The Assassination of Picard: Locutus is Born
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The away team, now under heavy fire, requests immediate extraction from the Enterprise as the Borg adapt to their phasers.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
None—the Borg do not feel. They are tools of the Collective, acting without hesitation or remorse.
The Borg drones emerge from their alcoves in response to the away team's sabotage, their movements synchronized and relentless. They adapt to the phaser frequencies with terrifying efficiency, rendering the team's weapons useless. They surround Locutus, forming a living barrier between the crew and their captain. Their collective presence is oppressive, a reminder of the inevitability of assimilation. They do not speak, but their actions speak volumes—they are the embodiment of the Borg's patience and power.
- • Capture or eliminate the away team to prevent further sabotage
- • Protect Locutus and ensure his safe return to the Borg cube
- • The away team's resistance is meaningless—they will be assimilated or destroyed
- • Locutus is a priority asset; his safety is paramount to the Collective's goals
Steely resolve masking deep shock and grief—her professionalism is a thin veneer over the realization that Picard is lost and the mission has failed catastrophically.
Shelby leads the away team with tactical precision, coordinating phaser attacks on Borg distribution nodes and issuing urgent beam-out commands as the mission spirals into failure. Her voice cracks with desperation as she witnesses Picard's transformation, her military bearing barely masking the horror of the moment. She is the last to retreat, ensuring the team's survival even as the Borg close in.
- • Ensure the survival of the away team by securing a timely beam-out
- • Delay the Borg's advance long enough to gather critical intelligence on their adaptive defenses
- • The Borg's technological superiority makes direct confrontation futile without overwhelming firepower
- • Picard's capture is a strategic disaster that will directly threaten the Federation
None—Picard's humanity has been erased, replaced by the Borg's collective consciousness. There is no fear, no grief, no recognition—only the cold, unfeeling purpose of Locutus.
Picard emerges from the shadows, his face half-replaced by Borg machinery, his movements eerily calm and synchronized with the drones surrounding him. He turns toward the away team with hollow eyes, his voice now a chilling echo of the Borg Collective. There is no recognition in his gaze, no trace of the man he once was—only the cold, calculating presence of Locutus. He does not speak, but his mere presence is a weapon, a symbol of the Borg's victory and the crew's defeat. The energy field around him repels Worf's desperate lunge, a physical manifestation of the unbridgeable gap between humanity and the Collective.
- • Serve as the Borg's herald, using Picard's voice and knowledge to weaken the Federation
- • Demonstrate the inevitability of assimilation to break the crew's morale
- • Resistance is futile—the Borg will assimilate all of existence
- • Picard's individuality is irrelevant; he is now part of the Collective
Shocked and disturbed—his usual calm demeanor is disrupted by the sight of Picard's assimilation, though he suppresses his reaction to prioritize the team's survival. There is a flicker of something akin to grief in his eyes, a testament to his growing humanity.
Data fires his phaser in precise, coordinated bursts alongside Worf and Shelby, his synthetic nature allowing him to maintain focus even as the Borg adapt to their attacks. When Picard emerges as Locutus, Data's optical sensors widen slightly—a rare display of shock for an android. He does not lunge forward like Worf, but his hesitation and the way he processes the sight of Picard's transformation reveal a deep, almost human-like distress. He is the first to turn and follow Shelby's order to beam out, his logic circuits overriding emotion.
- • Assist Shelby in coordinating the team's retreat and ensuring their safe beam-out
- • Analyze the Borg's adaptive defenses to identify potential weaknesses for future encounters
- • The Borg's ability to adapt to phaser frequencies suggests a decentralized neural network that must be disrupted at its core
- • Picard's assimilation is a tactical loss that will require a new strategic approach to counter
Devastated and enraged—his Klingon honor demands action, but his humanity is shattered by the sight of Picard's assimilation. The repulsion by the energy field is a physical manifestation of his emotional and spiritual defeat.
Worf is the first to spot Picard emerging from the Borg alcoves, his voice breaking with raw emotion as he recognizes his captain. He lunges forward in a desperate, instinctive attempt to reach Picard, only to be violently repelled by the Borg energy field. The impact sends him crashing to the floor, his body trembling with grief and rage as he watches Picard—now Locutus—turn toward the team with hollow Borg eyes. His Klingon pride and loyalty are laid bare in this moment of utter helplessness.
- • Reach Picard and free him from the Borg, even at the cost of his own life
- • Destroy as many Borg drones as possible in a final act of defiance
- • Picard's assimilation is a personal failure on his part as the captain's protector
- • The Borg can be defeated through sheer force of will and Klingon courage
Horror-stricken and helpless—her medical instincts are useless here, and the sight of Picard's assimilation triggers a primal fear of what the Borg represent: the erasure of humanity itself. She is frozen between the urge to run and the desire to stay, to bear witness to the end of the man she respects.
Beverly Crusher fires her phaser in tandem with Worf, her medical training making her acutely aware of the futility of their efforts as the Borg adapt. When Picard emerges as Locutus, her breath catches in her throat, and she stumbles back slightly, her hand instinctively reaching out as if to heal the unhealable. She does not speak, but her wide-eyed horror and the way she clutches her phaser reveal the depth of her shock. She is the last to turn and follow Shelby's order, her gaze lingering on Picard for a fraction of a second too long.
- • Survive the encounter to return to the *Enterprise* and warn the crew of the Borg's capabilities
- • Find a way to reverse Picard's assimilation, even if it seems impossible
- • The Borg's technology is beyond Federation medicine, but there must be a way to sever their connection to Picard's mind
- • This mission was doomed from the start—the Borg are not an enemy that can be fought with conventional tactics
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The Borg defensive energy field surrounding Locutus is a critical object in this event, serving as both a physical barrier and a symbolic divide. It repels Worf's desperate lunge, a brutal reminder that Picard is no longer reachable. The field is not just a defensive measure—it is a statement: the Borg have claimed Picard, and there is nothing the crew can do to stop them. Its activation marks the moment of no return, the point at which the team's mission shifts from rescue to survival.
The strobe-like sparks from the damaged distribution nodes cast a chaotic, disorienting light across the Borg corridors, creating a strobe effect that heightens the team's sense of desperation. The sparks are both a result of their sabotage and a harbinger of their failure—they illuminate Picard's transformation into Locutus, turning the moment of horror into a grotesque, flickering spectacle. The sparks also serve as a distraction, obscuring the Borg's advance and making the team's retreat all the more urgent.
The Borg energy field surrounding Locutus is an invisible but impenetrable barrier, a physical manifestation of the Collective's protection of its most valuable asset. When Worf lunges forward in a desperate attempt to reach Picard, the field repels him violently, sending him crashing to the floor. It is a cruel irony—Picard is mere meters away, yet he might as well be on the other side of the universe. The field symbolizes the unbridgeable gap between humanity and the Borg, a reminder that Picard is lost forever.
Shelby's commlink is the lifeline connecting the away team to the *Enterprise*. Her urgent commands—first to prepare for beam-out and later to execute it—are relayed through this device, cutting through the chaos of the Borg ship's corridors. The commlink's chirp is a stark reminder of the team's tenuous connection to safety, and its activation marks the moment of retreat, the admission of defeat. Without it, the team would be trapped, doomed to assimilation or death.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Borg ship's interior—its claustrophobic corridors and intersections—is a labyrinth of cold, sterile metal, designed to disorient and trap intruders. The strobing sparks from damaged distribution nodes cast erratic shadows, turning the already oppressive environment into a nightmarish strobe effect. This is where the away team's hope dies, where Picard is lost, and where the Borg's power is most palpable. The location is not just a setting; it is an active participant in the team's defeat, its design reinforcing the Borg's dominance and the crew's vulnerability.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Starfleet away team—comprising Shelby, Data, Worf, and Beverly—operates under the assumption that their mission is to sabotage the Borg ship and, if possible, rescue Picard. However, their efforts are doomed from the start, as the Borg's adaptive defenses render their phasers useless and their sabotage temporary. The team's retreat is not just a tactical withdrawal; it is an admission of defeat, a recognition that the Borg cannot be fought with conventional tactics. Their survival depends on the *Enterprise*'s ability to beam them out in time, a stark reminder of Starfleet's limitations in the face of the Borg.
The Borg Collective is the unseen but all-powerful force driving this event. Their drones emerge from the alcoves in response to the away team's sabotage, adapting to phaser fire with terrifying efficiency. They surround Locutus, protecting him as a prized asset, and repel Worf's desperate attempt to reach Picard. The Collective's presence is oppressive, a reminder that the away team is outmatched and outmaneuvered. Their goal is not just to assimilate the crew, but to break their morale, to demonstrate the inevitability of their victory. The emergence of Locutus is the ultimate weapon—a living symbol of the Borg's power and the crew's defeat.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
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Key Dialogue
"**WORF**: *Captain!*"
"**PICARD** *(turning slowly, half his face replaced by Borg machinery)*: *Resistance is futile.*"
"**SHELBY** *(voice tight with controlled panic)*: *Enterprise, get us out of here.*"