I Borg ( episode ) The discovery of an injured adolescent Borg brings to the surface hard feelings for both Captain Picard and Guinan for what the Borg Collective had done to them . Matters are complicated when plans to use the young Borg to destroy his people are halted when it is discovered that the Borg has become an individual . Summary . Teaser . While exploring an uncharted system , the 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 , 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 , 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 communicating with its brethren . Picard retires to his ready room , as the team and the Borg are transported aboard . 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 implant s have been damaged , but Geordi 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 . 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 . 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 test s 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 and La Forge suggests that they call the Borg " Hugh . " 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 second thoughts about their plan , so he voices them to Guinan 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 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 31 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 - Aurian s ' struggle against the Borg , she laments how few of her kind are left . 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 Human s do not wish to be assimilated , causing Geordi 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 scientist s growing attached to laboratory animal s . 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 impact 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 . 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 . 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 , we know , but before that , we ' d like to 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 . " " " " If you are going to use this person - - " " " " It ' s not a person , damn it ! It ' s a Borg ! " " " " Resistance . . . is " not " futile ? " " " " Captain , I do not want to forget that I am Hugh . " " Links and references . References . access code ; access terminal ; Argolis Cluster ; assimilation ; biochip ; Borg ; Borg Collective ; Borg scout ship ; chromosphere ; detention cell ; fencing ; genocide ; holographic imaging system ; homing signal ; humanitarianism ; invasive program ; Locutus of Borg ; metric ton ; Milky Way Galaxy ; " " ; neural network ; Number one ; paradox ; pet ; power conduit ; prosthesis ; root command structure ; subspace damping field ; topological anomaly ; virus