Over the years, Star Trek has had its ups and downs. the original series, iconic as it is now, was canceled due to poor viewership, and even the series that fans consider to be the best, The next generation, had a very bad rating until season two landed. One of the most divisive programs was, and still is, traveler, which gets a lot of negative reviews, not only because of the often bad writing, but also because of some morally complicated decisions by the protagonists. One of the greatest examples of this is when Captain Janeway sided with the Borg, who were on the brink of extinction, and decided to help them defeat Species 8472. But was this really such a bad decision?
Starting with the giant tribble in the room, the biggest problem fans have with what Janeway did was not that she sided with the Borg and helped them survive, but that she did so by committing genocide. Species 8472, the designation given to this alien race by the Borg, were among the dirtiest aliens living in the world. Star Trek universe, a bunch of extra-dimensional apex predators. They were incredibly intelligent, despite initial appearances, and came from a dimension known as fluid space, which the Borg had access to in an attempt to assimilate them through quantum singularities. They, despite being organic, were immune to assimilation, and the Borg’s attempt was considered an act of war. They expelled the Borg from their space and followed them into the Federation/Borg dimension, with the explicit purpose of Borg xenocide.
This may seem like a good thin one at first. The Borg have been mostly villains throughout their tenure star trek, a terrifying force determined to assimilate and destroy cultures. They seemed unstoppable, with the Federation only able to stop them rather than defeat them properly, they were always a looming threat in the background. Species 8472 offered a solution, if the crew of the USS Voyager had simply sat back and allowed them to wipe out the Borg. Species 8472’s aggression wasn’t even unjustified or unprovoked – the Borg had invaded their space and were trying to assimilate them. But of course things were never easy for Captain Janeway.
The biggest problem with allowing this plan was that Species 8472 was really nasty. Janeway considered the idea of having them destroy the Borg, which would make the universe a much better and safer place, but this all ended when she met a member of the species. They were relentless and attacked without provocation. All attempts to communicate were answered with the words “the weak will perish” – a motto similar to the Borg’s “resistance is futile”. Before leaving the show, the character Kes managed to communicate with them by phone, which not only resulted in her being seriously injured, but also led her to reveal their nefarious plans: Kind 8472 wouldn’t stop at the ending of the show. the Borg, but would continue to “cleanse” the galaxy. Given how effectively they killed Borg, something the Federation had struggled with for years, they posed a significant threat to all life in the universe.
Their plan to wipe out all life in the galaxy grew out of their desire never to let another living organism into their fluid space, because the Borg had opened a door that could be opened again. Species 8472 just wanted to be left alone, and they would destroy anyone who could potentially endanger it. So it makes sense why Janeway did what she did. Faced with two very powerful enemies who stood in her way of returning home, she struck a deal with the more reasonable. In addition, they had devised an effective way to exterminate Species 8472. They had found a way to make use of what were essentially bioweapons, by moderating nanoprobes made by the holographic doctor, but couldn’t use them at the scale needed to stop 8472. , they teamed up with the Borg, who used the weapon in exchange for relatively free passage through their space.
Many fans disagree with the way Janeway sided with the Borg, using a genocidal biological weapon used on nocturnal intelligent sentient beings really is the icing on the cake. However, there is a resounding consensus that overall it was the right decision to make. Powerful and fearsome, the Borg continued to pose a real threat to the Federation, but it’s a case of “better know the devil you know”. The Borg, in all their culture-absorbing, assimilating glory, were a far better option than the relentless abandonment and xenocide at the hands of 8472, who had made it clear that they would not stop until every living organism that was not a member of their race was wiped out. .
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