Alien Spotlight : Borg Summary . A young girl is sitting and playing with a ball outside of her home when a tall female Borg approaches her . The little girl innocently asks if the creature will play with her . The Borg responds in the negative and injects her with nanoprobe s . The " Maverick " finds itself in a nebula . Captain Hanley is at the helm and with the subsiding of subspace distortions , he commands a course to Earth to inform Starfleet of the results of their tests , as the distortions are being detected all over the galaxy . As they go to warp , the ship explodes . Elsewhere , aboard the USS " Courageous " , Captain Walia is informed of a distress signal from the " Pollux " . As they bring it up on screen , the ship is hit with a large blast , destroying the entire saucer section . On the , Commander La Forge reports that dilithium samples in an asteroid field are exhibiting molecular instability . Picard orders them to return from the asteroid and leave the samples behind . As the away team beams back , Borg injection tubules burst from their skin . In sickbay , Dr . Crusher reports that the implants seem wild and random and that La Forge is the only one to survive from the away team because he already had cybernetic implants , and the Borg implants simply adapted to match them . She suggests that since they ' re Federation implants , they should be able to reverse the process , but Picard turns her down , noting that La Forge is their only link to the Collective . Data sits beside La Forge and begins talking to him , but when he uses his own name , La Forge reacts violently , as his eyes are reading the Borg hive mind as raw binary data . Picard tells him to concentrate and find out what the Borg are planning when an injection tubule bursts from La Forge ' s forearm and implants itself in Data ' s eye . Data notes that La Forge is sending him datastreams of information and says " " I think you are all about to " die " . " " Admiral Janeway is giving a briefing on a time wave traveling from the future to the past and explains that it seems to be rewriting Borg history . This is what has been setting off the distortions throughout subspace . Captain Amasov questions her and she explains that the aftershocks happen " ahead " of the wave as it moves backward through time . Picard interrupts to note that this burst of temporal energy is rewriting history to ensure that all species are born as Borg by assimilating their DNA . This is being done because a species can only be perfect if it is perfect at the beginning and they are trying to assimilate their past . Janeway ' s response is to invoke the " Locutus Protocols . " Developed after the Battle of Wolf 359 , and updated after the Borg ' s attempt to interfere with First Contact with the Vulcan s , they were expanded to anticipate time waves . They involve detonating a transwarp core inside a pulsar to neutralize the tachyon wave . In his chambers , Picard cannot sleep and , lost in thought , begins to remember a chess match with Guinan . He comments that it is no use playing with someone that can see the future . She responds by telling him that the problem is that his game is not adapting . She points out that they were never able to anticipate the Borg ' s assimilation due to the fact that the Borg were not pieces on the board at the time and seeing the future is about knowing where to look . As she tells him that he has lost his Queen , she morphs inside his memory into the Borg Queen . The Queen tells him that Locutus was a failed experiment , and that any event he plans is something that is history to the Borg of the future , and that since the El - Aurian s were part of the Borg when he was assimilated , he can see this , and knows how it will all end . As he stares at himself in the bathroom mirror , he sees the reflection of Locutus , realizes what must be done , and contacts Janeway . After explaining his plan to her , she turns him down . He continues to argue his case , suggesting that she let him attempt one solution that rethreads the future rather than the past , so that both the Borg and Federation survive . He questions the morality of a solution that could erase the Borg from existence . She seems surprised at this , noting that his opinion used to be different . He responds by noting that his views are adapting . The " Enterprise " is allowed to attempt his plan , and enters through a whirlpool in space - time , and upon their exit encounter a Borg Hypercube . The Borg begin to board the ship , transporting through the ship ' s shields . The Borg from the future have assimilated Species 8472 and are beginning to take over the ship with ease . The Borg are shutting down all escape from the ship , but have left one route open . La Forge tells Picard that he can beam him through , but that there is a group of ten drones attacking an outpost . Data interrupts and tells them that the future Borg have all been in units of two , three , five , and seven , all prime numbers . Picard tells them to scan for an eleventh drone , away from the group of ten down at the outpost . He beams down to that location , near the little girl playing with her ball . The Borg female seems surprised to see Locutus , but tells him that the wave was created by the Omega molecule and is unstoppable , despite their counter wave . Picard counters with a calm attitude , agreeing that the Borg will achieve perfection – it is inevitable . Despite this , the Borg continue to assimilate , and will assimilate the young girl . The drone tells him that the girl will become the Borg Queen that conceives of the time wave . Picard asks why she must be assimilated if the wave cannot be stopped . Soon enough , history will have been rewritten , and she will be born into the Collective . He tells them that they can see into the future without an issue , but that the more history they rewrite , the harder it becomes for them to see the past . The Borg female attacks , telling him that he will be assimilated . He stands and takes the nanoprobe injections , stating that the Queen can hear him and that the Borg ' s desires to rewrite their past are irrelevant , that the universe has its own momentum that cannot be stopped and that resistance to it is futile . The Borg ' s attempt it not efficient or logical and the Borg must adapt . The Borg drone withdraws her injections and tells Picard that he can keep the young girl , as her plan is flawed . The drone tells him that the Borg will yet add him to their Collective when he has transcended imperfection . She beams away , and the young girl asks if Picard will play with her . He picks up her ball and simply says " " yes . " " Memorable quotes . " " That ' s the trick about seeing the future . You still need to know where to " look " . " " " " You are losing your past , because you are acting against your nature . It is " not " in the Borg ' s nature to alter the universe around it . " " " " To attempt to change your history is not efficient . It is not logical . You know what the Borg must do . It is what you always have done . You . . . must . . . adapt . " " " " You may keep the girl . Her plan is " flawed " . " " " " And my ship ? " " " " We will return it to you . As captain , you have " unique qualities " that we will add to our distinctiveness when they have transcended their imperfection . You are " not " yet Locutus . But you " will be " . " "