Flare Sci-Fi Forums: The Borg, numbers, and unimatrices

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Posted by Individual 5748 on :

I have to say that this whole things seems a bit unorganized. (And don't say anything about VGR being unorganized all together. I know it has its rough points, but what doesn't?). Anyway, these are a few of my observations.

Apparently, the Borg must differentiate between a number (for example, 6) and that number behind a zero (i.e.: 06). Yes, I know mathematically there is no difference. But, if there are sooo many drones (even on the Unicomplex alone there were trillions), it would eventually get cumbersome to say something unimatrix three-million-two-hundred-seventy-thousand. It is much easier to simply differentiate between something like 5 and 05. I know this sounds strange, but it does explain why Seven of Nine apparently didn't know the Queen even though she was from unimatrix 01 and the Queen from u.m. 1. Perhaps unimatrix 1 and unimatrix 01 are different unimatrices.

And about unimatrices, I noticed that there are two definitions:

1- a small group of Borg drones (ie: Seven of Nine was from Unimatrix 01) (Seven also says that a unimatrix is the Borg equivalent to the family in "Someone To Watch Over Me.")

2- a spatial region of some specific measure (ie, a battle in "Dark Frontier" took place in unimatrix 424, grid ???).

Personally, I think the writers just enjoy mixing the word unimatrix with various numbers. What do you think?

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"Questions, comments, bring them to me. Problems, take them to Kinis."

Posted by Nim (Member # 205) on :

I haven't seen anyone put that much thought and energy behind the interpretation of a single digit in a long time.
About the writers, I once heard that they were backed up by scientists to make the technobabble credible. If that's still true I wouldn't hear the difference anyway, 'cause I'm just a regular joe. With a regular job.

But the babble sure sounds right coming out of 7o9's lucious lips.

And Torres's!

And well, okay, Janeways. Gotta be fair.

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-You're crazy!!!
-Funny, I thought I was pisces!

Posted by Justin_Timberland (Member # 236) on :

And what about the way the Borg identify the species? The humans are Species 5xxx in the Alpha Quadrent. The species in the Delta Quadrent are in the 1xx range. Does this mean that the Borg originally start with a species then moved outward?

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"Women feel the emotions of happiness, hatred, anger, helplessness, and desire.

Men on the other hand feel the guy version, Horny."

-Michael_T

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Some of the confusion might actually be an intentional effort to make the Borg system seem...complex. That is, to reinforce the idea that not only does the Borg hivemind think differently, they organize things differently as well.

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"Stirs a large iron pot. Casting a spell on Vermont."
--
John Linnell

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Presumably, the Borg number species as they make contact w/ them. Hence, the first species they contacted is Species 1, and the most recent one is much higher (I believe they were up to 10000-something in "Dark Frontier").

Apparently, the Borg also have a problem w/ cardinal and ordinal numbers. Hugh was Third of Five, whilst Annika Hansen became Seven of Nine.

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"Agh! Save me from the wee turtles!"
-Groundskeeper Willy, The Simpsons

Posted by grb on :

Well, who ever said that unimatrix 3 million 2 hundred thousand 3 hundred fourty-one is cumersome to say in borg-ish? Maybe they say unmatrix blah or something like that.

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USS Infinity
NX-157240
First Transwarp Ship of the Fleet
Epsilon Omega Shipyards

"It's like I said, the more things change, the more they stay the same."-Unknown Vulcan Philosopher

Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

Personally, I like the current system for naming drones better. "Third" is about the only one that sounds good out of its bunch.

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

But there isn't any such thing as Borgish.

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"Stirs a large iron pot. Casting a spell on Vermont."
--
John Linnell

Posted by grb on :

Yeah, but the drones must communicate with each other somehow.

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USS Infinity
NX-100239
First Transwarp Ship of the Fleet
Epsilon Omega Shipyards

"It's like I said, the more things change, the more they stay the same."-Unknown Vulcan Philosopher

Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :

It was species one-zero-zero-two-six. And why do the Vulcans have a relatively low three digit number, when we're up in the 5000's? Anyone have a list of species designations?

And I think borg designations are divided into things besides unimatrices. Unimatricies may be simply the group of drones that work directly for the each vessel's queen, or are somehow in connection with the queens (wherever they may be) and carry out their orders. Unimatrix zero-one would be the primary queen. Seven of Nine was originally "Seven of Nine, Grid nine-two of subjunction twelve". Presumably, she was given a promotion at some point...

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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons; for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

Posted by Lt. Tom on :

From what we've seen in the shows, the collective talks to itself in Federation Standard.

The only reason they "have" to speak anything is for our benefit; using anything but the subspace transceivers would be a waste of resources. I find it hard to believe they haven't assimilated a Binar or two, no pun intended.

On the designator issue, I think that the writers just decided that "Seventh (of Nine)" didn't sound as good as "Seven (of Nine)".

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Well, they could still call her "Seven", but, for consistency's sake, here full designation should have been "Seventh of Nine".

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Rimmer: "Holly, put a trace on Paranoia."
Holly: "What's a trace?"
Rimmer: "It's space jargon. It means 'find him'."
Holly: "No it doesn't. You just made it up to sound cool."
-Red Dwarf: "Confidence & Paranoia"

Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :

Speakingof the Borg designations, there "ranking" system confuses me too. In "Survibal Instinct" we meet 2, 3 and 4 of 9 alomg with the lucious Seven. 2 identifies himself as PRIMARY adjunct to unimatrix 01, 3 as AUXILARY (I think), and 4 as SECONDARY. In Scopion, 7 says she's TERTIARY adjunct. This would mean that Seven in lowest in "rank" amoung the four of them, yet she seems to be in charge. Also, she demoted Harry once when she took command of a team on Voyager and he got closer to 1. So which is it? Is First of Nine in command, or is Ninth of Nine?

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"Resolve and thou art free."

Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

Ninth (Nine) of Nine is presumably closer to "command."

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Perhaps an adjunct is rather a low rank. Therefore, the primary adjunct is the one who actually does the adjunct work (whatever that is). If something happens to him/her/it, these duties don't really have anyone lower to fall onto, so they go to the next person up the chain-of-command. Kind of like, if the lowest-ranking crewman on a ship died, there would be no-one lower to take over, so his/her/its job would have to be done by his/her/its superior. If somebody killed Lister, Rimmer would have to do his work. :-)

Posted by Individual 5748 on :

To Omega: Here's your list

FROM TV:
Species 116 - Arturis' species (Hope and Fear)
Species 125 - Borg Queen's species (Dark Frontier)
Species 149 - (Mortal Coil)
Species 218 - Talaxians (Mortal Coil)
Species 259 - from Galactic Cluster 3 (The Gift)
Species 262 - (The Omega Directive)
Species 263 - (The Omega Directive)
Species 329 - Kazon (Mortal Coil, Relativity)
Species 521 - Shebolians (Survival Instinct)
Species 571 - Species of Four of Nine (S. Instinct)
Species 3259 - Vulcans (The Raven)
Species 4228 - Hazari (Think Tank)
Species 5174 - (Hunters, I think)
Species 5618 - Humans, Terrans, whatever we are :-)
Species 6291 - Yridians (Equinox)
Species 6339 - (Infinite Regress)
Species 6961 - Ktarians (Dark Frontier)
Species 8472 - (Scorpion)
Species 10026 - (Dark Frontier)

FROM BOOKS:
Species 13, the Ku (aka Tuktak)(Seven of Nine)
Species 407, the Lennli (Seven of Nine)
Species 1811, ?, (Seven of Nine)
Species 2822, ?, (Seven of Nine)
Species 4774, the Skedans, (Seven of Nine)

There you go!

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"Questions, comments, bring them to me. Problems, take them to Kinis."

Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :

Thank you kindly!

And I think 6339 was called the Cataadi.

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Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons; for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

There was also a primitive species listed in the teens, somewhere. I'm tempted to say species 1, but I don't think that's right. From "The Omega Directive".

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"If you are going to be my girlfriend please don't dump me after I like you."
--
Michael

Posted by Individual 5748 on :

The Caatati were from "Day of Honor," and they weren't given a number. Species 6339 didn't get a name, I'm pretty sure.

From "The Omega Directive," I'm also relatively sure that the two I have listed are the only two mentioned. Unless, of course, this was when UPN was hacking away at Voyager episodes and there were two versions of each episode, on longer than the other. However, I believe that was only with season 5, so the two listed are probably it. Trust me, I've kept track.

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"Questions, comments, bring them to me. Problems, take them to Kinis."

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

Thanks for posting the numbers. Very useful

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"When diplomacy fails, there's only one alternative - violence. Force must be applied without apology. It's the Starfleet way."
A somewhat different Janeway in VOY: "Living Witness"
Ex Astris Scientia

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

BTW, does anyone think that the number of 1 trillion Borg in the Unimatrix is exaggerated? I mean, the Borg probably have many trillions of drones, but I doubt that the population of hundreds of planets can be concentrated in the Unimatrix even if it is as huge as featured in DF. A Borg cube has a crew of "only" about one hundred thousand (I don't know where I got this number, but this is not that much considering the huge size of a cube), and the Unimatrix would be equivalent to 10 million(!) (27km)^3 cubes or one (646km)^3 cube (bigger than the second Death Star

[This message has been edited by Bernd (edited November 11, 1999).]

Posted by Michael Dracon (Member # 4) on :

Wasn't the Ferengi number also mentioned somewhere in an episode (Infinite Regress??)

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"Scan that ship Mr. Worf!"
"Aye sir, 600 DPI?"

Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

I think the 100,000 figure comes from "Dark Frontier". And Seven regressed to a Ferengi in "Infinite Regress", but I'm unsure if we got a species name...

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

129,000, I believe. Just one of the useful facts available from my Borg page, assuming such an endeavor is ever completed.

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"If you are going to be my girlfriend please don't dump me after I like you."
--
Michael

Posted by M of S on :

Delurking, I finally have something to add! It would make sense (to me, at least!) that the Vulcans have a lower number - wouldn't the Borg have "discovered" them much earlier than humans, who remained Earthbound considerably longer, of of little interest to the Borg before Cochrane and the ensuing centuries' events? I wasn't under the impression that the Borg went around methodically catalogueing and conducting census sweeps of sectors of space - rather, that they scanned for recognizable signs of species that would prove useful to them (more efficient!)