star trek hugh episodes

• Cast & crew
• User reviews
• Episode aired May 9, 1992

The Enterprise finds a lone Borg drone, separated from the collective, and brings him aboard. The drone begins to reassert his individuality, but his presence causes differing levels of fear... Read all The Enterprise finds a lone Borg drone, separated from the collective, and brings him aboard. The drone begins to reassert his individuality, but his presence causes differing levels of fear and sympathy from various crew members. The Enterprise finds a lone Borg drone, separated from the collective, and brings him aboard. The drone begins to reassert his individuality, but his presence causes differing levels of fear and sympathy from various crew members.

• Robert Lederman
• Gene Roddenberry
• René Echevarria
• Brannon Braga
• Patrick Stewart
• Jonathan Frakes
• LeVar Burton
• 22 User reviews
• 11 Critic reviews

• Captain Jean-Luc Picard

• Commander William Thomas 'Will' Riker

• Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge

• Lieutenant Worf

• Dr. Beverly Crusher

• Counselor Deanna Troi

• Lieutenant Commander Data

• Third of Five …

• Ensign Gates
• (uncredited)
• Crewman Nelson
• Crewman Garvey
• Crewman Martinez
• Ensign Kellogg

• Operations Division Ensign

• Science Division Officer
• Crewman Diana Giddings
• Command Ensign
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia In a 2002 TV Guide Magazine commemorating the 35th anniversary of Star Trek (1966) , I, Borg ranked 5th among the greatest episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) .
• Goofs In the scene in which Geordi names 3rd of 5 "Hugh", 3rd of 5 asks, "Do I have a name?" Rather than, "Do we have a name?"

Third of Five : We are Borg.

Guinan : Aren't you gonna tell me you have to assimilate me?

Third of Five : You wish to be assimilated?

Guinan : No, but that's what you... things do, isn't it?

[the Borg nods]

Guinan : Resistance is futile?

Third of Five : Resistance is futile.

Guinan : It isn't. My people resisted when the Borg came, to assimilate us. Some of us survived.

Third of Five : Resistance... is not futile?

Guinan : No. But thanks to you, there are very few of us left. We're scattered throughout the galaxy. We don't even have a home anymore.

Third of Five : What you are saying... is that you are lonely.

Guinan : What?

Third of Five : You have no others. You have no home. We... are also lonely.

• Connections Featured in Trek Nation (2011)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: The Next Generation Main Title Composed by Jerry Goldsmith and Alexander Courage

User reviews 22

• May 26, 2020
• May 9, 1992 (United States)
• Official site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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Star Trek: Picard - What To Know About Hugh, The Former Borg Drone

Hugh is unlike other Borg, and his part of the story in Star Trek: Picard seems like it'll be important.

By Phil Hornshaw on March 26, 2020 at 10:41AM PDT

Star Trek: Picard 's first season is now complete , and through its 10-episode run, it sees several Trek characters return, both from The Next Generation and other series. Jean-Luc Picard 's second officer aboard the Enterprise, Data , has already been shown to have a big influence, and Star Trek: Voyager 's former-Borg crewmember, Seven of Nine , plays a role in Episode 5 , " Stardust City Rag ." In Episode 3, " The End is the Beginning ," we saw another returning character from previous shows: Hugh, another former Borg who appeared on The Next Generation.

Hugh's presence on Star Trek: Picard was a pretty big deal. He and Jean-Luc shared the experience of being part of the Borg, but were eventually freed from the Collective. And Hugh and Picard shared another bond because of their experiences aboard the Enterprise. In a big way, Hugh changed Picard's perceptions of the Borg, and their meeting on TNG had profound effects on the way the Federation interacted with the cybernetic beings in later encounters. Picard might have destroyed the Borg for good, if not for Hugh.

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Now Playing: Star Trek: Picard Episode 3 "The End Is the Beginning" Breakdown & Easter Eggs

Regaining Individuality

Picard first met Hugh in TNG Season 5, in an episode called "I, Borg." The Enterprise discovered a crashed Borg ship, with four of its five inhabitants dead. Hugh, then designated Third of Five, survived, and Picard chose to beam him aboard the Enterprise. Dr. Crusher saved the Borg's life, and Picard and the crew began to formulate a plan.

They knew the Borg would not leave any drone behind and would eventually return to find Hugh and the other Borg from the ship, to either reclaim them or destroy their bodies. Knowing that, Picard figured that it might be possible to send Hugh back with some kind of computer virus that would infiltrate the Borg Collective and, potentially, destroy it. He put Data and Geordi La Forge on the job of creating the virus, while Crusher continued to nurse Third of Five back to health. In the meantime, La Forge started spending time with the drone to study it and figure out how he might create a Borg-killing virus.

Things changed, though. The more time Crusher and La Forge spent with Third of Five, the more they started to consider him a person, rather than just another Borg drone. Cut off from the Collective, Third of Five started to develop individuality. Eventually, La Forge and Crusher named him "Hugh," and Hugh started to consider La Forge his friend. Even Guinan, who hated the Borg for attacking her people's planet and nearly wiping them out, found herself struggling with the idea of using Hugh as a weapon after meeting him.

With more and more of the crew questioning the morality of the plan to commit what was essentially genocide against the Borg, Picard finally felt he had to meet Hugh--and discovered that the young Borg was, in fact, an individual, and deserved to be treated with the respect that Picard and the Federation afford all life. Picard offered to let Hugh stay with the Enterprise crew, but Hugh opted to return to the Borg Collective, fearing the Borg would pursue him and threaten the Enterprise if it couldn't locate its missing drone.

Corrupted By Lore

About a year later, in Season 6, Picard and the Enterprise encountered some Borg who were attacking colonies and Federation outposts. Immediately, it was clear these Borg were different from the Collective the Enterprise had encountered in the past. They cared about their comrades, referred to themselves as "I" instead of "we," and generally gave signs of being individuals, rather than just pieces of a hive mind. Picard had speculated when Hugh returned to the Borg Collective that his individuality might get transferred to other Borg, and that that could be just as destructive to the hive mind as the virus the Enterprise crew had tried to create. Turns out, he was pretty close to correct.

In "The Descent" and "The Descent II," Picard and the crew discovered that this particular group of Borg was led by Lore, Data's evil twin android brother. After Picard, La Forge, and Deanna Troi were captured by Lore and his band, Will Riker and Worf discovered another group of Borg who had broken away from Lore's. Among those Borg was Hugh, who explained that, yes, his individuality had spread and thrown his Borg Cube into chaos.

Unable to deal with being individuals, they started fighting each other, until Lore found them and gave them a leader to follow. Lore said he'd help the Borg find perfection by becoming wholly artificial like he was, but didn't really know how to make that dream a reality, and so started experimenting on Borg drones with horrifying results. Realizing what Lore really was, Hugh and those like him hid out from the group loyal to Lore.

Eventually, Data defeated Lore once and for all and had him disassembled. Hugh was worried that the Borg would again fall into chaos without a leader, but Picard suggested that Hugh could be the one the individualized Borg followed. That's where the Enterprise crew left them--as a group of Borg who had become something different from the other drones in the Collective.

So Where Has Hugh Been?

We're not sure what happened to Hugh in the years that followed. Picard and the Enterprise crew encountered the Borg Collective again in Star Trek: First Contact, so Hugh's individuality apparently didn't transfer to the entire Borg species, just to those on his particular cube. When we meet Hugh in Star Trek: Picard, he's changed significantly--he's no longer a Borg drone, but instead has been returned to humanity, with most of his Borg implants removed.

Though we don't know how Hugh got from leading a group of Borg individuals to his role on the Artifact, we do know that he used his knowledge of the Borg to help others "XBs," or ex-Borg. He led the Borg Reclamation Project on the Artifact, the disabled Borg Cube that the Romulans studied and salvaged on Star Trek: Picard. His work focused on helping other former drones re-acclimate to society. We also know that, unlike Jean-Luc, Hugh had a hard time adjusting to his life as a human. He suggested that people in society at large didn't trust him because of his former life as a drone.

Hugh's role in the first season of Star Trek: Picard built on the long-running story of Jean-Luc's interactions with the frightening cybernetic race. It also allowed the show to explore the more human aspect of what it means to be Borg. As Jean-Luc said, though the Borg are feared, they're a race of victims--and as Hugh showed, they deserve compassion.

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Here’s Why ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Brought Back “I, Borg” Standout Hugh

Where to Stream:

• Star Trek: Picard

From the get go, CBS All Access’s Star Trek: Picard has promised to bring back some fan favorites, but one name may have surprised even the most hardcore Trekkie. Star Trek: Picard Episode 3 reintroduces us to Hugh ( Jonathan Del Arco ), the sensitive drone-turned-fierce individual from Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 23, “I, Borg.”

The character’s compelling story, depth of soul, and friendship with Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) challenged our understanding of the Borg. Hugh was so popular that Star Trek: The Next Generation even brought him back for the Season 7 premiere, “Descent, Part 2.” The slightly older Hugh is embittered by his experience with Starfleet and only reluctantly aids Commander Riker and Liet. Commander Worf because he wants to save Geordi.

However, Star Trek fans never learned what happened to Hugh after that episode as he never showed up in Star Trek: The Next Generation or the films again. Finally, though, we have some clues as to what happened to Hugh after he took leadership of his own mini Borg tribe. In fact, Hugh’s own story and The Next Gen episodes he showed up in may even help clarify what’s going on in Star Trek: Picard .

Here’s everything you need to know about Hugh the Borg’s history with Star Trek and what his appearance in Star Trek: Picard means for the future of Star Trek, the Borg, and Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart).

WHO IS HUGH THE BORG? WHAT HAPPENED TO HUGH IN STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION , “I, BORG?” AND LATER IN “DESCENT, PART 2?”

Jonathan Del Arco’s Hugh first appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Season 5, Episode 23, “I, Borg.” The episode’s plot revolved around the Enterprise responding to a distress signal, only to realize that it was sent by a crashed Borg vessel. One young Borg drone was still alive, and against popular opinion, Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) insisted that he be brought aboard.

Separated from the Borg Collective, young “Third of Five” found himself forced to think for himself for once. Over time, Geordi La Forge and Dr. Crusher managed to dub him Hugh. In fact, Hugh soon became super attached to Geordi, and opted to return to the Collective if only because if he didn’t, he would be hunted, and Geordi would be in danger.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 7, Episode 1, “Descent, Part 2,” Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Worf (Michael Dorn) ran into Hugh while battling a splinter cell of individualistic Borg working under the command of Data’s maniacal brother Lore (Brent Spiner). Hugh explained that after he introduced the concept of individuality to the Collective, a few other drones struggled to accept orders or even find purpose. Left adrift, they were going insane until Lore found them and took over as their leader. Hugh, however, was soon part of a rebel group that didn’t want to follow Lore, as his attempts to convert Borg to fully synthetic lifeforms left the Borg comatose or dead.

Hugh eventually aided officers from the Enterprise in their attempts to save shipmates Picard, Georgi, Data (Brent Spiner), and Troi (Marina Sirtis)…but mainly because he wanted to help Geordi. With Lore defeated, Hugh became the natural leader of the remaining Borg. And that was the last we saw him…until Star Trek: Picard.

WHAT IS HUGH THE BORG DOING IN STAR TREK: PICARD EPISODE 3 “THE END IS THE BEGINNING?”

While Star Trek: Picard has yet to fill in the blanks in Hugh’s life between his last Next Gen appearance and now — a time span of roughly 30 years! — we can ascertain that he has fully de-assimilated from the Borg. That is, he no longer requires exo-plating or the vast majority of his artificial Borg appendages. There is some scarring and a few visible implants on his face, but by and large, Hugh looks human again.

In Star Trek: Picard , Hugh is working on the Romulan’s reclamation project. He seems to be a, if not the , project manager that Soji Asha (Isa Briones) reports to and he seems to be a great champion of Soji’s work. He is the one who sets up her strange interview with Romulan “ex-B” Ramda. (It’s worth noting that Hugh also refers to himself as an “ex-B,” and sadly remarks that he and his kind are only seen as “property to be exploited” or a “hazard to be warehoused.”

So Hugh is no longer a Borg and he is devoted to helping other former drones acclimate to “ex-B” life.

WHY IS HUGH IN STAR TREK: PICARD ? WHAT DOES HUGH’S STORY TELL US ABOUT WHERE STAR TREK: PICARD MIGHT BE GOING?

Star Trek: Picard ‘s showrunners had hundreds of Star Trek: The Next Generation guest stars to invite back to the Star Trek universe, but they obviously singled out Hugh for some reason. It doesn’t hurt that besides Jean-Luc Picard and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), he’s one of the only examples of a deprogrammed Borg thriving outside of the Collective. However, his appearances tie to Soji and Dahj’s storyline in a big way.

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Hugh’s very existence not only forced the crew of the Enterprise to reappraise its virulent hatred of the Borg, but he also featured heavily in a Data-centric storyline, the two-part “Descent.” In his first appearance, he showed how therapy and empathy can build a bridge between races. In his second, he explained how Lore (and later Data) argued that the next stage for Borg civilization was to go full synthetic.

A huge part of Star Trek: Picard is devoted to the Romulans’ hatred of synthetic life, and the danger that Soji Asha is in thanks to her secret status as an android. Thematically, the fact that Hugh is already Soji’s mentor suggests that she might have to prove to Romulans (like Narek) that she’s not a mythic destroyer. Secondly, the realization that some Borg might be trying to become more synthetic could cast suspicion on why the Romulans are conducting experiments on a Borg cube in the first place.

Now we just have to wonder if Hugh will get to be reunited with his good friend, Geordi!!!!

Star Trek: Picard Episode 3 is now streaming on CBS All Access. 

Where to stream Star Trek: Picard

• CBS All Access

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Screen Rant

Hugh borg's role in picard: returning star trek tng character explained.

Hugh Borg has a pivotal role in Star Trek: Picard that cleverly echoes his origin story in TNG. Here's what the former Borg Drone is up to now.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 1, Episode 3.

In Star Trek: Picard , the role of Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco) has been revealed: He is now the executive director of the Romulan Reclamation Project aboard their Borg Cube Artifact, and it's a fitting job for the former Borg Drone. The new CBS All-Access series centering on Patrick Stewart's return as Jean-Luc Picard has been focused on the role and future of artificial lifeforms in the Star Trek universe. Naturally, the Borg, the cybernetic beings who are Star Trek: The Next Generation 's greatest villains, are playing a crucial role in Picard's sequel series.

Hugh was introduced in the classic TNG episode "I, Borg", and he was one of the first "reclaimed" members of the hybrid human/cyborg race (along with Picard himself). Originally designated Third of Five, Hugh was a young man who was assimilated but his humanity was restored by the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. Starfleet Command, echoing the villainous traits they exhibit on Star Trek: Picard , ordered Jean-Luc to use Hugh to plant a virus that would be transferred back to and destroy the Borg Collective. Captain Picard balked at this deliberate act of genocide and instead he returned Hugh to his Cube, hoping that his individuality would spread to the rest of the Drones. Hugh was next seen in the "Descent" two-parter, where he and his fellow Drones were taken over by Lore (Brent Spiner), the evil android brother of Lt. Commander Data. Hugh helped his friends on the Enterprise defeat Lore, but the friendly Borg hasn't been seen in Star Trek since. Decades later, in the 2380s, the Romulans gained possession of a derelict Borg Cube and launched their Reclamation Project to harvest and then sell Borg technology in the wake of their planet Romulus being destroyed by a supernova.

Related: Star Trek: Picard's Romulan Retcon - Why The Villains Hate Androids

Star Trek: Picard episode 3, "The End is the Beginning", picked up Hugh's story and reintroduced him as the man in charge of the Romulan Reclamation Project, which makes him the boss of Dr. Soji Asha (Isa Briones), who is secretly Data's synthetic daughter (which Hugh is not aware of). Now older after having lived as a human for decades (though he permanently bears the scars of his assimilation), Hugh oversees the humane way the XBs (ex-Borg, also dubbed "the Nameless" by the Romulans) are having their cybernetic parts removed from their organic selves. Indeed, Hugh took special notice of the compassionate way Soji treats the XBs by speaking to the various species in their native languages as part of their therapy. Taking Soji under his wing, Hugh agreed to introduce her to Ramdha (Rebecca Wisocky), one of the "disordered" Romulans who were assimilated, only be to be shocked when Ramdha turned violent and accused Soji of being "the Destroyer" .

Hugh's presence on the Romulan Borg Artifact is a clever callback to his own life story: Star Trek: Picard 's Borg Cube suffered a sudden submatrix collapse after it assimilated Ramdha and her fellow Romulans. The Collective permanently severed its link to the Borg Cube, deactivating it and leaving it derelict. As "Descent" explained, a similar event happened on Hugh's Cube after he returned from the Enterprise-D; the Collective considered the individuality spreading among the Drones to be a contagion and cut it off from the hive mind, which left the Cube and its inhabitants in disarray. Given the similar circumstances and his own experience as a reclaimed Borg, Hugh is the ideal person to oversee the Romulan Reclamation Project and he seems to have earned the respect of his Romulan hosts.

However, Hugh is an interesting contrast to Soji because the former Borg has clearly had a difficult life and he shared how he and his fellow XBs are among the most reviled people in the galaxy. Yet Soji seems to be able to do things even Hugh, as the project's director, can't, like access restricted Romulan files (just by asking), speak alien languages, and recall obscure trivia about the Romulan culture. As Star Trek: Picard continues, it will be fascinating to see where Hugh stands if and when he learns Soji is synthetic and the target of the A.I.-hating Romulan cabal known as the Zhat Vash as well as what will happen if Hugh meet Jean-Luc Picard again after all these years.

Next: Star Trek: Picard (Wisely) Avoided An Admiral Janeway Cameo

Star Trek: Picard streams Thursdays on CBS All-Access and Fridays internationally on Amazon Prime Video.

Picard: Jonathan Del Arco on How He Found the New Hugh

The ex-borg discusses his return to star trek, where hugh has been for the past 30 years, his relationship with elnor, and that big moment in “nepenthe.”.

Finding the New Hugh

Star trek: picard photos.

Hugh Culber

• View history

Commander Hugh Culber was a Human male Starfleet officer who lived during both the mid- 23rd and late 32nd centuries . He served as a physician and counselor aboard the USS Discovery . ( DIS : " Choose Your Pain ")

• 1 Early life
• 2.1.1 Federation-Klingon war
• 2.1.2 Resurrection
• 2.2 32nd century
• 3.1 Appearances
• 3.2 Background information
• 3.3 External links

Early life [ ]

At the age of sixteen, Culber was injured in a fall while hiking on the cliffs of Cabo Rojo , on Earth . Culber was rescued by a Doctor Kashkooli , who stitched and closed a puncture wound on his shoulder , which gave him a "very sexy scar.", as described by Paul Stamets . The experience inspired Culber to go to medical school . ( DIS : " The Sound of Thunder ")

Sometime after Culber completed his medical training , his tío Cesar died. Culber was angry, and determined that nothing would make him feel better at the funeral . His family posed Cesar at a poker table as part of el muerto parado , after which Culber and his cousins accidently snapped off Cesar's thumb and index finger , leaving Culber to use his training to reattach them. The experience left he and his cousins laughing the whole funeral long. ( DIS : " All Is Possible ")

Starfleet career [ ]

23rd century [ ], federation-klingon war [ ].

During the war in 2256 , Culber served with his husband, Lieutenant Paul Stamets , aboard the USS Discovery .

In 2256, Culber treated Stamets after he was injured in an unsuccessful test of the Discovery 's spore drive . ( DIS : " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry ")

In December of 2256, Specialist Michael Burnham introduced Culber to " Ripper ", a tardigrade , after coming to believe that Ripper was experiencing pain during the starship 's spore jumps . Culber agreed to run some tests. Scans of Ripper's frontal lobe showed significant cumulative deterioration every time Discovery went to black alert . The next time Discovery went to black alert, Ripper collapsed into a state of extreme cryptobiosis , reducing water content levels to one percent. Culber could barely detect Ripper's vital signs , and neurological tests indicated Ripper was possibly sentient. Acting Captain Saru ordered Culber to re-hydrate Ripper for more spore jumps. Culber refused the order, stating that he would "not be party to murder." Saru then ordered Lieutenant Stamets to carry out the order. Unbeknownst to Commander Saru, Lieutenant Stamets injected himself with Ripper's DNA and operated the spore drive in place of Ripper. Stamets rationalized to Culber that he knew he would leave him if he allowed anything else to happen to Ripper. ( DIS : " Choose Your Pain ")

Following the Battle at Pahvo , when Stamets entered a state of catatonia , Culber believed his moments of lucidity were merely insane ramblings. ( DIS : " Despite Yourself ")

Tyler snaps Dr. Culber's neck

After Ash Tyler experienced nightmares of having undergone surgery following Klingon imprisonment, he asked Culber to perform an examination on him. Culber discovered that Tyler's skeletal structure and organs had been surgically altered and that the Tyler personality had been overlaid over that of someone else. This led him to try to ground Tyler, which triggered a reaction in Tyler, who broke Culber's neck , killing him. ( DIS : " Despite Yourself ") It was later discovered that Culber had been correct and that Ash Tyler 's personality had overlaid that of Voq , a Klingon. ( DIS : " The Wolf Inside ")

For his service during the Federation-Klingon War , Culber was posthumously awarded the Starfleet Medal of Honor . Paul Stamets accepted the award on Culber's behalf. ( DIS : " Will You Take My Hand? ")

Unbeknownst to anyone, when Stamets had cradled Culber after his death in one of his moments of lucidity, he had unknowingly drawn Culber's essence into the mycelial network where the jahSepp regarded Culber as a "monster" as he inadvertently killed many of them while defending himself as the network began attacking Culber as a foreign body. ( DIS : " The Wolf Inside ", " Saints of Imperfection ")

Resurrection [ ]

Part of Hugh Culber that survived in mycelial space

In 2257 , during a mission into the mycelial network to rescue Sylvia Tilly , Culber was found by Stamets, Burnham, Tilly and the jahSepp incarnation of May Ahearn who had sought out Tilly's help to deal with the "monster" in the network. After Culber's DNA was added to the jahSepp cocoon in the outside universe, May and the jahSepp were able to rebuild Culber's body through the cocoon, resurrecting him.

After his resurrection, Culber was subjected to extensive scans. ( DIS : " Saints of Imperfection ") Doctor Tracy Pollard ran every scan or test she could think of on Culber, to the point that Culber thought there wasn't a scan or test that she had not performed. While the scans showed his new body was healthy, Culber's body was completely new, with even the old scar on his shoulder gone. Pollard advised Culber that it would take time for him to get used to his new body and that, while she would continue to monitor his condition, he could resume a normal life. ( DIS : " The Sound of Thunder ")

Culber was reinstated in his post by Captain Christopher Pike , and helped in an operation on Essof IV to capture the Red Angel . ( DIS : " The Red Angel ")

Culber decided to transfer to the USS Enterprise , but he eventually changed his mind, when he realized that his place was with Stamets on the Discovery . He was among multiple crewmembers who volunteered to stay on board when Burnham took the ship forward into the 32nd century , to elude Control , with no chance of coming back. Along with the rest of the volunteering crew, Culber was presumed dead by Starfleet , based on the testimonies of the Enterprise senior officers. ( DIS : " Such Sweet Sorrow ", " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

32nd century [ ]

After Discovery arrived in the year 3189 , Culber helped the crew adjust to their new lives in a time in which everyone they had known had died centuries earlier. In particular he helped Keyla Detmer deal with her guilt at being the one who piloted Discovery through the wormhole to the future. ( DIS : " Forget Me Not ")

Following Discovery 's finding of Federation Headquarters , Culber was interrogated and debriefed by a security hologram about his "death". He was then part of the away team that boarded the USS Tikhov to retrieve a seed sample from Urna to help a group of Kili refuges with a prion infection. Culber then helped the doctors treat the refugees.( DIS : " Die Trying ")

He also treated Philippa Georgiou for a unique condition which arose from her travelling across universes as well as through time. ( DIS : " The Sanctuary ", DIS : " Terra Firma, Part 1 ")

During an investigation into the Burn, Culber was beamed down to wreckage of the KSF Khi'eth in the Verubin Nebula with Burnham and Saru. During this time, a holoprogram disguised him as a Bajoran in an outfit that hid his medical supplies and away mission gear. When Osyraa attacked the USS Discovery , he elected to stay behind with Saru and Su'Kal on Theta Zeta they were on. Culber, along with Saru, Adira , and Gray Tal were able to convince Su'Kal to turn off the holo-program. He promised Gray that he, Adira and Stamets would help him be seen again by all. Culber and the others were then beamed aboard Discovery . Culber and Adira were then reunited with Stamets upon their return to Federation Headquarters. Culber, like the rest of crew, updated their uniforms and accepted Burnham as Discovery 's new captain. ( DIS : " Su'Kal ", " That Hope Is You, Part 2 ")

Five months later, Dr. Culber was present for the re-opening ceremony of Starfleet Academy , and had the chance to voice appreciation to Federation President Laira Rillak . Follow the recovery of the Deep Space Repair Beta Six escape vessel's second trip, Culber found Commander Nalas deceased. During this time, Culber also served as Discovery 's counselor in addition to Medical officer.( DIS : " Kobayashi Maru ", " Choose to Live ")

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry "
• " Choose Your Pain "
• " Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad "
• " Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum "
• " Into the Forest I Go "
• " Despite Yourself "
• " The Wolf Inside " (body)
• " Vaulting Ambition "
• " What's Past Is Prologue " (archive footage)
• " Brother " (holographic recording)
• " Saints of Imperfection "
• " The Sound of Thunder "
• " If Memory Serves "
• " The Red Angel "
• " Perpetual Infinity "
• " Through the Valley of Shadows "
• " Such Sweet Sorrow "
• " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 "
• " Far From Home "
• " Forget Me Not "
• " Die Trying "
• " Scavengers "
• " The Sanctuary "
• " Terra Firma, Part 1 "
• " Terra Firma, Part 2 "
• " That Hope Is You, Part 2 "
• " Kobayashi Maru "
• " Anomaly (DIS) "
• " Choose to Live "
• " All Is Possible "
• " The Examples "
• " Stormy Weather "
• " ...But to Connect "
• " Rubicon "
• " The Galactic Barrier "
• " Rosetta "
• " Species Ten-C "
• " Coming Home "

Background information [ ]

Culber is portrayed by Wilson Cruz . He stated about the character, " It was important for me, when we were developing Doctor Culber, that he had this big heart, but he was also someone who was formidable, who could stand up to authority, who, you know, had no problem voicing his opinions and insisting on going the right way. So, I think we achieved that. " ( AT : " Despite Yourself ")

External links [ ]

• Hugh Culber at StarTrek.com
• Hugh Culber at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

Complete List Of Appearances Of The Borg In Star Trek

This article is more than seven years old and was last updated in July 2019.

The Borg are Star Trek's most feared and most loved adversaries they appear in a total twenty-one episodes in the Star Trek franchise in 'Enterprise,' 'The Next Generation' and 'Voyager,' every television incarnation other than the original series and 'Deep Space Nine.' They also appeared in the Star Trek movie 'First Contact.' Below is a complete list of the Borg's appearances in chronological order.

1. Enterprise - 'Regeneration' [S02E23]

2. The Next Generation - 'Q Who' [S02E16]

3. The Next Generation - 'The Best of Both Worlds' [S03E26 - S04E01]

4. The Next Generation - 'I, Borg' [S05E23]

5. The Next Generation - 'Descent' [S06E26 - S07E01]

6. Voyager - 'Unity' [S03E17]

7. Star Trek: First Contact

8. Voyager - 'Scorpion' [S03E26 - S04E01]

9. Voyager - 'The Raven' [S04E06]

10. Voyager - 'Drone' [S05E02]

11. Voyager - 'Dark Frontier' [S05E15 - S05E16]

12. Voyager - 'Survival Instinct' [S06E02]

13. Voyager - 'Collective' [S06E16]

14. Voyager - 'Child's Play' [S06E19]

15. Voyager - 'Unimatrix Zero' [S06E26 - S07E01]

16. Voyager - 'Imperfection' [S07E02]

17. Voyager - 'Endgame' [S07E25]

There's More To Come...

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“it was a devastating day:” how ‘star trek’ actor crafted surprising scene.

'Star Trek: Picard' actor Jonathan Del Arco's Third of Five, whom Picard helped free from his nemesis’ collective 28 years ago.

By Phil Pirrello

Phil Pirrello

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[This episode contains spoilers for  Star Trek: Picard ,  season one, episode seven.]

RIP, Hugh. Jonathan Del Arco’s Third of Five, a former Borg (or “Ex-B”) that Picard helped free from his nemesis’ collective 28 years ago in the classic  Star Trek : The Next Generation  episode “I, Borg,” was killed in “Nepenthe,” the seventh episode of  Star Trek: Picard . And in a tragic dose of irony, the fan-favorite character died aboard that from which he was set free — a Borg cube — moments after helping his liberator escape. 

Star Trek fans are on the verge of obsessive behavior (reference!) when it comes to all things Hugh, and this was not lost on the actor when  The Hollywood Reporter  recently spoke to him about Hugh’s impact on the franchise and how lucky he was to shoot Hugh’s final moments the way he did — which he learned was coming much later than one would expect. 

“I didn’t know until I was almost getting ready to shoot it,” Del Arco revealed. Whereas actors on shows like  Game of Thrones  had more advanced warning on being told when their characters were going to sign off permanently, Del Arco actually liked getting the head’s up when he did. 

“It’s probably a good thing I didn’t know way early because, the moment I did find out — which, of course, I was upset — it actually ended up liberating my work quite a bit. I mean, I was able to prepare — there were phone calls with [executive producer] Michael [Chabon] and everyone early on — but basically, I realized I had X amount of scenes and moments in which to work and do all the things I wanted to do with the character. And take some risks as an actor. And so, in a way, it was helpful, because, like when you know your character is going to die — the way humans know they are going to die in real life — you kind of live for the moment. And that’s what I was able to do building up to the scene.” 

Hugh’s death scene took place on a very emotionally taxing day that brought with it some physical pain as well.

“I got a cornea scratch from the contact lens I was wearing,” Del Arco explained, “so I was basically not supposed to be on set that day at all. But we had to get it done, though I was kind of blind. I couldn’t really see anything.”

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Despite the eye injury and the drama of the scenes, Del Arco said he was able to find comfort in between takes by listening to music. But the scene that arguably proved more tasking on him, however, was that which leads up to Hugh’s actual death — where the Executive Director of the Borg Reclamation Project is forced to silently, painfully, watch the duplicitous Narissa execute his fellow “Ex-B’s” as she interrogates him for Picard and Soji’s location. Tonally, the cold-blooded executions feel more out of a drama like  Schindler’s List , and not  Star Trek , with the former providing a certain historical context that Del Arco tapped into for his performance. 

“The bulk of my research for the show, actually, was on Holocaust survivors. I listened to hours of interviews with survivors, and researched the psychology of survivors — and, having lived through the AIDS crisis, and watching friends die — I used my experience there as well. It was a devastating day to shoot.” 

As emotionally grueling as the scene was, which the actor shot during a seven-hour period, Del Arco gave each take everything he had.

“I definitely had a couple of martinis on the way home,” Del Arco said, jokingly. “I have very few lines in that scene — Narissa has all the dialogue — so I’m mostly reactive. It wasn’t scripted for me to sob at all at that point, but I did it — and every single time we had to shoot that scene, I lost my shit.”

The episode’s director, Doug Aarniokoski, was concerned for his actor — especially since Del Arco gave 100 percent even when he was off-camera. And while he appreciated the director’s mindfulness there, Del Arco was “superstitious that that energy was going to go away, that level of performance, so I wanted to ‘stay in the zone.’ And then we shot the remaining final two scenes.” Del Arco also remarked how grateful he was that the production scheduled his scenes in sequence, so that his death would be his final one, as some shows do not always accommodate that. 

What wasn’t fun, Del Arco admits, was ultimately having to say goodbye to a character he has played for almost 30 years — he was the only  Next Generation  guest star actor to be asked back (so far) to be on  Picard . 

But being able to complete his character’s arc was among Del Arco’s favorite experiences of his time in  Star Trek . 

“Another that really stands out for me — and I know is sort of one of the iconic scenes in  Star Trek  history, a favorite of fans — is the one with me and Sir Patrick [Stewart] in [Picard’s Ready Room] from ‘I, Borg,’ where Hugh recognizes him as Locutus. And another would be reuniting with Patrick [on  Picard ] for our first scene together in years. I’ll always cherish those and my friendship with Patrick.”

New episodes of  Star Trek: Picard  are available Thursdays on CBS All Access.

How 'Star Trek: Picard' Director Jonathan Frakes Crafted That Surprising Scene

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The Best of Borg worlds: The 7 essential Borg episodes to watch before Star Trek: Picard

Credit: CBS

In 1989, in the episode “Q, Who?” Star Trek: The Next Generation took the word "cyborg" and clipped it down to its cold essentials, gifting the world with a new terror: the Borg. Though Doctor Who purists might tell you the Borg are a knock-off of the Cybermen, the black leather aesthetic combined with laser-pointer eyepieces and that chilling catchphrase — "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile" — all cemented the Borg as one the most iconic sci-fi concepts of all time.

The Borg is essentially internet addiction writ large, an enemy that makes you part of its server. In Star Trek: Picard , the Borg are back and several of the main characters (Picard, Hugh, Seven of Nine) were all previously assimilated by the Borg Collective. This means that revisiting some of the more pivotal Borg moments is essential for your Picard homework.

The Borg appear in six episodes of The Next Generation , one episode of Deep Space Nine , one episode of Enterprise , the film Star Trek: First Contact , and 23 episodes of Voyager . And, if you count every single episode of Voyager in which former-Borg Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) appears, that’s 100 episodes right there. So that’s possibly a total of 32 episodes or 108 Borg episodes and 1 feature film, depending on how you look at it. That’s a lot of Borg to binge! So, in honor of Borg efficiency, here are the 7 essential Borg stories to quickly assimilate and help make watching Star Trek: Picard even more ... engaging.

Note: There are ZERO spoilers for Star Trek: Picard ahead. Episode numbers use the Netflix and CBS All-Access watch order for ease of bingeing.

01 . The Next Generation: Season 3 Episode 26 and Season 4, Episode 1, “The Best of Both Worlds Parts 1 and 2”

Although the first canonical appearance of the Borg happens in the TNG Season 2 episode "Q, Who?" whispers of the Borg are hinted at as early as the Season 1 finale, "The Neutral Zone." That said, you don't really need to start getting your Borg on until the Season 3 finale, "The Best of Both Worlds."

That's the famous episode where Picard is singled-out to be assimilated by the Collective, and the Borg make a bee-line to conquer Earth. The conclusion of this two-parter was the Season 4 premiere of TNG , and the repercussions of that episode changed Jean-Luc Picard forever.

02 . The Next Generation: Season 5, Episode 23, "I, Borg"

In Star Trek: Picard , the former-Borg know as Hugh (Johnathan Del Arco) has a semi-regular role, and in the trailers , we've seen a more human-looking Hugh in a few quick shots. What's happened to Hugh since The Next Generation hasn't been revealed yet, but Hugh's origin story is this classic episode, "I, Borg."

The Enterprise finds an injured Borg, Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and La Forge (Levar Burton) decide to nurse the Borg back to health to learn more about the Collective. Without spoiling anything, this changes the way Picard and everyone else starts to think about the Borg in a big way. Hugh returns in the two-parter "Descent," in Season 6 and season 7, but you can probably skip those ones if you're pressed for time. This is the essential Hugh episode, and, probably defines the possibilities for what can happen to former Borg drones.

03 . Voyager: Season 5, Episode 15, “Dark Frontier”

Arguably, to fully prepare for Seven of Nine's (Jeri Ryan) return in Star Trek: Picard , you might want to rewatch the entirety of Star Trek: Voyager starting with Seven's first appearance in the season 3 finale "Scorpion Part 1." But, that's also little like saying you should rewatch every episode of TNG to make sure you know everything about Jean-Luc Picard. Seven of Nine is one of the greatest Star Trek characters of all time, and creating a list of the very best Seven episodes is its own thing entirely.

But, if you're only trying to download the most essential Borg lore into your brain, rewatching the epic "Dark Frontier" won't disappoint. This episode reveals how Seven was first assimilated into the Borg collective, and why. Plus, it suggests that all former Borg drones have a complicated relationship with the Collective and the Borg Queen in specific.

When it originally aired in 1999, "Dark Frontier" was presented as an extra-long two-hour episode. Netflix preserves it this way, but sometimes, you'll see reference to "Dark Frontier Part 1 and Part 2." Don't be confused; it's all the same thing.

04 . Voyager: Season 6, Episode 16, "Collective"

This episode introduced yet another variation on what it was like for former Borg drones to suddenly live outside of the interconnected hivemind of the collective. The difference this time was that the liberated Borg were all kids. Sure, Hugh was young , but he wasn't a little kid. In this episode, Seven becomes a de facto mother figure/teacher to a group of children, who, just like her, had been assimilated when they were super young. This episode also introduces the character of Icheb, a reoccurring ex-Borg who would later develop an obsession with Starfleet history, with a special interest in Captain Kirk.

05 . Voyager: Season 6, Episode 26 and Season 7, Episode 1 “Unimatrix Zero Parts 1 and 2”

As its title suggests, "Unimatrix Zero," is kind of like the Matrix in The Matrix . But, in this version, the idyllic cyberspace world is a good thing, because it's literally the only place Borg drones can "go" to be themselves. In the virtual sanctuary of Unimatrix Zero, Borg can meet, and converse, and imagine how they may have been or looked before they'd been assimilated. They can also meet and speak with drones whose bodies are plugged into Borg ships millions of light years apart.

So, basically, it's a secret virtual reality chatroom for people who are enslaved by an AI hivemind, which, if you think about it objectively — even outside of the context of Star Trek — is a freaking awesome idea for a story. As a two-part episode of Voyager , "Unimatrix Zero," is one of the best. And as a Borg episode to prep you for Picard , the essential thing about "Unimatrix Zero" is that it basically proves that even when we think we know everything about the Borg, we totally don't.

Credit: Paramount Pictures

06 . Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

It's Picard and Data versus the Borg!

Hailed as perhaps the greatest Star Trek film of all time (or at least in a dead heat with The Wrath of Khan ), First Contact mostly focuses on Picard's deep-rooted hatred for the Borg, and his desire to enact his revenge, no matter what. It also is the first introduction of the Borg Queen (Alice Krige), a character who adds a layer to the Borg that makes them seem both much scarier, and weirdly a little more explicable. The Borg Queen is deranged, to be sure, but it's not clear she's evil , per se.

If you haven't seen the movie, I won't tell you what happens between her and Data (or her and Picard) but let's just say, this: the Borg Queen might be the most interesting villain in all of Star Trek . And, based on everything we learned in Star Trek: Voyager , she also might be indestructible.

07 . Voyager Season 7, Episode 24: "Endgame"

Before there was Avengers: Endgame , there was Voyager: Endgame ! In the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager , Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) , travels back in time from the year 2404, to help get the USS Voyager home to Earth about 23-years sooner than they did the first time around. Future Janeway's workaround is all about hijacking a transwarp hub used by the Borg to pop-around the galaxy with relative ease, much quicker than the Starfleet warp drives. But, Admiral Janeway's plan involves slightly more than just stealing some propulsion tech.

Without spoiling anything, the ending of this episode will make you wonder what state the Borg Collective could possibly be in during the time of Picard . "Endgame" took place in 2378, and the events of Picard happen in 2399. Whatever happened to the Borg in those 21 years might not be 100 percent answered in Picard . But, in terms of the Star Trek timeline, "Endgame" is where we left the Borg. So, when we see them again, the events of this episode will almost certainly have impacted the Collective. Even if they're too shy to mention it.

Star Trek: Picard debuts Thursday, January 23 on CBS All Access.

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Picard: Jonathan Del Arco on How He Found the New Hugh

The ex-borg discusses his return to star trek, where hugh has been for the past 30 years, his relationship with elnor, and that big moment in “nepenthe.”.

One of the more surprising reveals in the ramp-up to Star Trek: Picard was that Jonathan Del Arco would be returning to the role of Hugh the Borg for the new series. Hugh was only seen in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation which aired almost 30 years ago, but the character had a distinct impact on fans as he allowed us to peer behind the veil of that villainous cyborg race. We liked Hugh. We really, really liked him!

But much has changed for the character in the years since he had a glowing, mechanical eye and tubes coming out of his molded Borg suit. No, the Hugh of today is just a man with a tortured past -- and Del Arco wouldn’t have it any other way.

Finding the New Hugh

“I did a bunch of small things that were physical things to tie the two timelines together,” he says. “Obviously a lot of it was physically and emotionally [and] had to do with the fact that he was much more machine then than he is now. … I worked on creating some kind of connective tissue so when the fans saw it, it would be just enough. I didn't want it to be an overbearing, robotic thing because that would’ve been silly, or a copy or mimic of the speech pattern because, frankly, no one speaks the same as when they were 18 as when they're in their 40s or 50s, so I wanted it to be organic.”

I've changed as a person, Hugh's changed as a person. We're still the same people inside.

Again, the time that has passed for the actor has also passed for Hugh, and Del Arco used that to his advantage.

“I wanted to do a normal human evolution,” he says. “I’ve changed as a person, Hugh’s changed as a person. We're still the same people inside, but we developed ourselves. That was the challenge and it was really kind of one of the most fun slash scary things I've had to do as an actor, to kind of rediscover him.”

The Artifact and What Happened Since The Next Generation

After Jean-Luc told him in "Descent, Part II" that he, essentially, could be a leader, Hugh took that to heart and took charge of the ex-Borg from that episode. Eventually, they became part of the Federation, and then when the cube that would become the Artifact entered the picture, Hugh was the Federation’s natural choice to make sure there wouldn’t be a “humanitarian crisis” on the vessel.

“It went from bad to worse on the cube,” he explains. “And so he's got a sense of, ‘Oh my God, we've been abandoned,’ because the Federation no longer has [influence there]. We agreed to sign up for this thing with a full backing and now we're kind of alone on the cube. And though he’s free on the cube, he's actually also a prisoner. So I really researched that -- the Holocaust and how even in the ghettos in the Holocaust, they had leadership which … had a higher ranking than the prisoners. And all that was really fascinating to me because there's a lot of gray area, and gray area is really fun to play with as an actor. Sometimes it’s just black and white. So he had this struggle in trying to keep the line, push back when you can. Obviously we see what happens to him. You know, there's a limit to how much you can push back.”

Speaking of which…

The Death of Hugh

“It's very liberating knowing that this is how it's going to end, because I just thought, ‘I've only got one shot at this now to really end this right and to really, like, go big or go home,’ he says. “Don't leave anything on the table in terms of my investment and my work. This role is so incredibly important to me for essentially a variety of reasons, from personal to professional, but I really wanted to take what they'd written and do it justice and make good choices, be rational and have them make sense and have them be in line with what I want the legacy of the character to be.”

That Hugh spends his final episode and, indeed, his final moments with the Romulan Elnor (Evan Evagora) is surprising, and yet it works very well in the context of the episode as the two attempt to defy the Romulans who are running amuck on the Artifact. Indeed, Hugh gets a great final line when he says to Elnor, “I was that much of a hopeful fool again for a minute. Thanks for that.”

I think he saw a lot of himself in Elnor. Hugh used to have that sense of innocence, of righteousness.

“I was like, ‘This is Hugh’s last moment and I'm going to make some personal choices, and so I'll make them personal choices about how I want them to be,’” says Del Arco. “And I think there were a lot of things about Elnor that for me resonated as a gay man.”

There certainly is a spark between the two characters in that moment. And while reps for CBS say that Hugh has not been identified as gay, Del Arco took his own experience as a gay man into consideration when playing that scene.

“You know, I think he loved him,” he says. “I think in essence he might've been in love with him in the time that he was there. I think that the hope was really someone loves him. Someone who was idealistic. I think he saw a lot of himself in Elnor. Hugh used to have that sense of innocence, of righteousness. And all those things were hopeful to him, because he hadn't been in a space of hope for all this time. And I think for a minute he thought, ‘You know, I think me and the kid can go all the way with this. We could take the cube. We could save it.’ And there you go. It didn't work out.”

And yet… could Hugh return someday despite his death? This is Star Trek, after all. Crazier things have happened.

Talk to Executive Editor Scott Collura on Twitter at @ScottCollura , or listen to his Star Trek podcast, Transporter Room 3 . Or do both!

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Essential Hugh Culber Episodes

The Discovery's doctor and counselor is always there to help and heal the crew.

StarTrek.com

Across four seasons of Star Trek: Discovery , Commander Hugh Culber — the U.S.S. Discovery 's medical officer and counselor — has demonstrated countless times how much he cares for his crew and loved ones.

In celebration of the incomparable Wilson Cruz's birthday, we're spotlighting the episodes that showcase Culber's wit and care, as well as Cruz's memorable performances.

Culber Goes Against the Acting Captain's Orders in "Choose Your Pain"

I will not be party to murder.

Dr. Hugh Culber, "Choose Your Pain"

"Choose Your Pain"

When Michael Burnham expresses her concerns about how the spore drive jumps may be affecting Ripper, the ship's tardigrade, Dr. Culber promises to look into it. As a counselor, he acknowledges Burnham's cause of worry. And as a medical professional, Culber is interested in learning more about the tardigrade's deteriorating condition, and if the species processes stress the same way humanoids do.

When Captain Lorca is taken prisoner by the Klingons, First Officer Saru steps up as acting captain in search of a plan to rescue Lorca. Having located Lorca's whereabouts, Saru orders Lt. Stamets to bring the spore drive back "online." Unfortunately, Ripper collapses in the science chamber. Seeing as they're in "survival mode," Saru orders Culber to rehydrate Ripper and pull it out of its cryptobiosis shell. The doctor stands up to the acting captain, refusing to harm what he perceives to be a sentient creature.

"Choose Your Pain" also showcases a tender and loving moment between Culber and Stamets. Unable to use Ripper, the astromycologist makes himself the new human navigator as they rescue Lorca and bring the Discovery out of hostile territory, while also not crossing his husband by endangering the tardigrade. Relinquishing his fate to being "doomed to love a brilliant but reckless maniac who's willing to risk his life for glory," he makes Stamets promise to never do anything as stupid again because "You may not care about you but I do."

Culber Returns to Stamets in "Vaulting Ambition" and "Saints of Imperfection"

As you walked, you held out your hand behind you because you knew that I would grab it. And I did. And I knew everything about you in that moment.

Paul Stamets, "Saints of Imperfection"

"Saints of Imperfection"

Despite being murdered by Lt. Ash Tyler when he and Dr. Culber both discovered he was a human vessel for the Klingon Voq in "Despite Yourself," Stamets and Culber proved their love transcended life and death.

While trapped navigating the mycelial network, Stamets came across illusions of his late husband who tells the astromycologist that he really is dead. Culber recalls his final moments and thanks Stamets for always making him feel safe. As Stamet is succumbing to a coma and finds himself trapped further in his mind, it's Hugh who pulls him through — reminding him of the good he's done and that his life's work's in danger due to his Terran counterpart corrupting the mycelial network. Before Stamets wakens, Culber reminds him it's never goodbye, and that nothing in there is ever truly gone; "Follow the music, Paul. Look for the clearing in the forest."

In "Saints of Imperfection," Sylvia Tilly finds herself transported into the mycelial network to aid the jahSepp species in killing a "monster." Navigating a half jump into the mycelial network, Stamets and Burnham find Tilly and the jahSepp in the form of a Starfleet officer, May. There, they all discover the "monster" is a disheveled Culber whose presence is wreaking havoc on the mycelial network. His essence was pulled into the network when Stamets, the human navigator, was cradling his lifeless body. As they try to return to the Discovery , Culber — made up of mycelial matter — is able to return to "normal" matter with May's help and the cocoon that had encompassed Tilly previously.

Culber Confronts Ash Tyler in "If Memory Serves"

"If Memory Serves"

Culber struggles to adjust to life on the Discovery , and just life in general, which strains his relationship with Stamets. More so, he's affected by the presence of his killer — Ash Tyler/Voq — still aboard the ship.

In Discovery 's mess hall, Culber angrily confronts a seated Tyler, shocking the crew present. As Tyler tries to apologize and explain it wasn't him, Culber demands he bring the one responsible out, escalating into a full blown brawl. As others try to intervene, Saru stops them believing this must be allowed to play out as "a necessary and unavoidable catharsis," despite this not being in accordance to Starfleet's code of conduct. Exhausted by the moment, Culber admits he doesn't know who he is anymore; something that connects him to Tyler's predicament.

In this episode, Cruz's exemplary performance demonstrates how miracles can be curses for the ones who bear it.

Culber Finds His Home in "Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"

"Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2"

In "Through the Valley of Shadows," engineer Jett Reno offers up an observation to Culber, "It's funny. People like us always find people like them, and thank god. You have a second chance, and it may not last forever. Don't screw it up." Despite this, Culber tries to push Stamets and him to move forward, separately, with him deciding to transfer to the U.S.S. Enterprise .

However, Discovery and Enterprise finds them up against a menancing fleet within Section 31 — Control. When Stamets is severely injured, Culber is on hand to offer aid to Dr. Pollard. At Stamets' side, Culber reveals, "I thought I could make my home on Enterprise . Then I realized that you're my home. So I came back. Just sorry it took me so long to see it. Everything always came back around to you. I'm just sorry it took me so long to see it. I'm your family. Wherever we go from here, we go together."

Together, they, along with countless others, join Burnham and the Discovery jumping to the 32nd Century to put a stop to Control. It's in this uncharted territory that Culber, as the ship's counselor, excels at helping the crew navigate their uncertain future.

Culber Aids Adira Tal and Gray Tal in "Anomaly" and "Choose to Live"

"Anomaly"

When Ensign Adira Tal joins the Discovery crew, Dr. Culber promises them he would help their late boyfriend, Gray Tal, who was only visible to them, find his own body. It's in "Anomaly" that Culber introduces them to a 24th Century process of a synth golem body, designed by Dr. Altan Soong. Culber commits to helping them both through the experimental procedure, which sees success in "Choose to Live."

Adira takes Culber's advice to heart and reaches out to Gray when they were unable to feel his presence; promising to help guide him if they couldn't find his way. Like Culber, Gray, with a second lease on life, feels whole and home, again.

In time, Culber, Stamets, Adira, and Gray form their own family unit together.

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Christine Dinh (she/her) is the managing editor for StarTrek.com. She’s traded the Multiverse for helming this Federation Starship.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Picard Episode 6's twist ending is actually a deep-cut Star Trek Easter egg

A whole lotta First Contact.

With Episode 6 of Star Trek: Picard , "The Impossible Box," previously separated characters finally cross paths. After a lot of waiting around, Jean-Luc's motley crew launch a daring rescue on the Borg Cube, which means they're on a collision course for a lot of references to old-school canon.

"The Impossible Box" leans heavily on Jean-Luc's traumatic past with the Borg , but the final twist of the episode relies on a very deep, random connection to an episode of Voyager almost everyone has forgotten about. Along the way, Picard manages to reference Deep Space Nine , secret time travel energy, and even the franchise-spanning history with the Romulans. Here's all the Easter eggs and references you might have missed.

Spoilers ahead for Picard, Episode 6, "The Impossible Box."

11. Can the Borg change?

At the top of the episode, Picard freaks out on Dr. Jurati when she suggests that the former Borg can change. Picard spits, " Change! The Borg? They cooly assimilate entire planets, entire systems, in a matter of hours. They don’t change! They metastasize! ”

The scene references Picard's vengeance speech in First Contact, where he said: "They invade our space and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further!"

Several decades later, Picard isn't out for revenge, but he's still not crazy about the Borg.

Locutus of Borg

10. Picard's research

When Jean-Luc heads to his holographic study, he asks the computer to search the following terms: "treaty" "reclamation project" and "the Borg." This prompts a deluge of Easter eggs. There's an image of the Enterprise-E in First Contact and an image of Hugh from the TNG episode "I, Borg." The sequence ends with Picard seeing an image of himself as Locutus of Borg in "The Best of Both Worlds."

9. Actual footage from Star Trek: First Contact

Throughout the episode, Picard has several flashbacks to his time with the Borg collective. This marks one of the only occasions a Trek TV series incorporates footage from the films. We see footage of Borg drones from First Contact and hear Alice Krige as the Borg Queen. The archival footage of Locutus used in "The Impossible Box" is not from "The Best of Both Worlds," but First Contact again. So, what we're seeing is flashbacks of flashbacks.

Picard and the Borg Queen in 'First Contact'

8. The Romulans' 250-year-old bad mood

When Raffi calls in favor to get diplomatic access for Picard, she's told that "the Romulans are in a 250-year-old bad mood." This number represents the entire time the Federation has even known about the Romulans.

The TOS episode " Balance of Terror " established that the first Romulan War happened about a hundred years prior. Later, Trek canon would pinpoint this at 2156, roughly around the time the prequel series Enterprise ends. So, in the year 2399, it's been about 243 years since the Federation and the Romulans have been mad at each other.

7. A new name

Hugh tells Picard that "a new name is a new step to a new identity," and mentions he learned that on "the Enterprise ." This again references the episode "I, Borg" in which the Enterprise rescued Hugh.

It also kind of references the TNG two-part episode "Descent," where some of the other rogue Borg have names, too. Notably, "Descent Part 2" is the last time we saw Hugh before Picard . At that time, Picard left Hugh in charge of a rogue Borg.

Hugh in Picard's Ready Room in 'I, Borg'

6. The Borg Queen

Hugh alludes to the Borg Queen saying, "Only now our Queen is a Romulan." This could be a metaphor. Hugh could be saying the Romulans, in general, control them, so the idea of the Romulans is their "Queen."

On the other hand, it may imply a female Romulan was running the Borg, or what's left of "the Romulan Free State." In theory, if the Romulans had a "queen," there's a slim chance it might be Tasha Yar's half-Romulan/half-human daughter Sela, last seen in TNG episode, "Unification."

5. Gold-pressed latinum

Rios tells Raffi, "You owe me two strips of latinum," because she lost a bet. This is a reference to the currency used by people in Deep Space Nine , who operated outside of the boundaries of the Federation.

Getting cozy with Soji.

4. Romulan poison

When Narek tries to kill Soji, he uses a deadly red mist that escapes from a specific box. Though it's not identical, this seems to reference a similar Romulan poison used to kill a bunch of Romulan senators in the opening scene of Nemesis .

3. Time-travel energy

Though it's barely audible, when Picard and Hugh go into Soji's room, a voice on the loudspeaker says various areas have been isolated due to "increased chronometric activity." The Borg used these particles to travel through time in First Contact . Is time-travel happening in secret? Or is this just leftover Borg tech acting up?

2. "Spatial projector"

"The Impossible Box" ends with a crazy twist. Picard and Soji long-distance teleport off the Borg Cube using something called a "spatial projector." Hugh mentions that the Borg got this tech from the "Sikarians."

This references an early Voyager episode called "Prime Factors," where the crew tried to obtain the spatial projection tech to get back to the Alpha Quadrant, but it didn't work out. That episode happened in the year 2371, and the Sikarians had not been assimilated by the Borg at that time. Hugh mentions the tech was "after your time," to Picard. So, at some point after 2371, the Borg assimilated this tech from the Sikarians after their meeting with Voyager.

The spatial projector in 'Voyager'

The spatial projector is also in the "Queen's chamber." This could also explain how there can be multiple versions of the Borg Queen. In First Contact , Picard "killed" the queen, only for her to reappear in several episodes of Voyager, notably, "Dark Frontier," "Unimatrix Zero," and "Endgame." Did she uses the spatial projector to save herself from getting destroyed in "Endgame?"

In Picard , the projector has a range of "40,000 light-years." This matches the Voyager episode "Prime Factors" exactly.

1. Nepenthe

Where are Picard and Soji going? Jean-Luc tells Rios their destination is "Nepenthe." Not only is this the title of the next episode, it also feels like an Easter egg for The Undiscovered Country . In that movie, a place called Rura Penthe is a penal colony, located on a snowy asteroid in Klingon space. Picard pronounces the "penthe" part of "Nepenthe" exactly the same way everyone says "Rura Penthe." This could be a coincidence, but maybe not. Is Picard headed to Klingon space? Do Riker and Troi live on a planet with Worf? We'll have some kind of answer in Episode 7.

Also, for you mythology fans out there, a nepenthe is a drug first referenced in Homer's Odyssey , reputed to help one forget pain, sorrow, and grief.

Star Trek: Picard airs Thursdays on CBS All-Access.