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== External link ==
 
== External link ==
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*[http://www.starshipdatalink.net/art/tacube.html Designing the Borg Tactical Cube] at [http://www.starshipdatalink.net/ Federation Starship Datalink]
* [http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/borg-tactical-cube-design-phase/ Early design sketches] at [[Doug Drexler]]s [http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/ Personal Blog]
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*[http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/borg-tactical-cube-design-phase/ Early design sketches] at [[Doug Drexler]]s [http://drexfiles.wordpress.com/ Personal Blog]
 
[[Category:Borg starship classes|Tactical cube]]
 
[[Category:Borg starship classes|Tactical cube]]

Revision as of 10:04, 20 November 2009

The Borg Class 4 tactical vessel was a type of heavily armed Borg cube utilized by the Borg Collective. The tactical cube differs from the standard Borg cube in several ways, the most notable being the extensive hull armor that covers a large portion of the exterior hull of the ship. The interior is also slightly altered from what is known of Borg 'architecture'. The vessel's central plexus is protected by multi-regenerative security fields.

Only one such vessel has thus far been observed by Starfleet - by the USS Voyager in 2376. The tactical cube was later caused to self-destruct by the Borg Queen during a brief civil war within the Collective. (VOY: "Unimatrix Zero", "Unimatrix Zero, Part II")

Ships of the class

Appendices

Appearances

Studio model

The Borg tactical cube was designed by Doug Drexler at the request of the producers who wanted some ideas pitched for a new Borg cube design. Drexler incorporated in his design the notion that the Borg performed tactical updates after their recent beating by Species 8472.[1] The model was build at Foundation Imaging by Koji Kuramura who used the texture maps of the standard Borg cube as a basis, they themselves being mapped from the physical studio model used in Star Trek: First Contact.[2] As Kuramura explains,"I started with the base Borg Cube model. And added the parts that Doug had on his drawings. I don’t know if many people know this, but there was never more than 3 sides built for the Borg cube, because if you think about it… You could never see more than that on screen. The reason being was that it was a very Polygon heavy model. And back in those days of Voyager, memory was at a premium."[3]

Apocrypha

  • The Borg tactical cube was also used in the climactic final level of Star Trek: Legacy. Oddly, creators of the game boasted in a video interview that the vessel was of their creation, and that it had been designed especially for the game's finale. This is highly unlikely, as, not only had it clearly first appeared on Star Trek Voyager two years before, but Doug Drexler's name was not mentioned at all during the interview in question. Also, when the vessel appeared during the mission, Admiral Janeway says she had encountered such a vessel before, and had help destroying it, clearly referencing the events of the episode.
  • Tactical cubes are also featured in Star Trek: Armada II. In the latter, eight cubes can combine to form a massive Tactical Fusion Cube.
  • Ships of this class also feature in Star Trek: Conquest, however it is ranked as a "cruiser" and has inferior fire power and shielding to an average cube.
  • During the design phase, Drexler shortly toyed with the notion of a pyramid shaped Borg ship. Not used in Canon Trek this design would make a cameo in the fan film production Star Trek: New Voyages (now known as Star Trek: Phase II) in their 2004 episode "Come What May".[4]

External link