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Star Trek: TNG became a global phenomenon in its third season, but its previous seasons had some incredible episodes too. The Patrick Stewart starrer was probably the most successful of the Star Trek shows, and its success also led to the creation of four original movies starring the same cast, and spinoff shows like Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
Several alien species have graced Star Trek and have made themselves at home when they cross paths with the Federation. While TOS had Vulcans and Romulans, creator Gene Roddenberry was reportedly not keen on repeating the same species in TNG, and hence, the Borg came into existence. They were introduced in one of the best episodes of the show.
Star Trek: TNG’s incredible episode introduced one of the greatest villainous alien species
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When it came to Star Trek: The Next Generation, creator Gene Roddenberry reportedly wanted the storylines of the original series not to carry over here. That included Klingons not being antagonistic and joining the Federation. But, TNG needed another antagonistic species. So, the makers got to work and created the Ferengi.
However, the Ferengi were considered too comical for the show, despite having antagonistic traits like greed. Executive producer Maurice Hurley reportedly then created the Borg for the pilot episode, but due to the WGA strikes of ‘88, the storyline was cut for time and was later introduced in the season 2 episode, ‘Q Who’.
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In the episode, the USS Enterprise is sent to a different side of the galaxy by Q, the mischievous omnipotent being who clashes with Captain Picard throughout TNG. There, the crew encounters the Borg, a parasitic alien species with a hive-mind consciousness. The Borg have become incredibly popular since then and have appeared in numerous spinoffs.
‘Q Who’ was also incredibly written and directed, with a horror-esque treatment to the Borg, making them one of the truly despicable species in the franchise. They become the main antagonists in the movie Star Trek: First Contact, where fans were introduced to Alice Krige’s Borg Queen. The alien species also makes an appearance in DS9 and Voyager.
Star Trek: TNG’s director, Rob Bowman, was extremely impressed with the pitch for ‘Q Who’
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The Star Trek: TNG episode ‘Q Who’ did many important things for the show. Not only did it introduce the main antagonists of the show, the Borg, but it also gave a clear-cut distinction between Captain Kirk and Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The former’s pride would have put the whole crew in jeopardy, but Picard swallows his pride and asks Q’s help to defeat the Borg.
Director Rob Bowman, who helmed some of the best episodes of TNG like ‘Datalore’ and ‘Where No One Has Gone Before’, mentioned that he was pitched the concept of the Borg and ‘Q Who’ by Maurice Hurley, and he was immediately impressed. Bowman said (via Star Trek.com),
That was a brand-new thing because, as I’ve said, it seemed like every episode Patrick would walk towards the screen at the end of act one and say, ‘It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before,’ and then, by the end of the episode, they’ve figured it out or conquered it and vanquished them. And that was not going to happen with the Borg. So that was a very interesting concept to me.
He mentioned that he was extremely lucky to see actor John de Lancie, who plays Q, work his magic and give in to the Machiavellian tendencies of the character with an incredible performance.
Star Trek: TNG is currently available to stream on Paramount+.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire