Synopsis: The crew of the Enterprise respond to a distress call and locate a lone Borg survivor.
In this episode, much like “Imaginary Friend,” we see what happens when an alien being, which represents here an individual’s unconscious, comes into the awareness of the crew of the Enterprise, here representing an individual’s consciousness, and most specifically, Captain Jean-Luc Picard representing an individual’s conscious ego.
Initially when the lone injured Borg, here embodied in a humanoid adolescent façade, is located Picard’s first reaction is to leave him be. Dr. Beverly Crusher tells Picard that he is better than that, and then Picard agrees to bring the Borg aboard the Enterprise. Picard then believes that it is possible to devise a way to not only destroy this one Borg, but the entire Borg Collective, and again, Dr. Crusher tells Picard that this is not the way to proceed. Picard then speaks to the Borg, who has by this time been renamed Hugh by Dr. Crusher and Lt. Geordi La Forge. Picard realizes that Hugh has already incorporated some bits of humanity into his awareness, and therefore, Picard can no longer sentence Hugh and his entire species to death.
This reflects how the conscious ego responds to bits of unconscious material that come to its attention in a complex. A complex being a term used by depth psychologists, including Carl (C. G.) Jung, described as being feeling-toned; meaning you know you are in it when you can feel it. When you can’t help yourself from doing something, even if it is something you may not ordinarily do, you are in the throes of a complex.
Picard, having been kidnapped, assimilated, and mutated by the Borg, it is fair to say that he has a complex when it comes to them. He automatically wanted to be as far away from the Borg as possible. But when he integrated the idea that Hugh had assimilated some form of humanity, Picard was forced to acknowledge his right to exist. Instead, Picard leaves Hugh to be rescued by the Borg and to return to his home. Yet both Picard and Hugh have been changed forever.
Original post created 20 October 2021
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