Inside Locutus of Borg's Mind Print

"I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us." – Locutus of Borg, 2366 ("The Best of Both Worlds” Star Trek: TNG) Locutus of Borg was the Borg designation forced upon Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard after his assimilation in late 2366. In 2366 Captain Jean-Luc Picard was assimilated to be a counterpart between humanity and the Borg alongside the Borg Queen herself. Following his assimilation, the Borg Collective gained tremendous amounts of knowledge including Picard's personal lifetime experience and expertise. Also gaining data relating to Federation starship designs including tactical weaknesses and strengths of each design from 2289 to 2360 plus the entire vessel deployment locations of Starfleet's response force to the Borg's first invasion attempt. This knowledge lead to the destruction of 39 starfleet ships resulting in 11,000 deaths by a single cube during the battle of Wolf 359 which occured when Starfeet attempted to intercept the cube and prevent it from reaching Earth. Following the battle of Wolf 359 the cube continued towards earth, breaching the Mars Defense Perimeter and defeating the small fleet stationed there before taking up position in Earth's orbit as it prepared to assimilate earth. The Enterprise-D lead by Commander William T. Riker were able to infiltrate the cube, kidnap Locutus and use his uplink to the hive mind to implant the looping command to regenerate into the drones aboard which could not be overidden, the Borg Queen then activated the vessels self-destruct. Source: Borg Collective Wiki The Borg intended to use Picard as an intermediary, a spokesman for the Human race in order to facilitate the assimilation of Earth so that the process would be as quick and efficient (or as perfect, from the perspective of the Borg Collective) as possible, with the fewest number of casualties on both sides. He may have had some form of individuality, as shown by his use of the pronoun "I." (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds”) The Borg Queen herself had been aboard the Borg cube where Picard had undergone his transformation into Locutus. Interested in overseeing this event, she had intended for Picard to become her equal counterpart. (Star Trek: First Contact) Picard's assimilation allowed the Borg to acquire the whole of his knowledge and experience, as well as his own personal knowledge (a fact that was made apparent when Locutus addressed Commander Riker as "Number one"). Picard's detailed information regarding Federation technology and strategy yielded the Borg a significant tactical advantage when Starfleet confronted the Borg cube at Wolf 359. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II", DS9: "Emissary”) This access proved two-way, however, as the crew of the USS Enterprise-D was able to capture Locutus and use his link to disable and destroy the Borg vessel by sending the Borg cube a command to regenerate, which created a feedback loop that destroyed the cube and severed Picard's link to the Collective. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II”)Though his implants were removed and his wounds were allowed to heal, Picard's assimilation continued to haunt him. He returned to Earth, and paid a visit to his family in La Barre, France, where he eventually came to terms with the ordeal. (TNG: "Family") Despite this, he carried the trauma for years, with it nearly overwhelming him when he visited the Artifact. (PIC: "The Impossible Box") Despite his separation from the Collective, Borg drones that had never encountered Locutus, such as Third of Five, still referred to Picard using this name, due to Locutus' experiences remaining within the shared Hive mind. (TNG: "I Borg", "Descent") When Benjamin Sisko made contact with the Prophets in 2369, one took the form of Locutus as he appeared on the viewscreen of Sisko's ship, the USS Saratoga, shortly before the Battle of Wolf 359. (DS9: "Emissary") When the Borg attempted a second invasion in 2373, Picard's experience with the Borg not only gave him prior warning of the attack, but also allowed him to pinpoint a weakness in the Borg defenses, which resulted in the fleet destroying the invading vessel. (Star Trek: First Contact) When Captain Kathryn Janeway was conducting negotiations with the Borg in 2374 during the Borg-Species 8472 War, she requested to speak to an individual, and cited to the Borg: "You've done it before, when you transformed Jean-Luc Picard into Locutus." (VOY: "Scorpion, Part II”) When Picard went to the Artifact in 2399, looking to find Soji Asha, he ran a computer search. One of the images that came up was of Locutus, which Picard reacted to by placing his hand on his own face, where the Borg implants had once been. Once he reached the Artifact, Picard began to experience anxiety from seeing the Borg architecture, thus experiencing vivid memories of his time as Locutus, recalling individuals such as the Borg Queen. He almost fell over until he was aided by several former drones. Hugh, who had accompanied the former drones then reassured Picard that he was no longer Locutus. Nevertheless, one of the former drones there later recognized him as such. (PIC: "The Impossible Box”) Source: Memory Alpha Fandom