Could the Borg adapt to Force Lightning?

[Shroom Man 777]

Ah fuck. By "bolt" I meant "force lightning"

[Aaron]

So what if the bolt was pure unadulterated electricity? How can the Borg adapt to that? Because they can adapt to phasers because of that frequency modulating bullshit, while electricity, as far as I know, does NOT have frequency. And there's the firepower > adaptation thing, so the Sith Lord could just crank up his lightning from stun to kill and the drone will be vaped.

Electricity does have a frequency Shroom. For example the frequency of the juice in your house is 60 hertz.

[Darth Wong]

So what if the bolt was pure unadulterated electricity? How can the Borg adapt to that? Because they can adapt to phasers because of that frequency modulating bullshit, while electricity, as far as I know, does NOT have frequency. And there's the firepower > adaptation thing, so the Sith Lord could just crank up his lightning from stun to kill and the drone will be vaped.

Electricity does have a frequency Shroom. For example the frequency of the juice in your house is 60 hertz.

That only applies to AC power. A lightning bolt is not AC.

[Batman]

Crap.
Well, at least it was none other than the Wongster who beat me to it.

[Aaron]

[


That only applies to AC power. A lightning bolt is not AC.

Thats true, forgot about DC.

[Big Phil]

Has there ever been a discussion on this board about Borg adaptation, and exactly how it works? It gets tossed around like the Borg can adapt to practically anything, but exactly what the fuck does that mean? Could the Borg "adapt" to anal raping, and prevent it? Could they "adapt" to acid? Could they "adapt" to a bolt of lightning?

[Batman]

Has there ever been a discussion on this board about Borg adaptation, and exactly how it works?

There may have been the odd debate or two

[Big Phil]

Has there ever been a discussion on this board about Borg adaptation, and exactly how it works?

There may have been the odd debate or two

Recently, or a long time ago? I couldn't find anything in the first few pages when I searched. Maybe I'm blind...

[SirNitram]

Has there ever been a discussion on this board about Borg adaptation, and exactly how it works?

There may have been the odd debate or two

Recently, or a long time ago? I couldn't find anything in the first few pages when I searched. Maybe I'm blind...

It's a long-buried issue for most. It runs like this:

The one time a method to defeat Adaptation is discussed, it's exclusively in terms of altering frequency.

Every time we've seen the Borg adapt to a weapon, it's been one based off a frequency.

They have shown zero resistance to any form of physical contact, from Tommy Guns to claws.

So basically, it comes down to: Borg Adaptation appears limited to an extremely limited type of weaponry: frequency-coherent weapons. Rocks, gun slugs, plasma, lightning bolts, stellar material, and life-sucking Dark Side manifestations are gonna blow through unhindered.

[wilfulton]

Spoiler!

I just watched Episode III, and it does actually seem like force lightning can actually be used to throw people around the room. This could conceivably be used to throw borg around the room, possibly damaging their insides by jarring them or slamming them against solid objects or maybe even onto pointy objects (of which there can be no shortage if plot devices are emplyed liberally).




*sigh* as for the Salami part, I am fond of salami, (Born and raised in the United States, I have to, by default, love foods that are an even mix of saturated fat and sodium) and I never really did like the borg. In any case, I've seen some pretty good size logs of salami at the grocery store, and I have been known to preserve such things for longer periods of time in the almighty freezer. At which point it would make a pretty good club actually. Then I saw Mike's site making an inference to Borg not being able to adapt to physical attacks (punches and kicks) and thought such a fight would be interesting to see.

[Solauren]

Actually, I have to wonder how effective the Force would be against the Borg.

Seriously.

Reasoning: The Hive Mind.

Since the Borg are all essentially one mind, could the effect of the Force lightning, since it's the Force, be spread out amongst the entire collective?

This could have several interesting possible consequences:

#1- Borg drones could be more resistant to Force Lightning then everyone else (Jedi included), as the Force based damage is distrubted amongst the Borg collective.

#2- It's possible that frying one Borg drone fries them all equally (kinda like how getting you ass kicked in the Matrix beats you up in real life). Remember, "one jumps off, they all jump off". I admit, this is fairly unlikely, but imagine the look on everyone's face if Palpy (or another Dark-Side user) Force Lightning a single drone and the entire collective shorted out?

#3- The Dark Side user decides 'screw the soul damaging stuff, these things are just zombies anyway' and instead snaps necks.

[Spartan]

Solauren wrote:

#1- Borg drones could be more resistant to Force Lightning then everyone else (Jedi included), as the Force based damage is distrubted amongst the Borg collective.

Why exactly? In the films the lightning is directed energy, we never see it arc to other people. We have never seen a single Borg get attacked and the damaged distributed among the collective. That's not a leap of logic, its a plunge off a cliff.

#2- It's possible that frying one Borg drone fries them all equally (kinda like how getting you ass kicked in the Matrix beats you up in real life). Remember, "one jumps off, they all jump off". I admit, this is fairly unlikely, but imagine the look on everyone's face if Palpy (or another Dark-Side user) Force Lightning a single drone and the entire collective shorted out?

The Borg would just disconnect the part of the collective being attacked; theyv'e done it before. The collective is held together by subspace trancievers, why would the Force be able to use that as a conduit?

#3- The Dark Side user decides 'screw the soul damaging stuff, these things are just zombies anyway' and instead snaps necks.

That's more like it, although the Sith would probably liken them to droids. He also has his lightsabre so its all good.

[Big Phil]

It's a long-buried issue for most. It runs like this:

The one time a method to defeat Adaptation is discussed, it's exclusively in terms of altering frequency.

Every time we've seen the Borg adapt to a weapon, it's been one based off a frequency.

They have shown zero resistance to any form of physical contact, from Tommy Guns to claws.

So basically, it comes down to: Borg Adaptation appears limited to an extremely limited type of weaponry: frequency-coherent weapons. Rocks, gun slugs, plasma, lightning bolts, stellar material, and life-sucking Dark Side manifestations are gonna blow through unhindered.

So then a Borg tossed into a prison cell with a bunch of lonely men is in real trouble

That's what I thought, but it seems like Borg adaptation wasn't considered like this early in this thread.

[atg]

Don't know how games fit into cannon but its the only description i've seen in games/movies/novels that i've got.

Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (under Multiplayer>Play>Rules>Force Powers>Lightning), says force lightning "Allows Jedi to hurl a devastating electrical attack against enemies."

Are there any novels that counter this? If not then it would seem to be electricity which the borg may be able to adapt to.

[Batman]

Don't know how games fit into cannon but its the only description i've seen in games/movies/novels that i've got.
Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy (under Multiplayer>Play>Rules>Force Powers>Lightning), says force lightning "Allows Jedi to hurl a devastating electrical attack against enemies."
Are there any novels that counter this? If not then it would seem to be electricity which the borg may be able to adapt to.

How does the phrase 'Urm-NO?' grab you?
Not only is game canonity best described by the phrase 'You've hit rock bottom? Great. Start digging' but given that electricity isn't inherently frequeny based even if Force Lightning were mere electricity there's no reason to assume the Borg could adapt to it.

[atg]

Correct me if i'm wrong but if there's nothing to contradict it in any "higher canon" ie novels/movies, doesn't it hold?
I appologise in advance if force lightning is explained in a novel that i've missed but the above is the only thing i've personally seen in terms of any explaination.

[Civil War Man]

Higher-level canon than game mechanics (mentioned earlier in this thread, IIRC) claim that Force lightning goes far beyond mere electricity (which is backed up, as stated earlier, by the fact that its movement does not follow the properties of electricity) and actually attacks the life-force/soul/what-have-you of the target.

Granted, the Borg are space-zombies, but since they still contain living biological parts they would contain the medium which Force lightning is supposed to attack.

[Connor MacLeod]

If you watch the "bolt" that Yoda returned to Dooku in AOTC on frame by frame you'll notice that when Dooku redirects it upwards, it blasts into the ceiling, aparently gouging a hole in it (you can see fragments flying away, as well as smoke and a cloud of flame and/or vapor from the impact point.) On top of that, when Anakin gets blasted you can see smoke rising from his vest/clothing (the same is true in ROTJ - there is smoke and sparks from Luke getting blasted.)

On top of that, various official sources make note of Force lightning inflicting physical damage (some likening it to being comparable to blasters in terms of physical damage.),

Either way "Force/Sith lightning" obviously inflicts physical damage (presumably via energy, like a blaster bolt, rather than "TK".)

[Connor MacLeod]

The ROTJ novel suggests that Force Lightning is a manifestation of the Dark Side. Also, most of the time we see that Force Lightning has a TK component to it. Which brings us to the question of will Borg drones survive getting their implants being torn out of them by recall.

The "TK component" is separate. According to the AOTC novel, Dooku "threw" Anakin with a "Force Wall" type effect combined with the lightning.

That said, Force lightning does appear to have some *momentum* to it, given that Yoda's hand was pushed back when he absorbed/returned Dooku's attack.

[Connor MacLeod]

My only intention was to point out that a energy "shield" of sorts seems to be able to stop Force lightening bolts, although we can safely assume other effects (like the magically imparted momentun) is stopped via other means (aka the Force).

What the fuck are you blathering about? What "Magically imparted momentum?"

[Darth Yoshi]

The TK component, presumably.

Regardless, the fact is that linking TK with Force Lightning appears to be a common practice. Unless the Force adept in question is only using Force Lighting exclusively, the Borg will be raped by the TK.

[Robert Walper]

My only intention was to point out that a energy "shield" of sorts seems to be able to stop Force lightening bolts, although we can safely assume other effects (like the magically imparted momentun) is stopped via other means (aka the Force).

What the fuck are you blathering about? What "Magically imparted momentum?"

You obviously missed how most victims of Force lightening are hurled backwards...it looks like they are being impacted by momentum, although as others have suggested it's most likely just TK application.

[Robert Walper]

What the fuck are you blathering about? What "Magically imparted momentum?"

That said, Force lightning does appear to have some *momentum* to it, given that Yoda's hand was pushed back when he absorbed/returned Dooku's attack.

[Trekdestroyer]

Sith Lightning is the raw destructive power of the dark side. I doubt there is anything to adapt to because the lightning has no frequency because it isn't electricity. The borg are deader than they were when they started.

[Darth Wong]

I can never get over the idiocy of Borg wanking. Any sci-fi combatants who would have trouble attacking Roman-era legionaires is not worth worrying about.