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Star Trek: Picard - What To Know About Hugh, The Former Borg Drone

Hugh is unlike other Borg, and his part of the story in Star Trek: Picard seems like it'll be important.

By Phil Hornshaw on March 26, 2020 at 10:41AM PDT

Star Trek: Picard 's first season is now complete , and through its 10-episode run, it sees several Trek characters return, both from The Next Generation and other series. Jean-Luc Picard 's second officer aboard the Enterprise, Data , has already been shown to have a big influence, and Star Trek: Voyager 's former-Borg crewmember, Seven of Nine , plays a role in Episode 5 , " Stardust City Rag ." In Episode 3, " The End is the Beginning ," we saw another returning character from previous shows: Hugh, another former Borg who appeared on The Next Generation.

Hugh's presence on Star Trek: Picard was a pretty big deal. He and Jean-Luc shared the experience of being part of the Borg, but were eventually freed from the Collective. And Hugh and Picard shared another bond because of their experiences aboard the Enterprise. In a big way, Hugh changed Picard's perceptions of the Borg, and their meeting on TNG had profound effects on the way the Federation interacted with the cybernetic beings in later encounters. Picard might have destroyed the Borg for good, if not for Hugh.

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Now Playing: Star Trek: Picard Episode 3 "The End Is the Beginning" Breakdown & Easter Eggs

Regaining Individuality

Picard first met Hugh in TNG Season 5, in an episode called "I, Borg." The Enterprise discovered a crashed Borg ship, with four of its five inhabitants dead. Hugh, then designated Third of Five, survived, and Picard chose to beam him aboard the Enterprise. Dr. Crusher saved the Borg's life, and Picard and the crew began to formulate a plan.

They knew the Borg would not leave any drone behind and would eventually return to find Hugh and the other Borg from the ship, to either reclaim them or destroy their bodies. Knowing that, Picard figured that it might be possible to send Hugh back with some kind of computer virus that would infiltrate the Borg Collective and, potentially, destroy it. He put Data and Geordi La Forge on the job of creating the virus, while Crusher continued to nurse Third of Five back to health. In the meantime, La Forge started spending time with the drone to study it and figure out how he might create a Borg-killing virus.

Things changed, though. The more time Crusher and La Forge spent with Third of Five, the more they started to consider him a person, rather than just another Borg drone. Cut off from the Collective, Third of Five started to develop individuality. Eventually, La Forge and Crusher named him "Hugh," and Hugh started to consider La Forge his friend. Even Guinan, who hated the Borg for attacking her people's planet and nearly wiping them out, found herself struggling with the idea of using Hugh as a weapon after meeting him.

With more and more of the crew questioning the morality of the plan to commit what was essentially genocide against the Borg, Picard finally felt he had to meet Hugh--and discovered that the young Borg was, in fact, an individual, and deserved to be treated with the respect that Picard and the Federation afford all life. Picard offered to let Hugh stay with the Enterprise crew, but Hugh opted to return to the Borg Collective, fearing the Borg would pursue him and threaten the Enterprise if it couldn't locate its missing drone.

Corrupted By Lore

About a year later, in Season 6, Picard and the Enterprise encountered some Borg who were attacking colonies and Federation outposts. Immediately, it was clear these Borg were different from the Collective the Enterprise had encountered in the past. They cared about their comrades, referred to themselves as "I" instead of "we," and generally gave signs of being individuals, rather than just pieces of a hive mind. Picard had speculated when Hugh returned to the Borg Collective that his individuality might get transferred to other Borg, and that that could be just as destructive to the hive mind as the virus the Enterprise crew had tried to create. Turns out, he was pretty close to correct.

In "The Descent" and "The Descent II," Picard and the crew discovered that this particular group of Borg was led by Lore, Data's evil twin android brother. After Picard, La Forge, and Deanna Troi were captured by Lore and his band, Will Riker and Worf discovered another group of Borg who had broken away from Lore's. Among those Borg was Hugh, who explained that, yes, his individuality had spread and thrown his Borg Cube into chaos.

Unable to deal with being individuals, they started fighting each other, until Lore found them and gave them a leader to follow. Lore said he'd help the Borg find perfection by becoming wholly artificial like he was, but didn't really know how to make that dream a reality, and so started experimenting on Borg drones with horrifying results. Realizing what Lore really was, Hugh and those like him hid out from the group loyal to Lore.

Eventually, Data defeated Lore once and for all and had him disassembled. Hugh was worried that the Borg would again fall into chaos without a leader, but Picard suggested that Hugh could be the one the individualized Borg followed. That's where the Enterprise crew left them--as a group of Borg who had become something different from the other drones in the Collective.

So Where Has Hugh Been?

We're not sure what happened to Hugh in the years that followed. Picard and the Enterprise crew encountered the Borg Collective again in Star Trek: First Contact, so Hugh's individuality apparently didn't transfer to the entire Borg species, just to those on his particular cube. When we meet Hugh in Star Trek: Picard, he's changed significantly--he's no longer a Borg drone, but instead has been returned to humanity, with most of his Borg implants removed.

Though we don't know how Hugh got from leading a group of Borg individuals to his role on the Artifact, we do know that he used his knowledge of the Borg to help others "XBs," or ex-Borg. He led the Borg Reclamation Project on the Artifact, the disabled Borg Cube that the Romulans studied and salvaged on Star Trek: Picard. His work focused on helping other former drones re-acclimate to society. We also know that, unlike Jean-Luc, Hugh had a hard time adjusting to his life as a human. He suggested that people in society at large didn't trust him because of his former life as a drone.

Hugh's role in the first season of Star Trek: Picard built on the long-running story of Jean-Luc's interactions with the frightening cybernetic race. It also allowed the show to explore the more human aspect of what it means to be Borg. As Jean-Luc said, though the Borg are feared, they're a race of victims--and as Hugh showed, they deserve compassion.

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Published May 11, 2023

Hugh Serves as an Important Reminder of Our Capacity for Compassion

On the anniversary of its first airing, the episode 'I, Borg' showcases the Enterprise's humanity at its finest.

StarTrek.com

When a distress call leads the Enterprise -D to find a crashed Borg ship, Dr. Crusher insists on saving the sole survivor — an injured drone. While the Enterprise crew is at first distrustful of the drone, they come to empathize with the Borg Third of Five, now known as Hugh , and in turn, Hugh comes to care for his rescuers.

The episode “ I, Borg ” from Star Trek: The Next Generation stands out amidst a sea of fantastic TNG episodes. Like most great Star Trek episodes, it rises beyond a deceptively simple premise — the Enterprise crew saves a Borg drone — while they aren’t sure how to proceed, the crew ultimately tackles far greater themes and issues. From the newly-named Hugh’s journey back towards individuality to the decisions Captain Picard is faced with making, the question of humanity remains at the heart of the episode.

Of course, to talk about humanity in this episode, we must first start with Hugh. He is the beating heart of this episode, anchored by a lovely performance from Jonathan del Arco, who returns to the Star Trek universe in Star Trek: Picard . Unlike the terrifying Borg that kidnapped and tortured Picard and threaten the universe, Hugh poses no threat. He’s injured when he’s brought on board by an insistent Dr. Crusher, and though he gives an attempt at the “Resistance is futile” schtick, he eventually grows curious about human behavior displayed by those around him.

Hugh’s humanity comes to him through questioning. He begins to doubt the Borg Collective as he asks earnest, polite questions about human behavior that he doesn’t understand. He doesn’t demand answers, but instead listens to what Geordi and others tell him and responds to that. By changing his worldview, based on what he learns, and in response to the compassion he receives, Hugh’s journey is one that is built on a foundation of communication and understanding, rather than him simply parroting back ideas without fully understanding them.

Hugh: Are you ever lonely? Geordi: Sometimes. But that's why we have friends. Hugh: Friends? Geordi: Sure. Someone you talk to, who will be with you when you're lonely. Someone who makes you feel better. Hugh : Like Geordi and Hugh.

Compassion is key to both being a better human and to Star Trek ’s view of humanity. Hugh’s humanity is firmly rooted in the very ideals, championed by creator Gene Roddenberry, of understanding and communicating through empathy. Not only is he shown compassion which he learns from, but he returns it by forming friendships and, ultimately, returning to the Collective to spare the Enterprise and his new friends from warfare.

Hugh says that the Borg are trying to learn about new cultures through assimilation while trying to defend the Collective, but Geordi counters that by saying that individuality and differences are key to being human. Hugh learns that firsthand, understanding that he can better appreciate his friends and his own humanity through his and their individuality. He becomes more human as he becomes more of an individual, separated from the Collective and their harsh control.

But it is not just Hugh who better understands humanity at the end of the episode. Picard, Geordi, and the rest of the crew also emerge from this encounter as more human, empathetic beings. It is easy for them to first be cold and callous towards Hugh, because they’re dealing with the trauma of their past encounters with the Borg. No one can judge them for being cautious and distrustful.

Hugh could have been a pawn for the Enterprise to use to destroy the Borg — the crew’s initial plan for him — by planting a virus in him, he could be returned to the crash site, rescued by the Collective, and then be an unwitting player in the Borgs’ demise. That is a more cunning strategy than just fixing him and leaving him behind, but it is also deeply inhumane. As for the Borg, we know they are a cruel enemy. Their torture of Picard leaves the captain with scars, and they have killed and destroyed countless civilizations. They must be stopped, but at what point does stopping an enemy mean that you ultimately turn into the very same enemy guilty of ending entire species?

Picard is reticent to believe his crew’s pleas that Hugh deserves more than to be used as a pawn, even as more and more of them become sympathetic towards the Borg drone. Upon meeting and talking to Hugh, Picard sees that he is an individual, slowly freeing himself from the Borg’s control, which allows his own rage to waver. He can hate the Borg for what they’ve done, but he can also display compassion for a solitary soldier who isn’t to blame for all their deeds.

If he had chosen to send Hugh back, Picard would’ve shown the same cruelty that the Borg showed him, and that is not who Picard is. Picard is a captain who displays humanity and compassion. His own past can temporarily shake him off that path, but he always returns to it. By making the harder choice to not exact revenge and instead extend a hand of friendship to Hugh, he shows himself to be the best of us. Similarly, Geordi and Guinan both have reasons to hate the Borg, but they find empathy for Hugh, with Geordi even finding friendship with the former drone.

Geordi also extends a marker of humanity and individuality by offering Hugh a name beyond his designation. Originally referring to himself as Third of Five, Hugh takes to the name offered to him by Geordi. Geordi makes a point of making sure Hugh likes his new name, rather than forcing it upon him. That respect for Hugh’s humanity is key to conveying the compassion that sparks the self-journey that Hugh goes on.

Ultimately, Hugh is offered safety with the Federation. While he wants to stay with his newfound friends and continue his journey of self-discovery, Hugh realizes he will endanger the Enterprise if the Borg returns to the crash site to find him missing. He opts to be returned to the site to be "rescued" by the Collective. This self-sacrifice is a deeply human and deeply compassionate act. Hugh is returning the same compassion given to him by offering to save the lives of those who saved his. He is truly human, in every way.

As Captain Kirk famously said, when burying Spock, “Of all the souls I have encountered on my travels, his was the most human.” Despite the Borg’s lack of respect for humanity, Hugh finds his through the tenets of what makes us better — communication, empathy, and compassion. Hugh’s journey to becoming human is not only a testament to the power of individuality, but a reminder to the Enterprise, and to viewers, on what it means to be human.

My First Contact: Jonathan Del Arco

This article was originally published on January 9, 2020.

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Picard's Jonathan del Arco discusses that hug, Hugh’s journey, and inspiration

Credit: James Dimmock / CBS

This interview contains spoilers for Star Trek: Picard 's seventh episode, "Napenthe," and has been edited for clarity.

While the character of Hugh has become something of a classic in any Star Trek context, it's easy to forget how little Jonathan del Arco's iconic character appeared on the screen. After all, he's only in two episodes of The Next Generation (and his role in the lackluster "Descent, Part II" is arguably entirely forgettable). The fact is that del Arco's performance in a single episode, "I, Borg," is so iconic that it has resonated with generations of viewers.

Now, in Picard , the Uruguayan-American actor is back in the Star Trek universe playing Hugh, and he's a far cry from the innocent teenage Borg we saw all those years ago. This Hugh (a straight line from where we last saw him in "Descent") is older, wiser, and much, much more jaded. But he's found a purpose in helping his fellow Borg, and new inspiration thanks to his meeting with Jean-Luc Picard.

SYFY FANGRRLS sat down with Jonathan del Arco via video conference to ask him about his thoughts on Hugh's future, that incredibly emotional reunion, and his role in Star Trek: Picard .

You're an activist for LGTBQ+ rights and immigrant rights. What did it mean for you to be able to tell this story right now?

So much. I mean, Alex [Kurtzman is] on the front lines of giving voice to a lot of things, and gay characters or gay actors being a part of the storytelling has always been a part of that aesthetic. And I've been very appreciative of that.

So as a gay man — I'm not playing a gay character, but to be able to play Hugh again with all the things I carry as a gay man and that I can put into my work is a great pleasure.

Credit: Trae Patton / CBS

After Hugh's first episode of Star Trek: Picard aired, you talked about how your original performance was based on your partner, who had recently passed away because of AIDS. Did you draw on those experiences again for this older Hugh, or was it something different this time?

I based [Hugh] on my partner that died, and you know, it wasn't a conscious choice. I was reading the script and I was newly widowed, maybe a year fresh off a loss, and a traumatic loss, because AIDS was not only horrible, but back in the day it was horrible on every level, social, every aspect of your life got ruined.

And when he had dementia, he was such an incredibly open-hearted innocent. And that was the sense of wonderment, and that was the voice I heard when I read the script. And so I played Hugh like him in that state, you know. So he has a lot of personal meaning for me.

It's in a weird way, I have processed my personal mourning of that loss. Obviously it's been 30 years, but in a way, a small amount of him lives on in Hugh and the original Hugh, and even today on the cruise, I'm still signing photos from "I, Borg." They like the new photos, but they still want the old one, you know, of Hugh.

It has a very special place in people's hearts, you know? And I think as an actor, when you tap into something real, that's a real human emotion. It took me this long to share my tricks behind the camera, how I got there emotionally. But I think we respond to that as audiences. We identify with loss. That's why the narrative is so effectual, affecting to people, is that I was using very real things that everyone can identify with, you know?

This time Hugh, to me, was more like myself. I was the survivor. I was a survivor. Right? You live with survivor's guilt, you manage your life, you move on.

The scene where my guys get shot at, I did use a lot of my feelings about having lost a lot of my friends and how incredibly crumbling that is, and psychologically destroying a person. I mean, there's probably the worst thing that could have happened to Hugh was to see people under his watch perish, you know?

Credit: Justin Lubin/CBS

It's a direct line from where we last saw him in "Descent, Part II," where Hugh is so disillusioned.

Yeah. It's ironic. It's ironic because "Descent," which was the one I didn't like at all compared to "I, Borg" — I thought it was just not in the same quality and realm. But ironically, if it weren't for that episode, I would probably never been in Picard , because it really set the stage for our next steps.

I'm sure you've been asked at countless Star Trek conventions what you thought Hugh's future might be. How does where he ended up in Star Trek: Picard line up with that?

I think it's very much in line. I think it's very, very much in line to how we left him in Next Gen , in terms of his sense of responsibility to his community, you know? And it really lines up with my own life, to be honest with you. It's very much who Hugh is, very much.

I fully admit I'd like to be a little bit more brave, as brave as he is, I think he's very brave as a person, and self-sacrificing. I don't think I'm quite at that place. I think he's a self-sacrificing being as evidenced by the scene. So yeah, I couldn't be happier with how he presented.

We got an emotional reunion between Jean-Luc and Hugh, one that was pretty perfect. You said on Twitter that the hug wasn't scripted and you asked if you could do it. Can you talk a little about your thought process there?

Yeah, it was what was a very small part of the script, which is always interesting to me, because sometimes the small parts that are written out have the most potential for interpretation. And I just had a sense about that. It's literally like a quarter of a page in the script where he's getting pulled by the ex-Bs and I show up and we have some niceties with each other and we were rehearsing it.

With Patrick, I was already getting a feeling of, like, I would like to see my dad again, who's been gone for 17 years, and just starting to feel that way about Patrick and seeing Picard again. And Hugh seeing Picard again.

When we were discussing what to do with the scene, Patrick said we need to greet, we should have some kind of greeting or something. And I said, "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to hug you." And I had in mind that hug you see at international airports when people haven't seen each other in 20 years, you know, that passionate desire to touch the loved one, you know, and both of them so needy of it, right?

Hugh hadn't had human contact in that way probably ever, if not for a very long time, certainly since he's been on the Cube. And so yeah, that's what I thought. And then we rehearsed it and our director came back a little misty-eyed, and she goes, "Okay, that's really, really beautiful, we're going to do that." And so we did it and I had a feeling when we shot it, it would be one of those moments, I think I said to the director, "You just shot a classic Star Trek moment." She goes, "Really?" I'm like, "I think you did. I think it's a classic Star Trek moment because of that hug," you know? So yeah, it was great. I'm glad it worked out.

Credit: CBS All Access

It is a classic. Especially because I think Patrick Stewart — who is such an incredible actor — there's such pure joy in his response, which you don't see often from Picard.

Here's what funny. I didn't see that until I watched the clip because I was hugging him and couldn't see his face, so I had no idea what was going on. It's very moving to me as an audience to watch that laugh. He's like, "Oh, you're being loved." It was very powerful. The child is back, we all become children when we are around our parents.

Let's talk about that last scene. We say goodbye to Hugh in this episode of Star Trek: Picard . It's hard to see his death, given what he's been through and how much of a fan favorite Hugh is.

Yeah, I agree. I mean, I think that's what makes the great television, and that loss, I think, will be felt by the fans and anyone watching, especially in context to last week's episode, where I get to finally see my dad again, if you will. I think that they did a beautiful job setting the deck up for that moment to happen, because I think the loss will be felt.

I want people to feel what they feel and process their feelings about it, because I'm sure there will be plenty. Because I think when you have characters that are a part of your life for such a long time, and you have ownership of them — I just want them to know that I'm okay, you know? And that I'm very happy with the work, and I feel like we did a great job and the series is great and that they should keep watching it and enjoying it the way I will.

• Star Trek: Picard

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Here’s Why ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Brought Back “I, Borg” Standout Hugh

Where to Stream:

• Star Trek: Picard

From the get go, CBS All Access’s Star Trek: Picard has promised to bring back some fan favorites, but one name may have surprised even the most hardcore Trekkie. Star Trek: Picard Episode 3 reintroduces us to Hugh ( Jonathan Del Arco ), the sensitive drone-turned-fierce individual from Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 23, “I, Borg.”

The character’s compelling story, depth of soul, and friendship with Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) challenged our understanding of the Borg. Hugh was so popular that Star Trek: The Next Generation even brought him back for the Season 7 premiere, “Descent, Part 2.” The slightly older Hugh is embittered by his experience with Starfleet and only reluctantly aids Commander Riker and Liet. Commander Worf because he wants to save Geordi.

However, Star Trek fans never learned what happened to Hugh after that episode as he never showed up in Star Trek: The Next Generation or the films again. Finally, though, we have some clues as to what happened to Hugh after he took leadership of his own mini Borg tribe. In fact, Hugh’s own story and The Next Gen episodes he showed up in may even help clarify what’s going on in Star Trek: Picard .

Here’s everything you need to know about Hugh the Borg’s history with Star Trek and what his appearance in Star Trek: Picard means for the future of Star Trek, the Borg, and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).

WHO IS HUGH THE BORG? WHAT HAPPENED TO HUGH IN STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION , “I, BORG?” AND LATER IN “DESCENT, PART 2?”

Jonathan Del Arco’s Hugh first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Season 5, Episode 23, “I, Borg.” The episode’s plot revolved around the Enterprise responding to a distress signal, only to realize that it was sent by a crashed Borg vessel. One young Borg drone was still alive, and against popular opinion, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) insisted that he be brought aboard.

Separated from the Borg Collective, young “Third of Five” found himself forced to think for himself for once. Over time, Geordi La Forge and Dr. Crusher managed to dub him Hugh. In fact, Hugh soon became super attached to Geordi, and opted to return to the Collective if only because if he didn’t, he would be hunted, and Geordi would be in danger.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 7, Episode 1, “Descent, Part 2,” Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Worf (Michael Dorn) ran into Hugh while battling a splinter cell of individualistic Borg working under the command of Data’s maniacal brother Lore (Brent Spiner). Hugh explained that after he introduced the concept of individuality to the Collective, a few other drones struggled to accept orders or even find purpose. Left adrift, they were going insane until Lore found them and took over as their leader. Hugh, however, was soon part of a rebel group that didn’t want to follow Lore, as his attempts to convert Borg to fully synthetic lifeforms left the Borg comatose or dead.

Hugh eventually aided officers from the Enterprise in their attempts to save shipmates Picard, Georgi, Data (Brent Spiner), and Troi (Marina Sirtis)…but mainly because he wanted to help Geordi. With Lore defeated, Hugh became the natural leader of the remaining Borg. And that was the last we saw him…until Star Trek: Picard.

WHAT IS HUGH THE BORG DOING IN STAR TREK: PICARD EPISODE 3 “THE END IS THE BEGINNING?”

While Star Trek: Picard has yet to fill in the blanks in Hugh’s life between his last Next Gen appearance and now — a time span of roughly 30 years! — we can ascertain that he has fully de-assimilated from the Borg. That is, he no longer requires exo-plating or the vast majority of his artificial Borg appendages. There is some scarring and a few visible implants on his face, but by and large, Hugh looks human again.

In Star Trek: Picard , Hugh is working on the Romulan’s reclamation project. He seems to be a, if not the , project manager that Soji Asha (Isa Briones) reports to and he seems to be a great champion of Soji’s work. He is the one who sets up her strange interview with Romulan “ex-B” Ramda. (It’s worth noting that Hugh also refers to himself as an “ex-B,” and sadly remarks that he and his kind are only seen as “property to be exploited” or a “hazard to be warehoused.”

So Hugh is no longer a Borg and he is devoted to helping other former drones acclimate to “ex-B” life.

WHY IS HUGH IN STAR TREK: PICARD ? WHAT DOES HUGH’S STORY TELL US ABOUT WHERE STAR TREK: PICARD MIGHT BE GOING?

Star Trek: Picard ‘s showrunners had hundreds of Star Trek: The Next Generation guest stars to invite back to the Star Trek universe, but they obviously singled out Hugh for some reason. It doesn’t hurt that besides Jean-Luc Picard and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), he’s one of the only examples of a deprogrammed Borg thriving outside of the Collective. However, his appearances tie to Soji and Dahj’s storyline in a big way.

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Hugh’s very existence not only forced the crew of the Enterprise to reappraise its virulent hatred of the Borg, but he also featured heavily in a Data-centric storyline, the two-part “Descent.” In his first appearance, he showed how therapy and empathy can build a bridge between races. In his second, he explained how Lore (and later Data) argued that the next stage for Borg civilization was to go full synthetic.

A huge part of Star Trek: Picard is devoted to the Romulans’ hatred of synthetic life, and the danger that Soji Asha is in thanks to her secret status as an android. Thematically, the fact that Hugh is already Soji’s mentor suggests that she might have to prove to Romulans (like Narek) that she’s not a mythic destroyer. Secondly, the realization that some Borg might be trying to become more synthetic could cast suspicion on why the Romulans are conducting experiments on a Borg cube in the first place.

Now we just have to wonder if Hugh will get to be reunited with his good friend, Geordi!!!!

Star Trek: Picard Episode 3 is now streaming on CBS All Access. 

Where to stream Star Trek: Picard

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Picard: Jonathan Del Arco on How He Found the New Hugh

The ex-borg discusses his return to star trek, where hugh has been for the past 30 years, his relationship with elnor, and that big moment in “nepenthe.”.

One of the more surprising reveals in the ramp-up to Star Trek: Picard was that Jonathan Del Arco would be returning to the role of Hugh the Borg for the new series. Hugh was only seen in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation which aired almost 30 years ago, but the character had a distinct impact on fans as he allowed us to peer behind the veil of that villainous cyborg race. We liked Hugh. We really, really liked him!

But much has changed for the character in the years since he had a glowing, mechanical eye and tubes coming out of his molded Borg suit. No, the Hugh of today is just a man with a tortured past -- and Del Arco wouldn’t have it any other way.

Finding the New Hugh

“I did a bunch of small things that were physical things to tie the two timelines together,” he says. “Obviously a lot of it was physically and emotionally [and] had to do with the fact that he was much more machine then than he is now. … I worked on creating some kind of connective tissue so when the fans saw it, it would be just enough. I didn't want it to be an overbearing, robotic thing because that would’ve been silly, or a copy or mimic of the speech pattern because, frankly, no one speaks the same as when they were 18 as when they're in their 40s or 50s, so I wanted it to be organic.”

I've changed as a person, Hugh's changed as a person. We're still the same people inside.

Again, the time that has passed for the actor has also passed for Hugh, and Del Arco used that to his advantage.

“I wanted to do a normal human evolution,” he says. “I’ve changed as a person, Hugh’s changed as a person. We're still the same people inside, but we developed ourselves. That was the challenge and it was really kind of one of the most fun slash scary things I've had to do as an actor, to kind of rediscover him.”

The Artifact and What Happened Since The Next Generation

After Jean-Luc told him in "Descent, Part II" that he, essentially, could be a leader, Hugh took that to heart and took charge of the ex-Borg from that episode. Eventually, they became part of the Federation, and then when the cube that would become the Artifact entered the picture, Hugh was the Federation’s natural choice to make sure there wouldn’t be a “humanitarian crisis” on the vessel.

“It went from bad to worse on the cube,” he explains. “And so he's got a sense of, ‘Oh my God, we've been abandoned,’ because the Federation no longer has [influence there]. We agreed to sign up for this thing with a full backing and now we're kind of alone on the cube. And though he’s free on the cube, he's actually also a prisoner. So I really researched that -- the Holocaust and how even in the ghettos in the Holocaust, they had leadership which … had a higher ranking than the prisoners. And all that was really fascinating to me because there's a lot of gray area, and gray area is really fun to play with as an actor. Sometimes it’s just black and white. So he had this struggle in trying to keep the line, push back when you can. Obviously we see what happens to him. You know, there's a limit to how much you can push back.”

Speaking of which…

The Death of Hugh

“It's very liberating knowing that this is how it's going to end, because I just thought, ‘I've only got one shot at this now to really end this right and to really, like, go big or go home,’ he says. “Don't leave anything on the table in terms of my investment and my work. This role is so incredibly important to me for essentially a variety of reasons, from personal to professional, but I really wanted to take what they'd written and do it justice and make good choices, be rational and have them make sense and have them be in line with what I want the legacy of the character to be.”

That Hugh spends his final episode and, indeed, his final moments with the Romulan Elnor (Evan Evagora) is surprising, and yet it works very well in the context of the episode as the two attempt to defy the Romulans who are running amuck on the Artifact. Indeed, Hugh gets a great final line when he says to Elnor, “I was that much of a hopeful fool again for a minute. Thanks for that.”

I think he saw a lot of himself in Elnor. Hugh used to have that sense of innocence, of righteousness.

“I was like, ‘This is Hugh’s last moment and I'm going to make some personal choices, and so I'll make them personal choices about how I want them to be,’” says Del Arco. “And I think there were a lot of things about Elnor that for me resonated as a gay man.”

There certainly is a spark between the two characters in that moment. And while reps for CBS say that Hugh has not been identified as gay, Del Arco took his own experience as a gay man into consideration when playing that scene.

“You know, I think he loved him,” he says. “I think in essence he might've been in love with him in the time that he was there. I think that the hope was really someone loves him. Someone who was idealistic. I think he saw a lot of himself in Elnor. Hugh used to have that sense of innocence, of righteousness. And all those things were hopeful to him, because he hadn't been in a space of hope for all this time. And I think for a minute he thought, ‘You know, I think me and the kid can go all the way with this. We could take the cube. We could save it.’ And there you go. It didn't work out.”

And yet… could Hugh return someday despite his death? This is Star Trek, after all. Crazier things have happened.

Talk to Executive Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura , or listen to his Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3 . Or do both!

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I Borg (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 1.6 Act Five
• 2 Memorable quotes
• 3.1 Production history
• 3.2 Story and script
• 3.3 Production
• 3.4 Cast and characters
• 3.5 Continuity
• 3.6 Reception
• 3.7 Video and DVD releases
• 4.1 Starring
• 4.2 Also starring
• 4.3 Guest star
• 4.4 And special guest star
• 4.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 4.6 Stunt doubles
• 4.7 Stand-ins
• 4.8 References
• 4.9 External links

Summary [ ]

While exploring an uncharted system, the USS Enterprise -D receives a strange signal from a nearby moon . Believing it to be a distress call , Captain Picard sends an away team to the surface. There, Commander Riker , Worf and Dr. Crusher find a crashed starship , as well as several Borg corpses. Under the debris lies an unconscious, but very much alive, Borg .

Act One [ ]

When Commander Riker informs the captain of what they have found, Picard immediately prepares to bring the team back. However, Dr. Crusher disagrees, knowing the Borg will not survive if left unattended. Naturally, Worf suggests they kill it at once and make it appear it died in the crash, but Picard agrees to bring it on board for a brief time. A holding cell is prepared and La Forge has a subspace dampening field placed around it, to prevent the Borg from using a homing signal to communicate with its brethren. Picard retires to his ready room , as the team and the Borg are transported aboard, despite Crusher's protestations to treat the Borg in sickbay, not a holding cell. Counselor Troi follows, concerned that Picard is reliving old feelings from his capture by the Borg, but Picard reassures her that he's doing just fine and that he is perfectly comfortable with his decision.

Meanwhile, Crusher tends to the still-unconscious Borg. Some of his Borg implants have been damaged, but La Forge believes he'll be able to replace them without much trouble. Picard asks La Forge if he can access the root commands of the Borg with the new implants, in order to introduce an invasive program ( topological anomaly ), which would function as a slow-acting virus to destroy the entire Borg Collective from within. " You make it sound as if it's a disease ", Crusher says. " Quite right, Doctor. If all goes well, a terminal one ", Picard states.

Act Two [ ]

" You don't kill civilians indiscriminately. " " There are no civilians among the Borg. "

The crew think it would be a matter of months from the introduction of the program to the destruction of the Borg. Crusher seems to be the only one who is unsettled by this, as it appears to be pure genocide . Picard agrees that their plan would normally be unthinkable but claims that the Borg, and who they are, have left them no other choice. Riker also states that Humanity is at war with the Borg and Picard states that they must do anything they can to survive. Crusher notes that there has been no formal declaration of war but Troi notes that there has been from the Borg, as they have attacked them at every encounter. Shortly thereafter, the Borg regains consciousness and explores its small cell. It searches for a terminal with which to contact the Collective, but it can't find one. Crusher theorizes that the Borg hungers for energy , so La Forge prepares a power conduit on which it can feed. As he works, Crusher observes that the Borg almost seems scared to be so alone.

In the meantime, Picard and Guinan fence , both physically and verbally. While Crusher disagrees with Picard on the introduction of the virus, Guinan suggests the danger of having the Borg on board at all is greater than he knows. When Picard cites humanitarian reasons, Guinan demonstrates the danger by suckering Picard into an easy defeat during another round of fencing.

Worf and La Forge enter the cell and set the Borg up with a power conduit. The Borg calls himself "Third of Five," but shows no real gratitude or Humanity whatsoever, merely repeating over and over, " You will be assimilated . Resistance is futile. " La Forge and Worf finish their work and leave the Borg alone.

Act Three [ ]

Some time later, La Forge and Crusher prepare to give the Borg perception tests in a science lab , when Crusher voices a great dislike for the proceedings. The Borg is beamed into their science lab and introduced to Crusher. After a brief discussion of how and why she saved its life and a mention of the upcoming tests, the conversation turns to names. Crusher explains that she and La Forge have names, not designations. During the conversation, the Borg believes he is being called " Hugh " (in reality, La Forge was saying "you") and the name sticks.

Hugh passes a spatial acuity test with flying colors and La Forge realizes it is because of Hugh's prosthetic eye. Hugh placidly hands over the prosthetic for examination and listens to Crusher explain that Humanity doesn't want to be assimilated. This puzzles Hugh, because he no longer hears the "voices" of other Borg that permeate his existence under normal circumstances. Crusher sympathizes with Hugh's feeling of loneliness and La Forge tells him that, after the tests are done, Hugh can be returned to the Collective, although he knows it will not be what Hugh is thinking.

After talking with Hugh, La Forge has begun to have second thoughts about their plan, so he voices them to Guinan at the bar in Ten Forward . Contrary to her normally sympathetic attitude, Guinan is completely closed off to him. She warns him what the other Borg are capable of and dismisses his soul-searching. When La Forge suggests she go and talk to Hugh, she refuses. " Then just listen; that is what you do best, isn't it? " La Forge replies. In the meantime, long-range sensors pick up a Borg scout ship about thirty-one hours away.

Act Four [ ]

Guinan reluctantly visits Hugh in his cell and angrily informs him that " resistance is not futile ." As she describes the El-Aurians ' struggle against the Borg, she laments how few of her kind are left, scattered throughout the galaxy. Processing this, Hugh realizes that Guinan, like him, is lonely. For once, Guinan is speechless.

On hearing that the Federation wants to learn about other species , Hugh observes that assimilation allows the Borg to learn everything about a species. He fails to understand why Humans do not wish to be assimilated, prompting La Forge to talk of individuality and having a sense of self and how he would rather die than lose that. Hugh listens to La Forge's explanations and when La Forge describes friendship, he observes that their current relationship fits the description.

Later, La Forge and Data present the invasive program (topological anomaly) to an impressed Picard in the observation lounge . However, La Forge voices his newfound doubt about the plan, observing how un-Borg-like Hugh is now. It doesn't feel right to him to use Hugh as an instrument of genocide, but Picard likens La Forge's attitude to that of 20th century scientists growing attached to laboratory animals . Picard coldly notes that this would become a problem when the experiments involved the scientists killing the animals. He orders La Forge to "unattach" himself from Hugh.

That evening, Guinan visits Picard in his quarters . After they exchange some small talk, she expresses her own doubts about the morality of Picard's plan. She suggests that at the very least, Picard should talk to Hugh before committing to the plan before he regrets what he is about to do.

Picard seems unmoved, but he later has Hugh beamed directly to his ready room, along with Worf. Picard dismisses Worf and Hugh recognizes Picard as Locutus of Borg , so Picard plays along, attempting to bring out Hugh's full Borg-like nature. Instead, it brings out Hugh's individuality. The thought of La Forge and the others being assimilated seems to frighten Hugh, who has developed feelings of his own and refuses to help assimilate them. Most moving to Picard is Hugh's sudden grasp and use of the word "I".

Act Five [ ]

Picard is shocked and calls a staff meeting to explore other options. The crew eventually decide that, although the Borg would more than likely erase Hugh's memory of recent events, there might be a short time in which Hugh's " singularity " would affect the entire Collective consciousness , perhaps altering the nature of the Borg forever. Their plan is shattered when Crusher asks what will happen if Hugh doesn't want to leave.

Picard and La Forge let Hugh choose his fate, which confuses Hugh. Picard explains that Hugh could seek asylum aboard the Enterprise instead of returning to the Collective. Although he wants to stay with La Forge, he concludes that it would be too dangerous for his new friends. It would appear that while Hugh has gained a sense of self, he has also maintained a sense of selflessness. When they beam Hugh back to the moon where they found him, Picard allows La Forge to go as well, knowing the Borg ignore individuals who pose no threat. Picard says goodbye to Hugh and he tells the captain that he does not want to forget his individuality. Meanwhile, the Enterprise hides in the star 's chromosphere . Two Borg beam to the surface and link with Hugh. The Borg then reclaim the circuits from their fallen comrades and return to their ship, but as the beam whisks them away, Hugh gives a slight, but noticeable farewell nod to La Forge.

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Away team, prepare to return to the ship! " " Captain, we can't leave him here. He won't survive. " " I think the captain understands that. " " I don't. "

" Kill it now! Make it appear that it died in the crash. "

" Infect it? You make sound as if it's a disease. " " Quite right, Doctor. If all goes well… a terminal one. "

" I just think we should be clear about that. We're talking about annihilating an entire race. " " Which under most circumstances would be unconscionable, but as I see it, the Borg leave us with little choice. "

" When I look at my patient, I don't see a collective consciousness, I don't see a hive. I see a living, breathing boy who has been hurt and who needs our help. "

" You felt sorry for me. Look what it got you. "

" We are Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile. " " Just look around, pal. You're hardly in a position to make any demands. "

" You will be assimilated. " " Yes, but before that happens, could we ask you a few questions? "

" Let me tell you something, when this kid's big brothers come looking for him, they're not gonna stop until they find him. And they'll come looking for us, and they will destroy us. And they will not do any of the soul-searching that you're doing now. " " So why don't you go and talk to him? It might not be so clear-cut then. " " Because I wouldn't have anything to say. " " Then why don't you just listen? That is what you do best, isn't it? "

" If you are going to use this person– " " It's not a person, damn it! It's a Borg! " " If you are going to use this person to destroy his race, you should at least look him in the eye once before you do it. Because I am not sure he is still a Borg. "

" Resistance… is not futile? "

" Captain, I do not want to forget that I am Hugh. "

Background information [ ]

Production history [ ].

• Fourth draft script: 30 January 1992
• Production meeting: 27 February 1992 ("Imaginary Friend" call sheet)
• Final draft script: 3 March 1992 [1]
• Principal photography: 6 March 1992 – 16 March 1992 ("Lost and Found", Star Trek Magazine  issue 147 ; "I Borg" call sheets)
• Premiere airdate: 11 May 1992
• First UK airdate: 24 May 1995

Story and script [ ]

• After the success of " The Best of Both Worlds ", the writing staff had been trying to find a way to bring the Borg back but were facing the problem of how to follow up with an enemy that was only barely escaped once. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 202)) Ronald D. Moore commented, " I think this is a real good way to bring the Borg back, because they're very limiting in the way they are. They're this huge collective with no voice to communicate to and you can't relate to these guys. We keep saying they're unstoppable and if we keep stopping them it undercuts how unstoppable they truly are. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 246)
• The idea for this episode originated at a retreat the writing staff took in the Fall of 1991. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 174))
• René Echevarria recalled, " I had this flash of inspiration: What if you reversed the way you look at the Borg? What if this was an intimate story about one of them? What would just one Borg be like – by himself? " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 259)
• The title of the episode is an allusion to Isaac Asimov 's book I, Robot . This in turn was a reference to Robert Graves ' book I, Claudius . It also makes a pun on the word "cyborg". While no comma was used when the title appeared on screen, the title was given with a comma in the script, as well as in a number of reference works including the Star Trek Encyclopedia  (1st ed., p. 133), the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 201), and on StarTrek.com . [2]
• Jeri Taylor provided an uncredited polish on the script. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 202))
• Hugh uses the pronoun "I" much earlier in the episode, when he asks Crusher and La Forge " Do I have a name? ". Exchevarria acknowledges this, much to his embarrassment, on the episode's audio commentary on the TNG Season 5 Blu-ray . By the time Echevarria had caught the error in the script and reported it to Taylor, the scene had already been filmed.

Production [ ]

• This was the first episode directed by Robert Lederman .
• The production meeting for this episode took place on Thursday 27 February 1992 at 2:30 p.m. ("Imaginary Friend" call sheet)
• Filming for the episode took place between Friday 6 March 1992 and Monday 16 March 1992 on Paramount Stage 8 , 9 , and 16 . ("Lost and Found", Star Trek Magazine  issue 147 , "I Borg" call sheets)
• During filming of this episode contest winners and personal guests of Peter Lauritson visited the set on every day of filming. ("I Borg" call sheets)
• This was the first Borg episode not to be scored by Ron Jones . Instead, the composer is Jay Chattaway , who would compose " Descent " and " Descent, Part II ", the last episodes of The Next Generation to feature the Borg.
• Costume designer Bob Blackman and make-up effects artist Michael Westmore once again honed the Borg make-up, adding a hologram in Hugh's eyepiece that would become common in later Borg designs. Westmore's son, Michael Westmore, Jr. , created the LED lighting visible when the eyepiece was removed. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 260)
• When explaining to Jean-Luc Picard the "virus" they will implant on Hugh, the display reads "Topological Anomaly 47 47 ."

Cast and characters [ ]

Robert Lederman directing Jonathan Del Arco

• Jeri Taylor likened Hugh to the titular character of the film Edward Scissorhands , a characterization that influenced both casting and Robert Lederman's later direction. Almost thirty actors auditioned before Jonathan Del Arco won the part. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 260)
• Del Arco was a fan of Star Trek: The Original Series while growing up, and jumped at a chance to be on The Next Generation . He had auditioned for the role of Wesley Crusher , but when it was given to Wil Wheaton he was so disappointed that he refused to watch "The Next Generation" until he got the chance to guest star on it. He joked that prior to taking the assignment, a friend warned him that he would be asked about it for years afterwards, which indeed proved to be the case. ( Intergalactic Guest Stars , TNG Season 5 DVD special features)
• During filming, Lederman worked with Del Arco to create a "Borg meter" to reflect where Hugh was in his personal evolution, with "one" being all Borg and "ten" being nearly Human. Lederman remembered, " In every scene, we had a numerable for where he was on the scale. During rehearsal, if I said, 'Jonathan, you're at six – we need you to be at eight,' he immediately knew what I meant. " ( Star Trek: The Next Generation 365 , p. 259)

Continuity [ ]

• This episode recalls Picard's experience spanning from " The Best of Both Worlds " to " Family ".
• The aftermath of Hugh 's rejoining the Collective is revealed in " Descent " and " Descent, Part II ". At the beginning of the Descent two-parter, Admiral Alynna Nechayev criticizes Picard's decision to revise the invasive program from the original plan. Hugh would also appear in the latter episode. The concept of Borg individuality is explored at length on Star Trek: Voyager with the character Seven of Nine .
• This episode establishes that Borg are designated by numbers, in relation to small groups (ie, Third of Five , Seven of Nine , etc.). Hugh's designation, "Third of Five," is different from other Borg names (such as Seven of Nine ) in that he uses the ordinal ("third") rather than the cardinal number ("three").
• This episode marks another instance of Guinan using the term "scattered throughout the galaxy", in reference to her people. Other usages of the term were in the episodes " Q Who ", and " The Best of Both Worlds ".
• The Argolis Cluster was later visited by the Enterprise -D in " True Q " and the USS Defiant in DS9 's sixth season episode " Behind the Lines ".

Reception [ ]

• Rick Berman praised writer René Echevarria and director Robert Lederman. " The minute I saw the story I fell in love with it. The dramatic relationships are so vivid. Guinan, who comes from a people who were destroyed by the Borg, Picard who was brutalized and violated by the Borg – both are put in the position of being prejudiced. Geordi and Dr. Crusher are in the position of being open-minded and eventually sympathetic to this young man and the end result is a wonderful series of relationships and wonderful scenes between Guinan and the Borg […] The writing was wonderful and the acting great. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 246)
• Jeri Taylor commented, " I think it will become a classic. I think it's a wonderful concept and it's just real special […] The Borg will never be the same again. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 246)
• Jonathan Del Arco remarked, " All I had to go on as an actor was one of the best scripts I'd ever read. It was so – you read the script and it comes to life – I heard the voice in my head… It holds up the chalice of that highest moral that I think Gene Roddenberry meant the show to do – question, question, question, every step of the way. " ( Mission Overview: Year Five , TNG Season 5 DVD special features)
• This episode was Michael Piller 's favorite of the season . He called it "everything I want Star Trek to be". ( Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion  (2nd ed., p. 202))
• Piller stated, " I think it's just a great premise which forces both Guinan and Picard to confront their own prejudices. And you would think these are two characters who have none, but when it comes to the Borg the old issue is 'know your enemy.' It's a lot harder to hate them if you know them and it deals with the issue of what happens to these communal Borgs which cannot be treated as anything else but parts of the whole when one is separated and becomes an individual? I feel that if you take the unstoppable villain, the stereotype and you turn it inside out, that's great dramatic storytelling. " ( Captains' Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages , p. 246)
• Piller noted that not all fans were as enthused with the episode. " There were some people who really felt that 'I Borg' betrayed the vision of the Borg because it humanized them more than they wanted to see. But I just think every time you can understand your enemy, those stories have a huge impact. " ( Mission Overview: Year Five , TNG Season 5 DVD special features)
• In about early 1999, Susanna Thompson cited this as her favorite episode of Star Trek . ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 121 , p. 17)
• Another person who was fond of this outing was J.M. Dillard . In her book Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before (paperback ed., p. 203), she characterized it as "moving."
• A mission report for this episode by John Sayers was published in The Official Star Trek: The Next Generation Magazine  issue 21 , pp. 49-51.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 62, 15 March 1993
• As part of the UK VHS collection Star Trek: The Next Generation - Borg Box : 5 December 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment ): Volume 5.8, 23 December 2002
• As part of the TNG Season 5 DVD collection
• As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Borg collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard
• Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William Riker

Also starring [ ]

• LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
• Michael Dorn as Lt. Worf
• Gates McFadden as Dr. Beverly Crusher
• Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi
• Brent Spiner as Lt. Commander Data

Guest star [ ]

• Jonathan Del Arco as Third of Five/Hugh

And special guest star [ ]

• Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Rachen Assapiomonwait as Nelson
• Joe Baumann as Garvey
• Steven Bosnyak as operations ensign
• Michael Braveheart as Martinez
• Cameron as Kellogg
• Eben Ham as operations ensign
• Mark Lentry as civilian
• Lorine Mendell as Diana Giddings
• Command ensign
• Joycelyn Robinson as Gates
• Bill E. Rogers as operations ensign
• Sissy Sessions as operations ensign
• Théyard as civilian
• Dru Wagner as Daniels
• Christina Wegler Miles as command ensign
• Four dead Borg drones
• Security officer (voice)
• Ten Forward waiter
• Transporter officer (voice)

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Joy Hooper as stunt double for Whoopi Goldberg
• John Nowak as stunt double for Patrick Stewart

Stand-ins [ ]

• David Keith Anderson – stand-in for LeVar Burton
• Candace Crump – stand-in for Whoopi Goldberg
• Nora Leonhardt – stand-in for Marina Sirtis
• Marty – stand-in for Whoopi Goldberg
• Tim McCormack – stand-in for Brent Spiner and Jonathan del Arco
• Lorine Mendell – stand-in for Gates McFadden
• Richard Sarstedt – stand-in for Jonathan Frakes
• Dennis Tracy – stand-in for Patrick Stewart
• James Washington – stand-in for Michael Dorn

References [ ]

access code ; access terminal ; Argolis Cluster ; Argolis Cluster moon ; Argolis Cluster planet ; Argolis Cluster star ; Argolis Cluster system ; assault ; assimilation ; biochip ; biological tissue ; Borg ; Borg Collective ; Borg scout ship ; cage ; chromosphere ; civilian ; collective consciousness ; command pathway ; computational cycle ; computer system ; cubical ; declaration of war ; detention cell ; dimensions ; energy ; fencing ; genocide ; geometric form ; heart ; hive ; holographic imaging system ; homesick ; homing signal ; humanitarianism ; invasive program ; kidnapped ; laboratory animal ; Locutus of Borg ; memory banks ; metric ton ; Milky Way Galaxy ; Midsummer Night's Dream, A ; mutilated ; neural network ; Number one ; paradox ; perceptual test ; pet ; political asylum ; power conduit ; primitive culture ; prosthesis ; rat ; ration ; rescue vessel ; root command structure ; rules of war ; score ; subspace damping field ; topological anomaly ; transporter room 2 ; transporter room 3 ; virus

External links [ ]

• "I, Borg" at StarTrek.com
• " I, Borg " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " I, Borg " at Wikipedia
• " I, Borg " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "I, Borg" script  at Star Trek Minutiae
• " I Borg " at the Internet Movie Database
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

"No Drone Ever Forgets": Star Trek Confirms Dark Secret Technology All Borg Drones Can Build (Even After Being Freed)

• Assimilation by the Borg means losing your identity and soul, making it a fate worse than death.
• Former drones, like Hugh, remember Borg functions even after being freed, leaving lasting trauma.
• In Star Trek: Defiant #14, Hugh saves the crew by using Borg knowledge to defeat a takeover.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek: Defiant #14!

In the Star Trek universe, the chances of coming back from assimilation by the Borg are slim, and even when people are freed, they still retain terrible knowledge of their times as drones. The ex-drone, Hugh, has joined Worf’s crew in Star Trek: Defiant, and in issue 14, with the team’s back against the wall, Hugh saves the day using Borg knowledge that he somehow retained.

Star Trek: Defiant #14 is written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Angel Unzueta. B’Elanna Torres has been taken over by one of the parasites from “Conspiracy.” Spock attempts a mind-meld to free her, but it fails. Running out of options, Hugh suggests he “assimilate” B’Elanna. The parasites cannot infect the Borg, making it B’Elanna’s only salvation. When asked how he plans to do this, he tells Worf and company he can jury-rig an assimilation chamber from various parts.

He tells Worf that it is something all drones remember –even after they have been liberated.

The Borg Not Only Takes Your Technology--They Take Your Soul As Well

Assimilation is a fate worse than death.

The Borg are one of the most powerful, and scariest, alien species in the Star Trek franchise. Residing in the distant Delta Quadrant, the Borg travel the galaxy (and some even speculate the entire universe), assimilating other lifeforms into their collective. The Borg gain the knowledge of those they assimilate. As seen in the epic Star Trek: The Next Generation two-part episode “The Best of Both Worlds,” this makes them extremely difficult to defeat. When assimilated, a person loses their identity and their essence, making it a kind of “living death.”

Assimilation was not initially a part of the Borg, but was added later for dramatic effect.

In the Star Trek franchise, very few individuals have come back from being assimilated. Captain Picard, Hugh and Seven of Nine were all Borg at one point, and all of them were freed from the Collective. Yet as seen in other episodes and other media, pulling a person out of the Collective can have lethal effects on them, making it a delicate procedure. After being freed, the person must then come to terms with the trauma they have experienced. Picard, Seven and Hugh carry the scars for the rest of their lives.

Star Trek's 2009 Movie Hid the Full Power of Nero's Ship (& Its Borg Connection)

Borg drones carry more than just their guilt, it seems there is no escape from the borg.

And now, Hugh has revealed that not only do former drones carry the guilt of what they did, but also, horrifyingly enough, can still perform Borg functions. Previous issues of Star Trek: Defiant revealed that when Hugh was severed from the Collective, he lost all memory of who he was prior to assimilation. This, when coupled with drones retaining their knowledge of Borg procedures and technology, paints a truly terrifying picture of the horrors of assimilation. Being assimilated into the Borg can last a lifetime, and even being freed from them is no guarantee of happiness.

Star Trek: Defiant #14 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

• Memory Beta articles sourced from novels
• Memory Beta continuity database
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• Memory Beta articles sourced from Star Trek Online
• Memory Beta articles sourced from novelizations
• Memory Beta articles sourced from short stories
• 2399 deaths
• Liberated Borg
• View history
• 1.1 The Artifact
• 1.2 25th century
• 2 Alternate timelines
• 3.1.1 Appearances and references
• 3.2 External link

Biography [ ]

Designated "Third of Five", he was a member of the Borg Collective and dispatched in a Borg scout vessel which crashed on a unnamed planetoid. He was the only survivor of the crash whereupon he was discovered by the crew of the USS Enterprise -D in 2368 . They began to study him and with an attempt by Starfleet to use the drone to spread a virus into the Collective in the hopes that it would destroy Borg. However, the drone began to reassert its individuality after it had been cut off from the Collective whereupon Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge gave him the name Hugh. Ultimately, Captain Jean-Luc Picard allowed Hugh to return to the Borg with his newfound individuality rather than use him as a weapon. ( TNG episode : " I, Borg ")

However, rather than be reincorporated into the Borg Collective, Hugh's sense of individuality spread to his fellow drones. Sensing that his individuality had infected the vessel that had retrieved him, the Borg cut off their link to the vessel leaving it directionless and in a chaotic state. Rather than die from their newly-acquired status as individuals, Hugh and his fellow Borg were saved by the Android Lore who discovered their ship and saved them whereupon he established himself as their leader.

Despite what he had done, Hugh and a number of like-minded, liberated drones opposed Lore's leadership and separated from the main group. In 2370 , his group lived in secret on a planet that the rogue Borg had made as their homeworld. At the same time, Lore had managed to capture and brainwash his "brother" Data and when the crew of the Enterprise came to the world looking for him, Hugh encountered a member of their away team . At first angry at their actions, he decided to work with the away team once he learnt that his friend Geordi La Forge had been captured by Lore and was being experimented on. Taking his faction, Hugh and the Starfleet team stormed Lore's fortress and helped in ending the mad android's plans. ( TNG episode : " Descent ")

When Hugh was recognized as a leader to the independent Borg, there were some such as Enab who split off from their fellow liberated drones and attempted to find a means to recover the unity of the hive mind. Enab's group began to attack Tholian in worlds in 2371 in an attempt to research the secret of their natural hive mind but he was stopped by the crew of Enterprise -D before his actions brought a war in the quadrant. ( TNG comic : " Cry Havoc ")

Hugh and a tribe of his comrades later established a homeworld on a planet belonging to the Borg Collective which served as a dumping ground for damaged drones. He along with a member of his faction, a female former drone called Miko , saved what drones they could. Helping them renounce their implants and nanoprobes , he helped give them a new reason for living. In 2373 , after the destruction of the Borg Central Node by James T. Kirk , Hugh and his clan encountered a near dying Kirk. He helped teach Kirk several techniques designed to heal him after which he helped Hugh recover those Borg that survived the Node's destruction as well as freed them. ( TOS novel : Avenger )

The Artifact [ ]

By 2399 , Hugh had become a Federation citizen and head of the Borg Artifact Research Institute 's reclamation project . ( PIC episodes : " The End is the Beginning ", " The Impossible Box ")

Hugh was murdered by the Romulan Narissa , a member of the secret cabal called Zhat Vash , when he refused to give up the location of Jean-Luc Picard. ( PIC episode : " Nepenthe ")

25th century [ ]

By 2410 , he returned to the Delta Quadrant and joined the Borg Cooperative , with the goal of freeing other Borg drones from the Collective. ( STO - Delta Quadrant mission : " Jarleth System Patrol ")

Alternate timelines [ ]

A major tangent of the prime timeline was created in 2373 . Called the First Splinter timeline , this alternate reality 's Hugh became the leader of the Independent Nation of Borg and eventually died in 2380 . ( TNG novel : Greater Than the Sum )

In another alternate timeline, Hugh and Seven negotiated a treaty between the Borg and the Federation in 2390 to fight the Bajoran Ascendancy and the Grigari during the War of the Prophets . ( DS9 - Millennium novel : The War of the Prophets )

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ], appearances and references [ ], external link [ ].

• Hugh article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• Hugh article at the Star Trek Timelines Wiki .
• 1 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
• 3 The Chase

Jonathan Del Arco

IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• Contact info
• 1 nomination

• Dr. Fernando Morales
• 2007–2012 • 39 eps

• Third of Five
• 1992–1993 • 2 eps

• 2012–2018 • 69 eps

• Victor Ignas

• Silvio Herrera

• Victor Burroughs

• Albert Marrero

• 69 episodes

• Ned Senders

• 39 episodes

• Mr. Caviezel
• Jeremy Solaris

Personal details

• 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
• March 7 , 1966
• Kyle Fritz ? - present
• Relatives Erin Regan (Niece or Nephew)
• Other works (2001, November - December) Appeared as the Undertaker/Young Ebenezer in the Charles Dickens play, "A Christmas Carol", at the South Coast Repertory, Costa Mesa, California, USA.
• 1 Interview

Did you know

• Trivia Has a Star Trek Action Figure in his likeness as the character "Hugh (Third of Five)", a Borg seen in I Borg (1992) in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) 's 5th season and also in Descent, Part II (1993) in the 7th and last season of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) .
• Quotes [on reactions he gets from fans of Major Crimes (2012) and The Closer (2005) , 2013] People love Dr. Morales. I have to be honest, I think I represent a side of a lot of people that in the work world where they feel like they are working with people that are just not as good as they are. [Laughs] There's that co-worker that is just not pulling their weight and I think Morales would be the person who would be like, "Just get out of the way and let me do my job". People are very tickled by me. They think Dr. Morales is very funny. So I have a lot of very positive response from people that recognize me. They'll say, "Oh my god! You're so funny on the show. We love it when you're mean to Brenda". Though early on they hated it when I was mean to Brenda. But they love the personality. They love that he doesn't take any bullshit from anybody and says it like it is and has no time for losers.
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• Where was Jonathan Del Arco born?

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…and of course, this full-cast photo was released by the streamer earlier this year.

The final season of  Star Trek: Discovery runs through May 30 on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery  Season 5 continues on Paramount+ May 2 with “Whistlespeak,” followed the next day on SkyShowtime in other regions.

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New photos from Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 4 “Face the Strange”

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Review: Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Episode 5 “Mirrors”

Star Trek: Discovery picks up immediately where “ Face the Strange ” left off, as our protagonists track their quarry’s ship to a hidden, interdimensional pocket of space that holds a few surprises for them and the audience.

Thanks to some sciencing from Paul Stamets ( Anthony Rapp ) and Sylvia Tilly ( Mary Wiseman ), Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) has a way to find where Moll ( Eve Harlow ) and L’ak ( Elias Toufexis ) are. Apparently, there’s a wormhole hiding in plain sight near where Discovery lost track of the criminals’ warp signature.

This wormhole is too small for a Crossfield- class ship to fit through, so Burnham and Cleveland Booker ( David Ajala ) – the latter of whom is on a mission to rehabilitate Moll, if possible – take a shuttle and see what’s on the other side of the wormhole’s aperture. Find a surprise, they do indeed, as the I.S.S. Enterprise , the evil version of the heroic Starfleet ship, is nestled in the wormhole – albeit without its crew, which apparently evacuated the vessel at some point. It’s beaten to hell and serves as a refuge for Moll and L’ak, whose own ship was destroyed by the interdimensional pocket of space’s destructive environment.

Discovery writers sure can be sneaky! They’ve been foreshadowing the appearance of a Constitution­ -class for the last two episodes; remember when Gen Rhys ( Patrick Kwok-Choon ) and Commander Rayner ( Callum Keith Rennie ) both remarked the Connie was their favorite ship? As we’ll see, this isn’t the last bit of foreshadowing that comes true in this episode.

“How did it end up in interdimensional space?” “I don’t know. Must be one hell of a story.” – Book and Burnham upon seeing the I.S.S. Enterprise

Astute viewers will recognize an often-used cost-saving measure in the annals of Star Trek history: the reuse of sets from another concurrent show. (Seriously, rewatch TNG , DS9 , and Voyager and you’ll be surprised how often props and sets are reused between those shows.) As Burnham and Book explore various halls and rooms, including the bridge and sickbay, the familiar surroundings seen in Strange New Worlds are subtly transformed by Mirror Universe iconography. While nods to the iconic starship Enterprise are always appreciated, our initial reaction to this surprise location—admittedly tinged with pessimism—is that it’s of course it’s the Enterprise . A practical move, perhaps, to keep expenses in check. By Grabthar’s hammer… what a savings.

Finding the ship deserted sure is strange, and Burnham and Book ascertain Moll and L’ak are in sickbay, presumably with the next clue in the Progenitor puzzle. But first, the pair check out the transporter room, which holds some strange items, such as blankets, children’s toys, and a locket that holds a picture of two people, which Burnham inexplicably decides to take with her. Moreover, the dedication plaque of the I.S.S Enterprise tells the story of the ship and its crew: the Terran Universe emperor seemingly tried to make changes to the way things were done in that evil universe, and the Enterprise escaped and picked up refugees who were trying to flee the Terran Universe and enter the Prime Universe.

One of the leaders among those on the Enterprise was a Kelpien, who Burnham deduces must have been the Mirror Universe version of Saru, and that the crew must have fled the Enterprise once it got stuck in the interdimensional pocket of space. Is it just us, or does this sound like a potential episode of Strange New Worlds ?

Burnham, Book, Moll, and L’ak face off in sickbay, where Burnham makes a startling connection between L’ak and a particular dilemma he is facing. The criminal pair hope to use the Progenitor treasure to clear L’ak’s Breen blood bounty. Yes, L’ak is Breen, that enigmatic and masked species from Deep Space Nine . Neato!

The rest of the episode bounces between what’s happening on the Enterprise , and flashing back to how Moll and L’ak first met and became romantically involved. Moll, the courier, would do business on the Breen space station on which L’ak, a member of a royal Breen family, was posted. The two connected over L’ak’s recent demotion and efforts to fight the embarrassment that came with it.

Over some time, the two became nearly inseparable, and L’ak even took the bold step with Moll by showing her his face – a big deal in Breen culture, as keeping their masks on allows them to retain their true, semi-transparent form, and not the solidified appearance we’ve seen on L’ak. Their relationship is tested when L’ak’s superior (and uncle), Primarch Ruhn ( Tony Nappo ) decides to interrupt their courtship. L’ak doesn’t take kindly to being asked to kill Moll, so the Breen turns on his own people, earns a Breen blood bounty, and flees with Moll. The pair now share a goal: earn enough latinum to retire on an (unnamed) fabled planet somewhere in the Gamma Quadrant, free from the trials and hardships of the courier life.

Suffice it to say, “Mirrors” is most memorable because it casts a welcome light on the shadowed backstory of this season’s main villains. Moll and L’ak are now a relatable pair, star-crossed lovers who are hell-bent on earning themselves a happy ending. As much as we don’t want to see the Progenitors’ tech get into the wrong hands, who now doesn’t want to see everything work out for Moll and L’ak?

Anyway, the quartet still need to get off the Enterprise , but the shuttle on which Burnham and Book arrived is destroyed by the turbulent pocket of space. With mere minutes to spare before the Enterprise is destroyed by the wormhole’s tiny aperture, Book and Moll share some last-minute words about their shared relationship with the late Cleveland Booker, and how Book hopes Moll makes the right choices regarding her quest for the Progenitor tech. Burnham, meanwhile, engages in a melee with L’ak, and the Breen ends up injured and inadvertently relinquishes control to Burnham of the next map piece in the Progenitor puzzle. The courier and disgraced Breen end up escaping the ship in a convenient Terran warp pod, leaving the chase between our heroes and enemies for another day.

“If we hit it precisely with a sequential hexagonal pattern, it should stay open for approximately sixty seconds. But once it collapses, it’s gone for good.” “Why hexagonal?” “Doesn’t matter… it’ll work.” – Adira ( Blu del Barrio ), Rayner, and Stamets as the crew finds a way to get the wormhole aperture bigger. We think this line from Stamets is reflective of the evolving working relationship between the results-orientated Rayner and the crew, and how this relationship is getting better the longer Rayner is first officer.

Burnham devises a novel way to signal her first officer for help in getting the Enterprise through the aperture: a pulsing tractor beam emitting from the Enterprise , shot through the wormhole’s opening, in a numerical sequence featured in a famous play from Kellerun culture. Rayner is then able to lead his crew to devise a way to pull the Enterprise into normal space.

The sequence where Rayner is faced with command of a ship tasked with the near-impossible rescue of his captain is the best of the episode. It’s no secret Rayner was knocked down a few pegs after his demotion and reassignment to Discovery , but that lack of confidence and inner angst is demolished thanks to Rayner listening and working with his bridge crew to save the Enterprise . Plenty of lesser-known bridge officers get a say in how Discovery could help the Mirror ship, and lightning-fast decision-making shows Rayner back on his game.

The last element to note about this episode is some emotional trouble Doctor Hugh Culber ( Wilson Cruz ) is having. Tilly provides an outlet for this angst. Culber explains the experiences he’s had in the last few years – namely dying, coming back to life, and being a Trill host – really put into perspective the intellectual journey he is on in the face of the Progenitor’s quest. Tilly helps him realize he isn’t only experiencing an intellectual quest, but a spiritual one. This conversation is just another instance of Discovery setting up some wild expectations for what the crew might ultimately discover at the end of the season – something beyond the bounds of science, perhaps?

Even though their prey gets away again, Burnham and her crew have the next clue in the Progenitor puzzle, and it is hiding in the I.S.S. Enterprise ’s sickbay. Hidden in the map piece Burnham grabbed from L’ak is a vial, which Stamets will analyze soon. Burnham learns the crew who escaped from the I.S.S. Enterprise ended up in the Prime Universe and were able to start new lives. A Terran scientist aboard the Enterprise , Dr. Cho, ended up being a branch admiral, and we’re meant to assume she was one of the scientists on Dr. Vellek’s team hundreds of years ago as they studied the Progenitor tech. Dr. Cho then hid her piece of the Progenitor puzzle aboard her old ship as a symbolic gesture of her ability to find freedom in a new universe.

Discovery continues its final season with another thumbs-up episode that serves an important lore-building role in the franchise. Seeing the Breen again is a joy, especially since we were staring at one the whole time and never knew it. And how striking was that Breen space station where L’ak was based? Another important note for Star Trek historians is that now the Mirror Universe Enterprise is in the 32 nd century, and stationed near Earth thanks to Joann Owosekun and Keyla Detmer piloting the ship back to Federation space. Will we see that ship again this season?

As the Progenitor puzzle deepens, so do the emotional stakes for our crew, exemplified by Culber’s introspective journey, the subtle reignition of Book and Burnham’s relationship, and Rayner’s triumphant return to leadership. We’re now at the halfway point in this season, so there’s still plenty of time for surprises, emotional consequences, and expectation-setting for this eagerly awaited treasure.  

Stray Thoughts:

• Hopefully, you’re watching this episode with subtitles on, because goodness is it hard to hear what masked Breen says.
• The Mirror Universe version of the U.S.S. Enterprise was last seen in the Original Series episode “Mirror, Mirror,” albeit this wasn’t the Strange New Worlds version of the ship. Likewise, the Terran version of Spock, whom Booker asks if Burnham ever met, was in that same episode.
• How did Adira conclude they were the one who brought the time bug aboard Discovery ?
• Why didn’t Burnham and Book try talking down Moll and L’ak before diving into the room with the holo-projected doubles?

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery stream Thursdays on Paramount+ , this season stars Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham), Doug Jones (Saru), Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker), Blu del Barrio (Adira) and Callum Keith Rennie (Rayner). Season five also features recurring guest stars Elias Toufexis (L’ak) and Eve Harlow (Moll).

Stay tuned to TrekNews.net for all the latest news on Star Trek: Discovery , Star Trek: Prodigy , Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , Star Trek: Lower Decks , and more.

You can follow us on X , Facebook , and Instagram .

Kyle Hadyniak has been a lifelong Star Trek fan, and isn't ashamed to admit that Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek: Nemesis are his favorite Star Trek movies. You can follow Kyle on Twitter @khady93 .

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Seven of nine & raffi’s star trek: picard love story origin revealed by michelle hurd.

Michelle Hurd tells the story of what in real life inspired Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker to become an on-screen couple in Star Trek: Picard.

• Jonathan Del Arco's photo of Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan sparked the romance between Raffi Musiker and Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard.
• The love story between Raffi and Seven was not originally planned but was added after Del Arco's photo caught the showrunners' attention.
• Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan's chemistry in the photo led to the creation of an unexpected romance storyline in the series.

Star Trek: Picard 's Michelle Hurd reveals how the love story between Lt. Commander Raffi Musiker and Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine came to be. Hurd played the troubled but noble Raffaela "Raffi" Musiker in all three seasons of Picard , and Raffi was the only original character created for the series who was in every season. At the end of Star Trek: Picard season 1, Raffi and Seven were seen holding hands, sparking a romance that was explored in Star Trek: Picard season 2, although their relationship cooled off in Star Trek: Picard season 3.

It turns out Raffi and Seven was a match made by Jonathan Del Arco, who played Hugh, the former Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard season 1. At a Calgary Expo panel hosted by Collider , Michelle Hurd explained that Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker's romance wasn't originally planned, but Del Arco snapping a photo of Hurd and Jeri Ryan together and showing it to Star Trek: Picard 's showrunners prior to season 1 led to a love story between Seven and Raffi being added to the show. Read Hurd's quote below:

I believe it was at the San Diego Comic-Con, that same event, which was huge and fantastic. And they had a green room, a space where all the actors and everybody goes to get ready for whatever. And Jeri was in this fantastic red dress. She was absolutely gorgeous, and I was wearing a white Helston jumpsuit, so I didn't look too bad myself. And we’re friends, I adore her, and we were standing together and I kind of put my arm around her waist and I kind of gave her a squeeze. And Jonathan Del Arco, Hugh, [and] Jeri's manager is Jonathan's husband. So we're all friends, with Kyle [Fritz]. So Jonathan was standing over there, and he was like, ‘Oh my God, look at me.’ And so we both just looked at him, and he took a picture. And then, I swear to God, he took that camera, walked right over to our producers, Akiva Goldsman, Alex Kurtzman, [and] Michael Chabon. We’re all sitting right there, and he said, ‘You guys look at how big these two look together.’

Michelle Hurd continued her story and said that Star Trek: Picard 's showrunners immediately approached her and Jeri Ryan and told them, "'Ladies, we have an idea,' and that’s how [Seven and Raffi''s romance] started."

Star Trek Picard Season 3 Ending Explained (In Detail)

Seven of nine & raffi's future depends on star trek: legacy, "raffi loves seven," confirms michelle hurd.

Star Trek: Picard season 3 ended with Captain Seven of Nine in command of the USS Enterprise-G and Commander Raffi Musiker as her First Officer. That setup is rife with dramatic (and comedic) potential, especially as it's the first time a couple is in command of a starship. However, Star Trek: Picard 's proposed spinoff, Star Trek: Legacy , has not been greenlit as a series , although there is talk it could instead become a 2-hour Star Trek streaming movie on Paramount+ . If Star Trek: Legacy ever happens, Hurd told Calgary Expo via Collider what she'd like to see of Seven and Raffi commanding the Enterprise:

It would be an amazing thing to see that kind of dynamic, to see the respect that each other has to have for each other's space as well as, [some] jealousy[...] I think it would be a phenomenal story. So I can't say for sure whether there's going to be, you know, a white picket fence. But if you're asking Raffi, there’s a white picket fence.

Even if audiences never see Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker together again, Michelle Hurd is confident about how their love story will bear out. Hurd said that she and Jeri Ryan have discussed Raffi and Seven's relationship at length, and Michelle reminded Jeri, " You do understand that Raffi loves Seven, period. End of discussion.’ She will love Seven [until] the end of time. " Star Trek: Picard created something special between Seven of Nine and Raffi Musiker, but fans can thank Jonathan Del Arco for seeing the vision and snapping the photo that set it all in motion.

Source: Collider

Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on Paramount+