Can we blame Picard for the change in the Borg?

[seanrobertson]

It is possible that 7 is only about 15 y'know. The borg accellerate the growth of children they assimilate.

Seven was assimilated shortly after she turned 6, and was Borg for 18 years. I believe she spent 5 of those years in a maturation chamber.

[seanrobertson]

Q's "not a he, not a she" line might also have been a reference to lack of psychological gender identification in Borg drones, rather than a direct statement regarding their -- ahem -- "equipment."

Exactly, yes

That was part of my point...what Q said was rather ambiguous, left wide open for interpretation. I think he was also being potentially ambiguous when he said:

"The Borg aren't interested in conquest or power as you understand it. They're only interested in your ship, its technology; they've recognized it as something they can consume."

That doesn't mean the Borg simply don't assimilate people, period. Rather, what first catches their eye is tech.

[Superman]

When he said the "no he she" thing, perhaps the writers were creating them that way at that point. Of course, the history was revised with B & B.

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

Assimilation didn't start in "I Q." Locutus was talking about assimilation in "BOBW"

[Raoul Duke, Jr.]

When he said the "no he she" thing, perhaps the writers were creating them that way at that point. Of course, the history was revised with B & B.

Well, right, we understand that. Just trying to come up with explanations that make sense without breaking the fourth wall.

[Hades]

I think even though we never saw it the borg had been asimilating people. Yes i know they saw chambers where babies were "grown" but perhaps this is mearly babies that have been asimilated

[Worlds Spanner]

Just trying to come up with explanations that make sense without breaking the fourth wall.

Sadly, that may not be possible.

I blame B&B.