RAR - You command the fleet at Wolf 359

[NeoGoomba]

Has there been any known instances of ship-board systems that can function as the equivalent of a SW Interdictor? Because I've always wondered why the Borg deigned to drop out of warp at all at Wolf 359 other than to hand Starfleet a blow to morale. I wonder if Hansen had access to some rare device that was able to pull the Borg out of warp to fight?

[Crazedwraith]

At the very least there's the technobabble used in 'Once More Unto The Bridge' that Kor used to knock a squadron of Jem Hadar bugships out of Warp, He had to engage them in battle to keep them out of warp though. It's possible the technobabble prevents them reentering warp so long as Kor's BoP was alive or not and they just didn't until he was.

[Borgholio]

Well there would really be no need for the Borg to even go through the system if they were making a beeline for Earth. It's likely they stopped in the system to look for something to assimilate and they found the fleet.

[Khaat]

I think the Borg engaged the fleet because Locutus understood that the Federation would be broken if they had no fleet and Earth was lost. If the Borg had by-passed the fleet and drawn it to Earth (so assimilation and the destruction of the fleet could be simultaneous), the Ent-D would have shown up and Earth would already be "invaded": much nastier resolution (or they saved that story for First Contact!)

Humans seem (because that's what we're shown and told) to be the driving force behind the Federation.

[Prometheus Unbound]

Has there been any known instances of ship-board systems that can function as the equivalent of a SW Interdictor? Because I've always wondered why the Borg deigned to drop out of warp at all at Wolf 359 other than to hand Starfleet a blow to morale. I wonder if Hansen had access to some rare device that was able to pull the Borg out of warp to fight?

Borg probably coun't resist (heh) 40 starships, powered up with new types of weapons.

Heck they probably wanted to "test" the knowledge Picard had gotten.

[Tribble]

IMO they were just trying to drive home the message that "Resistance is Futile". Their decision to spare the E-D was a likely deliberate one - "your best ship is so impotent against us that we don't even care if it survives or not." Similarly, the Borg deliberately chose to engage the fleet at Wolf 359 just to demonstrate their superiority. Remember their goal was to assimilate the Federation with the minimum amount of fuss (which is why they kidnapped Picard in the first place), and what better way to break resistance and morale by demonstrating just how hopeless the situation was?

[Alferd Packer]

Humans seem (because that's what we're shown and told) to be the driving force behind the Federation.

I think it's because some Federation members, for one reason or another, have a comparatively slow rate of reproduction. Vulcans can only reproduce once every seven years, so even accounting for their longer lifespans, they can't breed quickly. Andorians are mentioned as having a low natural birthrate as, well, having nearly gone extinct sometime in the not-too-distant past. That's half of the founding member species right there.

[Prometheus Unbound]

Well there would really be no need for the Borg to even go through the system if they were making a beeline for Earth. It's likely they stopped in the system to look for something to assimilate and they found the fleet.

I'd imagine Starfleet picked Wolf 359 as it was almost directly on the way.

And I suspect the Borg diverted to the fleet not because they found something else but specifically because they saw a fleet of 40 ships and went "yummy".

We see it on Voyager - they ignore a normal shuttle but once it powers up and overheats it's warp signature, suddenly the Borg are all over it (it's just an normal shuttle). I imagine 40 ships on full power with weapons charged would light up like a christmas tree to the Borg.

[PREDATOR490]

Going around the Fleet may have been possible for the Borg but ultimately would have been counter-productive since it just delays the fight. If they run around to Earth the Fed fleet has more time to gather strength and will engage at Earth. Knocking the fleet out of commission sooner ensures the Borg can assimilate Earth without the annoyance of a fleet hammering away at them.

The added benefit is that taking out the fleet in one decisive battle will prevent the Federation from scattering their forces and using those ships to potentially start evacuating populations to hinder assimilation. Once the cube parks over Earth to begin assimilation it is going to be stuck playing defence for an entire planet so taking out the fleet eliminates the biggest organised threat against them.