points you score are bonus points (for example, points from the "Borg Use Only" Add Distinctiveness incident or the negative points from Balancing Act ).

Assimilation [ ]

You may assimilate planets or your opponent’s personnel and ships by using Objective and other cards that allow assimilation . Also see abduction

Borg Away Team Restrictions [ ]

Your Borg may not form Away Teams (either on a  planet or on an opponent’s ship or facility) except when counter-attacking or when allowed by your current objective or another card (e.g., Emergency Transporter Armbands , Near-Warp Transport , Iconian Gateway , Devidian Door ).

Borg Battle Restrictions [ ]

The Borg conduct battle in the same way as all other affiliations, subject to a few special considerations:

  • Each of your ships, facilities or Away Teams that wishes to initiate an attack must have a Defense icon personnel present. If the facility is a Nor, the Defense icon personnel must be in Ops. (The Borg may not use a “leader” to initiate battle unless that leader also has a Defense icon.)
  • Borg forces may not initiate battle except when counter-attacking or when allowed or required by your current objective (e.g., Assimilate Counterpart , Eliminate Starship ) or another card (e.g., Conundrum , The Issue Is Patriotism ). When allowed to initiate battle, they may attack any affiliation including opposing Borg.
  • If your opponent attacks you, during your next turn you may initiate one or more counter-attacks against any or all of your opponent’s ships, Away Teams, facilities, crews (if you can beam through the SHIELDS) etc. which are still at the location of the opponent’s attack, regardless of the form of the original attack. When you counter-attack, no Defense icon personnel is required and no affiliation restrictions apply (no current objective or other card is needed to allow the counter-attack).

Personnel Battles [ ]

All normal rules for personnel battle apply to Borg. Some cards allow you to abduct and/or assimilate personnel during personal combat. See abduction and assimilation

When your Talon Drone ( Three of Nineteen ) stuns an adversary in personal combat, it may abduct and assimilate (as a drone) the adversary (it cannot abduct without assimilating). Both the Talon Drone and the adversary are removed from the battle and may beam back to your ship.

  • When the target of your Assimilate Counterpart objective is engaged in combat by any of your Borg, that Borg may immediately abduct the target, regardless of their relative STRENGTHs. Both that Borg and the target are removed from the battle and may beam back to your ship. Abduction is not required – the engagement may instead proceed normally with one of the combatants being stunned or mortally wounded (however, your Talon Drone may not use its skill to abduct and assimilate the stunned target, because a target for Assimilate Counterpart may not be assimilated as a drone). The target is not assimilated as a counterpart until the objec tive is completed with a successful probe.
  • After you determine the winner of the overall battle, if you have a Talon Drone in the battle who is not stunned or mortally wounded, you may play one or more copies of Assimilation Tubules to allow the Talon Drone to assimilate (as drones) mortally wounded adversaries. They are not abducted and may not beam back until they are “unstopped.”

Ship Battles [ ]

While you may normally select only one target in a ship battle (either for the initial attack or returning fire), Borg-affiliation ships with a Multiplexor Drone ( Nine of Seventeen ) aboard are allowed to fire WEAPONS against multiple targets in the same battle, if a current objective or other card allows targeting of multiple ships (no objective currently allows this, but Gowron of Borg’s special skill will allow it), if returning fire or if counter-attacking. For example, if your opponent attacked any of your forces on the previous turn, and he has two ships and an outpost at the location of that attack, your Borg Cube with a Multiplexor Drone and two other Defense icon Borg aboard (total of 3 Defense icons) may target both ships and the outpost in a single battle, with 24 WEAPONS against each of the three targets. This expands the fire (or return fire) portion of the battle into two or more engagements. Each engagement has only one target, but it is possible to have multiple cards firing upon that target.

Compute separate ATTACK and DEFENSE totals for each engagement, repeatedly using the appropriate bonuses from each player’s current tactic each time. In other words, each player is limited to one current tactic  for the battle, but it w ill apply to each engagement. Apply damage only after you have determined the outcomes (hits  and direct hits) for all engagements.

If your multiplexed Borg ship scores a hit (or direct hit) against two or more targets and your current tactic has  a

Icon tactic current

symbol, use that card as the damage marker for one of those targets (your choice) and treat that symbol as 

Icon tactic draw

for damage to each remaining target. All damage markers drawn from your side deck must be placed on the hit targets randomly.

The Eliminate Starship objective allows you to battle the targeted ship. If you destroy it in battle, you must immediately probe to complete the objective (you do not wait until the end of your turn). See probing

Other Rules and Clarifications [ ]

Deck construction [ ].

  • Your seed cards may include up to six sites. Although there are no Borg Affiliation Nors, you may still wish to seed sites on your opponent’s Nor.
  • When using a Battle Bridge Side Deck , some Tactic cards (such as Borg Cutting Beam ) have a “Borg Use Only” icon. However, you may use any Tactic card in your Battle Bridge side deck.

The Seed Phases [ ]

  • The Transwarp Network Gateway , a seedable "Borg Use Only" Doorway card, specifies that it seeds during the outpost phase.
  • All normal dilemma phase seeding rules apply. If you reveal your own mis-seeded card in a scouting attempt, you may not complete any objective targeting that mission.

Play Phase [ ]

  • Borg do not commandeer (they assimilate instead).
  • 1 Rule Book

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‘star trek: picard’ pulls back curtain on its borg mystery.

As mystery boxes go, Star Trek: Picard just revealed a significant chunk of what’s inside theirs in the latest episode.

By Phil Pirrello

Phil Pirrello

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'Star Trek: Picard' Borg Cube, Explained After Episode 3

[This story contains spoilers for Star Trek Picard , season one, episode three.]

As mystery boxes go, Star Trek: Picard just revealed a significant chunk of what’s inside theirs in the latest episode.

Following a flashback 14 years prior to the start of the series, when we see why Admiral Picard (Patrick Stewart) retired from Starfleet, “The End Is the Beginning” doubles down on the Romulan’s agenda aboard their salvaged Borg cube (AKA The Artifact) as former drone-turned-bureaucrat Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco) works with Soji (Isa Briones) to mine a group of ex-Borgs for intel in a way that upends everything we know about the Federation’s most lethal enemy. 

Long story slightly less long: The Romulans are plotting something on the evil side (shocker), the Borg’s collective consciousness is critical to that plot, and key players in the Federation have worked and are working behind the scenes to help the bad guys do their thing. From Picard’s resignation to the secret (ish) history of the Borg, here’s how it all breaks down:

Why Picard Retired

“Retired” in this case is a euphemism for “resigned.” Because that’s what the former Enterprise captain had to do when the Federation balked at his proposal for a second attempt to aid the Romulans in their relocation effort following the rogue A-500 androids going all murder-y on Mars’ Utopia Planitia Shipyard — which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. 

In the episode, Picard tells his (former) close friend and colleague, Rafi (Michelle Hurd), that several Federation worlds struggled to get on board with the original plan. So, of course, any follow-up efforts would be even a harder sell, which was proven in the meeting Picard just walked out of when we first see him. At that meeting, Picard gave Starfleet an ultimatum: Either they can sign off on his new proposal or he can sign a letter of resignation. Picard obviously did the latter, and without consulting Rafi — whose career is also on the line, given that she was Picard’s Number Two on the rescue effort. 

As a result, Rafi loses her position at Starfleet as well — and, in an uncharacteristic move for Picard, he spends the next 14 years never once checking up on her or asking how she is. Which festers into deserved resentment and anger on Rafi’s part. 

Following their last encounter, we pick up with the two of them in the present day, where Picard apologizes for his behavior, but not before asking for Rafi’s help for his super secret mission to find out why elements of his dead friend, the android Data, turned up in the body of Picard’s other dead friend, the near-perfect biological/android mix Dahj (Isa Briones). 

Rafi still maintains her 14-year-old theory (with some evidence to back it up) that the Federation and the Romulan secret police, known as the Tal Shiar, conspired in the lead-up to the destruction of both Mars and the rescue armada. Why would the Romulans work with Starfleet to kill their own people? Or have a hand in the thing they hate, androids, going rogue? Good questions, Jean-Luc! The answers to both Picard will find in part in outer space. 

star trek ccg borg cube

What Does Picard Need With a Starship?

Technically, he needs an unregistered starship captained by a man named Rios (Santiago Cabrera). He’s a former Starfleet officer and ExO, who lost his captain somehow on a mission that went bad. (That mission and the name of the vessel involved went south in a way that required them to be erased from Starfleet records. Which means we’ll soon know the truth about what went down as we get to know Rios more.)

Rios is full of Han Solo/Mal Reynolds energy, as he finds himself succumbing to Picard’s gift for “speeches” and his own ethical code to help the legendary officer out. With Rafi and Dr. Jurati (Alison Pill) in tow, the crew set out on a mission to find the missing android expert, Bruce Maddox, at something called Freecloud. Rafi’s ties to what appears to be some kind of gambling establishment makes her very uncomfortable going there, but she can’t turn down her old friend for one last mission. 

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How the borg are shaping 'star trek: picard'.

What the Romulans Are Doing With the Borg

The Borg collective is like the iCloud and Slack for this race of interconnected beings. From the moment aliens or humans are assimilated into it, they join a chorus of thousands in service of the hive mind. Once disconnected from the collective, like Hugh was in the classic Next Generation episode “I, Borg,” they are free of those voices. But we learn this week that what’s not silent is the echo or imprint the individual drone’s experiences have within this mess of overlapping voices speaking as one mind. 

Thanks to Hugh and Soji’s efforts in the Borg Reclamation Project, they’ve discovered that the collective share a common narrative full of archetypal information from past experiences but it is just as relevant and timely to them as the day’s news is to humans. As the executive director of the Project, Hugh appears to want to tap into this knowledge — especially with the help of the only Romulans on record to have been assimilated by the Borg. They are also the only former drones to be … a little off. (Think the mental institution Brad Pitt’s character calls home in 12 Monkeys ). 

Why this is exactly, and why one of the ex-drones seems to know Soji is a clone with hints of seeing her in the future, remains (you guessed it) a mystery. 

New episodes of Star Trek: Picard stream every Thursday on CBS All Access.

13 'Star Trek: Picard' Easter Eggs from Episode 3

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Borg Cube Tier by Faction Ship Tier

Cutting beam damage.

  • Technological Distinctiveness

Best Hostiles by Cube Tier

Borg data nodes.

The Borg Cube is first available at Operations Level 28.

You will get 25% of the blueprints from the normal battle pass, and another 75% from the 20 Euro battle pass. This means by Day 8 of the arc, you should be able to have this ship for 20 Euros. It will also be available from Day 1 for 100 Euros, and then you can get a third in the event store in December.

This ship will be just like a normal faction ship, in that it is good for PVE, PVP, Armadas, etc. It will scale with your highest faction ship level (Romulan, Federation or Klingon Ships), and will progress through with you all the way to G6 epic levels. So if you have a Tier 6 Augur, then you can get this to Tier 5. So basically, once you have faction ships at a decent tier, you can then tier this one up higher. The tiering chart looks like this:

Borg Cutting Beam

The Borg Cube's special ability is a cutting beam. This is used to do damage to any ship in the system WITHOUT attacking it. So basically, click on a button and do direct hull (no mitigation) damage to it. So if it says 1,000,000 hull damage, it does 1,000,000 hull damage. This ability can be used in PVP and PVE situations, but NOT against Bases, Armadas or Alliance Star Bases.

To charge the beam, you just kill hostiles with the ship. So kill hostiles, charge it up, shoot away.

If you do enough damage to kill a hostile with the cutting beam, you get the normal loot from the hostile PLUS Technological Distinctiveness.

This beam can also be used to punch away at bigger players ships during incursions or takeovers, or to smash smaller players from across the system.

Technological Distinctivenes

After you destroy a hostile WITH the Cutting Beam, you get technological Distinctiveness. This is used in the borg refinery to get upgrade material for the borg cube, as well as the material for the research nodes which are found in the Ex-Borg research tree section.

This guide should help you most efficiently farm hostiles to get the cutting beam to get you the most rewards per shot.

These are the materials needed to tier up the borg cube. They are rewards as a gift when you reach the tier required with the faction ship of that tier. So if you get an Enterprise to tier 6 and an Augur to tier 6, you will have two gifts -- enough for leveling up two Borg Cubes. This means you can potentially have up to three Borg Cubes all fully leveled, if you tier up three faction ships, one for each faction.

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Star Trek: 10 Secrets Of The Borg Cube You Need To Know

Resistance to another listicle detailing an iconic Star Trek vehicle is futile.

Star Trek Borg Cube

Described by Lieutenant Commander Data as "strangely generalized", the Borg cube is massive, nearly indestructible, totally generic, and yet highly memorable.

Making its debut in the 1989 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Q Who", the Borg cube quickly became one of the franchise's most recognizable spaceships... and remains iconic today. While additional vessels of various basic shapes have been introduced in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Voyager, the cube from Star Trek: The Next Generation is the ship we most commonly associate with the fearsome, techno-zombies, the Borg.

The design of the Borg cube was intended to communicate the utterly incomprehensible and totally alien characterization of the Borg themselves. The cube shape was meant to be off-putting and weird compared to the stately USS Enterprise-D. With just a few trips to the inside of the cube, showing an even weirder and more mysterious interior, our Starfleet heroes and thus us an audience know next to nothing about the Borg's preferred mode of transportation and domination.

But with the recent starring role of the Borg cube dubbed "the Artifact" in Star Trek: Picard's premiere season and a whole slew of appearances in Star Trek: Voyager, there are secrets we can uncover about this strange, cubical vessel.

Prepare to assimilate these ten secrets of the Borg cube that you need to know.

10. Model Kit Parts And Paper Clips

Star Trek Borg Cube

The Borg vessel was first described in Maurice Hurly's script for the Star Trek: The Next Generation second season episode "Q Who", reading:

It's box like, with none of the aerodynamic qualities associated with most spaceships including the Enterprise. This is a case of form following function.

The motion control model of TNG's Borg cube was fabricated by Kim Bailey and Starlight Effects, then known primarily for their work in television commercials. Starlight constructed a custom interior and mounting armature then systematically built the cube out layer by layer, finishing the model with a detailed paint job. Due to the cubical shape of the vessel, TNG's VFX producers requested Starlight only build five of the six sides in order to facilitate easier management of the model's internal lighting and mounting systems.

Despite its distinctive and unique look, TNG's VFX team disliked the model, calling it ugly and bemoaning how difficult it was to light and film.

It may be painfully obvious now that Star Trek: The Next Generation has been restored in high definition, but, yes, those are plastic parts taken from off-the-shelf model kits, glued together to create the intricate piping and conduits of the Borg cube's surface. According to Gary Hutzel, when constructing the stunt Borg cube that was blown up using pyrotechnics in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2":

I ended up sitting on a table and taking basically model kit parts, stripping all the parts off, taking the little frames – the little plastic frames that they come on – and gluing them to the side of this box... and then spray-painting it, looking at it and sticking more stuff on, spray-painting it some more until, finally, it looked like the Borg ship.

When the Borg cube returned to attack Earth in 1996's Star Trek: First Contact, a new cube was designed by prolific starship illustrator John Eaves. This second Borg cube was constructed by Industrial Light and Magic and, while the filming model was smaller than the one used in TNG, it was considerably more detailed to stand up to the scrutiny of the big screen.

Like the movie cube's television predecessor, First Contact's Borg cube was covered in intricate mechanical details created through acid etched brass and custom styrene parts. Also like the TV cube, ILM's model shop turned to everyday items to embellish the Borg cube, using paper clips to embellish the ship's surface.

I played Shipyard Bar Patron (Uncredited) in Star Trek (2009).

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See how Star Trek: Picard's big reveal was built in CG layers

Learn how real actors and CG starships combine in this glimpse behind the scenes of the latest visual effects.

star trek ccg borg cube

Life is never boring on the Borg cube.

Ever wanted to see how a Borg spaceship is built? Now you can, and without any risk of being assimilated by the iconic baddies from  Star Trek: Picard . 

This video shows how visual effects company Pixomondo used computer-generated imagery to conjure the Borg cube seen in Star Trek: Picard , available now on CBS All Access in the USA and Amazon Prime Video elsewhere. (Disclosure: CNET is owned by ViacomCBS.)

Some of the show's crucial plot twists unfold on a damaged spaceship that's in the process of being painstakingly explored and excavated. When we first arrive on the devastated vessel, the camera pulls back through the levels of the ship -- and keeps going, and going, before shooting out into space and revealing the twist: these odd events are unfolding on a vast Borg cube.

The video shows how the shot was made, beginning with real actors standing on a set. As the camera pulls back, computer-generated effects extend the set around the actors. Then as we pull back further and the real actors recede, more and more digital elements are added until we land on the final entirely computer-generated shot of the Borg Cube.

The video shows how the visual effects crew build up a CG visual effect, starting with a skeleton and then adding in layers of shading and lighting.

For more trailers and videos spotlighting new streaming shows on CBS All Access, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and more, check out Stream Source on YouTube.

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5 star trek time loop episodes, ranked.

Star Trek loves a good time loop and here are 5 of the best. Star Trek loves a good time loop and here are 5 of the best.

  • Time loop stories are a classic science fiction premise Star Trek excels at.
  • Star Trek: Enterprise and Voyager had excellent time loop episodes, but The Next Generation's "Cause and Effect" is the best.
  • Star Trek: Discovery had two time loop episodes, "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" and "Face the Strange".

Time loop stories are a classic science fiction premise, and Star Trek has dipped into that well several times. Although Star Trek: The Original Series never did a traditional time loop episode, plenty of Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) adventures involved time travel. Every Star Trek series since has incorporated time travel in some way, including two of the franchise's most highly regarded films, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home & Star Trek: First Contact. Not every Trek series has done a time loop episode, but it's an incredibly fun premise that makes for great television when it's done well.

The time loop premise fits so well within the world of Star Trek , that it makes sense the franchise would return to it multiple times. Time loops (or "temporal causality loops") are apparently so common in the Star Trek universe, that Starfleet uses a time loop simulation as one of their training drills. In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 2, episode 8, "I, Excretus," a holodeck simulation called "Time Loop" was one of the possible drills the USS Cerrtos' Lower Deckers had to run, along with things like infiltrating a Borg cube or escaping the Mirror Universe. Being a Starfleet officer means being ready for anything, and here are five Star Trek episodes that trapped their characters in a time loop.

Many television shows have taken advantage of a time loop premise, with Stargate SG-1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, and Supernatural all delivering particularly fun time loop episodes.

20 Best Star Trek Time Travel Episodes & Movies, Ranked

5 "future tense", star trek: enterprise season 2, episode 16, star trek: enterprise.

Although not a time loop episode in the traditional sense, Star Trek: Enterprise's "Future Tense" features two different miniature time loops. When the Enterprise NX-01 finds a derelict shuttlepod from the future floating in space, the temporal radiation leaking from the ship causes time disturbances. As Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) and Lt. Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) continue to examine the shuttlepod, they find themselves reliving the same moment over and over.

"Future Tense" has some fun moments, including the time loops.

Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) and Sub-Commander T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) discover that the pod is from the 31st century and presume it must be connected to the Temporal Cold War in some way. To keep the pod from the Suliban or the Tholians, Archer and Reed try to booby-trap it but end up stuck in another time loop. Eventually Trip activates the pod's distress signal and the ship vanishes, presumably back to the 31st century. "Future Tense" has some fun moments, including the time loops, but the Temporal Cold War storyline on Enterprise never quite worked as well as it could have.

The 31st-century shuttlepod is impossibly bigger on the inside than the outside, a nod to the time-traveling TARDIS on Doctor Who .

4 "Coda"

Star trek: voyager season 3, episode 15, star trek: voyager.

When a shuttlecraft carrying Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) crash lands on a planet, Janeway is seriously injured. Before long, Star Trek: Voyager 's villains the Vidiians find the crashed shuttle and kill Janeway and Chakotay. The two then appear again on the shuttle just before they crashed. Immediately realizing they're caught in a time loop, Janeway and Chakotay try something different, but this time, their shuttle explodes. Time resets again, and Janeway and Chakotay make it back to Voyager before Janeway is killed again.

"Coda" is an entertaining and even frightening episode, and Kate Mulgrew delivers a great performance.

In the final loop of Star Trek: Voyager 's "Coda", Janeway sees herself "die" and encounters the supposed spirit of her father. Realizing that something isn't right, Janeway refuses to go with him and wakes up on the planet as Chakotay and The Doctor (Robert Picardo) revive her. "Coda" is an entertaining and even frightening episode, and Kate Mulgrew delivers a great performance. However, the final reveal that most of the story happened in Janeway's head undercuts some of the more emotional moments.

3 "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad"

Star trek: discovery season 1, episode 7, star trek: discovery.

Star Trek: Discovery season 1 received a mixed reception from fans, but "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad" stands out as a solid and entertaining take on a classic premise. When Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson) arrives on the USS Discovery, he enacts his plan to kill Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and sell Discovery's spore drive technology to the Klingons. Mudd has a time crystal that allows him to repeat the same 30-minute time period over and over.

Victorious, Burnham delivers the coup de grâce line to Mudd: "Turns out you can con a con man."

Due to the tardigrade DNA in his system, Lieutenant Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) remains aware of the time loops, and he recruits Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Lt. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) to help him stop Mudd. Mudd kills Lorca repeatedly and nearly succeeds in his plan, but Stamets, Burnham, and Tyler reroute Mudd's signal to his fiancée, Stella (Katherine Barrell), and her father rather than the Klingons. Victorious, Burnham delivers the coup de grâce line to Mudd: "Turns out you can con a con man."

10 Star Trek: Discovery Positives You Only Notice On Rewatch

2 "face the strange", star trek: discovery season 5, episode 4.

In one of Star Trek: Discovery's best episodes so far, Captain Burnham and her new First Officer, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) , find themselves jumping through different time periods in Discovery's past, present, and future. Like the previous time he was stuck in a time loop, Stamets remains aware of the jumps and works with Burnham and Rayner to find a solution. They revisit multiple moments from past seasons of Discovery , and Michael even encounters her past self, resulting in a Burnham vs. Burnham fistfight.

The time jumping turns out to be the result of a Krenim "time bug" that courier Moll (Eve Harlow) snuck onto the Enterprise in the previous episode.

Burnham and Rayner also get a glimpse of a possible future where the Breen ended up with the Progenitors' technology and destroyed the Federation. Thankfully, Stamets, Burnham, and Rayner prevent this future by destroying the time bug, and Discovery loses only six hours rather than the weeks it could have lost. Not only is Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 an incredibly fun episode of Star Trek , but it also shows how far Burnham and the other characters have come since the show's first season.

1 "Cause and Effect"

Star trek: the next generation season 5, episode 18, star trek: the next generation.

In Star Trek's first true time loop episode, the USS Enterprise-D is destroyed over and over again as Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and the rest of the crew try to find a solution. After a cold open that ends with the Enterprise blowing up, the crew members end up back at their game of poker. Although they do not initially realize they are stuck in a time loop, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) begins experiencing a sense of déjà vu. After they discover their predicament, Data sends a message to himself using his positronic brain.

Wonderfully directed by Jonathan Frakes, every time loop in "Cause and Effect" feels unique.

At the end of each loop, the Enterprise collides with another ship as it emerges from a space-time distortion, after Data's suggestion to use the tractor beam fails. Data eventually realizes the message he sent himself indicates they should try Commander William Riker's (Jonathan Frakes) suggestion to decompress the main shuttlebay. The plan works and the Enterprise finally avoids the collision. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) then contacts the other ship, the USS Bozeman, which has been missing for over 90 years. Wonderfully directed by Jonathan Frakes, every time loop in "Cause and Effect" feels unique, and the episode remains one of Star Trek's most memorable time travel stories.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, & Star Trek: Discovery are all available to stream on Paramount+.

Memory Alpha

The Artifact

  • View history
  • 1.1 Borg Collective
  • 1.2 Romulan Reclamation Site
  • 1.3 xB control
  • 2.1 Appearances
  • 2.2 Background information

History [ ]

Borg collective [ ].

In the 2380s , the cube encountered two Tal Shiar vessels. While one ship was spared, the second, the scout ship Shaenor on which Ramdha was a passenger was assimilated ; the only Romulans ever assimilated by the cube. The sheer force of Ramdha's despair, caused by her prior contact with the Admonition , triggered a submatrix collapse on the cube that immediately severed it from the Collective. ( PIC : " The End is the Beginning ", " Broken Pieces ")

Romulan Reclamation Site [ ]

Afterward, the Romulan Reclamation Site was established within the cube. It was controlled by the Romulan Free State , who captured the cube and profited from the exploitation of Borg technology . Through treaty with the Federation , both governments worked there as guests of the Borg Artifact Research Institute . All technology and drones aboard the vessel had been rendered inactive, although researchers were warned to take special measures when entering the gray zone . ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

The cube had either been damaged or modified while under the control of the Romulans as large sections of the outer hull had been replaced by force fields to maintain the ship's structural integrity . ( PIC : " Remembrance ") The interior of the cube had also been modified to allow for living quarters , not commonly found on Borg vessels. ( PIC : " Remembrance "; TNG : " Q Who ")

Also operating on the cube was the Borg Reclamation Project , which was independent by treaty. Because of this, the Romulans had to allow Federation diplomatic envoys to the project if the executive director agreed to this. By the year 2399 , the project was under the direction of Hugh , who was stationed aboard the Artifact. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ", " The Impossible Box ")

xB control [ ]

The Artifact contained a room called a queencell possessing a spatial trajector device that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard and Doctor Soji Asha used to transport to the planet Nepenthe in secret. Following their escape, Tal Shiar / Zhat Vash Colonel Narissa commenced a genocide of the xB population of the Artifact in retribution for Director Hugh's assistance to Picard. During this attack, Seven of Nine took command of the Artifact, initiated automated repairs to it and reactivated the Borg population which was immediately decimated by ejection into space from a massive fissure opened by Narissa. After the Romulan evacuation, Seven of Nine relinquished control of the Artifact and the cube remained active with a reduced population. ( PIC : " Broken Pieces ")

Artifact crashed on Coppelius

The Artifact crashed on Coppelius

While Seven was connected to the Artifact, she sensed that Picard and La Sirena were in danger. Thus, she took the cube through a transwarp conduit to Coppelius to assist. Shortly after, the Artifact's power was disabled by orchids , causing it to crash on the planet's surface. ( PIC : " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 ", " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

  • " Remembrance "
  • " Maps and Legends "
  • " The End is the Beginning "
  • " Absolute Candor "
  • " The Impossible Box "
  • " Nepenthe "
  • " Broken Pieces "
  • " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 1 "
  • " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 "

Background information [ ]

The Artifact, promo art

Promotional artwork

A piece of promotional artwork depicting "The Artifact" was published on Facebook , following the release of "Maps and Legends".

Describing the rendering process, CG supervisor Dan Smiczek with Pixomondo noted the Artifact was approximately 4.7 kilometers long on each side. [1]

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Timeless ", set in 2390 of an alternate timeline , Harry Kim mentioned a wrecked Borg cube in the Beta Quadrant . In an Instagram story dated 5 March 2020, when asked if the Artifact was the same cube, Michael Chabon responded: " Do you have a theory? " [2]

COMMENTS

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