Should Janeway have let Species 8472 wipe out the Borg?
Over the years, star trek has experienced its ups and downs. the original series, Cult as it is today was canceled due to poor viewership, and even what fans think is the greatest series The next generation, had a very poor rating until season two landed. One of the most controversial programs was and still is Traveler, which receives many negative reviews, not only because of the often bad writing style, but also because of some morally confused choices of the protagonists. One of the greatest examples of this is when Captain Janeway sided with the Borg who were on the brink of extinction and decided to help them defeat Species 8472. But was that really such a bad decision?
Starting with the giant tribble in space, the biggest issue fans have with what Janeway did was not that she sided with the Borg and helped them survive, but that she did so by committed genocide. Species 8472, the designation given to this alien race by the Borg, was among the meanest aliens found in the world star trek Universe, a bunch of extradimensional apex predators. They were incredibly intelligent despite first appearances, hailing from a dimension known as fluidic space that the Borg accessed to assimilate through quantum singularities. They, while organic, were immune to assimilation, and the Borg’s attempt was viewed as an act of war. They drove the Borg from their space and followed them into the Federation/Borg dimension, with the express aim of Borg xenocide.
This may seem like a good skinny at first glance. The Borg were primarily rogues during their tenure star trek, a terrible force bent on assimilating and destroying cultures. They seemed unstoppable as the Federation could only hold them back, instead of properly defeating them they were always a looming threat in the background. Species 8472 offered a solution if the crew of USS Voyager had just sat back and allowed them to wipe out the Borg. Species 8472’s aggression wasn’t even unwarranted or unprovoked – the Borg had invaded their space and attempted to assimilate them. But of course things were never easy for Captain Janeway.
The biggest problem with the implementation of this plan was that species 8472 was really evil. Janeway considered the idea of having them destroy the Borg and consequently make the universe a much better and safer place, but it all ended when she met a member of the species. They were ruthless and attacked without provocation. All attempts at communication were met with the words “The weak shall perish” – a motto on par with the Borg’s “resistance is futile”. Before leaving the show, the character Kes managed to communicate with them over the phone, which not only resulted in her being seriously injured, but also prompted her to reveal her nefarious plans: Species 8472 would not stop killing the to end Borg, but would continue to “cleanse” the galaxy. Considering how effectively they killed Borg, something the Federation had been fighting over for years, they posed a significant threat to all life in the universe.
Her plan to wipe out all life in the galaxy arose from her desire never to allow any other living organism to enter their fluidic space, as the Borg had opened a door that could be reopened. Species 8472 simply wanted to be left alone, and they would destroy anyone who could possibly jeopardize that. It therefore makes sense as to why Janeway did what she did. Faced with two very powerful enemies standing in her way of returning home, she made a deal with the sane one. In addition, they had found an effective way to wipe out Species 8472. They had found a way to use what were basically bioweapons, moderating nanoprobes made by the holographic doctor, but were unable to use them on the scale needed to stop 8472, they teamed up with the Borg who used the weapon in exchange for relatively free passage through their room.
Many fans doubt the way Janeway has sided with the Borg, with the use of a genocidal biological weapon used on nocturnal intelligent beings really icing on the cake. However, there is a clear consensus that overall it was the right decision. Powerful and fearsome, the Borg continued to pose a real threat to the Federation, but it’s a case of better the fuck, you know. The Borg, in all their culture-absorbing, assimilating glory, were a far better option than the ruthless devastation and xenocide by 8472, who had made it clear that they would not stop until every living organism that was not a member of their race became extinguished.
https://gamerant.com/star-trek-voyager-janeway-species-8472-wipe-out-borg/ Should Janeway have let Species 8472 wipe out the Borg?
