Cyrus Borg

Ninjago: Tall Tales

* The Tale of Sqiffy and Bucko

> "*Technology can improve our lives, but so can people. And if we focus on one at the expense of the other, that's when the balance is off.*"
> ― Cyrus Borg.
>
>

**Dr. Cyrus Borg** is the head of Borg Industries. He built Borg Tower and is commencing a more advanced future. During the Nindroid crisis, Borg was threatened by the Overlord's consciousness and corrupted into a semi-mechanical entity, which the Overlord took possession of for some time. Borg was later saved by the ninja, who used some of his technology in the ensuing chaos. Following the supposed demise of Zane, Borg commemorated the fallen ninja and began to realize that technology wasn't the answer for Ninjago's problems.

Over the years, Borg remained a loyal ally of the ninja and witnessed such events as the Second Serpentine War and Morro's struggle with the ninja. During this time, Borg produced several vehicles for the ninja to use against Morro and his cursed allies. After the Time Twins returned to Ninjago, they captured Cyrus Borg and forced him to build an apparatus capable of traveling through time. Though Borg succeeded, the ninja ultimately thwarted the Twins' plans, though Master Wu was lost as a result.

When Lloyd and Garmadon went into the Oni clouds, they found Cyrus Borg petrified. Lloyd wanted to bring him with them but Garmadon didn't let him. When the Oni were defeated, he was unfrozen.

When *Prime Empire* was a hit, Cyrus Borg found out that players have been trapped in the game and helped the ninja enter *Prime Empire*.

## History

### Early life

Cyrus Borg was born without the ability to move his legs, leading him to use a wheelchair.

### After the Final Battle

Cyrus took the opportunity to use the destruction of Ninjago City as a way to rebuild this city as a technological marvel known as "New Ninjago City." He founded Borg Industries and built Borg Tower over the site of the destroyed Garmatron as a symbol of defiance towards evil.

At some point after this, Borg switched to using a mechanical spider-like device instead of a wheelchair. He also built P.I.X.A.L. during this time.

A few weeks before the visit of the ninja, Borg discovered a virus that turned out to be the Digital Overlord inside the master computer. Knowing he could not stop the evil on his own, he created the Techno Blades and Techno robes for the four ninja.

At some point after the Overlord's defeat, Wu brought the components of the Golden Mech to Borg, who rebuilt it. This would later prove key to defeating the plans of Clouse on the Dark Island.

### Rebooted

#### The Surge

Cyrus summoned the ninja, minus Lloyd, to Borg Tower. There, Cyrus consoled Zane on the loss of his father, another brilliant inventor he admired, and he discreetly gave the ninja the Techno Blades inside a statue of himself. The Digital Overlord found out about this, however, and fit Cyrus with cybernetic parts that turned him into the Overlord's slave, while using Cyrus' artificial limbs then became the Digital Overlord's primary conveyance.

#### The Art of the Silent Fist

The artificial limbs continue to serve as the Overlord's body, while Cyrus Borg appeared limp and unresponsive.

#### Blackout

With New Ninjago City without power, Cyrus was freed from the control of the Overlord. A few days after the blackout, a crew of engineers stumbled across Cyrus's body in the Borg Tower assembly line and removed the headpiece that had previously been installed to revive him. Once back in his old wheelchair, the inventor hurried back to his office and was dismayed to find both the hard drive containing the Digital Overlord and the recently captured Master Wu missing.

#### The Curse of the Golden Master

Upon the ninja's return to the city, Cyrus welcomed them back, after assuring the other inhabitants who had not left that the ninja team was there to help. Much to his surprise, his assistant P.I.X.A.L. was with them, powered by half of Zane's power core. He then rushed her back to Borg Tower where he was able to use her energy to get his mainframe up and running again.

P.I.X.A.L. informed her creator that while she felt indebted to him, she also felt a powerful connection to Zane. Cyrus assured her that she didn't belong to anyone and that if she desired to go with Zane, then that was her choice. He was then startled as his scanners detected Nindroids in close proximity, and confused by their absence. P.I.X.A.L. realized what he had not; the Nindroids were underground beneath the building.

#### Enter the Digiverse

After explaining the ninja could reboot the system in the Digiverse, he sent the ninja off. Later, he was attacked by his artificial limbs and was captured, leaving Nya and P.I.X.A.L. to defend the ninja.

#### Codename: Arcturus

Re-assimilated back into the OverBorg, Borg freely began building a rocket for Pythor and the Nindroids to use to retrieve the Golden Weapons.

#### The Void

After Pythor got word from Cryptor that the ninja were aboard the Arcturus rocket, the OverBorg accompanied the Anacondrai and several Nindroids to Borg Tower to capture the ninja's allies who were aiding them. The company arrived at Borg's office and though it appeared deserted, the OverBorg discovered Wu, Garmadon, Nya, and P.I.X.A.L. hiding on scaffolding outside the office window. Using his laser eye, the OverBorg began to cut the wires holding the scaffolding, though the heroes were able to escape in a Hover-Copter.

#### The Titanium Ninja

Following his return to Ninjago, Borg was reverted to his normal self, as the Overlord—now the Golden Master—said he was no longer needed. Later on, he told the ninja about a shrinking pill that will reduce the size of the Golden Master. When Zane sacrificed himself to destroy the Golden Master, Borg spoke at the memorial dedicated to the heroic Nindroid, where he dubbed him "the Titanium Ninja" for his heroism.

### Tournament of Elements

#### The Invitation

Cyrus was present to watch Lloyd run a training course to try and obtain a replica of the Golden Armor within Borg Tower.

#### The Corridor of Elders

Borg broadcasted a radio warning about the Anacondrai's attacks, which was heard by Pythor and inspired him to help the ninja.

### *Shadow of Ronin* (non-canon)

When Ronin reactivated the Nindroids, Borg asked the ninja to create a diversion while he went around setting up force fields. Nya later contacted him to ask about using the forcefield for the rest of the Nindroids, but Borg instead told the ninja to destroy the power source.

### Possession

#### Curseworld, Part I

After Morro obtained the Realm Crystal to unleash the Preeminent, Wu sold his tea shop to pay Borg to create some artillery against the ghost army. The inventor eagerly accepted the challenge and created the Ghost Cycle, the Ghost Taker GT, and an upgraded version of Ice Mech. Unfortunately, he lost track of time and thus could only create Kai a headband and had nothing for Lloyd, even doubting he'd come back. He then met the ninja at Steep Wisdom where he presented them with their new vehicles, noting how much they had all changed.

### The Tall Tale of Sqiffy and Bucko (non-canon)

Cyrus hired two pirates named Bucko and Sqiffy to be window washers, but he fired them when they accidentally dropped their bucket on his head.

### Prior to Skybound

At some point, Cyrus created an interactive kiosk system around Ninjago City, known as Infovision. He also created an interactive display utilizing his own appearance, which would communicate with his Nindroid Sentries at Hiroshi's Labyrinth Stronghold if needed. Both of these inventions would eventually be used for evil when Nadakhan utilized them for his own goals in an alternate timeline.

### The Hands of Time

#### Prior to The Hatching

Cyrus recorded a television commercial for the BorgWatch before its release.

#### The Hatching

Cyrus gave a speech about the invention of the BorgWatch but was the target of a Vermillion warrior sent by Acronix and Krux. Zane tried to escort him to safety but was kidnapped.

#### A Time of Traitors

The Vermillion put Cyrus in the golden sarcophagus, and after it's been open, Kai was surprised to find out Krux kidnapped him. Eventually, Acronix kidnapped him again.

#### A Line in the Sand

Now located in the Vermillion Dorm of Doom, Cyrus was forced to build the Iron Doom's apparatus but claims he can't due to the unusable metal and tools. However, Krux caught on to his lie, and after Machia motivated him, he agreed to build it.

#### Pause and Effect

Cyrus claimed he finished making the apparatus. He tried to sabotage it, but Machia took him with them to find the Pause Time Blade.

#### Out of the Fire and Into the Boiling Sea

When Zane got a signal, he realizes it's Cyrus and stated he needs to save him. When they got there in disguises, he showed them the Iron Doom.

Later, when he was trying to figure out the code to disable it, Zane figured it out. However, Acronix used the Pause Time Blade on them and the ninja had to catch them.

#### Lost in Time

There is nothing the team can do but wait for Kai, Nya, and Wu's return. Eventually, they start to notice the city has no technology and that Zane has gone back to his original state. When technology returned, Cyrus was ecstatic his BorgWatch came back.

### After Hunted

During Emperor Garmadon's rule over the city, Borg Tower was used as his headquarters, meaning Cyrus Borg was either expelled or arrested by Sons of Garmadon. After the city's liberation, Cyrus Borg assists in restoring the city to its normal state.

### March of the Oni

#### The Darkness Comes

Cyrus was next to the Police Commissioner while they wait for Cole, Zane, and P.I.X.A.L., who arrive late for the unveiling of the rebuilt *Destiny's Bounty*. Later on, when the dark mist started coming out from the Realm Crystal, a guard attempts to wheel Cyrus to safety.

#### Into the Breach

It was shown that he was petrified and frozen in Ninjago City when Lloyd and Garmadon stumble upon him. Garmadon would not let Lloyd help him, saying that the only way he could be helped was if the Realm Crystal was destroyed.

#### Endings

When the Oni were banished from Ninjago City, the darkness fades away, freeing those frozen, including Cyrus. He is later seen up at the monastery, watching the ninja place their hands on a new mural.

### Prime Empire

#### Level Thirteen

The ninja and P.I.X.A.L. visit Cyrus, who had been studying the *Prime Empire* cabinet that Jay went through before discovering that *Prime Empire* have separate worlds in it, with the latter and over 800 other players trapped inside it. When the Mechanic, Ultra Violet, Soto, and many other escaped Kryptarium inmates infiltrate the building to reclaim the cabinet, Cyrus shuts down the elevators and activates his security system while silently mocking Milton Dyer's security system, telling the ninja not to interfere and to concentrate on the game. Once they arrived, the ninja try their best to keep them away from Cole while Cyrus stayed back before Cole managed to reach Level 13, and Lloyd, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Nya head in while Zane and P.I.X.A.L. stayed behind. As they prepare to leave, one convict blocks his path, but Zane forces him aside before they head for the elevator to reach his private helicopter.

### Season 15: Crystalized

#### Public Enemies 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5!

Cyrus was eating a sandwich when P.I.X.A.L. and the ninja asked the whereabouts of Aspheera's staff.

#### Return of the Ice Emperor

Cyrus Borg was working in his office until P.I.X.A.L. and the Kryptarium inmates arrive. Cyrus was surprised to see the prisoners with her and asked what they need help with. P.I.X.A.L. revealed the crystal infection outside. Borg, who has been working on a new line of mechs, mentioned he needed to take more breaks to reconize what was happening when he's busy. P.I.X.A.L. explained that the invasion had been orchestrated by the Overlord, leaving Borg taken aback and uncertain of his potential contribution to the situation. P.I.X.A.L. showed Cyrus a dismantled Zane and that they need to repair him. Borg was hesitant but can help with enough time. As the Crystal Island generated another shockwave in Ninjago, P.I.X.A.L. informed Cyrus that time was of the essence.

#### Compatible

Cyrus Borg reported that Zane's neural net processor was functioning optimally, however, his memory banks sustained damage, rendering him in a state similar to that of a comatose person. P.I.X.A.L. expressed her concern, stating that while some comatose patients have been known to recover, Zane's situation was different as he's a Nindroid. Despite this, Cyrus Borg has assured P.I.X.A.L. that he will attempt a few more methods to revive Zane, but the outcome remained uncertain. After exhausting all possible options, Cyrus had come to the conclusion that Zane was gone until P.I.X.A.L. successfully get through with Zane by expressing her emotions towards him.

#### An Issue of Trust

Cyrus Borg urgently contacted P.I.X.A.L. over a radio at the newspaper warehouse. He informed her that the Crystal Island was approaching and that the Overlord had become aware of the Resistance's location. Additionally, he disclosed that the crystal army was en route to their location.

## Relationships

### Family

* Father
* Mother
* P.I.X.A.L. - Creation/"Daughter"

### Allies

* Borg Industries
	+ Security guards - Employees
	+ Nindroid Sentries - Subordinates
		- Sentry General
* Ninja
	+ Kai
	+ Jay Walker
	+ Cole
	+ Zane
	+ Nya
	+ Lloyd Garmadon
* Wu
* Garmadon
* Commissioner
* Misako
* Ray - Former Fellow Prisoner
* Maya - Former Fellow Prisoner
* Kryptarium inmates - Former Enemies
	+ Ronin
	+ Killow
	+ Ultra Violet
	+ Fugi-Dove

### Enemies

* Nindroid Army - Temporary Allies
	+ Cryptor †
	+ Min-Droid †
	+ Nindroid Warriors
* Overlord - Temporary Ally and Attempted Killer
* Pythor - Temporary Ally
* Time Twins - Former Imprisoners
	+ Krux
	+ Acronix
* Vermillion
	+ Machia †
	+ Blunck †
	+ Raggmunk †
* Oni
	+ Omega - Attempted Killer
* Soto
* Mechanic
* Shadow Banshees

## Appearance

Firstly, Cyrus Borg was seen wearing a formal blue-gray jacket over his black turtleneck sweater. When the Overlord made him into the OverBorg, he was not seen with his jacket, but in place, robotic pieces on the right side of his body. He is always in his wheelchair or in the artificial limbs. Starting from the fourth season, Cyrus has a gray suit and black sweater, jet black hair usually combed over to one side and crow's feet around his eyes which have gray glasses, while sitting in just a regular wheelchair, but now his right arm is robotic because of his OverBorg's form.

## Inventions

This is a list of all the inventions made by Cyrus Borg:

* Artificial limbs
* P.I.X.A.L.
* Perfect Match
* Digiverse
* Shrinking pill
* Cole's Ghost Cycle
* Jay's Ghost Taker GT
* Kai's headband
* Infovision
* BorgPad
* Borg Industries Zeppelin
* BorgWatch
* Cyrus Borg's mechs

## LEGO.com descriptions

### Rebooted

*A skilled and imaginative inventor, Cyrus Borg saw the damage done to Ninjago City by the battle with the Overlord as an opportunity. He rebuilt the place as New Ninjago City, packed with high technology upgrades, and built the Borg Industries complex right on the site of the Overlord’s defeat.*

*Borg’s successes have been many, but his few failures have been spectacular as well (the electronic papercut carving set, the electric bath mat, the nuclear toothbrush, the turbo-jet powered, sub-orbital golf cart, etc.).*

*“When I make a mistake, I make a big one!” he has been known to say.*

### Rebooted (2017 Museum gallery)

*A skilled and imaginative inventor, Cyrus Borg saw the damage done to NINJAGO City by the battle with the Overlord as an opportunity. He rebuilt the place as New NINJAGO City, packed with high-technology upgrades, and built the Borg Industries complex right on the site of the Overlord’s defeat. Borg’s successes have been many, but his few failures have been spectacular as well (the electronic papercut carving set, the electric bath mat, the nuclear toothbrush, the turbo-jet powered, sub-orbital golf cart, etc.). “When I make a mistake, I make a big one!” he has been known to say.*

*Cyrus Borg is a reclusive inventor and the founder of Borg Industries. Unable to use his legs, Borg invented both a hover chair and a chair fitted with mechanical spider legs to enable himself to move freely. One of Borg’s most ambitious projects was the Digiverse, a virtual reality designed for gaming. Players could be scanned into the Digiverse and then use their imaginations to create anything they might need. After NINJAGO City was heavily damaged in the final battle between Lloyd and the Overlord, Borg oversaw its rebuilding as the high-tech New NINJAGO City.*

### *Visual Dictionary New Edition*

*Disabled from birth, genius inventor Cyrus Borg created his own artificial limbs. He also helps build the futuratic metropols of New Ninjago City. When the Overlord becomes a computer virus, he transforms unsuspecting Borg into a villainous cyborg called the OverBorg. He is programmed to return the Overlord to a living body.*

## Appearances

* 71799 Ninjago City Markets

*Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu*
Season 3: Rebooted* 27. "The Surge"
* 28. "The Art of the Silent Fist"
* 29. "Blackout"
* 30. "The Curse of the Golden Master"
* 31. "Enter the Digiverse"
* 32. "Codename: Arcturus"
* 33. "The Void"
* 34. "The Titanium Ninja"

Season 4: Tournament of Elements* 35. "The Invitation"
* 44. "The Corridor of Elders" (voice)

Season 5: Possession* 53. "Curseworld, Part I"

Season 6: Skybound* 55. "Infamous" (recording)
* 56. "Public Enemy Number One" (recording)
* 57. "Enkrypted" (mentioned)

Tall Tales* 6. "The Tall Tale of Sqiffy and Bucko" (non-canon)

Season 7: The Hands of Time* 66. "The Hatching"
* 67. "A Time of Traitors"
* 69. "A Line in the Sand"
* 72. "Pause and Effect"
* 73. "Out of the Fire and Into the Boiling Sea"
* 74. "Lost in Time"

Season 8: Sons of Garmadon* 75. "The Mask of Deception" (painting)
* 77. "The Oni and the Dragon" (pictured)
* 78. "Snake Jaguar" (pictured)
* 80. "The Quiet One" (pictured)
* 84. "Big Trouble, Little Ninjago" (pictured)

Tales from the Monastery of Spinjitzu* 1. "Master Class" (painting)
* 2. "Green and Gold" (painting)
* 3. "The Weekend Drill" (painting)
* 4. "Elemental Rider" (painting)
* 5. "Blue Lightning" (painting)
* 6. "Samurai X-Treme" (painting)

Season 10: March of the Oni* 95. "The Darkness Comes" (no lines)
* 96. "Into the Breach" (no lines)
* 98. "Endings" (no lines)

Season 11: Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu* 99. "Wasted True Potential" (painting)
* 100. "Questing for Quests" (painting)

Prime Empire Original Shorts* 1. "Let's Dance (painting)

Season 12: Prime Empire* 131. "Level Thirteen"

Season 13: Master of the Mountain* 145. "Shintaro" (painting)

Ninjago: Reimagined* 2. "Gold Rush"

The Virtues of Spinjitzu* 1. "Curiosity" (painting)

Season 15: Crystalized* 185. "Public Enemies 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5!" (no lines)
* 204. "Return of the Ice Emperor"
* 206. "Compatible"
* 208. "An Issue of Trust"

*Ninjago: Dragons Rising*
Season 1* 16. "Land of Lost Things" (mentioned)

Ninjago NXT* 5. "The Party"

Books* *A Team Divided* (non-canon)
* *Dark Island Trilogy, Part 3*
* *Pythor's Revenge*

Video games* *LEGO Ninjago: Nindroids* (non-canon)
* *LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin* (non-canon)

## Behind the scenes

* He is based on Steve Jobs as well as Dr. Eldon Tyrell from the film Blade Runner.
* According to Tommy Andreasen, Cyrus was written to be disabled in order for the Digital Overlord to be able to take over his body.

## Trivia

* His name is a play on the word "cyborg," befitting his expertise in robotics and his temporary cyberization at the hands of the Overlord. He humorously acknowledges this in "The Surge", commenting that his career path was set the moment his parents named him.
	+ This is an example of nominative determinism.
* Before meeting him, Jay revered Cyrus and described him as a "super genius reclusive savant" and "Inventor of the hover car and everything else cool in this world".
* In "The Surge," before he was possessed, his right hand kept switching between black and yellow. Therefore it is unknown whether he was a cyborg before his possession.
* He is the first character to be human but have cyborg body parts, followed by Wu, the Mechanic, Iron Baron, Daddy No Legs, and Arkade.
* Regarding his design:
	+ His legs use a similar build to the one of Spy Clops from the *LEGO Agents* 2008 line, which was later reused for Daddy No Legs and, to a lesser extent, Cezar from the *LEGO Nexo Knights* line.
	+ He uses the face design of the Driver character from LEGO's *Dino* theme.
	+ His usual hairstyle is common in *Ninjago*, appearing on other characters at various points such as Noble and one of The Royal Blacksmiths members, but it does not exist in physical LEGO form, as it is an altered version of a hair piece used on Obi-Wan Kenobi from *Star Wars: The Clone Wars*. In Season 10 and *Shadow of Ronin*, he has the set-accurate version of this hair. See here for more information.
	+ His jacket is based on that of Indiana Jones's gray suit design from LEGO's *Indiana Jones* theme.
	+ Despite having been in the show since Season 3: Rebooted and appearing in most seasons, his "casual attire" (including his normal face with glasses) was not released until 2023 in 71799 Ninjago City Markets.
	+ In Season 10 (including his appearances in the Ninjago history mural), he has different hair and smaller glasses. He uses his original hairpiece and glasses in Season 12. However, his glasses are silver, not brown as they were in previous seasons, and his eyebrows have a more generic design.
* He created security droids (or reprogrammed some of the Nindroid army) to protect the fake Golden Armor after the Golden Master was defeated. Lloyd defeated them while testing them in "The Invitation."
	+ Sometime after this, Borg recreated or modified the functions of the Nindroids to use them as security droids in Hiroshi's Labyrinth, changing their black outfits to white. He created a new general who resembles Cryptor.
* He shares his first name with Cyrus, a Ghost Warrior, though the latter was only named in the sets.
* He was referred to as P.I.X.A.L.'s father by Nya in "Into the Breach."
	+ In 2016, Tommy Andreasen stated that Borg most likely does not consider P.I.X.A.L. his daughter the way Dr. Julien viewed Zane as a son. However, this was said before March of the Oni was written, so this may not be canonically be the case.
* He despises robot dogs and claims that they are for amateurs until his security systems weren't able to stop the Mechanic and the Kryptarium inmates.
* According to his voice actor Lee Tockar, Dr. Borg speaks with "a slight northern London accent with a hint of silly thrown in for good measure."
* His outfit is similar to that of Dr. Henry Wu from the *LEGO Jurassic World* sets, as both have neatly combed dark hair, black turtleneck sweaters, and a formal blue-gray jacket.
	+ He also shares a few details with Tang from *Monkie Kid*. They both utilize the same hair piece and have similar round glasses.
* According to Tommy Andreasen, Borg is likely in his 50s.
* According to Tommy Andreasen, Cyrus Borg didn't attend Nya's memorial in "The Turn of the Tide" because he is in a wheelchair and could not go up the stairs.
	+ However, he was already in the Monastery of Spinjitzu in "Endings."

## References

1. ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 "The Surge"
2. ↑ *Dark Island Trilogy, Part 3*
3. ↑ "Infamous"
4. ↑ "Public Enemy Number One"
5. ↑ "The Hatching"
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1042270881161072640
7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131130023628/http://www.lego.com/en-us/ninjago/characters/rebooted/cyrusborg
8. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20161010123730/http://www.lego.com/en-us/ninjago/characters/cyrus-borg-season-3-8f45ecab21aa47f68deb92ec6cc0a6b5
9. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/776151916078325760
10. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1529395396564422656
11. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/838478745447116800
12. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/788848520346341376
13. ↑ "Level Thirteen"
14. ↑ https://twitter.com/leetockar/status/1248865601885319169
15. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/776085193379708929
16. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1497906380413587458