@misnomer The humanisation of the Borg already started on TNG with episodes like "I, Borg" and later the two-parter "Descent". But you are right that VOY took it a step further. At that time the Borg felt like just another foe and I found Species 8472 was it (?) or even the Hirogen much scarier.
I am in complete agreement that this two parts are among the best from the whole run.
@finfan I will always rate the Borg as the scariest of them all on (what I've watched so far from) the Star Trek universe because the first time I saw them I was a young teen and something like that obviously has a bigger impact on us at that age. Also, it's an (allegedly) established fact that humans fear most deformed human forms (such as the Borg). But the other two you've mentioned definitely get a big chunk out of the creepiness cake.
I can't remember The Borg being already somewhat humanised in TNG, but I've stopped rewatching this show a few months ago (not sure why) and I never got to that part. I can't recall it from my original watching of the show, as it was decades ago.
Seven of Nine obviously took it a step further by getting the Borg closer to human hearts, and most of that intense fear of merely spotting the dreadful cube at a long distance got washed away because of it. The whole Seven of Nine character development in Voyager is very interesting on its own (when she's not being used as a deus ex machina, at least), but I never liked that it soften up the Borg for the viewers. I like my Borg cold, distant and scary.
@misnomer I have nothing much to add. I was a bit older when I had my "first encounter" with the Borg. But the impact was there nonetheless. Aside from some godlike beings we had seen they were the most formidable enemy yet. And therein lay the problem I think. They had to soften them up because otherwise it would have been a tough sell as to why the Borg didn't invade and take over the whole quadrant. They needed an angle to defeat them. But I agree that the early Borg were the best.
@finfan You're 7 years older than me (according to your Trakt profile), so of course you were older and wiser and less of a chicken than little dear me :)
There's no arguing against your reasoning, which is logic and most likely a portrait of the truth.
Nonetheless, I'm glad we both seem to be fans of the early Borg, that apparently unstoppable and terrifying alien menace.
Shout by kinkyVIP EP 6BlockedParent2017-09-22T21:12:17Z
The Borg will always be my favourite Star Trek "villain". They're ruthless, logical and rational (in their minimalist way) to the extreme, and pretty much scary as fuck (at least until Voyager soften them up, by humanising them a bit). I would always wet myself whenever there'd be another episode with the Borg, both out of excitement and fear. Of course, I was only a mere teenager back then. The excitement remains till this day, though. Last season's finale and this season's premiere made for some of the finest episodes TNG had to offer, in my humble opinion as a longtime fan of the show.