“Dark Frontier, Part II” is episode sixteen of season five of Star Trek: Voyager.
In the previous episode, “Dark Frontier”, the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson), told Seven of Nine that if she didn’t return to the Collective, the Borg would assimilate Voyager. The Borg sphere went into transwarp as soon as the rest of Voyager‘s crew had left.
The Queen is telling Seven she’s changed, that she’s been taken apart (or put back together, from another perspective) and recreated in by humans in their own image. Hair, garments, but the core is still Borg. Seven says the Borg have changed as well; she expected reassimilation, not conversation. Humour. The last two years must have been a remarkable experience. Seven of Nine is unique. Her experience will add to their perfection. Seven wants to know why she was removed from Voyager. The Queen thinks the question of why the Borg put her there in the first place is more important. She will explain, but Seven must be tired. An alcove will be adapted for her. They will continue when Seven’s cycle is complete.
In Voyager‘s cargo bay, Chakotay tells the captain there is no sign of Borg activity or the sphere. Captain Janeway wonders why Seven chose this time to re-join the Borg. Chakotay suggests she may have been planning it all along. The captain points out Seven had chances before. Yes, but never direct access to a Borg vessel. She did warn the captain she would betray them. Two days ago, though, Seven told the captain that Voyager had become her collective. Neelix reports on the stuff they collected from the destroyed Borg vessel; they are going to dispose of the waste. And asks about Seven of Nine’s alcove. It takes a lot of power; should they deactivate it? No.
The captain is in her ready room when Tuvok enters. A member of the crew has requested an appointment. Janeway starts saying Chakotay can deal with it when Naomi peers around Tuvok, and agrees to see her. Naomi has a proposal for rescuing Seven. Her ideas aren’t bad. Naomi asks if they will give up on Seven. No, they will not. The computer reports back on an analysis that the captain asked it to complete. Borg comm signals were detected aimed at cargo bay 2. The Borg were talking to Seven of Nine.
The Borg sphere is approaching a huge construction that make cubes look small. Seven finishes regenerating and finds out the Borg have improved her whilst she slept. The Queen will not remove it, but they don’t intend to turn Seven into a drone. She is too valuable. Seven will help them assimilate humanity. They failed in their first attempt to assimilate Earth and won’t succeed next time until they understand the nature of humans’ resistance. The Borg have Seven’s memories but they still want her unique. The vessel disengages from the structure; they are heading to assimilate Species 10026. 392,000 individuals.
On the Raven, the Hansens are examining a Borg drone. Its previous designation was Three of Five, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix One. They tag the drone, as he used to work near the Borg Queen. If he ever goes back, they will be able to track him. The Borg is returned to his alcove.
Chakotay was reading the notes and reports to the captain in her quarters. The Borg had received direct commands from the Borg Queen and they match those sent to Seven. The next day, she re-joined the Borg. Was Seven instructed to leave? Or was she forced to? The captain wants details on all the technology used by the Hansens. Chakotay says the Hansens made a fatal mistake; they became overconfident.
The Delta Flyer will be equipped with the transwarp coil they took and the captain, Tuvok, Tom and the Doctor will head out on it to look for Seven. Seven and the Queen, meanwhile, have arrived at the planet they are going to assimilate. Their ship is under attack and the Queen asks for Seven’s advice on adjusting their shields. Seven complies. Initially ordered to assist with the assimilation, Seven is instead working on the repairs to the shield matrix. She sees some being assimilated and, when there is only one Borg, deactivates it and gets the others off the Borg ship.
The Borg had a long-term plan for Seven, it seems; get her inside Voyager to learn more about humans. Seven, however, doesn’t wish to comply any longer. And Voyager hasn’t given up on her.