Star Trek: Picard recently concluded its first season with tons of twists and reveals. One of the most unexpected parts is that the show put the villainous Borg in an entirely different direction, making them more sympathetic, and presenting them as victims. For the fans who were curious about this shift, showrunner Michael Chabon explains it in a recent interview.
Chabon told Variety that it harkens back to watching Star Trek: First Contact for the first time in theaters. He admitted that he got "really upset" by a scene from the movie where the Enterprise heroes were being "menaced" by the Starfleet personnel. "And, roughly paraphrasing, Picard says, like, ‘You just have to kill them. They're not your friends anymore. They're no longer the person that you knew. They are just Borg,'" Chabon said. "And watching that scene — that is so patently false, right? We know that's a lie, because you saw Picard get assimilated and then get restored back to himself. So that's bulls–t."
When Chabon ought to bring back any legacy character or a key plot element from The Next Generation, he makes sure that it "can't be the same as it was." "So that meant if we ever were going to bring the Borg back, and we kind of wanted to bring the Borg back," he said. "We had to find a way to do it that felt different."
He then revealed that once he looked at that mandate, remembering the idea of considering looking at assimilation "as a form of trauma," they decided to go with that idea and to "really consider the former Borg's claim on the same degree of treatment that we would bestow on any other sentient creatures in the Star Trek world." Chabon thought that it was a "really inevitable way to go."
What are your thoughts on the direction that Chabon went with with the Borg? Tell us in the comments below!
Star Trek: Picard is now streaming for free on CBS Access for a limited time only.
Also Read: Star Trek: Picard Showrunner Addresses Show's Approach to Sexuality
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Star Trek