Changeling Assimilation?

[TFMF]

Wikipedia ruins all the fun ;)

 

Although i don't see how they could fully assimilate a Changling and still allow it to Morph

[Guest c4evap]

SNIPPET:

 

They also bring up the matter of the Cardassian anti-changeling-transformation machine. I would dare bet that if the Borg got their hands on that' date=' that they could assimilate a changeling, at least for as long as the machine is stopping it from transforming.[/quote']

 

Yes, but that kinda defeats the whole purpose of them assimilating a Changling. I'm assuming of course that the Borg want to assimilate them because the "shape-shifting" aspect would benifit them in their quest to assimilate other races. If the Changlings can't shape-shift...what good are they to the Borg?

 

c4 :thinking:

[TetsuoShima]

Only one thing I can come up with really: extraction of knowledge. Once the were fixed in form and 'assimilate-able', it would mean that after the assimilation, the Borg would know everything the Dominion knows. Another thing could be the practical elimination of an enemy. Though you're right, the 'shape-shifting' abilities of the changeling would be out of their reach, unless there is something in the knowledgebase of the Dominion that the Borg can find after having temporarily assimilated the shapeshifters, that would allow them to control those abilities also. No way of telling what would happen if the Borg had all the knowledge of the Dominion too.

 

But, this would also require the Borg to 'set up a thourough plan', something which I can't remember having seen them do except for a few rare instances, mostly under the queens supervision (and failing ultimately). So it would definately not be something, I'd say, you're everyday Borg cube would capable of doing without some decent level of inspiration...

 

So, basically, I think they could, but whether or not they would (think of the idea/method), is another thing... :)

[Tenebrae]

The Borg, a species so advanced and so integrated with technology, a drone has to unplug from it's alcove, walk down the hall and push a few buttons to find out that Voyager is about to give them an ass-whooping.

[TFMF]

Only one thing I can come up with really: extraction of knowledge. Once the were fixed in form and 'assimilate-able', it would mean that after the assimilation, the Borg would know everything the Dominion knows. Another thing could be the practical elimination of an enemy. Though you're right, the 'shape-shifting' abilities of the changeling would be out of their reach, unless there is something in the knowledgebase of the Dominion that the Borg can find after having temporarily assimilated the shapeshifters, that would allow them to control those abilities also. No way of telling what would happen if the Borg had all the knowledge of the Dominion too.

 

But, this would also require the Borg to 'set up a thourough plan', something which I can't remember having seen them do except for a few rare instances, mostly under the queens supervision (and failing ultimately). So it would definately not be something, I'd say, you're everyday Borg cube would capable of doing without some decent level of inspiration...

 

So, basically, I think they could, but whether or not they would (think of the idea/method), is another thing... :)

 

This may seem silly but if the changlings can morph into anything - would they have a brain that would allow the Borg to gain knowlege about the Dominion?

[TetsuoShima]

This may seem silly but if the changlings can morph into anything - would they have a brain that would allow the Borg to gain knowlege about the Dominion?

 

Indeed, I doubt if they normally seen would, unless they are in human shaped form perhaps, since I think changelings do register as human when they pose as one, so it would have to be or they would not register as human.

 

But the centralised 'neural zone' is not necessary for the Borg to extract the information. Once the shapeshifter cannot morph the nanobots out of himself, he's at the mercy of the Borg, heck they could extract the information from wherever it is 'stored'. That's the beauty of nanobots, you can have them do whatever you want them to do. They're sort of like replicators in that in that respect.

[Tenebrae]

They clearly have limits though - they couldn't touch 8472 until el Doctore worked his bald magic on them.

[TetsuoShima]

Yeah, Borg are not very creative, the ideal drones for 'the current copyright protectors' (sorry, I've been hanging out in one particular thread a bit too long). They do have very nice 'stolen' hardware however (hmm, on second thought, make that the worst possible drones for those guys, they steal creative work, LOL), that once correctly programmed can do virtually anything. One more strange thing about the Borg: they are said to have excellent adaptive capabilities ("I will adapt, I am Borg"), though they utterly lack creative skills while in the collective... Could it be a result of the Queen constantly telling everybody what to do... (hmm, never mind me, I'm getting carried away here...)

[Tenebrae]

I think there is a difference between adapting to a different type of weapon and original/creative thought (I think this point was raised previously). Also - wasn't the point of the Queen that she was capable of doing that - despite her regular failure to do so.

 

Besides, I wouldn't listen to 7 of 9. How many times did she threaten to go back to the Collective?

[TetsuoShima]

I think there is a difference between adapting to a different type of weapon and original/creative thought (I think this point was raised previously).

 

Yeah, it depends on how you see adapting and how you see creativity. Adapting is a term that can mean a wide number of specific things. Same goes for creativity. Adapting something that allready exists with something else that also allready exists is adapting (essentially combining), but one can also say that this is creative if the combination of the two didn't exist yet. Also adapting something that allready exists with something that does not yet exist clearly is creative and also adapting. So even though they are not one and the same they are linked in some form... Of course when you allways adapt in the same way, it ceases to be truely creative...

 

That's why I don't like talking about such vague terms really... You can go anywhere you want with them... (in a manner of speaking of course)

[hayden]

I've havn't fully follwed this thread but i think once the borg had injected its prey (being one changling) it would consume it then encode the changling to follow one identity, as in it would then take the shape of the borg that infected it or take on the best of all the borg around it.

 

It could have all the cybernetic implants stored in its new borg identity and pull them out as it wished.

 

wether or not this has been said or not i am not sure because i didnt fully follow the thread but i felt like putting my two bob in.. lol.

[TFMF]

But then i don't see how they could actually 'take over' the changling - i mean they could re-encode the cells but how could they do it so as to take over the changling - there'd have to be some kind of brain that could be assimilated to take complete control

[hayden]

i suppose.. the nanites could possible force a neural transmitter to be created with in the changling.. weather that would somehow send some kind of pulse or wave through the changling and link it to the hive mind or not i wouldnt know.. ahaha, this is a good topic(very debatable)

[Tenebrae]

I don't get this "it doesn't have a brain" argument.

 

Sure it doesn't have a brain as we understand it but they've got to have SOMETHING that does their thinking.

[hayden]

haha.. i agree, it'd have to be intergrated into its liquid type state some how. it glows so theres some kind of electrical impluse type activity going on.