Star Trek: Picard pitted the Next Generation crew against the Borg in its final episodes, and man, what a showdown it was. In the end, Jean-Luc and crew were able to once again best their enemy and destroy the Borg Queen in the series finale after she briefly assimilated the younger minds of Starfleet with the help of Jack Crusher. So, is the Borg threat gone for good? CinemaBlend decided to ask the man who everyone has been looking to lately for Trek answers, showrunner Terry Matalas.
I spoke to him about the series finale of Star Trek: Picard and asked whether or not Picard's latest victory marked the final defeat of the Borg. It seemed like Patrick Stewart's character managed to finish the job that Captain Janeway started in Voyager, but here's what Matalas had to say in regard to my question of whether the Borg were gone for good:
I mean, it's a valid question. It certainly feels like this was the last gasp for air of the Borg as we once knew them. Are they ever really gone? Does that mean there's not some other form of something out there? And I, you know, I don't know. I have a feeling there are still decades and decades of Star Trek stories to tell. But this felt like the end for them.
Terry Matalas probably didn't have the authority to completely write off the Borg in the Star Trek: Picard finale, and that's probably a call above his pay grade. I can understand why he wouldn't want to stick his neck out and say one way or another if the Borg are done, but I certainly agree this seemed like the end of their iteration in the TNG era.
Terry Matalas shared his thoughts on where things stand between Jean-Luc and Beverly.
The Borg Queen may be defeated, but there's no telling what other Borg-related threat might still be lurking out in the galaxy. After all, we've seen a number of Borg cubes and Borg species that lost their link to The Collective and existed independently. Let's also remember we have Borg Jurati and whatever others she assimilated, as shown in the Picard Season 2 finale.
With that said, there hasn't been a mention of the Borg in the latter seasons of Star Trek: Discovery, which takes place well after Picard Season 3. It could be that the Borg ceased to exist in their current form after this defeat and were never a significant part of Starfleet's history from that point on. This is all just speculation, though, and as Terry Matalas said, there are still decades of stories to tell.
If Matalas had any details on what's next for the Borg, he's keeping it close to his chest. After all, he's hoping to return to the franchise for a Picard spinoff called Star Trek: Legacy, even if nothing official is in the works. Paramount+ recently announced that Michelle Yeoh would return for a Section 31 movie, but there are no publicly known discussions for a series centered on continuing the Picard story.
For now, that means the fate of the Borg is just as up in the air, re as asome of the other lingering questions that fans have after the conclusion of Star Trek: Picard. Viewers and cast members continue to express interest in Picard continuing, despite initial plans for the series to only last for three seasons. For now, anyone hoping for a spinoff will just have to continue to binge the series with their Paramount+ subscription and hope that a follow-up show is eventually greenlit.
Now that Star Trek: Picard is over, fans will have some time to wait before the premiere of Strange New Worlds Season 2. Fortunately, there are plenty of Trek shows available to stream on Paramount+ in the lull we'll have in the meantime, and many other great shows as well.
