A Borg nanoprobe.
Nanoprobes are the microscopic nanotechnology used by the Borg to assimilate new drones and maintain existing drones' systems.
History and specifications[]
The nanoprobes are injected into a target's bloodstream by a drone using their assimilation tubules, and the nanoprobes immediately begin to take over the bodies functions. Each drone's nanoprobes are also encoded with a unique sequence. (VOY episodes: "Scorpion, Part II", "One")
Nanoprobes can also be modified for a variety of medical of technical tasks, and have also been modified for warfare. In 2374, the USS Voyager discovered that the Borg were at war with Species 8472, and they were caught in the middle as they had to cross Borg space. When Harry Kim was attacked by a Species 8472, The Doctor was able to treat him with modified Borg nanoprobes to kill off the 8472 cells in Kim's body. The Borg later discovered this technique and worked together with Voyager to drive Species 8472 from the Delta Quadrant with modified nanoprobes incorporated into torpedoes. (VOY episode: "Scorpion, Part II")
A Founder encountered by the crew of the USS Defiant in 2376 was able to destroy nanoprobes by shapeshifting and crushing them when they had been injected into her body. (DS9 - Mission Gamma novel: Lesser Evil)
In 2377 a group of Vulcans attempted to use nanoprobes to devise a cure for Bendii syndrome. Unfortunately they lost control and in the process created The Wardens, a group bent on Vulcan logic with a Borg like devotion to spreading their cause. The Wardens spread their influence to numerous nearby worlds, mass producing their modified nanoprobes to take control of billions of people. As the Wardens approached galactic domination a team from the USS Incursion was able to access their headquarters on Vulcan and reprogram the nanoprobe factories to produce nanoprobes with conflicting orders which cancelled out the effects of the Wardens and returned the galaxy's populace to normal. (ST video game: Away Team)
In 2380, Cadet Torvig Bu-Kar-Nguv on board the USS Titan initiated a series of experiments on his crewmates including adjusting the replicators to infuse nanoprobes into the crew's food which would then attach to their intestinal walls. Torvig was hoping to test whether the expression "gut feelings" had any basis in fact. (TTN novel: Orion's Hounds)
In 2381, nanoprobes were revealed to be corrupted versions of Caeliar catoms - and in doing so, revealed the origins of the Borg. When the Caeliar dissolved the Borg Collective, they transformed the nanoprobes of every Borg drone (and former drone) into catoms, restoring their individuality and allowing them to join the Caeliar. (ST - Destiny novel: Lost Souls)
A different type of nanoprobe was used by the Federation of the future to trigger the Renewal. (DS9 short story: "The Façade of Fate")
Appendices[]
See also[]
References[]
External link[]
- Nanoprobe article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.