Could a New Queen Be Set to Rise in Star Trek: Picard?

Be warned, this article will be discussing elements from episode 7 "Nepenthe" and the preview for the following episode "Broken Pieces". So spoilers and speculation will be in this article, so turn back now if you do not want anything ruined.

With that said, let's set course for quadrant speculations and get right into this. One thing Star Trek: Picard has been carrying since episode one is a subplot relating to Picard and his trauma from his time with the Borg and becoming Locutus. It has not been the main focus of the show, that has been the mystery behind the twins Dahj and Shoji. But the Borg have been lingering, with a Romulan claimed Borg cube now converted into a highly secret science station being a main stage within the show.

This has resulted in some old faces to appear who were once covered in Borg implants and connected to the Hive Mind. These being Seven of Nine, a former drone freed from the collective from Star Trek: Voyager and Hugh who encountered the U.S.S Enterprise under Picard's command during Star Trek: The Next Generation. But it is the latter that we will be discussing first.

Hugh had been quite prominent in the show. Having appeared early on, making a connection and working with Shoji and of course by reuniting with Picard. It was during this reunion we saw Hugh align with his old comrade and aid in Picard and Shoji's escape from the covert Romulan agency, the Tal Shiar. He enabled their escape by taking them to the Borg Queen's chamber hidden deep within the Borg Cube. Here they used a spatial trajector which was designed to teleport the Borg Queen up to 40,000 lightyears to safety should the need arise.

He succeeded in aiding Picard to safety, but unfortunately his actions resulted in half-a-dozen XB (ex-Borg) being executed, and he was only spared due to the Federation Romulan treaty. This angers him and he vowed in the latest episode he was scared to use something in the Queen's chamber that would stop the Romulans and get revenge for him for what they did to the XBs. However, he is killed before he can get to the chamber and activate the device. But he does tell Elnor to use the device, but he will need an XB to activate it.

This brings us to Seven of Nine, who had quite the impact during her first appearance in the show. Being very different in the 20 years since Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant, Seven no longer operates in a logical fashion. In Star Trek: Picard she is now hot-headed and a fierce fighter on a mission to protect XBs. This was primarily fuelled by the death of her adopted XB son, Icheb. But her second appearance on the show could be about to bring something back for the fans.

The image above shows Seven in the Queen's chamber and seemingly activating the device Hugh was mentioning. However there are two things to note here. The first is that is does not seem to be a pleasant experience, as Seven appears to be in pain while using the device. The second is the cables hanging behind her, which we can assume are plugged into her as it requires an XB to activate. This could indicate this device is actually a Borg failsafe which the XBs may not be aware of.

Given this device is in the Queen's chamber, we can assume it is a device to either enable her safety or to control the collective. We already know the chamber is filled with devices to ensure her survival, as Picard and Shoji escaped through such a device. But what if this device is to turn a Borg drone into a new Borg Queen? Now this may sound farfetched but it is perfectly logical when you consider the Borg.

The Borg operate much like an insect colony with various drones assigned task and positions to strengthen the hive. Seven often mentioned in Star Trek: Voyager that a certain species made a perfect type of drone, such as a tactical drone. We also know through the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Dark Frontier" that the Queen had specialist drone working directly with her, as they were given titles ended with "Adjunct of Unimatrix 01".Therefore like a hive they would not operate without a back-up Queen should anything happen to the one running the colony.

Given this is the Borg we can assume it is not just a simple case of having a Queen ready to emerge from a pod and take over. It is going to be more likely some sort of programming that needs to be uploaded to create a Queen. We also know Seven was seemingly special to the Borg Queen as she showed interest in her and then anger upon Seven rejection of her. Some fans have speculated before that this was Seven being groomed to become a future Queen.

So the device Hugh has mentioned could be known to all Borg as a device to enable their survival should they need it. But having been freed from the collective they would not willing activate it if they knew it would turn them into a new Queen or King. With Seven so desperate to revenge any XBs killed, she could unwittingly become the victim of a trap set to revive the collective should the Queen have perished.

This all may seem like lots of straws being pulled to make a basket of a theory, but you do have to consider how fans have never really been happy with the suggestion the Borg were destroyed at the end of Star Trek: Voyager. So Star Trek: Picard could be looking to revive the deadliest threat the galaxy has ever seen by having Seven become the new Queen to a revived Hive Mind. Given her more aggressive nature and protective feelings towards the XBs, it makes her a good candidate for a Borg Queen. Add that to the show continuously reminding viewers of the Borg without them being a primary plot to the show, it does look likely that the purpose is to revive them once and for all.

What do you think? Would you want to see Seven become a new Borg Queen in Star Trek: Picard?