Synopsis: Captain Picard is kidnapped by the Borg and assimilated into the collective.
While this may be a bit of a controversial interpretation, I believe that Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s assimilation by the Borg can be seen as a physical manifestation of what Carl Gustav (C. G.) Jung terms the individuation process. That process by which the Logos-driven rational conscious ego integrates bits and pieces of the Eros-driven unconscious into itself to become more whole. As Jung explains, the way that this occurs is through the process of the complex. Defining the complex as the way in which bits of unconscious material erupt up to through the surface of consciousness, so they can be perceived by the rational ego.
In “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I” when Picard is first kidnapped, he represents the Logos-driven rational Starfleet. He even walks firmly toward his fate, as if he, as captain of the Enterprise is invincible. In the Borg Picard comes across an alien species that is not hierarchal but hive-like egalitarian, and able to communicate as if telepathically, as all their minds are linked together. This linking together can be understood as a manifestation of the collective unconscious. When Picard is assimilated, and transforms into Locutus of Borg, he becomes more of a representation of a complex. Acting as a spokesperson between the Borg Collective and the crew of the Enterprise, it is like how the unconscious uses a complex in order to become perceptible to the rational ego. This is where the episode ends, with Part 2 to come in the next season.
Original post created 21 August 2021
mydailysoultrek 