I Forgot TNG’s Hugh Borg Actor Made A Surprise Comeback On Star Trek: Voyager

I forgot that the actor who played Star Trek: The Next Generation's Hugh the Borg, Jonathan Del Arco, actually came back in Star Trek: Voyager. We first met Del Arco in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5, episode 23, "I, Borg", as a lone Borg drone apprehended by the USS Enterprise-D. As Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) figures out what makes the drone tick, Del Arco's Borg becomes Geordi's friend and takes the name Hugh. Jonathan Del Arco made Hugh a memorable TNG guest star, so Del Arco's return to another Star Trek show isn't surprising.

What is surprising, however, is the fact that Jonathan Del Arco's character in Star Trek: Voyager isn't Hugh the Borg at all. Hugh made an impact on the Borg by introducing individuality to the Collective, and it might have been interesting to trace that concept back to Hugh in the Borg-heavy later seasons of Star Trek: Voyager. Instead, Jonathan Del Arco joins the ranks of actors who played more than one Star Trek character. Most of the time, Star Trek makes returning actors unrecognizable with heavy alien makeup, and Del Arco's Voyager character is no exception.

Hugh Actor Jonathan Del Arco Guest Starred In Star Trek: Voyager

Del Arco's Voyager Character, Fantome, Is A Lot Like Hugh

After playing Hugh in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jonathan Del Arco guest starred in Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 15, "The Void". Del Arco's character is an injured alien accidentally beamed aboard when the Voyager crew takes their own supplies back from an adversary inside a seemingly inescapable spatial anomaly. Del Arco's newcomer doesn't speak, but responds to music, so the Doctor (Robert Picardo) names him Fantome, after the Phantom of the Opera. The Doctor and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) devise a way to communicate with Fantome using musical tones, and Fantome helps Voyager escape the Void.

There are definitely similarities between Hugh and Fantome, so it makes sense that Jonathan Del Arco was called back for Star Trek: Voyager. Both Hugh and Fantome are separated from their species when they're brought aboard a Federation starship. Like Geordi teaching Hugh about being an individual, the Doctor discovers Fantome is intelligent and eager to learn. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) refuses to see that Hugh is a different kind of Borg, and Fantome likewise deals with prejudice from long-term residents of the Void who consider Fantome's people to be parasites.

Jonathan Del Arco’s Comeback As Hugh In Star Trek: Picard Was Disappointing

Hugh Should Have Lived To Return In Star Trek: Picard

I had high hopes for Hugh's future after he helped defeat Lore (Brent Spiner) in Star Trek: The Next Generation's 2-part episode, "Descent", but Jonathan Del Arco's return as Hugh the Borg in Star Trek: Picard was a disappointing comeback. In Picard, Hugh was fully liberated from the Collective, and worked as the Executive Director of the Borg Reclamation Project on a recovered Cube called the Artifact. As one of the first Borg to attain individuality, Hugh was well-equipped to help other former drones, now called xBs, with their transition to life outside the Borg Collective.

Unfortunately, Hugh's comeback in Star Trek: Picard was far too brief before his senseless murder. Shortly after reuniting with Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, Hugh was killed by Romulan Zhat Vash agent Narissa (Peyton List), when Hugh refused to give Narissa information about the location of Picard and Soji Asha (Isa Briones). Instead of being a noble sacrifice, Hugh's death only served to prove Star Trek: Picard was darker and grittier than Star Trek: The Next Generation. Jonathan Del Arco deserved much better for Hugh, and it's unlikely that Fantome, as a less-memorable character, will ever return.