The terrifying nature of the Borg have led to some of the greatest episodes and films in the Star Trek universe regardless of whether they appear in The Next Generation or another series. But fans probably missed what is arguably the best one - and it's from IDW Publishing.

Regardless of taste, one of the most pivotal Borg moments involved Picard's assimilation into the Collective in "The Best of Both Worlds" where he assumed the identity as Locutus of Borg. The film First Contact then expanded upon why Picard became more than just a mere drone, revealing that the Collective actually had a Borg Queen who wanted an equal and saw that in Picard. Besides Picard or Locutus, another memorable Borg character from Star Trek heralds from Voyager, the survivor Seven of Nine.

All of these aforementioned stories or themes were used as the foundation for what is a remarkable and severely underrated Borg story, the comic series Star Trek: The Next Generation - Hive by Brannon Braga, Terry Matalas, Travis Fickett, Joe Corroney, Shawn Lee, and Hi-fi. Hive takes place in two separate timelines. The present day sees the Borg Queen asking the Federation for help against a species they couldn't assimilate that was now rampaging across the galaxy while Star Trek's Seven of Nine allows herself to be reassimilated into the Borg as a spy. In the future, Picard is Locutus once more and has helped the Borg assimilate every entity in the known universe. However, he feels their success goes against the Borg's purpose and recreates Data to help him take down the Borg Queen.


The concept of Picard and Seven of Nine working together was apparently a popular idea that not only IDW had because the two appear in the ongoing Picard series. But, here, Hive gets to the heart of who they are as survivors while both of them take the risk of returning to the collective. The concept of reassimilation is more terrifying than just losing one's sense of self again as there's a real-life aspect to their plight. Part of Picard and Seven of Nine always wanted to return to the Borg, creating the allusion to the struggles of relapsing. Picard may have given himself up at the end of First Contact to be reassimilated, but he never underwent the procedure like he does in Hive. Moreover, Hive's Seven of Nine undergoes her own personal tragedy that puts her entire Borg experience full circle in such a bittersweet way that makes some fans wish this story were canon and not Picard. The comics also further explore the Borg Queen's connection to and reliance on Picard that the TV shows and films never tackled where she not only still wishes to get Locutus back, but even adopts Picard's strategies, both undermining what the Borg and herself represent while revisiting why she wants Locutus from a different perspective.

Meanwhile, the future's Locutus in Hive serves as an intriguing interpretation of Locutus' identity as an individual drone. Although Borg, Locutus still retains a portion of his humanity, and it's fascinating that he would feel unfulfilled upon the Borg's successful assimilation of the known universe as that is a very human emotion. Moreover, Locutus' decision to rebuild Data further exemplifies his internal duality as a hybrid for this act means he not only brought back a friend of his human self but someone who Star Trek's Borg can't assimilate and strives to become human, which is antithesis to the Collective. The Next Generation and Star Trek as a whole may have told some incredible Borg stories, but few have ventured as far into the intricacies and nuances of humanity's relationship with the Borg.