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

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.