| “ | Resistance is futile. You will disarm your weapons, and escort us to Sector 001. If you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you. | „ |
| ~ Locutus in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. |
Locutus of Borg is a villainous Borg who was given that name rather than a standard Borg designation (ie. Seven of Nine). He serves as a supporting antagonist in Star Trek: The Next Generation and a minor antagonist in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Before and after assimilation, he is known as Jean-Luc Picard, captain of starships USS Stargazer, USS Enterprise D & E.
He was portrayed by Sir Patrick Stewart, who also played Dr. Jonas in Conspiracy Theory, Rafe Bentley in Masterminds, Pharaoh Seti I in The Prince of Egypt, Napoleon in the 1999 Animal Farm film, King Goobot in Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Avery Bullock in American Dad!, King Claudius in the 2008 Hamlet stage play, Zobek in the Castlevania video game series, the Master of the Hunt in Futurama, Darcy Banker in Green Room, John Bosley in the 2019 Charlie's Angels film, the Magic Mirror in the Snow White Disney musical, and Nettlebrand in Dragon Rider.
Biography[]
Initial assimilation of Picard[]
TNG Best of Both Worlds Part 1 - Cliffhanger
Locutus was created when the Borg assimilated Jean-Luc Picard to act as the Collective's voice to the Federation, to prepare the people of the Federation for assimilation. Locutus ceased to exist when the link with the Collective was severed and Picard was returned to normal. The memory of his time as Locutus would haunt Picard for many years to come.
Clone[]
Locutus returned in 2376 when, in the first stages of an invasion of the Alpha Quadrant, the Borg assimilated a Dominion cloning facility and recreated the assimilated form of Picard.
This Locutus led the Borg invasion, and in one timeline succeeded in the complete assimilation of the Federation leading the Borg forces to take Earth. However, with the help of the USS Premonition Picard was able to take the USS Enterprise-E back in time to prevent the Borg invasion. Locutus's Cube was destroyed but he managed to escape in a Borg Sphere fleeing back in time to destroy the USS Enterprise-D shortly after its first mission to Farpoint Station. Fortunately the USS Premonition followed Locutus back and destroyed the Sphere before it could attack the Enterprise and alter history.
Re-assimilation[]
In 2380, Picard again heard the "voice" of the Borg and discovered the location of a nearby hive that was close to completing construction on a giant cube and resurrecting the Borg Queen by transforming a normal drone into the appropriate female form.
Defying the orders of Admiral Kathryn Janeway, Picard diverted the Enterprise from her assigned mission, and went to confront the Borg.
After losing an Away Team to the Borg, who now attacked on sight, Picard determined that the only way to get close enough to the queen to destroy her was to infiltrate himself, as Locutus.
His transformation was accomplished by Dr. Beverly Crusher, who implanted a chip in Picard's Borg cybernetics that would allow him to remain himself.
The operation didn't go as planned and Picard was captured by the Queen, who finished his transformation back into Locutus. Utilizing a Romulan cloaking device, Commander Worf brought the Enterprise within range of the cube and began a rescue operation.
Locutus's Last Stand[]
The Queen was defeated by Dr. Crusher, who had developed a way to reverse the Queen's transformation and revert her to normal drone. With the Queen's defeat all of her drones, including Locutus, went into hibernation mode.
Upon returning with Locutus/Picard to the Enterprise, Dr. Crusher was able to reverse the process, and restore Picard.
At some point in the same year, Picard encountered the rogue Vulcan T'Uerell who was attempting to form a Collective of her own in order to impose her cold logic and order on the galaxy. When she encountered Picard's assembled task force of Federation, Klingon Empire and Romulan Star Empire; she referred to Picard as Locutus.
Legacy[]
Although his existence was brief, Locutus' actions left their mark more particularly on Picard. Soon after becoming himself again, Picard returned to his family at La Barre where he came to terms with what he had been through.
In 2369, the Commander Benjamin Sisko briefly met Picard on the Deep Space Nine station and he showed him hostility due to Locutus' actions leading to his wife's death, although his resentment is misplaced as Picard was in no way responsible for the actions of Locutus. Shortly after being entrusted with the station, Sisko was finally able to make peace with Picard.
Reluctantly, Picard posed as Locutus in the presence of a Borg cut from the Collective, Third of Five (Later known as Hugh), to test his newfound individuality.
In 2373, Picard was tormented by memories and nightmares of his assimilation during the second attempted invasion of the Borg on earth. Picard's traumatic experience, however, enabled him to deal severe blows to the Borg cubes thanks to Locutus' knowledge. Picard also crossed paths with the Borg Queen whom he had already met as Locutus.
In 2399, Picard meets another former Borg, Seven of Nine, who asks him if he has regained all his humanity. Picard admits he never really recovered but he and she are doing the best they can to try.
| “ | This is not a Borg cube anymore. It's the Artifact. And you are Jean-Luc Picard, not Locutus. All that is long behind you. | „ |
| ~ Hugh to Jean-Luc Picard. |
Picard later visits a former Borg cube renamed the Artefact which brings back his traumatic memories until he happily reunites with Hugh, now the executive director of the Artefact. The latter reassures Picard shortly afterwards that he is no longer Locutus.
However, unknown to Picard, his assimilation as Locutus had left him slowly dying from the Borg DNA still in his brain. After his death, a rogue Changeling faction led by Vadic recovered his body, and using that Borg DNA, implemented it into the Federation transporter system and Starfleet mainframe, infecting anyone who used the transporter with Borg DNA, turning them into unknowing dormant Borg Drones awaiting the command signal to awaken and carry out the Borg Queen's endgame against the Federation. Worse still, Jack had inherited that Borg DNA himself, so when he surrendered to the Borg Queen, he became Vox of Borg, successor to Locutus, and the command signal for the Queen's endgame.
When Picard, Riker, and Worf infiltrate the Queen's Super-Cube to recover Jack, Picard, out of his own free will, reconnects to the Collective, momentarily being reminded of Locutus as he rejoins the Borg hive-mind, where he manages to break Jack free of the hive-mind by offering to stay with him in it forever out of love. Upon snapping out of the Borg hive-mind, Jack rips himself and Picard free, thus ensuring the end of both Locutus and Vox, while the Queen herself perishes with the Super-Cube after the Enterprise-D destroyed the beacon sending out the command signal, triggering a massive self-destruct of the Cube, and freeing all the assimilated Starfleet youth and fleet from Borg control forever, but leaving them traumatized by what they had and almost had done. Thus, with the Borg gone forever, Locutus was nothing more than a distant memory Picard could finally lay to rest.
Gallery[]
Quotes[]
| “ | Riker: Locutus of Borg, this is Captain William T. Riker of the USS Enterprise. Locutus: You may speak. Riker: We wish to end the hostilities. Locutus: Then you must unconditionally surrender. Riker: We are prepared to meet to discuss your terms. Locutus: It is unlikely you are prepared to discuss terms. It is more likely that this is an attempt at deception. |
„ |
| ~ Locutus to Riker. |
| “ | Discussion is irrelevant. There are no terms. You will disarm all your weapons and escort us to Sector 001, where we will begin assimilating your culture and techno... | „ |
| ~ Locutus. |
| “ | Preparation is irrelevant. Your people will be assimilated as easily as Picard has been. Your attempt at a delay will not be successful, Number One. We will proceed to Earth. And if you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you. | „ |
| ~ Locutus. |
| “ | I am on board the Enterprise. That's right. A futile maneuver. Incorrect strategy, Number One. To risk your crew and ship to retrieve only one man. Picard would never have approved. You underestimate us if you believe this abduction is any concern. There is no need for apprehension. I intend no harm. No harm. I will continue aboard this ship to speak for the Borg, while they continue without further diversion to Sector 001, where they will force your unconditional surrender. | „ |
| ~ Locutus. |
| “ | Locutus: Worf. Klingon species, a warrior race. You, too, will be assimilated. Worf: The Klingon Empire will never yield. Locutus: Why do you resist? We only wish to raise quality of life for all species. Worf: I like my species the way it is. Locutus: A narrow vision. You will become one with the Borg. You will all become one with the Borg. The android, Data. Primitive artificial organism. You will be obsolete in the new order. |
„ |
| ~ Locutus. |
Trivia[]
- Locutus of Borg spoke the first line of the series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine during the infamous Battle of Wolf 359, that being "Resistance is futile. You will disarm your weapons and escort us to Sector 001. If you attempt to intervene, we will destroy you.".
