Borg drone Borg drones made up the population of the Borg Collective . A drone was an assimilated individual augmented with Borg technology and capable of assimilating other lifeforms and technology into the Collective . After assimilation a drone was integrated into the collective and its consciousness and that of the collective became one . A drone possessed no sense of individuality and existed only to perform its designated function within the Collective . Physiology . Although both male and female s of any susceptible species could be assimilated , Borg drones themselves were neither male nor female in a reproductive sense . ( ) The physiology of Borg drones varied because various species were assimilated into the Collective . ( ; ) Their organic bodies were enhanced , and some parts completely replaced , with cybernetic implant s . ( ; ; ) The nature of these implants was determined by the drone ' s intended function , such as medical repairs or tactical . ( ; ) Every drone was equipped with a homing device , which had its own unique translink frequency , by which it was kept in contact with the Collective through subspace transceiver s , thus forming the hive mind . ( ; ) The original species of a drone was often considered by the Collective when assigning a function . ( ) Via nanoprobe s , which were uniquely encoded for every drone , a drone was capable of assimilating others into the Borg Collective . ( ) Drones could assimilate an entire starship , replicating components to interface with local technology . ( ; ; ) After assimilation , a drone possessed greater strength than before assimilation . ( ) Its organic cardiopulmonary system was reinforced . ( ) A drone ' s body was covered with exo - plating , which could protect it from the rigors of space , among other things , ( ) and the exoskeleton of a single limb could withstand a power surge of five million gigawatt s ( ) When equipped with an eyepiece , a drone had the ability to see everything within the EM spectrum , similar to a Federation VISOR , as well as view the nanoscale , the size of molecule s , analyze every facet and dimension of any object in perfect detail , and save perfect representations of those objects in physical memory . ( ) A drone ' s eyepiece was capable of directly observing the geometry of multi - dimensional space - time . ( ) A drone also had a personal force field which protected itself from particle beam weapon s such as phaser s . ( ; ; ) However , this force field was unable to protect a drone from being shot by holographically - reproduced firearm , or prevent injuries in close - quarters combat . The force field could adapt itself to counteract the threat the drone was experiencing . ( ) A drone even had the ability to survive after being frozen for at least 90 year s . ( ) Lily Sloane , a human observer local to Earth of the 21st century , characterized Borg drones as " bionic zombie s " after hearing a description of them , albeit before observing them directly . ( ) Limitations . A Borg drone needed to periodically regenerate in specially fitted alcoves to " feed " its organic and cybernetic parts . The organic components of a drone were fed by their implants , which synthesized organic molecules . The implants , in turn , received energy from the drone ' s alcove during its regeneration cycle . However , if necessary , a drone could go without regeneration for at least two hundred hour s . ( ) When there was no alcove at hand , a Federation power conduit could be adapted to feed a Borg drone when adjusting to the right frequency . ( ) When regenerating , Borg drones shut down all non - essential bodily systems , such that their entire metabolism became integrated with the power system and distribution network aboard their ship , thus merging their life sign s into their vessel . ( ) A Borg drone , or former drone , did not react well to long periods of isolation . This is because they were accustomed to being part of the Collective , especially when the drone in question was assimilated at a young age . ( ) This could even force stranded drones to create their own Collective because they could not cope with their resurfacing personalities when disconnected from the hive mind . ( ) Known Borg drones . Following assimilation , a drone was given a designation appropriate to its function within the collective and position within its unimatrix . For example , the third drone in a group of nine assigned to one particular function may be given the designation " three of nine " . ( ) Appendices . Background information . The original story concept for the Borg had described them as a race of insects , hence the term " drone " . But due to budget constraints , this was changed to a race of cybernetic beings – Human - machine hybrids who had an insect - like social culture and a hive mentality in which the drones relentlessly carried out the commands of the collective . The first concept for the drone came from costume designer Durinda Rice Wood , who had sketched out a rough illustration showing a man in a suit with tubes running around it and plugged in at different spots . The sketches made it clear that the Borg look would have to be an integration of make - up and costume in a way that no other characters had been before . Illustrators and Rick Sternbach also contributed their own designs for the Borg drone . ( " " , pp . 90 - 92 ; " " , p . 82 ) The original helmets for the first drones seen in were actually fabricated in the makeup department while the wardrobe department was assembling the suits out of a dark , spandex - type fabric and metallic urethane . The two departments worked together initially , to make sure the helmet and suit designs integrated properly . ( " " , p . 82 ) The helmet headpieces were made out of foam rubber , cast from clay sculpture molds . Foam rubber was the material of choice so that the helmets would be comfortable for the actors to wear , especially on ten - hour - long shooting days . The helmets were then colored to match the dark costume . An important element of the helmets was that they not be full head coverings . They had to look like alien headpieces hardwired into the brain , not bathing caps . That was why , even from the beginning , the helmets only covered part of the skull , leaving other areas exposed . When the helmets were completed and in place , clamps were then attached to the headpiece for the tubing that was already sewn into the suits to be run around the actor ' s body and attached to the helmet . With that in place , the makeup artist attached the unique bits of the machinery parts that helped to individualize each drone . ( " " , pp . 82 - 83 ) Originally , the parts were fabricated out of urethane , but eventually the makeup department started experimenting with other materials , such as old parts torn out of electric equipment and pieces of motors . These odds - and - ends parts actually looked hi - tech , but reinforced the factory assembly - line look of the drones . At the same time , it added to the distinctive look each drone had , meaning no two looked identical . ( " " , p . 83 ) To make the drone costume even more machine - like , every time the costume left an exposed part of the body , the makeup artist would run one of the tubes directly into it . To make the tube insertion look realistic , the artists created a latex appliance that looked like a bullet hole and glued it directly to the actor ' s skin . They then glued the tube to the appliance . ( " " , p . 83 ) From the initial appearance of the Borg , the makeup department realized the drones ' skin tone had to match that of the " walking dead " feel that defines the drone behavior . The makeup base they chose was a product from ' s Custom Color Cosmetics , in a shade called Shibui . The makeup department wanted a dead white look that blocked out all of the actor ' s skin tones . The Borg had to appear zombie - like on camera so that the audience would know , viscerally as well as intellectually , that the drones were devoid of any individuality and reason , responsive only to their programming . Before applying the base coat , the makeup artist glued the small foam latex plugs to the skin for tube attachments . The Shibui base coat was then applied , and the actor ' s face was shaded to give him a skull - like appearance . ( " " , p . 83 ) After , the makeup department decided to utilize airbrush techniques for the drone makeup . This was first used in but quickly became standard throughout the course of " " due to the speed at which it could be applied and its ability to " individualize " each drone , showcasing the many different races that the Borg had assimilated . Once the base makeup had been applied , the actors would line up , like an assembly line , to be airbrushed . Make - Up Supervisor Michael Westmore then started shadowing the eyes and the sides of the neck where the helmet met with the face . He then worked on the cheek bones and finally the backs of the head . He liked the use of airbrushing as a technique for a number of reasons . " " It gave me greater control over the final appearance of the character , " " he explained , " " and was much faster for me to move down the assembly line than to give specific directions to individual artists . " " Westmore used ComArt ' s transparent smoke gray because it gave the right shadowing and still rendered a cadaver - like appearance for the drones . ( " " , p . 84 ) The drones went through a number of modifications through subsequent seasons of " The Next Generation " . " " We not only had Borg mob scenes , but we had to Borg - ify Patrick Stewart with special electronics such as his laser headpiece , " " recalled Westmore . " " By the time we were creating Third of Five for ' I Borg ' , we were using airbrush techniques and even more elaborate headpieces . " " . ( " " , p . 84 ) The look of the Borg drone was changed further still for their appearance on the big screen in " Star Trek : First Contact " . The first thing that Rick Berman wanted to change was the Borg helmet , so as to reveal the supposed biomechanical components underneath . As Michael Westmore recalled , " " Instead of having an entire helmet , now we have these individual pieces that are on the head , so you get this bald look . That way the pieces look like they ' re clamped into the head individually , instead of being a full cap that pulls over the top . " " ( " " , pp . 245 & 248 ) This change in appearance presented an issue when the drones were to return in , which had a tighter budget . Initially , because the Borg heads were encased in a helmet that was pre - painted , the only thing makeup had to do was the facial makeup . The tubing , the attachments , and the hand appliances were all prefabricated and had only to be fitted into place . This made the makeup job relatively simple and only took half an hour to complete . With the " First Contact " drones , makeup took around five hours to complete , down to four hours by the sixth season of " Voyager " . ( " " , p . 159 ) Indeed , much of the Borg makeup and costumes used in " Voyager " first appeared in " First Contact " . ( " " , p . 188 ) The heap of Borg corpses seen in was not an on - set element but was filmed using a pile of Playmates Toys , and later added in post - production . Visual Effects Producer Dan Curry later recalled , " " We didn ' t have the budget or the time to create full - scale body chunks , because of the cost and time it would take to do that . So , I asked our licensing department for a bunch of Borg toy action figures [ . . . ] And kudos to the person who sculpted those toys , because the detail – especially the facial detail – was so good that I was able to take the toy action figures , cut them up with a Dremel cutting tool , and then I stacked them up with hot glue and shot them at home against a little bluescreen cove . " " To complete the scene in which the away team members from " Voyager " pass the pile of corpses , the live - action footage that Dan Curry had already shot of the actors was composited together with the Borg drone models . Curry remarked , " " By compositing the stack of action figures , it looked very real . And the toy faces were sculpted so well that I was able to do close - ups on a [ tiny ] head , [ . . . ] filling the TV screen with them , and they looked very good . Of course , it was in kind of a smoky environment , but um . . . So , the toys served us well and saved the production company lots of money . " " ( " Red Alert : Amazing Visual Effects " , VOY Season 3 DVD special feature ) Visual Effects Supervisor Ronald B . Moore commented , " " That was something we all knew immediately was perfect for Dan [ . . . ] He really had a lot of fun painting it , showing it to everybody . He ' d come in and tell us , ' It ' s real disgusting now , ' and he had a big smile on . It was great . We used it in a couple of shots , one with our crew , and one without . " " ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 29 , No . 6 / 7 , p . 96 ) Numerous Borg drone related items were sold off in the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction , from concept sketches to costume and makeup parts to props used by drones across their many " Star Trek " appearances . Michael Westmore highly approved of the Borg makeup . When asked to identify his favorite of the " Star Trek " makeup designs he had done , he noted , " " The Borg were interesting , and the evolution of the Borg . " " However , Westmore also specified that they weren ' t the aliens he enjoyed the most ( giving that distinction to the Cardassian s ) . ( " " , issue 103 , p . 15 ) Apocrypha . In the " " novel " The Return " , Starfleet R & D believes that a group of five Borg drones is enough to produce their own group mind . In the comic book " An Inconvenient Truth " , the Starfleet conspiracy that is later discovered by the crew of the in 2370 stores a Borg drone and Borg alcove in its secret facility near Earth . Borg drones also make an appearance in the video game " " and its accompanying comic book " " , in which they are vulnerable to the " Infinity Modulator " , a weapon designed by Seven of Nine that continuously rotates its modulation to prevent adaptation by Borg shielding . In the sequel " " , the introductory level features a boss battle with an enhanced Borg drone featuring increased shielding , weaponry and the ability to transport itself from location to location . Borg drone are also featured on numerous cards within the " Star Trek Customizable Card Game " .