Collective ( episode ) " Voyager " finds a Borg cube controlled by assimilated children who have been separated from the Collective mind . Summary . Teaser . Commander Chakotay is on an away mission aboard the " Delta Flyer " . With him are Ensign s Tom Paris and Harry Kim , and Neelix . Passing the time , they sit together playing poker . It is time to compare hands . But when Paris is asked to show his , his eyes stare in horrified surprise at the front windows . The others turn to look ; a Borg cube is coming straight toward them . The four men scramble to battle stations . " " And I had a full house . . . " " Paris mutters . Act One . The " Delta Flyer " flees at full impulse , with the gigantic Borg vessel hot on its tail , firing at it . Neelix voices the question all of them have : why did sensor s not detect it ? Kim supplies a possible answer : a dispersal field was used to make it invisible to sensor scans . This is a worrying development ; the Borg have never before employed such clever tactics . Warp speed is unavailable ; the " Flyer " s plasma injector s are damaged . Paris tries his best to avoid the incoming fire , but they suffer a direct hit , causing sparks to fly and degrading the deflector shield s . As Kim tries to clear the injectors , the cube ' s power output starts fluctuating . This means they still have a chance ; they target its propulsion matrix . The tactic is successful ; the cube is rendered dead in space , no longer able to chase them . But as they are about to make their escape , the " Flyer " shudders ; the cube catches them in a tractor beam and begins pulling them in . Kim desperately tries to get the warp engines going , but is unsuccessful ; then a power surge causes an explosion which knocks him unconscious . Power is lost , and the three awake men hear a chilling , familiar hail , in the emotionless , multi - track resonant voice of the Borg Collective : As they watch helplessly though the forward windows , an immense hatch opens in the side of the cube . The " Flyer " is drawn in , and they are enveloped in complete darkness . Dreaming that his crew mates were assimilated , Neelix gasps as he is woken by Chakotay . He , Chakotay and Paris are in a Borg assimilation chamber . Kim is nowhere to be found . They look around the room for him and see , on a platform , the horrific sight of a partially - assimilated alien . But the alien is dead ; the assimilation apparently went awry . Paris is very agitated , expecting Borg drones to come in and begin assimilating them at any moment . Chakotay tells him to calm down ; they are not drones yet , and may find an escape . The three men begin searching for a way to disable the force field preventing them from leaving the room . " Voyager " conducts an intensive search for the " Flyer " . They follow its ion trail to where it ends , but the chief engineer , Lt . B ' Elanna Torres , filling at the ops station for Ensign Kim , reports detection of a Borg cube ; the same one the away team ran afoul of . Grim - faced , Captain Janeway orders red alert , a course alteration to intercept , and a constant remodulation of the ship ' s deflector shield frequencies , a standard , albeit , very temporary , defense against the Borg . The cube , however , does not move as " Voyager " approaches . A perplexed Seven of Nine , the ship ' s single foremost authority on the Borg , observes that its propulsion system is not that severely damaged ; the drones aboard should have repaired it already . Then the ship shudders as the cube targets their warp core . Janeway orders return of fire . The ship shudders again as the cube again fires , first at their impulse engines , then at their sensor array . None cause " Voyager " any real damage . Seven is baffled ; the attacks , far from being the devastatingly powerful and efficient strikes that are par for the Borg , are very erratic and inefficient . Lt . Commander Tuvok targets and destroys their weapons . It is obvious that something is extremely amiss ; this is " far " too easy . The away team is detected aboard the cube , unassimilated as yet . " Voyager " fires on the cube ' s deflector shield generator , in order to collapse the shield and allow the beam - out of the away team , but that fails . Seven , after further scans of the cube , finds the reason for the cube ' s unbelievably weak attacks : there are usually thousands of drones aboard a cube , but here there are only five . A hail from the Borg Collective comes through , informing , as it always does , of their intent to assimilate them . Janeway coldly answers by demanding the release of the away team . The Borg repeat their intention . But Janeway now knows she is dealing with a lion whose teeth and claws have been pulled . " " Not today , and not by you . " " she replies , and threatens to resume firing if the away team is not released . A brief silence follows , during which cube scans them . Then the response comes : an offer to free the away team in exchange for specific technology , namely " Voyager " s navigational deflector . Seven informs Janeway that the cube ' s communications array was damaged ; the deflector would allow the five drones to reestablish their link with the Collective . This is the last thing Janeway wants , not that she was even considering the offer at all . She stalls , responding that she would consider the exchange if she is allowed to send over someone to make sure the away team is safe . The drones agree ; she can send one person . Her obvious choice is Seven of Nine . " Voyager " hovers at all stop , facing the cube . Seven beams aboard and walks through the corridors of the cube . Not a single drone is seen , except for one dead one . The ' Collective voice ' tells her to go to a certain area : Grid 63 , Subsection 01 . She complies , and finds that it is a Borg neonatal unit . She hears something behind her , turns and finds five adolescent Borg at the unit ' s entrance looking at her ; two twin boys , two older boys and a young girl . It is apparent that they are too young to be out as drones serving the Collective ; they should still be in neonatal maturation chambers themselves . She identifies herself and asks where the adult drones are . The voice replies : " " There are no others ; the others were . . . " " One of the children steps forth , the " Collective voice " is replaced by his single voice , and he finishes the statement " " deactivated . " We " are the Borg . " " Seven cannot believe it ; they are dealing with not just five Borg , but five " neonatal " Borg ; in effect , five Borg " children " . Act Two . The five neonatal drones note Seven ' s possession of a Borg designation . She tells them that she used to be a drone herself and that she will help them repair the damaged cube . The second oldest , who has assumed leadership of the group , loudly objects that this was not the agreement they made . Seven , in a tone that brooks no argument , responds that she is modifying the agreement ; she did not realize they were dealing with children . But she is reminded that they hold the away team as hostages . So , when the second oldest shouts at her to comply with the original agreement , she acquiesces , and asks to see the hostages . As she is taken to them , the " leader " menacingly tells the others to assimilate her if she resists . As she walks with the others , Seven speaks to the oldest , asking about his designation and what makes them think they will survive in their incomplete state on this damaged vessel . The youth calls himself " Second " . Their " leader " , he says , is called " First " . The designations refer to hierarchical position ; originally , being the oldest , he was " First " and the other boy was " Second " . But he could not maintain order in the group , so " Second " became " First " and he became " Second " . He confidently tells Seven that the Collective will come to retrieve them . They go to the assimilation chamber where the team ( minus the still - missing Ensign Kim ) is being held , and Seven ascertains they are in good health . She quietly warns them as they gaze in surprise at the neonatals not to judge by appearances ; they control the vessel and its weapons . She is disgusted by the horribly botched attempt at assimilation she sees there . Second explains that they were trying to perfect their assimilation techniques . Seven harshly tells him that they failed to do so . The girl matter - of - factly indicts Ensign Paris for attempting to interfere with the force field controls , and punishes him with an electric shock when he tries to do it again under the pretext of denying it and trying to show what he was " actually " doing . Satisfied that they are well , Seven leaves with the neonatals . As she departs , Commander Chakotay pointedly asks her to give their " regards to Harry " as a way of covertly conveying that Harry is missing . Once outside the chamber , Second presses Seven for the deflector array , but she responds that she has to report back on the hostages ' condition to the captain . Also , she says she has to take an adult drone ' s corpse with her to find out what happened to the vessel and the other adult drones . They agree . Back on " Voyager " , Janeway and Tuvok walk down a corridor to sickbay , discussing Ensign Kim ' s absence among the hostages . Janeway tells him to try to contact him using a Borg frequency so the children would not detect the transmission . They enter sickbay . In sickbay , The Doctor , the holographic chief medical officer , has found something remarkable in the drone corpse that Seven returned with ; a pathogen which was responsible for killing it and all the other adult drones . He informs the two officer s . Seven tells them that the five juveniles she found were not affected ; their maturation chambers protected them . The Doctor answers Tuvok ' s question as to whether it would only kill Borg in the affirmative , but then is suddenly horrified to realize that the Captain is considering using it as a bio - weapon against the juveniles . She asks Seven her opinion ; would they really kill the hostages if their demands are not met ? Seven ' s answer is yes . Janeway orders The Doctor to keep the pathogen as an option , but she will not use it until she has met the drones themselves . She then leaves with Seven . On the " Delta Flyer " , Ensign Kim regains consciousness after having been knocked out in the initial attack by the cube . He slowly goes into to the cockpit , bathed in the harsh green light of the Borg vessel ' s interior , and finds the com signal sent from " Voyager " as per Captain Janeway ' s instructions . To answer on the same carrier wave , the computer tells him , significant system modifications have to be made ; but he is well aware of this and immediately begins making them , as the " Flyer " is seen to be held in a colossally vast , cavernous hangar bay within the Borg vessel along with at least two other unidentified craft . Act Three . Janeway and Seven are on the cube with the young drones . First angrily demands that she stick to the agreement : the hostages for the deflector . But Janeway offers them another option : come with " Voyager " and be individuals again . She begins asking the youngsters questions about their homeworlds and lives before their abductions and assimilations , but First belligerently presses his demand for the deflector . Janeway begins to stall again but he forces her back against a wall by the throat . Keeping her cool , she tells him that they cannot have it , and assimilating her will not get it for them . She then offers to help them repair their cube ' s technology . First sullenly agrees , giving them two hours . Seven is to remain to do the work . As Janeway leaves , First warns her not to return . " Voyager " continues to sit before the massive cube . Janeway walks onto the bridge , announces they have two more hours , and asks about the pathogen . Tuvok tells her it should be ready by then . Lt . Torres voices her incredulity that they are actually negotiating with adolescent drones . Janeway comments on the drones ' unpredictable nature . Tuvok notes that delusions of superiority and contempt for authority are common traits of juveniles of any species . Then a transmission from the hidden Ensign Kim on the cube comes in . Janeway decides to have him get to the cube ' s shield generator and destroy it . Tuvok is to guide him there by audio signal . On the cube , Seven works to fix the damage . Second enters with some technology she requested . As she works , they get to talking about their lives , pre - assimilation . Second does not remember his , but Seven ' s questions begin to bring back memories . She also fixes his sub - vocal processor , letting him speak normally . While Seven is making the simple adjustment , Second reacts quizzically , recalling that First has said that his malfunction could not be repaired until they reconnect with the Collective . Repair complete , Seven simply flashes Second a sly , knowing , look and resumes her work . Intrigued , Second gazes at her intensely , eventually noting that her hair reminds him of his mother ' s hair . Just then First enters and angrily rebukes him for his " " irrelevant conversation " " with her . He orders Second to return to his station , then gives Seven a baleful stare as he leaves to return to his . Seven returns to " Voyager " and briefs Captain Janeway in her ready room about a disturbing discovery she made in the cube ' s communication records ; the Collective did indeed receive the drones ' distress call . But it has no intention of responding ; the drones are immature , and damaged due to their premature release from their maturation chambers . They are , therefore , unimportant ; the Collective , not interested in retrieving them , permanently severed their link to the hive mind . The drones , who do not have the ability to decrypt the message , are unaware of this . Janeway considers that they can use this to win them over ; once they find that they have been rejected by the Collective , they will have no place to turn but " Voyager " . They could regain their individuality . Seven is doubtful ; they do not have the discipline to overcome their separation from the hive mind . But Janeway is determined to try . But she decides to hold on to the information for now . Seven leaves to return to the cube and finish the repairs . Act Four . Ensign Kim carefully walks along the damaged corridors of the cube , guided by Tuvok ' s voice over the com and using playing card s to mark his way , in case he has to backtrack . Seven returns to find First inspecting her work . He accuses her of stalling . She responds that she is working as quickly as she can , and shows him a PADD containing the data she is using . He dismisses the data as flawed . Annoyed , she counters that it is his understanding of the scientific theory behind the data that is flawed . In front of the other children , she belittles his ability to ensure their survival . He tells her she has forgotten what it means to be Borg . She quickly proves that false , outlining the tenets of Borg philosophy : the unity of the Collective ; common goals ; the quest for perfection . But , she insists , they do not have to remain drones to experience these things . She invites them to return to " Voyager " with her . But First is unmoved ; he tells her she has 38 minutes left out of the two hours he gave her . Just then , an alarm sounds ; another maturation chamber is malfunctioning . This one contains a Borg infant ; its autonomic functions are failing . First insists that it will adapt , but the girl reports after looking at a monitor that this is not happening . She pleads with him to let Seven help . Seven takes charge . She has them transport it to an incubation pod , but it still shows signs of acute distress . The only option left is to transport it to " Voyager " . First stubbornly refuses , saying that it is part of their collective , but he is overridden by the others . Ensign Kim approaches the location of the cube ' s shield generator . He arrives , and begins planting spatial charge s to destroy it . But he is surprised by the Borg girl . He distracts her with conversation while he reaches for his phaser , but she is not fooled ; she tells him matter - of - factly that his weapon is useless there ; a dampening field is present . He stares at her nervously . On " Voyager " , Janeway and Tuvok walk briskly down a corridor , as he reports on losing contact with Kim . The Doctor hails her and asks her to come to the Sickbay . She orders Tuvok to keep trying to regain contact with Kim and goes to the Sickbay while he goes to the bridge . In the Sickbay , The Doctor shows her the Borg baby , which Seven had beamed there directly . He has stabilized her . Perhaps trying to get Janeway to change her mind about using the pathogen on the juveniles , he has her hold the child , who immediately stops fretting once in her arms . But Janeway is unmoved ; if she " must " take that option to save her officers , she shall ; she only hopes that she is not forced to actually do so . On the cube , First confronts Seven with one of the spatial charges Kim had planted . He accuses her of trying to deceive them . They show him Ensign Kim , lying against a wall . He has been injected with Borg nanoprobe s . But , since the young drones cannot yet properly assimilate , the nanoprobes are simply destroying his body instead of assimilating it . First orders Seven to call Captain Janeway ; they want the deflector array " now " . She tries to continue stalling , but First has none of it . Frustrated , she calls " Voyager " . Act Five . On " Voyager " s bridge , First is on the viewscreen . He insists Janeway surrender the deflector immediately . She demands that he transport Ensign Kim back to them first , but he refuses . He threatens to " assimilate " the others ( which would certainly kill them ) if they do not get the deflector right away . Janeway stares at him and angrily tells him that they cannot simply remove it ; it is part of the ship . No amount of threats from him will change that . First ' s sullen face is replaced by the image of the cube as he terminates the connection . The ship shudders as the cube ' s tractor beam locks onto the deflector in an attempt to tear it off . Hull stress on the ship increases ; Lt . Torres reports hull integrity breaches on two deck s . Janeway orders randomization of the ship ' s shield harmonics to in an attempt to break free , but the beam adapts . On the cube , Seven , aware of what the drones are trying to do , decides that it is time to reveal what she knows about their awaited rescue by the Collective , and does so . First accuses her of lying , but Seven gives him the encryption code to check for himself . He does not , but Second steps forward to do so . First angrily tells him to return to his station , but he ignores him . His face registers his shock as he sees the message . First insists that Seven is again trying to trick them , but Second responds that the message is authentic . First pushes him aside and looks at it . He insists it is a mistake . Seven reminds him of what every drone knows : the Collective does not tolerate imperfection . They are damaged ; thus , to the Collective , they are irrelevant . First stubbornly responds that they will ' assimilate ' more species to prove their worthiness . On " Voyager " , hull stress is almost critical . But then Tuvok reports a fluctuation in the cube ' s shield grid ; they can use it to release the pathogen . But Janeway is loath to finally take this step , and determinedly seeks an alternative . She sees on the command console that the tractor beam draws power from the same grid as their shield matrix . She orders a feedback pulse be sent through the tractor beam from the deflector ; this would disrupt both the beam and the shields . On the cube , Seven continues to press her point ; the children have no future with the Collective , but they do on " Voyager " . But First refuses to listen . Fed up , Seven turns to the others an appeals to them directly . Then the cube shudders as " Voyager " begins sending the feedback pulse . Second checks a monitor , sees what is happening and reports it to them . The feedback is overloading the shield matrix ; this will soon destroy the cube . First orders them to " " Adapt ! " " and hurries to a console . The other drones do the same . On " Voyager " s bridge , Tuvok reports that both the cube ' s tractor beam and shields are weakening . Lt . Torres reports a successful transporter lock on all of the crew members aboard the cube except Kim and Seven . The three they have , Chakotay , Neelix and Paris , are beamed aboard from the assimilation chamber where they were being kept . But they cannot yet lock onto Kim and Seven ; their location is still too heavily shielded . Janeway orders amplification of the feedback pulse . On the cube , the girl reports the departure of the three hostages . Second reports the weakening of the shields around the room where they are . The drones turn to First for instructions , but he stands there impotently . Seven urges them to drop the shields . Nobody moves to do so . Her urging becomes a command . Still , nobody moves . She goes to a console to do it herself . First rushes up and pushes her away so hard she lands on the floor half - stunned . He desperately tries to stave off the imminent failure of the shields , but fails . In impotent rage , he grabs two heavy objects and rushes at Seven with an angry scream , intending to crush her head in , but Second intercepts him , takes the objects away and stares at him with a look that says , in no uncertain terms , to back off . First orders him back to his station ; he does not move . First angrily orders him to obey . But neither Second nor any of the others are taking orders from him any longer . Seven groggily gets to her feet as the cube again shudders , violently ; its induction grid is overloaded . Its destruction is imminent . First runs to a console in a last - ditch effort to try to prevent it . Then consoles begin to explode , including the one he is at , sending an energy discharge into him . He convulses and collapses . Seven runs to him and scans him with her tricorder . But he cannot be saved ; his cortical node is going off - line . To his last breath , he calls on the others to continue resisting , insisting that the Collective will come for them . The girl kneels at his side and tells him that they will find a new home . His final words show him as stubborn to the last : " " We are Borg . " " Epilogue . Seated on her ready room ' s sofa , Janeway speaks to Seven about the children ' s future . They have sent out hails to any ships in the area from two of their respective races : The Brunali for Second , and the Norcadian s for the girl , but they have gotten no responses , and as for the twin boys , they do not even know what species they are from ( they are later identified as Wysanti ) . Janeway puts Seven in charge of them . Seven is uncertain about this ; she cites Neelix as being a much better choice , given his experience with children . Janeway , however , insists that Seven is the right one ; she has already bonded with them , and only she could understand what they are going though as former drones . Seven muses that she could help them avoid some of the pitfalls she faced when she was first severed from the Collective . With a deep breath , steeling herself , she leaves and goes to her quarters , Cargo Bay 2 . This is where her alcove is located . There are five alcoves in all ; she uses one , and the children , who of course will need to periodically regenerate as she does , will use the other four . She meets the children there , now de - assimilated and clad in clothing instead of covered in Borg exo - plating . Like her , all of their implants have been removed except for those tied into their vital functions , and external traces of implants are on their faces . Seven gives each of them PADDs containing limited biographical data she had downloaded from the cube . Second ' s name is Icheb , the girl ' s is Mezoti , and the twins are Azan and Rebi . She then puts them " to bed " – into their alcoves . The regeneration cycles kick in and they close their eyes , silent and still as they engage in the Borg equivalent of falling asleep . Seven has the computer dim the lights and exits the cargo bay . Before the doors close , she turns around in the corridor and has a final look at them . Memorable quotes . " " Does that beat a flush ? " " " " I knew you were bluffing . " " " " That beats me . Tom ? " " ( Tom stares at a Borg cube dead ahead ) " " Battle stations ! " " " " And I had a full house . . . " " " " We will return your crew members in exchange for specific technology . " " " " Talk about unusual behavior . The Borg negotiating ? " " " " You will be assimilated . " " " " Not today and not by you . " " " " They ' re not exactly drones . Mature Borg are predictable . They ' ll ignore you or assimilate you , but these juveniles , they ' re unstable . " " " " They are contemptuous of authority , convinced that they are superior . Typical adolescent behavior for any species . " " " " Sweet dreams . " " Links and references . References . assimilation ; assimilation chamber ; assimilation profile ; autonomic nervous system ; Brunali ; Borg cube ; Borg infant drone ; Chamber of Horrors ; childhood ; confinement beam ; cortical implant ; dampening field ; data grid 426 ; data node ; ; decryption protocol ; " Delta Flyer " ; dispersal field ; emergency power ; escape pod ; feedback pulse ; Goliath ; hair ; ; ; haunted house ; hive mind ; impulse engine ; incubation pod ; induction grid ; interlink frequency ; ion trail ; Jefferies tube ; ; ; Leucon ; maturation chamber ; medical tricorder ; meter ; nanoprobe ; navigational deflector ; Norcadian ; Norcadia Prime ; photon torpedo ; plasma charge ; plasma duct ; plasma injector ; playing card ; poker ; power coupling ; propulsion matrix ; quadric field theory ; red alert ; resonance field ; respiratory system ; second name shield generator ; shield harmonic s ; shield matrix ; spaceborne virus ; stasis field ; subvocal processor ; synaptic pathway ; Talaxian ; theta class planetoid ; thoracic node ; tractor beam ; transwarp conduit ; tricorder ; warp core ; warp plasma ; Yifay