Star Trek: Borg
Star Trek: Borg is an interactive movie/computer game and audiobook set in the Star Trek universe. It was written by Hilary Bader, was directed by James L. Conway, and featured an original score by Dennis McCarthy. It was released in 1996 by Simon and Schuster for Mac OS and Windows 95.
Plot and Gameplay
In the midst of a new Borg incursion 10 years after the Battle of Wolf 359, Starfleet Cadet Qaylan Furlong is given an opportunity by Q (John de Lancie) to go back in time and prevent his father's death in the historic battle.
Q sends Qaylan to the USS Righteous, his father's Excelsior class starship, just before the Battle of Wolf 359. Originally, the ship's security officer Coris Sprint was killed by a Borg intruder over four hours before the battle. Q gives Qaylan control of Sprint's body at this point, allowing him to change history. Since Sprint is Bijani (a heretofore unseen alien race) he has the ability to go into a "Bijani Pain Trance" which allows him to complete jobs even when feeling immense pain. This later becomes an important plot point in allowing the character to complete the game.
Meanwhile, Q takes over the role of Dr. Thaddeus Quint, whose personality is similar to Q's.
At several points throughout the game, the player [Qaylan] is given multiple choices about what actions should be taken in various situations. The results vary based on whatever actions are chosen. If the player chooses poorly, Q will reset time and allow him to try again. If the player makes too many mistakes, however, Q becomes bored and the game ends.
Cast
- Cadet Qaylan Furlong / Lt. Coris Sprint: The game's player character. Because the story is seen through this character's point of view, he never appears on camera. It is implied that he is male, is approximately 19 years old, and bears a physical resemblance to his father. Q gives Qaylan control of Bijani security officer Coris Sprint (briefly portrayed by Tarik Ergin), which allows him to interact with the crew of the Righteous.
- Q / Doctor Thaddeus Quint (John de Lancie): A seemingly-omnipotent being who has taken an interest in the welfare of Cadet Qaylan Furlong. Q gives the cadet a special hand phaser and tricorder to aid him on his mission. Occasionally he will also mock the player if he's not succeeding. For purposes of the story, he takes the body and role of the ship's chief medical officer, Dr. Thaddeus Quint (also played by Murray Rubinstein), but Qaylan continues to see Q in his true form.
- Lt. Ralph Furlong (Jeff Allin): Conn officer and father of Qaylan. He has an easy-going personality which contrasts greatly to that of Captain Andropov.
- Captain Nikolai Andropov (Barry Lynch): Commanding officer of the USS Righteous. He's stern and gruff, but he's very professional and by-the-book.
- Ensign Anastasia Targus (Marnie McPhail): Operations officer. She has an outgoing personality and deep-seated emotional issues stemming from her time as a Cardassian prisoner of war. She has a cybernetic implant on her forehead to counteract the effects of the torture she endured at their hands.
- Commander Bennington Biraka (John Cothran Jr.): Ship's counselor. Biraka likes everyone and does his best to keep the crew together. He offers both encouragement and pearls of wisdom during difficult situations.
- And the Adventure Continues...: After Q transports the Righteous ten years in the future to avoid rewriting history, another Borg ship appears on sensors. Captain Andropov orders an intercept course, and... well, we already know what happens, don't we?
- Body Snatcher: Q transfers Cadet Furlong into Lt. Sprint's body while he takes over Dr. Quint's. The cadet still sees him as Q in a blue uniform.
- Dead All Along: For some bizarre reason, Sprint is treated this way when it's time for Q to reveal that you're really Cadet Furlong (though at least the real Dr. Quint gets to live).
- Deadpan Snarker: It's a Star Trek game featuring Q.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: At different points in the game, you can punch Q in the face or kick him in the joy department.
- Functional Addict: The Cardassians addicted Targus to neural stimulation as a form of torture. She's a functional officer now thanks to her implant, but interfering with its normal operation can bring her addiction roaring back.
- Fun Personified: Hit the wrong code into the turbolift manual control, and you might get treated to Q's idea of fun while you're running around doing boring things; Turning deck eleven into his own personal party deck. Complete with Nice Hat.
Q: Why? Because I can! Nya ha ha ha ha ha hah!
- Heroic Mime: Sprint never speaks beyond grunts and groans, but his fellow crewmembers don't seem to expect him to. This being the Star Trek universe, it could be a characteristic of the Bijani culture or species.
- Hollywood Psych: Averted. Counselor Biraka's reasonably accurate Phenomenological analysis of Quint and, by extension, Q himself, is so bang on that it shuts him up completely.
Q: Spare me the psychology, counselor. You don't have the tools to analyze me!
Biraka: Your problem is very straightforward, doctor. You desperately want to be...liked.
Q: If I wanted to be liked, all I'd have to do is snap my fingers, and I'd be liked! I'm an omnipotent being masquerading as Dr. Quint. Whatever I want to happen, happens.
Biraka: <laughs> Interesting fantasy...Alright, let's play that through. Then why don't you?
Q: Why don't I what?
Biraka: Make everyone like you.
Q: Because I don't want to!
Biraka: No! Because you want them to like you of their own free will and, phenomenologically speaking, you can't force them to do something of their own free will!
Q: Sophistry, Biraka.
Biraka: Truth, Quint. Let me give you some free advice: If you want to be liked, try making yourself likable. <pats Q on the shoulder, walking away>
Q: Ahhh! <makes a strangling motion with his hands in frustration before dropping them, suddenly at a loss for words as a contemplative look crosses his face>
- It's Up to You: Initially averted. Your ship is about to face the Borg, but as you're a new, low-ranking member of the crew, you're going to be sent out of danger. Then Q appears, and everything else is on your watch.
- Irony: If you let your dad get Borgified, you have to kill him yourself, where Q will comment: "Well, didn't you want to kill Borg?"
- Our Time Travel Is Different: All it takes is the snap of Q's fingers. It helps that he is Q.
- Post Modernism: Making a particular mistake late in the game causes Q to groan that he needs to take a break in an alternate reality; "Come on everybody, let's go. He's such an amateur!" The soundtrack stops abruptly, and the Starfleet officers and Borg wander off, chatting together like actors taking five.
- Also counts as a Crowning Moment of Funny and a Crowning Moment Of Meta-Awesome.
- Reality Warper: As Q says himself, whatever he wants to happen happens.
- Refusal of the Call: At the start, you can refuse Q's offer to go back to the Righteous and fight the Borg. He takes a bit of convincing and expresses his disappointment in you, but you can turn him down. Of course, that means it's game over.
- Save Scumming / Trial and Error Gameplay: Many of the "puzzles" rely on doing something fatal, then letting Q bring you back to the decision point so you can try again. In a creative twist, one "puzzle" calls for the player to deliberately become Borgified so he can learn their access codes, then get killed and have Q bring him back to where he would have needed those access codes.
- Series Continuity Error: The uniforms, during Wolf 359 everybody should be wearing TNG style ones but instead are wearing Voyager style uniforms.
- Too Dumb to Live: Grab the wrong power module towards the beginning and Q pretty much says this.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: When your character returns to the Righteous after being assimilated, the crew almost kills you until your teammates assure them that you are still yourself, after which nobody seems even slightly uncomfortable about the situation, even when you punch or kick the nads of your ship's chief medical officer.