“Survival Instinct” is episode two of season six of Star Trek: Voyager.
A Borg sphere crashes onto a planet and there’s an explosion. Three drones stand around the wreckage, stating that there’s an input failure. A fourth agrees. The fourth is Seven of Nine. Their link to the Collective is severed; initiate secondary protocols. They must evacuate the area; the transwarp drive is unstable. They do, collecting another, non-functioning drone.
Voyager is docked at a space station and they are having shore leave as well as inviting people onboard the ship. Tuvok doesn’t want too many but Captain Janeway is looking forward to the cultural exchange. Chakotay makes his way through the crowded bridge to the captain’s ready room. He is carrying something large. The ready room is already full of stuff and the captain is untangling herself from a plant gift that has prehensile branches. Chakotay doesn’t really know what he has, other than it’s used in a sacred game and is heavy.
Tuvok enters; he has the security report. The captain doesn’t think it looks too bad. There is a second page. Okay, maybe that’s a bit more serious. There is a third page. Captain Janeway is still very pleased. Chakotay is pleased too. Tuvok is pleased that they are pleased.
Naomi finds Seven in astrometrics. They had a lunch date. Seven will be busy for a few more hours. Naomi reminds Seven that she promised. Seven agrees. Naomi tries to politely make her way through the crowded corridor. Nothing much happens until Seven tells everyone to move. They not only move but shut up.
In the mess hall, Naomi identifies one of the species there. Including using their Borg designation. Seven says Naomi’s mother would not approve of Naomi memorising Borg designations. Nor does Seven. Seven wants to leave, even though they have just arrived. She doesn’t like crowds. Naomi asks if the Collective wasn’t like a big crowd. It was. That’s why Seven doesn’t like them now.
A trader (Vaughn Armstrong) asks Seven if she is Seven. He has a case with components inside. Seven is shocked and has a memory of the crash from the beginning. They are Borg synaptic relays from her original unimatrix. The man says he obtained them from a trader, and thought Seven would be interested. She is; the captain will arrange payment. Seven needs to examine them more closely and leaves.
The trader communicates with two others mentally. One looks Bajorran; you’d think someone would have noticed. Bajorrans are not common in the Delta Quadrant. Stage 2 is complete; Seven will eb heading to her regeneration alcove. They can begin stage 3. They need consensus. It is obtained. Stand by to penetrate security.
Back at the crash, one of the drones is saying they shouldn’t desecrate the body of the dead drone. They give the reason why. A supernatural deity of Species 571. The drone used the word ‘I’ which is unusual. The four finally agree that they are Borg.
B’Elanna has examined the relay and says it looks standard. Seven thinks there must be something wrong; she was overwhelmed by memories, images, sounds. B’Elanna thinks that’s natural. Nostalgia. Seven does not have sentimental feelings about the past. Seven is a bit snappy and B’Elanna starts to leave. Seven, for her, apologises. B’Elanna says Seven may not feel nostalgia for the past, but she has feelings for it. Strong ones.
In the mess hall, the three are communicating mentally. They achieve consensus over their goals, even though the member of Species 571 had concerns. Seven asks the computer to analyse the synaptic relay, then heads to her alcove to regenerate. The relay activates and the other three are informed. They reroute internal sensors. Tuvok gets a warning.
The three exit from the top of a turbolift and make their way to Seven’s alcove. Tuvok reports a minor fluctuation in the security grid to Chakotay. The captain is then informed they have a security breach. In the cargo hold, the three also have Borg technology still attached. Going by the scars, the rest haven’t been removed as neatly as Seven’s. Before they can finish with Seven, security arrives and stuns them.
In the past, all four drones start remembering their former lives. One comments that the drone they are cooking tastes like a bird she once ate (which sounds like it tastes like chicken). Seven doesn’t like the way the conversation is proceeding.
The three are former Borg drones; Two, Three and Four of Nine. They have been free for a few months, but are still connected to each other. They wish to become individuals again. The Collective has billions of voices; it becomes white noise. They have just three inside their heads. They want to know what happened on the planet. All four, which includes Seven, have a blank spot in their memories. Seven is needed to help them discover what happened.