From: rubio@HAN.Paramax.COM (Stuart Rubio)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc
Subject: Re: I, Borg (Spoils) Was: Hugh no longer a borg
Date: 6 Sep 92 04:12:15 GMT
Organization: ^
Originator: rubio@hpwisf1.han.paramax.com

In article <1992Sep1.144306.7996@math.ufl.edu> jaydee@maple.circa.ufl.edu writes:
>In article <3260030@hpcc01.corp.hp.com>, boell@hpcc01.corp.hp.com
>>Hugh had been isolated from the Collective while on the Enterprise.  The Borg
>>plugged into Hugh on the planet surface to download his experiences for later
>>study.  This is what would have made the virus work.

Not likely. The short period of neural connection probably did nothing
more than check on his power levels and physical health prior to beaming
him up to the ship, where network debriefing would be more extensive.

In addition, I fail to see how "Hugh's" debriefing by the network
would have any more effect on the Borg than the debriefing of any 
human by the U.S. government over the history of such technigues.

>>As it is, its hard to say if the Collective will become infected from the
>>individuality Hugh achieved or if they will simply erase the data because 
>>it is irrelevent.

On the contrary, I would think it is very easy to say whether a race
more technologically advanced than the 24th century human race would
not have developed more advanced means to capture and store, and 
buffer in safe storage locations, whatever it acquires from alien 
sources.

>IMHO, I thought they should have used Hugh to implant the "virus" anyway.  Just
>because a single borg taken away from the collective is capable of developing
>self-will, doesn't that the collective will be contaminated by this idea.

It also seems rather foolish that Picard made no attempt to communicate
his plan back to the Federation in some fashion. After all, if this
plan really had a chance of success, by wait for the Borg to be found
again by accident. The same virus could be broadcast out on all
subspace frequencies for the Borg to intercept in space. This would 
add a certain question of ethics to the episode that might have been
very interesting. In the episode I, Borg, hugh was to be "infected"
with the computer virus directly. The possibility of that infection
reaching the entire species, down every branch of that network is in
no way assured. But, the idea of a blanking broadcast through a medium
known to the Borg is far more certain. The virus is more certain to
be picked up for years as the Borg travel around the galaxy. It becomes
what Beverly Crusher feared. The virus actually become a doomsday weapon.
Even if the Federation were to be destroyed by the Borg at any point in
the future, the Borg would continue to be at risk of infection.
>
>As a matter of fact I would say that it would be extremely unlikely given the
>nature of the BOrg's mission in life.IT has assimulated many other cultures
>in the past.  I'm sure one or two of those cultures had some concept of
>individualisnm.  The BORG has rejected individualism as an inefficient waste of
>resources.

Exactly so. Nowhere in the hundred thousand years claimed by Guinan
have the Borg encountered any race with individual will? Where have 
they been exploring? What about Guinan's own race? Is the claim to
be made that Guinan's people did nothing to "infect" the Borg with
idea contrary to what they believed?

Peace and long life,

Stuart