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

Summary 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

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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.

Related Star Trek's 2009 Movie Hid the Full Power of Nero's Ship (& Its Borg Connection) The Narada, Nero's ship in the 2009 Star Trek film, had a much deeper history than fans initially thought - including a tie to the Borg!

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!