History Recap / StarTrekTheNextGenerationS5E23IBorg

'''Hugh:''' I will not.\\

'''Hugh:''' [[WhamLine No... I am Hugh.]]

* InconvenientHippocraticOath: What starts the plot. Picard orders the away team to kill the drone [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident to make it seem it was killed in the crash]], but Dr. Crusher insists on treating the drone, saying "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.", prompting Picard to reluctantly allow her to treat him.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: The plan to use Hugh to destroy the Collective is not without merit. The Borg do view other species as resources to be consumed, and have sought nothing less than the annihilation of the Federation. In addition, the Borg have no leader (at this point in the franchise), so they can't be negotiated with.

* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: Takes a decidedly dark turn early on, as Guinan discusses with Picard how the Borg are inherently untrustworthy. Geordi gives one to Guinan herself defending Hugh, which leads to a straight example: "If you're going to use this '''[[InsistentTerminology person]]''' to destroy his entire species, you should at least look him in the eye. Otherwise, you might find that decision much harder to live with than you realize."

Finally Picard agrees and has Hugh [[TransportersAndTeleporters beamed]] into his Captain's Office. Hugh, for his part, recognizes [[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS3E26S4E1TheBestOfBothWorlds Locutus Of Borg]], and Picard takes advantage and speaks to him as Locutus. After forcing Hugh to renounce his human name and reiterate his Borg designation, he announces that the Enterprise and her crew [[YouWillBeAssimilated will be assimilated]], even against their will, or they will die. Hugh doesn't cotton to this idea, having grown attached to his human friends (especially [=LaForge=]) but "Locutus" is adamant, culminating in this exchange:

So they beam Hugh back to the crash site; shortly thereafter, the other Borg arrive and quickly reintegrate Hugh as a drone. But, just before they depart, Hugh gives a clandestine nod to the Enterprise landing party, indicating his yet-intact individuality.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: A very late example regarding the Borg. This is the first time Borg drones are given designations, and use ordinal numbers (Third of Five). Later appearances would use cardinal numbers (Seven of Nine).

* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: Takes a decidedly dark turn early on, but eventually we get a straight-up example: "If you're going to use this '''[[InsistentTerminology person]]''' to destroy his entire species, you should at least look him in the eye. Otherwise, you might find that decision much harder to live with than you realize."

* YouWillBeAssimilated: Well, not if Hugh has anything to say about it...

* FantasticRacism. Picard, natch. After "The Best Of Both Worlds", it's a bit understandable.
** Guinan as well, until she actually talks to Hugh.

Answering what they think to be a distress signal, the Enterprise comes across a crashed Borg scout ship. All its crew are dead, save one. Clearly against his better judgment, Picard allows the injured Borg to be brought to the ship for medical treatment, though it is placed inside a force field which interrupts its connection to The HiveMind Collective. Despite Counsellor Troi's misgivings, Picard insists he's fine with the situation.

As part of its medical treatment, [=LaForge=] prepares to repair/replace certain of the Borg's cybernetic implants, but Picard takes the suggestion one step further: why not reprogram an implant to introduce a LogicBomb through this drone into the entire Borg Collective, causing them all to shut down? At a meeting to discuss this plan, Dr. Crusher alone objects, [[GenocideDilemma pointing out]] that this would be [[FinalSolution tantamount to genocide]]. Unfortunately for her, everyone else is fine with it, having accepted the non-declared, unofficial state of war between the Borg and, well, anyone they want to assimilate. Unfortunately for them, Crusher's apparent sympathy for the Borg drone only grows as his physical condition improves; she notes that he seems to be frightened and lonely, severed from contact with other Borg. Meanwhile, Guinan hands Picard a sort of DarkSide version of her usual WhoopiEpiphanySpeech, when she fakes an injury during a fencing duel and then defeats Picard as he moves to help.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Geordi explains to Hugh how being assimilated, losing his sense of individuality in the process, in many ways, seems worse than death.

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: see FinalSolution.
* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: Takes a decidedly dark turn early on; but eventually we get a straight-up example: "If you're going to use this '''[[InsistentTerminology person]]''' to destroy his entire species, you should at least look him in the eye. Otherwise, you might find that decision much harder to live with than you realize."

Title: I, Borg\\

* ShoutOut: The title is a play on the classic science fiction story "I Robot", although [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture modern audiences might think it a play on recent products like the iPod and iPad]].

* ShoutOut: The title most likely plays off the classic science fiction story "I Robot", although [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture modern audiences might think it a play on recent products like the IPod and IPad.]].

* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: takes a decidedly dark turn early on; but eventually we get a straight-up example: "If you're going to use this '''[[InsistentTerminology person]]''' to destroy his entire species, you should at least look him in the eye. Otherwise, you might find that decision much harder to live with than you realize."

As part of its medical treatment, [=LaForge=] prepares to repair/replace certain of the Borg's cybernetic implants, but Picard takes the suggestion one step further: why not reprogram an implant to introduce a LogicBomb through this drone into the entire Borg Collective, causing them all to shut down? At a meeting to discuss this plan, Crusher alone objects, pointing out that this would be tantamount to genocide. Unfortunately for her, everyone else is fine with it, having accepted the non-declared, unofficial state of war between the Borg and, well, anyone they want to assimilate. Unfortunately for them, Dr. Crusher's apparent sympathy for the Borg drone only grows as his physical condition improves; she notes that he seems to be frightened and lonely, severed from contact with other Borg. Meanwhile, Guinan hands Picard a sort of DarkSide version of her usual WhoopiEpiphanySpeech, when she fakes an injury during a fencing duel and then defeats Picard as he moves to help.

'''Hugh:''' [[WhamLine No. I will not.]]\\

'''Hugh:''' No... I am Hugh.

----
* GenocideDilemma

Series: Main/StarTrekTheNextGeneration\\

'''Hugh:''' No. I will not.\\

'''Hugh:''' No... [[WhamLine I am Hugh]].