The Star Trek universe has just seen something previously thought impossible: Spock has joined the Borg. Spock is a franchise icon, so it is only fitting that he has been a key player in the last two years of IDW’s Star Trek titles. These books have built towards a massive, universe-shaking event called The Lore War, and a variant cover for Star Trek: Defiant #26 shows Spock with Borg implants.
IDW shared a first look at their April-shipping titles, including Star Trek: Defiant #26, written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Davide Tinto. The issue is part two of The Lore War. After destroying the Pleroma, and thus the entire Star Trek multiverse, Lore has recreated reality in his image, forcing Sisko and his comrades to become rebels. The issue’s solicitation reads as follows:
On one side of the war, Worf, Shaxs, Alexander, and others who once valued honor above all have now been designed by the malevolent android Lore to uphold his dictatorial rule; on the other side, a rebel Maquis fleet, Kahless II, Beverly, Sisko, and all those who know the truth behind their current reality endeavor to tear it down with what little resources they have. But not everything is as hopeless as it seems: There are allies hidden in the unlikeliest of places and assets — like the famous U.S.S. Phoenix — that escape even the all-seeing positronic eye of Lore.
A variant cover, by JK Woodward, made to resemble the poster for Star Trek: First Contact, shows Spock, complete with Borg implants, standing over Hugh and an army of Borg drones.
In the Star Trek Universe, There Is No Fate Worse Than Death Than Assimilation
Very Few People in the Star Trek Universe Have Bounced Back From Being Assimilated
In the Star Trek universe, no other species strikes fear into the hearts of the Alpha Quadrant quite like the Borg. Originating in the Delta Quadrant, the Borg seek to assimilate all organic life into their collective. This makes the Borg seemingly unstoppable, as they can prepare for every tactic and every weapon. The Borg can also rapidly adjust to energy weapons, such as phasers, which only makes them harder to kill. Yet the true terror of the Borg lies in seeing loved ones assimilated and stripped of their humanity.
The Borg were originally to be introduced in the season one finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation. However, various factors forced them to move it to the second season.
The assimilation process is one few survive. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Seven of Nine are both famous ex-Borgs, and removing them from the Collective was a delicate process. In the famous Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter “The Best of Both Worlds,” the Borg assimilated Picard, and forced him to lead an assault on Starfleet. Picard’s Enterprise crew rescue him, but pulling him out of the Collective nearly kills him. Likewise, Seven of Nine, assimilated when she was a child, experienced ill effects after being liberated from the Borg.
How Did Spock Become Part of the Borg?
However Spock Was Assimilated, It Is a Disturbing Sight
And now Spock has been seemingly assimilated by the Borg, which is even more unsettling than seeing Picard suffer a similar fate. Spock is one of the most beloved figures in the Star Trek franchise, and the sight of him with Borg implants, including one covering his left eye, is disturbing. Furthermore, Spock’s face is different, looking far more decrepit, perhaps the result of his assimilation and a potential reversal of the process. IDW has not revealed how Spock came to be assimilated in Lore’s new reality, and it will be one of The Lore War’s central mysteries.
Spock’s addition to the Borg in Lore’s new universe is a calculated move on the android’s part, as well as a case of “biting the hand that feeds.” Spock brought Lore into the “god war,” during which Lore became aware of the Pleroma, and the nature of the universe. Prior to being recruited, a disassembled Lore was residing in a Section 31 facility, meaning Spock rescued him. Lore repaid Spock by turning him into a Borg when he reshaped the universe. Lore did this to get under Sisko and the rebel’s skins.
Is This Borg-ified Version of Spock Actually a Good Guy?
This New Version of Spock Fights Alongside Sisko
Yet not all hope is lost in the Star Trek universe. Megan Levens’ variant cover for Star Trek #31, also part of The Lore War, shows the Borg-ified Spock on Captain Sisko’s side, meaning he is one of the good guys opposing Lore. Once the Spock of Lore’s reality is awakened to his true nature, he will throw his lot in with Sisko. Spock’s centuries of experience will come to bear as Sisko tries to bring down Lore and restore the Star Trek universe. It will also liberate Spock from the Borg’s clutches once and for all.
Star Trek: Defiant #26 is on sale April 16 from IDW Publishing!
