Resistance is Futile

I have recently become a member of a Facebook group in which a minor debate ensued as a result of my posting of this image that I created. Along with a tangent or two, the debate was comprised mainly with the discussion of the Galactic Empire from the Star Wars Universe versus the Borg Collective from the Star Trek Universe. As the comment section of a Facebook post is hardly an ideal medium for such a conveyance, I chose to present the results of my incidental research, as well as my own conclusions, here where a more organized discussion can be had.

Due to the overwhelming favor toward the Empire in the initial debate as well as the relative unfamiliarity with Star Trek that seems to exist, I will avoid going into the background of the Empire.

The Borg Collective:

"The Borg Collective is the term used to define the collective intelligence comprising all members linked together into a hive mind via subspace transceivers and calling themselves the Borg. It was the de facto governing power, as the term was considered by individuals, over all Borg civilization."

Borg drones

This quotation is a succinct but accurate definition of the Borg, as they are most commonly called. The Collective's members are known as drones, all of whom are cybernetic lifeforms. According to Merriam-Webster, cybernetics is defined as "the science of communication and control theory that is concerned especially with the comparative study of automatic control systems (as the nervous system and brain and mechanical-electrical communication systems)"; that is to say, in essence, that Borg drones are comprised of both biological and technological components.

"The Borg have a collective consciousnesses. There are no individuals." 

- Lt. Cmdr. Data, Star Trek: First Contact  

Assimilation

A definitive characteristic of the Borg is their quest for perfection, a drive that is fueled by pure, impassive logic. They do not procreate; instead, they use their technological abilities to convert other species into drones. Their practice is to evaluate a society in order to determine if assimilating it will add to their perfection. All philosophical notions aside, this practice certainly has equipped the Borg with advanced technologies which they integrate into every applicable aspect. The population of the Borg Collective has never been clearly stated, but enough information is available to posit a reasonable estimation of approximately 100 trillion in the galaxy; however, I am inclined to think that there are more. 

As a race devoid of all emotion, let alone a sense of style, all Borg vessels, many of which are based upon geometric shapes, are designed with practicality and logic. The backbone of the Borg fleet is the Cube, a symbol of fear and power throughout the galaxy; most encounters with cubes have fatal results. Each side of the cube is 9.24 square kilometers in area, the equivalent 1,727 American football fields. A cube's crew compliment have been known to vary from 5,000 to 130,000.

Initial engagement at Wolf 359

Borg cubes are equipped with a variety of weapons including powerful phased weapons, high-yield torpedoes, and plasma cannons designed to combat small craft; they have also been known to use their tractor beams to tear ships apart. It is unknown how many of these weapons that a cube possesses, but they certainly are abundant. The Borg have been known to dispatch a single cube to conquer an entire space-fairing civilization where it has proven able to destroy entire defense fleets unaided. The most famous instance of such an occurrence is the Battle of Wolf 359 (often referred to as the Massacre at Wolf 359) in which a fleet of 39 Federation starships was dispatched to intercept a cube headed for Earth; every ship was destroyed, and 11,000 lives were lost; the cube appeared to have sustained little if any damage.

Regarding this post's topic image, the caption is, in my estimate, completely accurate; for an Imp-Deuce to resist a Borg cube would be quite futile. The cube's hull armor alone, never mind its shield system, has more than enough endurance to withstand the barrage of a Imperial-class Star Destroyer long enough to destroy its vulnerably positioned shield generator.

Borg tactical cube

Granted, in a one-on-one conflict like this, a Borg vessel will be less inclined to destroy the ship than to use its transporters to send drones aboard (all equipped with personal shield generators) to assimilate the crew; in an initial encounter between the Borg and the Empire, transporter technology would certainly be classified as an element of surprise. In order for the Collective to better understand the Empire and to adapt their defenses to Imperial technology, assimilating at least one such vessel would be highly preferable, and would be their lead-off tactic.



Another significant point to be made is transwarp, the Borg's answer to hyperdrive. My sources indicate that the transwarp drive of a typical Borg vessel will allow it travel at 6,000,000c (c = speed of light), roughly 1 light year every 50 seconds. Another referenced source reveals that hyperspace only allows a ship to travel at about 1,200,000c; this figure, of course, does not seem to account for the different classes of hyperdrive available, so we can leave room for reasonable speculation. In either case, military history, in the open field of battle, has usually favored the belligerent with the greatest mobility.

Should it come down to a battle between the two fully assembled fleets, the Borg will forgo large-scale assimilation and deploy more specialized vessels such as the tactical cube in order to deliver the most destruction. In this scenario, with some reservations, the side with the numerical advantage would likely emerge the victor. The Borg possess millions of vessels, but I have found no reliable source that indicates the size of the Imperial fleet; if anyone does have this information from a legitimate source, please, let me know. However, considering the losses that both sides would sustain from such a massive engagement, this is not how the outcome would be decided.

In a more realistic extrapolation, due to the tactically aggressive and expansionistic nature of the Borg, this battle would likely occur on a smaller scale in or near the Coruscant sector which would force the Empire to consolidate their forces and possibly request assistance from other militaries. In the end, after having already thinned the Imperial lines and bolstered their own with newly assimilated ships, the Borg would outnumber and overrun the Imperial fleet. Ultimately, they would assimilate Coruscant, and establish a base of operations there to rebuild their fleet (at a substantially faster rate than the Empire could). 

I should concede the eventuality that the Galactic Empire would then be absorbed into the Rebel Alliance which would then launch a counterstrike to retake Coruscant which could very well succeed, if the planet is even worth saving by then. Albeit, that is another discussion entirely... 

The siege of Coruscant

"Place yours bets"... really?

It is quite obvious to me -- and to any other Star Trek AND Star Wars fan -- that this picture was created by an idiot. He is a person who is either singularly ignorant of Star Trek tech history, or one who is ignorant WHILE taking a jab a Star Trek fans. Either way, I shall tear this image and its implications apart by providing pertinent information and by putting things into perspective, and maybe by thinking up a better comparison.


For anyone who doesn't know, the ship on the left is the USS Enterprise NCC-1701, a Constitution class starship which was launched by Starfleet in 2245; command of the ship was assumed by James T. Kirk in 2265, the beginning of its famous five year mission. She is 289 meters long, the approximate height of New York's Chrysler Building, and has an maximum crew compliment of approximately 500 assorted personnel. The Constitution class possessed the pinnacle of every technology of the day which made it the perfect choice as the Federation flagship.

The larger vessel on the right is an Imperial-class star destroyer, the front line of the Galactic Empire's fleet. For the sake of argument, though, I will be referring to the Imperial II-class -- or the "ImpStar Deuce" -- as it is a more contemporary refit of the Imperial I. As far as I know, the exact year that this class of ship was first used by the Empire is unknown. (If anyone does know, please, share). However, we've all seen the triangular ancestor of the Imperial class -- known as the Venator class -- in the final scene of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and numerous scenes throughout Episode III. The vessel is 1600 meters long and has a crew compliment of approximately 37,000.


To imply that the Constitution class would stand a remote chance against an Imp Deuce is a severe error, in my opinion.  The Enterprise was armed with 4 standard phaser banks (2 phase cannons each) and at least 4 photon torpedo tubes. Said armaments were stated to have the capability to destroy the entire surface of a planet; for a ship built for the express purpose of boldly going where no man has gone before, I would count that to be considerable firepower. However, before one ship can hope to damage another, it has to penetrate its shields, a task which the Enterprise simply could not hope to accomplish against a Star Destroyer's 72x deflector shields.

 The Imp II possesses 100 heavy turbo laser batteries and 20 ion cannons. When watching the original Star Wars trilogy, it was clear to see that a one or two blasts from a turbo cannon could easily do away with an X-Wing. In that light, I don't think it a far fetched notion to say that a single volley from 100 multi-barreled batteries could not only drain the Enterprise's shields but completely incinerate it.

"Have you ever seen what a Star Destroyer can do to the surface of an unshielded planet? Stones run like water and sand turns to glass." -Crimson Empire

Having a broad perspective of Star Trek history, I have grown to view this particular Enterprise as an antique, technologically speaking. Over the next century or so, following the destruction of the Enterprise in 2285, starship technology advanced in leaps and bounds. The necessity to defend the Alpha Quadrant against the Dominion and the Borg spurred the advancement in weapons technology, and the return of the USS Voyager from the Delta Quadrant brought back a wealth of new technological inspirations.

It seems quite obvious to me that "Place Your Bets" is meant as a facetious jab at Star Trek fans given out by a Star Wars fan who underestimates Trek tech. So, if anyone thinks that the original Enterprise is the best that the Star Trek Universe has to offer up against a Star Destroyer, I can offer evidence to the contrary.

In conclusion, this picture is stupid.