Star Trek Still Has 1 Way To Bring The Original Borg Back After Picard Season 3

Thanks to Star Trek: Voyager, the Star Trek franchise still has one way to bring back the original Borg Collective, even after their defeat in Star Trek: Picard season 3. The Borg have become one of the most formidable enemies in any Star Trek TV show or movie since their debut in Star Trek: The Next Generation. A cyborg race that operates through a hive mind, the Borg's relentless pursuit of perfection and willingness to brutally assimilate other races into their collective were what made them so terrifying for the majority of their existence in the franchise.

The familiar iteration of the Borg from shows like TNG and Voyager was defeated by Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the former crew of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: Picard's season 3 ending. Thanks to the neurolytic pathogen previously delivered by Voyager's crew, Picard was able to wipe out the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) and decimate her remaining drones, supposedly leaving Agnes Jurati's (Allison Pill) Borg Collective as the only remaining Borg in the galaxy. However, while it sowed the seeds of the original Borg's destruction, Voyager may have also created the only remaining hope for their return.

Star Trek: Voyager’s Borg “Cooperative” Still Exists Even After Picard Season 3

Voyager introduced the Cooperative in season 3

The Borg Cooperative, which was introduced in Voyager season 3, episode 17, "Unity," is likely the final contingent of the original Borg, and could still return to the Star Trek franchise in the future. Although the character of Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) is perhaps the show's most well-known affiliation with the Borg, the Cooperative acted as the Borg's introduction on Voyager in season 3. The crew's encounter with the Cooperative paved the way for Voyager's future Borg storylines, and introduced some interesting questions about the unique existence of former Borg drones.

The Cooperative was its own collective, created independently when a group of former drones chose to reactivate their hive-mind link to form a more harmonious community on a planet in the Delta Quadrant. As such, the Cooperative would not have been affected by either Voyager's neurolytic pathogen or Picard's defeat of the Borg Queen. The Cooperative could still be out there, and given that their motives were left somewhat ambiguous during the ending of "Unity," they could act as either friend or foe in future Star Trek projects.

Could Voyager’s Borg Cooperative Return In Star Trek’s Future?

With newer Star Trek shows, anything is possible

With the events and characters from Voyager more important than ever, and a dearth of Borg on the horizon, it's entirely possible that the Cooperative could make a reappearance in upcoming Star Trek TV shows or movies. The most logical place for them to appear would be in Star Trek: Prodigy, which has the strongest connection to Voyager of any new Star Trek series to date. However, if the franchise chooses to greenlight Star Trek: Legacy or any other series focusing on Captain Seven of Nine, Borg-related storylines would only make sense to explore.

The Borg Cooperative would be a good way to bridge the gap between Star Trek's original Borg and Jurati's Collective from Picard season 2. As former drones who seemed to have generally good motives, the Cooperative could have become exactly what they intended: a community of connected people working together for the common good. However, after demonstrating that they were willing to use force to get what they wanted in "Unity," it's possible the Cooperative became more sinister. Either way, Star Trek: Voyager could provide the franchise with one last chance to see some version of the original Borg.