Star Trek: Voyager And TNG Have One Huge Borg Thing In Common (2024)

Despite different takes on the Borg, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: The Next Generation have one huge Borg-related thing in common. The Borg were first introduced in TNG and quickly became one of the most terrifying villains of any Star Trek movie or TV show. The cyborg species continues to be one of the more recognizable tenets of the franchise to people who are unfamiliar with it. As antagonists, the Borg have a long and complicated history that ultimately came to a close for their original iteration in the series finale of Star Trek: Picard.

As for Voyager and TNG, both series created and expanded Borg lore in different ways. As the originator of the Borg, TNG established many of their traits that would become central, including their cybernetic components, hive mind, and relentless pursuit of perfection through the assimilation of other species. In contrast, Voyager's cast of characters explored the human impact of the Borg, delving into the psychological trauma former drones often experienced through the character of Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Aside from these different approaches, however, both TNG and Voyager kicked out their first major Borg storylines in similar ways.

Star Trek: Voyager’s “Scorpion” Has A Lot In Common With TNG’s “The Best Of Both Worlds”

"Scorpion" and "The Best of Both Worlds" are very similar

Voyager's first major Borg episode, "Scorpion, Parts 1 & 2" bears a lot of similarities to TNG's most famous Borg episode "The Best of Both Worlds, Parts 1 & 2." Off the bat, both episodes are two-parters, and "Scorpion" was also Voyager's season 3 finale and season 4 premiere, which was the same for "The Best of Both Worlds." Each episode provided a thrilling cliffhanger to resolve in season 4, with TNG depicting the assimilation of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Voyager ending season 3 with Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) talking the Borg into their first-ever alliance with a Starfleet crew.

Aside from practical similarities, the storylines in "Scorpion" and "The Best of Both Worlds" had some subtle but unmistakable parallels. Each episode featured major battles that involved the Borg, with "The Best of Both Worlds" depicting the Battle of Wolf 359 while "Scorpion" introduced a war between the Borg and Species 8472. Both episodes also prominently featured the rescue of an important character from assimilation, albeit in different ways. While Picard was taken back from the Borg after his capture, Voyager severed Seven of Nine's link to the Collective as a way to add her to the show's cast.

Voyager Referenced TNG And “The Best Of Both Worlds” Twice In “Scorpion”

Voyager was aware of how much it owed to TNG

Along with these similarities, there are two direct references to TNG and "The Best of Both Worlds" in "Scorpion." While researching the Borg, Captain Janeway reads a quote from Picard aloud to Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) as a way to illustrate how dangerous the Borg are to the Federation. Similarly, while trying to avoid being forcibly equipped with Borg technology during their alliance, Janeway requests a single Borg representative to communicate with by referencing the Borg's creation of Locutus, Picard's name while he was assimilated.

These references subtly show that Voyager may have been aware of the similarities between "Scorpion" and "The Best of Both Worlds" and sought to pay tribute to the famous TNG episode with their first Borg-related two-parter. If that was the case, then the series certainly succeeded, and the exploration of the Borg that was started in "Scorpion" arguably became the most comprehensive of any Star Trek show after TNG created them. Star Trek: Voyager's creative team deserves a lot of credit for what they accomplished with the Borg and their expansion in the franchise.

Star Trek: Voyager

TV-PG

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

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The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they've never faced before.

Cast

Kate Mulgrew , Robert Beltran , Roxann Dawson , Jennifer Lien , Robert Duncan McNeill , Ethan Phillips , Robert Picardo , Tim Russ , Garrett Wang , Jeri Ryan

Release Date

May 23, 1995

Seasons

7

Network

UPN

Streaming Service(s)

Paramount+

Franchise(s)

Star Trek

Writers

Michael Piller , Jeri Taylor , Brannon Braga , Kenneth Biller

Showrunner

Michael Piller , Jeri Taylor , Brannon Braga , Kenneth Biller

Where To Watch

Paramount+

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Sci-Fi

Superhero

Drama

Action

Where to Watch

*Availability in US

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Not available

Star Trek: The Next Generation is the third installment in the sci-fi franchise and follows the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew members of the USS Enterprise. Set around one hundred years after the original series, Picard and his crew travel through the galaxy in largely self-contained episodes exploring the crew dynamics and their own political discourse. The series also had several overarching plots that would develop over the course of the isolated episodes, with four films released in tandem with the series to further some of these story elements.

Cast

Patrick Stewart , Marina Sirtis , Brent Spiner , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Wil Wheaton , Gates McFadden , Michael Dorn

Release Date

September 28, 1987

Seasons

7

Streaming Service(s)

Paramount+

Franchise(s)

Star Trek

Writers

Rick Berman , Michael Piller , Brannon Braga , Jeri Taylor , Ronald D. Moore

Directors

David Carson

Showrunner

Rick Berman , Michael Piller , Jeri Taylor

Where To Watch

Paramount+