Why doesn't the Borg ever assimilate the Federation?

Lord Jax · Post by **Lord Jax** » 2004-02-16 01:25am

Ok I always wanted to know that is just something like the good guys have to win. Look the thing on Voyager with Janeway was SHIT!!!! That was horrorable since for starters one of the theories is that you can't change the past through time travel, since lets look at the terminator thing cause if skynet never sent its machines back in time connor would have never been born. If i was the Borg Queen i would be ticked and there would be hell to pay.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-02-16 01:38am

Because if they succeeded the franchise would be over.

SWPIGWANG · Post by **SWPIGWANG** » 2004-02-16 02:08am

Reset switch

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-02-16 02:08am

Because they don't have the processing power to figure out how to invade the Federation with more than one cube at a time.

Mlenk · Post by **Mlenk** » 2004-02-16 02:13am

Because B&B don't know the meaning of entertainment.

Robert Walper · Post by **Robert Walper** » 2004-02-16 02:32am

Gil Hamilton wrote:Because they don't have the processing power to figure out how to invade the Federation with more than one cube at a time.

Actually it strikes me more like one cube is plenty enough to assimilate the Federation, but the two they sent got beaten by those "special circumstances". Kinda like the Death Star getting destroyed by a single fighter, and jumping to the conclusion you need more than one to accomplish the failed objective(destruction of Yavin).

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-02-16 02:43am

The Borg are idiots. Thats why they can not beat the Feds.

Robert Walper · Post by **Robert Walper** » 2004-02-16 03:02am

evilcat4000 wrote:The Borg are idiots. Thats why they can not beat the Feds.

Actually, anyone can easily see the Borg would utterly obliterate the Federation in any large scale war. The fact that the Federation beat two Borg cubes on seperate occasions by the skin of their teeth isn't an indication of idiocy on their part, merely circumstances not in their favor. Both instances made it abundantly clear the Borg were kicking the shit out of the Federation, and were only saved by the last minute rabbit out of the hat.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2004-02-16 04:19am

Given Voyager's track record, I really doubt that the Borg could defeat the Federation. Maybe during the TNG era...

Sharp-kun · Post by **Sharp-kun** » 2004-02-16 05:45am

Robert Walper wrote:
Gil Hamilton wrote:Because they don't have the processing power to figure out how to invade the Federation with more than one cube at a time.
Actually it strikes me more like one cube is plenty enough to assimilate the Federation, but the two they sent got beaten by those "special circumstances". Kinda like the Death Star getting destroyed by a single fighter, and jumping to the conclusion you need more than one to accomplish the failed objective(destruction of Yavin).

They send more than one cube to assimilate single worlds, yet they send only one to deal with the Federation?

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-02-16 05:56am

I remember they said there were hundreds of cubes that wiped out Arturis' world. (Hope and Fear)

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-02-16 06:01am

Is it possible those sole-cube-"invades"-the-Federation plots were more akin to probes rather than actual invasions, designed to test the defences of a potential opportunity? Also, weren't the Borg facing advsaries on numerous fronts, such as Species PIN number, those Nazi hunters, those other guys (y'know, the ones with the weird FACE...)?

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-02-16 06:09am

Stofsk wrote:Is it possible those sole-cube-"invades"-the-Federation plots were more akin to probes rather than actual invasions, designed to test the defences of a potential opportunity? Also, weren't the Borg facing advsaries on numerous fronts, such as Species PIN number, those Nazi hunters, those other guys (y'know, the ones with the weird FACE...)?

When they nabbed Picard and made Locutus, he was supposed to prepare the Federation for assimilation.

In FC, when the Borg failed to reach Earth, they went back in time, thus assimilating what would become the Federation.

Stofsk · Post by **Stofsk** » 2004-02-16 06:20am

I'm just trying to justify why the Borg would send only 1 cube to assimilate the Federation, when they (apparently) have thousands of them. I just can't see how the Borg hoped to succeed, I mean one cube shouldn't have been enough to pacify the entire Federation, and the time-travel tactic reeked of desperation.

If my idea comes up short then I apologise. My rationalisations might be found wanting, but I AM assuming that the Borg are at least capable of logic.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-02-16 06:24am

Stofsk wrote:If my idea comes up short then I apologise. My rationalisations might be found wanting, but I AM assuming that the Borg are at least capable of logic.

That's ok. I once pioneered the idea of Annorax pottering about in his timeship throughout the series run of Voyager, thus explaining the inconsistencies.

Maybe they just keep underestimating the Feds?

Sharp-kun · Post by **Sharp-kun** » 2004-02-16 06:34am

Gandalf wrote:
Maybe they just keep underestimating the Feds?

I don't see why they would though after BoBW. They deploy superior forces against inferior worlds, yet against a galactic power, they sent 1 ship.

The non-universe answer is of course that the writers couldn't work out how to make the Feds win against more than 1 cube

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-02-16 06:37am

Sharp-kun wrote:
Gandalf wrote:
Maybe they just keep underestimating the Feds?
I don't see why they would though after BoBW. They deploy superior forces against inferior worlds, yet against a galactic power, they sent 1 ship.

In BoBW they beat the shit out of all Federation resistance. They were only stopped in very unique circumstances.

TheDarkling · Post by **TheDarkling** » 2004-02-16 07:30am

Gandalf wrote: In BoBW they beat the shit out of all Federation resistance. They were only stopped in very unique circumstances.

True enough but the Federation deployed 30 aged ships out of the 1000s of modern ones we know they have.

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-02-16 07:36am

TheDarkling wrote:
Gandalf wrote: In BoBW they beat the shit out of all Federation resistance. They were only stopped in very unique circumstances.
True enough but the Federation deployed 30 aged ships out of the 1000s of modern ones we know they have.

But that shows that they could only mount that much resistance in time of crisis. The Borg seemed to come out with barley a scratch. The Fed ships by the end of that would have done fuck all. By then the Borg could have assimilated a few planets.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » 2004-02-16 10:01am

Y'know, the First Contact time travel strategy gains the Borg absolutely squat. They want to assimilate the Federation's technology, correct? Assimilating Earth before that tech is developed defeats their purpose.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-02-16 10:16am

Robert Walper wrote:Actually it strikes me more like one cube is plenty enough to assimilate the Federation, but the two they sent got beaten by those "special circumstances". Kinda like the Death Star getting destroyed by a single fighter, and jumping to the conclusion you need more than one to accomplish the failed objective(destruction of Yavin).

Except they kept failing. This indictates failure on the Borg end, not on Federation luck. The Borg should have looked at the fact that one Cube failed to defeat the Federation, no matter what the circumstances, recognized that had they sent multiple they would have easily succeed, then sent multiple ships.

It's a "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice..." situation. If they had any brain power at all, they would have curb stomped the Federation the second time around instead of trying to assimilate the Federation with their daffy time travel scheme. The problem is that the Borg have supervillain-itis, causing them to fail and then make incredibly convoluted schemes with one huge exploitable flaws in their plans for World Domination. I'm suprised that the Borg hadn't tried slowly lowering Janeway into a vat full of nanobots with the Borg Queen telling her "her" master plan and then leaving the room to a pair of inept guards.

Lonestar · Post by **Lonestar** » 2004-02-16 10:22am

Obviously, there has to be some sort of cultural hinderance on the Borg's part...remember, individual drones don't attack unless there's "a threat", and the Federation, limited to Warp Speed on the far side of the galaxy is not a threat (dispite it's local power)

Solauren · Post by **Solauren** » 2004-02-16 11:07am

HappyTarget and I had a discussion about this once.

I think the Borg are deliberatly sending 'sure to fail' attacks for a simple reason.

They don't want to assimilate the Federation right now. They are two low tech.

Sure, a single starship is worth the effort, but not the Federation.

By launching a cube 'invasion' every so often, they force the Federation to improve weapons and technology, as well as there industrial base.

Eventually, the Borg force the Federation to an acceptable level and then launch a full scale assault of hundreds of cubes.

And if they manage to assimilate them with just one cube, the Federation wasn't worth the effort of forcing them up or sending more then one cube...

Sharp-kun · Post by **Sharp-kun** » 2004-02-16 11:55am

Gil Hamilton wrote:I'm suprised that the Borg hadn't tried slowly lowering Janeway into a vat full of nanobots with the Borg Queen telling her "her" master plan and then leaving the room to a pair of inept guards.

Replace "nanobots" with "sulphuric acid", and that would have been one of Voyagers best episodes

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-02-16 12:16pm

Solauren wrote:<snippity-do-for-space>

That doesn't jive with First Contact where the Borg's Evil Scheme involved jumping back to the middle of the 21st century -- back before Earth had any real tech at all -- to try to prevent first contact and assimilate the planet. They'd lose any tech the Federation would have gained that way.