_____________ ____________ ____________ * / R \ */ \ */ \ * | E ______ | *\____ ____/ *| ________/ * | S |******| | ****| |*** *| F |******** * | I | *| | *| | *| U |____ * | S ~~~~~~~ / *| I | *| T \ * | T ____ \ *| S | *| I ____/ * | A |*** \ \ *| | *| L |*** * | N | * \ \ ___*| |____ *| E | * | C | * \ \/ \ *| | * \__E_/ * \___/______________/ *\____/ ***** **** ************** ***** P.O. Box 7822 Oxnard, CA 93031 THE OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE GALACTIC BORG CONSCIOUSNESS ISSUE NUMBER 9 June 1993 RESISTANCE IS FUTILE ("RIF") is published and edited by Oxnardus and Ripley for distribution on various national electronic services and local electronic BBS echos. Address listings, copyright notices, editorial notices, and information on back issues are printed at the end of this newsletter. All correspondence should be sent by e-mail to Oxnardus or Ripley (addresses given at end of newsletter) or mailed to "Resistance is Futile", P.O. Box 7822, Oxnard, CA 93031. ======== CONTENTS ======== FROM THE EDITORS: BIG MONDO CHANGES IN STORE!!! A DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF SEXUALITY AND REPRODUCTION AMONG THE BORG HAIKU CORNER BORG BOG BORG LIBRARY LISTS BORG COMICOGRAPHY: "The Worst of Both Worlds: Part Two" LITERARY SIGHTINGS: Vendetta by Peter David EDITOR NOTICES COPYRIGHT NOTICES BACK ISSUES OF RIF AVAILABLE =============================================== FROM THE EDITORS: BIG MONDO CHANGES IN STORE!!! =============================================== The Borg Club has opened a club area in NVN. We are also in the process of invading FidoNet and other national electronic BBS networks and echos. As it happens, we will keep you posted and be sure to tell you where to navigate to find the Borg Club nearest you. Where the Borg Club can be found on the various electronic services and general notices from the editors, see "EDITOR NOTICES" at the end of this newsletter. ======================================================= A DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF SEXUALITY AND REPRODUCTION AMONG THE BORG ======================================================= A Paper for the Federation Conference on Research of the Borg Life Form presented by: Matthew D. Schmitt (GEnie:M.SCHMITT4) --------------------------------------------------- Recently, there has been quite a bit of discussion and even argument over the role of sex and sexuality in Borg society. Is there male? Is there female? Neither? Both? In an attempt to look at these issues more clearly, let's take a moment to step back, take a look at what we _know_, and see what conclusions we can draw from that. For this discussion, I will therefore limit myself only the established facts and experiences gained from the three encounters of the starship _Enterprise_ with the Borg, rather than some of the wild speculation of fiction that has appeared in recent times, or the purely military encounter at Wolf 359. The most telling evidence comes from their first encounter. At that time, the mysterious Q entity made the only direct comment on the subject of sex: "Not a he, not a she." How can we argue with this? Unfortunately, there _is_ counter evidence, at least of a sort. From visual records of the Away Team missions from the _Enterprise_ to Borg vessels, it is quite obvious that there are members of the Borg crew that display distinctly male outward characteristics, _and_ female ones. How can we reconcile this fact with the Q entity's statement that they are neither male nor female? Out best theories indicate that the Borg were once a humanoid race, similar to us today. Even if there has been large amounts of evolution since then, natural or forced, it is reasonable to expect that there would be at least some vestiges of sexuality in their genetic makeup from that time, giving various members of their society male and female characteristics. In addition, various assimilated races surely have not had the time to evolve away from their sexual origins physically, another source of such characteristics. The true determination, though, of being male or female, comes from reproduction. How is it carried out? Is it a mating process, or something else? Unfortunately, we have no direct evidence in this regard. It is known that the Borg do reproduce, and that the young grow to maturity in the same manner as most other humanoids, except of course that they receive computer implants at a very early age. But that still leaves us with the seemingly unanswerable question of how the reproduction itself is carried out. Nevertheless, we can draw some logical conclusions. We know that the Borg have almost no sense of self. Therefore, it is difficult to conceive of such a society having couples pair off for mating purposes, even if regimented. We also know that they have a very advanced technology, including an advanced knowledge of cellular function in the body which has allowed them to implant machine parts and make them working parts of the whole body. Is it such a large jump of logic to assume that their offspring are so called "test-tube babies" in perhaps the truest sense of the phrase? Certainly, they appear to have the level of technology necessary to combine genetic material, and grow a child completely outside the womb. There would then be no need to differentiate between male and female in their society -- genetic material could be sampled from more than one unit, regardless of whether they were physically or genetically male or female, and combined to form the genetic makeup of the new Borg. This is in keeping with both the Q entity's statement, the outward physical characteristics, and the lack of self and division present in their society. In conclusion, it appears that there is neither male nor female in Borg society, though there are vestiges of that past in their appearance, and that their reproduction is carried out completely artificially. ============ HAIKU CORNER ============ by Q2 (GEnie: J.Carey1/Prodigy: NNKT68B) <> for those who left because of the greed of $P$: Endings are upon us Greed severs lines of being Loneliness lingers <> for the beauty in nature: Petals resplendent Pollen shining with the dew Life's resurgence calls <> for the Collective: (brand new) Merging with metal RIF echoes through snackbar Laughter infectious ======== BORG BOG ======== (a neverending story) In a field in southern Scotland, a old farmer sets out to till a patch of land that he believes hadn't been planted in many years. Hitching his old mule to a brand new plow, he begins to work the land in the same way his father and grandfather had taught him. He takes pride in doing it the old way. After a couple of hours steering his mule the plow snags on something, stopping the mule dead in its tracks. Digging down to clear away what he believes must be a root or a rock, he is startled to find a bit of black leather hooked under the plow. The old man speeds up his work hoping to have found something valuable, like some Roman coins or a bag of gold. He removes the dirt and exposes more leather, and a few metal bits attached. Perplexed, he grabs a handful of leather and pulls with all his might. He jumps back in horror as a bearded Borg sits upright out of the ground with the moist soil still clinging to his pale skin and tarnished implants. After a few buzzing and clicking sounds, the Borg turns to the old man and says, "I am Arthurus, the Borg of the Bog. Wanna split a pizza and a few pints o' Guinness?" --Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) Another rather nice looking Borg gallops up to the King, followed by some rather weird-looking fellow with a hunchback problem banging coconuts together. My liege, I am Sir Robinus, the not quite so brave as Sir Lancelotus. May I join your....er...oh. (we haven't gotten to that point yet) ---Fracliclutus of Borg (Prodigy:FBJF52A) The once and future Borg! Where's the chick in the lake? ---Oxnardus of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17A/GEnie:K.Taborn/NVN:Ktaborn) The farmer, not knowing who he was dealing with, naively lead Arthur to a nearby stream where he reasoned the Borg of the Bog could clean himself off. Upon reaching the water, Arthur began chanting something in what the old man thought was Latin but was really Borg. "Annal nathrax, usvabt bebtat, dachiel dienve." "Annal nathrax, usvabt babtat, dachiel dienve." Suddenly, seemingly from everywhere, the old man heard a female chorus of humming and chanting. Looking for the source of the music, he spotted a beautiful lady in the still waters just beyond the Borg. As Arthur waded out into the water, clicking and beeping all the way, the lady held out an object which the man couldn't recognize. The Borg reached the lady, took the object, and the woman promptly disappeared with a knowing smile. Coming back to shore, Arthur held what looked suspiciously like a light saber. The Borg shrugged at the old man and said, "Looks like that watery tart got her movies mixed up again. At least she's not lobbing scimitars this time! Now, about that pizza and beer." The old man vowed never to plow another field as long as he lived. ---Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) A Good Looking Borg then Rides up on Horseback, in very Shiny Borg Implants. I am Sir Lancealotus. I have never been defeated in Battle. Lancealotus ---Swannox of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17F) Arthur, the Borg of the Bog, sizes up the shiny Borg on horseback and decides that he is fit for a place in his round cubicle. Throwing his chest implants out, Arthur booms, "I seek the FINEST and the BRAVEST knight-borgs in all the galaxy to join me in my Cube at Camelot... you have proved yourself worthy... will you join me?" Arthur's implants click and whir as he waits for the answer. ---Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) The Rather Fertial and Shiny Borg, Steps down from his horse and kneels to one knee. "You Are King, You and the Galaxy are one!" Sir Lancealotus ---Swannox of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17F) Obviously you haven't met me. ---Opras of Borg (Prodigy:CRWV57B) Arthurus of Borg steps forward, drawing his light saber and says, "What's your name again?" The kneeling shiny Borg answers, "I am Launcelotus, my Liege." Allofus activates his light saber and gently sizzles one shoulder, then the other. "I dub you... SIR Launcelotus." The tarnished King booms, "Knight of the Round Cubicle." And the continuum rejoiced with pizza and mead. ---Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) Another rather nice looking Borg gallops up to the King, followed by some rather weird-looking fellow with a hunchback problem banging coconuts together. My liege, I am Sir Robinus, the not quite so brave as Sir Lancelotus. May I join your....er...oh. (we haven't gotten to that point yet) ---Fracliclutus of Borg (Prodigy:FBJF52A) The Borg of the Bog turns to "Brave" Sir Robin and says, "You may join us, if we may eat your minstrils this winter." Arthurus of Borg -burp. ---Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) Of course, Sire, the lead singer likes to get my goat anyway. Say, aren't we due to get a quest from the Lord anytime now? I like it when the angels are playing trumpets out their Sir Robinus ---Fracliclutus of Borg (Prodigy:FBJF52A) Lancelotus rises and grabs his sword and holds it high and yells "WE SERVICE YOU MY LORD!" SIR Lancelotus ---Swannox of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17F) "Arthur! Arthur... The once and future Borg... Oh, do stop those implants from clicking, will you!!!??? I hate those clicky things. They're soooo... cliquish!" The Borg Knights and their leader become completely silent. "Right, okay... Arthur, Borg of the Bog, your knights of the round cubicle shall have a task to make them an example in these funky times... Arthurus steps forward and says, "What a really boffo idea!" Upon finishing his statement the Borg of the Bog is promptly hit by lightning. "Hey! That felt GOOD!" says the smoldering Borg king energetically. The voice continues, "Behold, Arthur, this is the holy toothbrush." An image of a really old and moldy toothbrush appears in the sky. "Look well, Arthur... for it is your sacred task to seek this Toothbrush. That is your purpose, the Quest for the Holy Toothbrush." The of the toothbrush vanishes and all is silent until Sir Robinus starts clicking and whirring again. "Well, anyone got any ideas on where to start?" the Borg King asks his shiny Knights. ---Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) Join me in the Quest for the Holy Toothbrush. ---Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) "Me? Well, I'm here to see the best-looking male borg." ---Opras of Borg (Prodigy:CRWV57B) THE TOOTHBRUSH, WE MUST FIND THE BRUSH! Sir Lancelotus do we have the holy toothpaste? ---Swannox of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17F) We don't know if we actually have the Holy Toothpaste. We believe it's a crumpled tin of "Aim" that was found in a sealed cave near the ancient city of Decayus. Recent research theorizes that "Aim" is actually an acronym for "Atrociously Irreverent Mission." Arthurus -Borg of the Bog ---Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) Hey baby, what do looks matter when I could make you QUEEN!! Arthurus, Borg of the Bog -hubba hubba ---Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) [finally noticing Opras) Really? Opras ---Opras of Borg (Prodigy:CRWV57B) Hello...I`m going to seek for the Holy Arsenal.....containing the Holy Howitzer,the Hole Hand Grenade,and the Holy CDs in which the Holy Metallic-Master of Puppets,Holy Ride the Lightning,and Holy Eric Clapton-Unplugged.........oh,and of course....the Holy Disembodied Limb.Who wants to help? Locutus/Sir Galahanalotus ---Locutus of Borg (Prodigy:KPBK65E) ================== BORG LIBRARY LISTS ================== Borg Best Seller List --------------------- The Borg by John Grishborg The Borg of Madison County by Robert Walborg B is for Borg by Sue Grafborg All the Pretty Borg by Cormac McCarborg The Children of Borg by P.D. Borg Women Who Run With the Borg by Clarissa Borg The Way the Borg Ought to Be by Rush Limborg The Talismans of Borgnnara by Terry Borg Borging Hour by Anne Ricborg Rising Borg by Michael Criborg These and other titles available at the Borgaritaville Public Library. Requests taken. Storytime 10 am Wed and Fri. ---Lucretia Borgia, Head Librarian (GEnie: K.Vonmayr/Prodigy: MBJM54B) ================= BORG COMICOGRAPHY ================= "The Worst of Both Worlds: Part Two: The Belly of the Beast" Part two of four parts. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, No. 48 (July 1993). 24pg. DC Comics. Writer: Michael Jan Freidman. Penciller: Peter Krause. Inker: Pablo Marcos. Letterer: Bob Pinaha. Colorist: Julianna Ferriter. Editor: Alan Gold. CHARACTERS (identified in text): Picard, Worf, Ro, Bev Crusher, LaForge, Troi, Riker, Data, Miles, Keiko & Molly O'Brien. Alternative Universe: Riker, Worf, LaForge, O'Brien, Locutus, Shelby, Wes Crusher. SYNOPSIS: The Alternative Universe Away Team (Shelby, Miles O'Brien and Wesley) takes over the Enterprise. Shelby talks mutiny in part because the alternative universe (AU) Enterprise Saucer section was lost in battle and because it annoys her that Capt. Riker is playing it safe. Shelby also realizes that because the real Enterprise won that Keiko and Dr. Crusher are still alive in our time line. Aboard the AU Enterprise, the Bridge Crew decides to help Capt. Riker in his battle against the Borg. Personnel are exchanged and Bev. Crusher and Keiko meet the AU Wesley and O'Brien. A lot of soul searching goes on: Bev sees how mature and hard of a man that the AU Wesley has become, due in part because in the AU Bev, was at Star Fleet Medical after the Borg won the war. AU O'Brien sees his child that he never knew in the AU. The AU Laforge and Laforge set up Data's lab to attempt to capture Locutus and link Data to the Borg Collective. The AU Laforge has a lot of hostility toward the Borg. The AU Laforge is even hostile toward Data, then Ro defends Data claiming that he is not like the Borg. [Editor's note...Ro obviously didn't this season's cliffhanger of ST:TNG!!!]. Capt. Riker and AU Worf discuss what went wrong during the attack on the AU Borg. They didn't use an antimatter spread, thus the shuttle was attacked. Worf survived, but the AU Data didn't. Shelby gloats because that was her idea. Capt. Picard and Data using the same technique, assault the AU Borg Cube with the two Enterprises. Data and Picard make it aboard the Cube, however the AU Locutus is not to be found. ---Swannox of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17F) ================== LITERARY SIGHTINGS ================== VENDETTA by Peter David A review by Swannox of Borg --------------------------- Please note: this is not a book review, but a criticism. VENDETTA was the first time the Borg appeared in the novel universe of Star Trek. The book attempts to link the original television show (Star Trek) with the Next Generation Universe (Star Trek: the Next Generation). The first linkage of the two appears in the form of a history lesson at Starfleet during the years Picard was a student. The class is discussing the Planet Killer that Capt. James T. Kirk encountered in "The Doomsday Machine" [editor's note: It was the big ice cream cone-shaped machine floating in space devouring solar systems and eventually eating Commodore Decker (William Windom) who was Capt. Decker's father (Captain Decker was played by Stephen Collins in Star Trek: The Motion Picture...the guy who merged with the bald Delta along with V-Ger...remember now?)]. Picard has visions of a woman during this time who he will see again. The second linking to the original show is when the Borg Encounter a Planet Killer. This one however is Piloted by Delcara, a woman who wants revenge on the destruction of her race. The Borg Cube didn't survive the assault. This book introduces and explores more of the Borg Mythos. A female Borg is captured, and after she is converted back to human, she wants to become Borg again (which is contradicted by I Borg, in which Picard stats that a Borg can not be converted back.). A Ferengi is assimilated by the Borg (must have had a line on chex-mix) and the mention of Borg space and a possible origin area is touched on. The Tholians even make an appearance, asking for Spock the lying Vulcan while trying to fend off the Borg. Commander Shelby is also a part of this book, as the Commander aboard the U.S.S Chekov, under the command of Capt. Korsmo, a rival of Picard during the Academy days (who by the way has envy of Picard.) A massive battle ensues between the Planet Killer/Starfleet Alliance and the Borg Cubes. ---Swannox of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17F) ============== EDITOR NOTICES ============== The Borg Club is located EVERYWHERE. If you wish to be assimilated just ask a local Borg to do so. We are sure they would be more than happy to assimilate you quickly and painlessly, not to mention take your culture and technology from you as well. ================= COPYRIGHT NOTICES ================= "RIF" acknowledges that Paramount Pictures and its various subsidiaries as having the sole rights to the Star Trek trademark. "RIF" has no intention to infringe upon that copyright or earn profit from this publication. It is distributed free of charge. This newsletter may be distributed by anyone if kept intact and not altered in any way. Consider it shareware publishing! Resistance is Futile, copyright (c) 1993 by RIF BBS. ============================ BACK ISSUES OF RIF AVAILABLE ============================ Missing an issue? Used your RIF for a place mat or coaster one time too many? Just mail a self-addressed stamped ($.52) business sized envelope indicating which issue you'd like to RIF BBS, P.O. Box 7822, Onxard, CA 93031 and that abused issue will be replaced. ========================= Addresses of contributors ========================= Allofus of Borg (Prodigy:CXBV64F) Fracliclutus of Borg (Prodigy:FBJF52A) Locutus of Borg (Prodigy:KPBK65E) Lucretia Borgia (GEnie: K.Vonmayr/Prodigy: MBJM54B) Q2 (GEnie: J.Carey1/Prodigy: NNKT68B) Opras of Borg (Prodigy:CRWV57B) Oxnardus of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17A/GEnie:K.Taborn/InterNet: k.taborn@genie.geis.com) Matthew D. Schmitt (GEnie:M.SCHMITT4) Swannox of Borg (Prodigy:HCMH17F)