Why do they call them "drones"

Shrykull · Post by **Shrykull** » 2004-02-11 09:01pm

drone1 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (drn)
n.
A male bee, especially a honeybee, that is characteristically stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey. Its only function is to mate with the queen bee.

Well, we never see them mate with the borg queen, but drones do all the work in the collective practically.

justifier · Post by **justifier** » 2004-02-11 10:14pm

Drone is commonly used to describe something that is dumb/no thought at all and which there are many of. Fitting

Robert Walper · Post by **Robert Walper** » 2004-02-11 10:20pm

Shrykull wrote:drone1 ( P ) Pronunciation Key (drn)
n.
A male bee, especially a honeybee, that is characteristically stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey. Its only function is to mate with the queen bee.

Well, we never see them mate with the borg queen, but drones do all the work in the collective practically.

Seems to be merely a term utilized to fit their "hive" like mentality and design.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2004-02-11 10:54pm

It was an appropriate term when used by Starfleet in TNG, but its deeply silly to have the Queen refer to her 'Drones'. Wouldn't she have a borg-y name for them?

Robert Walper · Post by **Robert Walper** » 2004-02-11 11:20pm

Stark wrote:It was an appropriate term when used by Starfleet in TNG, but its deeply silly to have the Queen refer to her 'Drones'. Wouldn't she have a borg-y name for them?

Yes. "Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One" (ref STVOY "Scorpion") or "Four of Twelve, subjunction of unimatrix 525" (ref STVOY "Unimatrix Zero"). Drones is merely a term applied to them as a group, and drone is applied as a general label when specificity isn't required. For example "he will make an excellent drone".

Lord Jax · Post by **Lord Jax** » 2004-02-16 01:14am

cause there is a queen relationships with her "lackies" you know you have to call your "lackies" something.

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2004-02-16 03:32pm

Yeah, they should make all the Borg chicks and call them "workers."

Then have a couple of wussy Frenchmen loverboy Borg and call them "drones" and they just sit around drink and bang the "Queen."

Already more interesting than how it is now!

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-02-17 06:50am

The Borg social structure is like an insect colony. So the leader is the queen and the workers are drones. It is as simple as that.

Kurgan · Post by **Kurgan** » 2004-02-17 09:57am

Well like I said, the term "worker" is more apt for what the Borg Drones "do" in the collective (maintainence, guard duty, fighting, care for "young" etc).

In insect societies "drones" are males who lack defensive capabilities. Basically just sperm donars for the Queen.

The other thing is the workers (like the Queen) are always female.

Maybe the writers were confused about the insect analogy when they created the Borg, but I have a hunch it just "sounded cooler" to call them drones and they didn't want to risk making the "Communism nightmare" analogy too clear cut by calling them "workers" (to many the Borg Collective is an obvious analog to Communism, but of course if one doesn't distinguish between this and the "good" Socialism of the Federation, it risks confusing people?).

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Why do they call them "drones"

Why do they call them "drones"

Re: Why do they call them "drones"