GALLERY: Making First Contact with the Borg Across the Star Trek Universe

The Borg made their Star Trek debut in Star Trek: The Next Generation season two. As Picard faced off against them for the first time, his overtures of peace were ignored and ultimately he had to turn to Q for help. The Borg would later provide the franchise with one of television's most memorable cliffhangers in "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1," when Picard himself is assimilated and Riker is forced to fire upon his captain. That moment would go on to define Picard as a character, and set the stage for the Borg being formidable foes throughout the franchise.

While the Borg technically first appear in Star Trek: Voyager in the episode "Blood Fever" when Chakotay discovers a Borg drone skeleton, their first major appearance is in the season three episode "Unity." The Borg would go on to play a large role in Voyager, including the introduction of Borg drone turned crewmember Seven of Nine, a character who would play a large role in both Voyager and Star Trek: Picard.

It would be impossible to talk about the Borg without discussing Star Trek: First Contact. While it isn't the first time the TNG crew has encountered the Borg, it is the Borg's attempt at foiling one of humanity's greatest moments, as well as the first contact with the villainous Borg Queen. Watching the Queen face off against Picard and Data is truly a treat for fans.

In a Star Trek: Enterprise episode that serves as a direct sequel to Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg ship that fell to Earth and froze in the Arctic was thawed by researchers, leading to the Federation's actual First Contact with the Borg. The drones send a message to the Borg in the Delta Quadrant that T'Pol theorizes will be heard in 200 years... meaning that the Borg's failed attempt to undermine humanity's first contact ultimately is what draws them to the Alpha Quadrant in the first place. Talk about a paradox!

The Artifact in Star Trek: Picard was none other than a Borg Cube disconnected from the Collective. The Cube first appeared at the end of the pilot, "Remembrance," and set up a season-long story that tackled Picard's trauma in-depth as an ex-Borg (or xB) as the captain reckoned with what his past meant for his future.

The Borg haven't made a true, determined-to-assimilate-the-Cerritos appearance on Star Trek: Lower Decks yet, but they did appear in a holoprogram that Boimler was determined to beat during a routine Starfleet test. For a while, he was able to rescue Borg babies, but ultimately he was assimilated by the Borg Queen herself. Still, if the Cerritos ever runs into the Collective, at least Boimler's ready.

The crew of the U.S.S. Protostar on Star Trek: Prodigy are desperate to find a way to stop the weapon the Diviner hid on their ship from doing untold damage to Starfleet. When they stumble upon a dormant Borg cube, they opt to sneak aboard to try and find answers, despite Hologram Janeway's warning. What follows is a frightening episode in which the crew is almost assimilated, but the power of friendship and family ultimately saves the day. Will the Borg return to stalk the Protostar's crew? We'll have to wait to see!