Could any of the main characters of Prodigy have been affected by the Borg assimilation in Picard S3?
Season 1 of Prodigy takes place in 2383. This means the main characters would be about 18 years older at the time of Season 3 of Picard.
When the Borg assimilate the younger members of Starfleet, using “recievers” added to their genetic code through the transporter system, it’s said to only affect individuals prior to a certain point in their brain development - around 25 for humans.
The characters’ ages in 2383 are:
- Dal: 17
- Gwyn: 17
- Jankom: 16
- Rok: 8
No age is listed on Memory Alpha for Zero, but they’re also Medusan, have already broken free from the Borg once, and I don’t know if Medusans even have genetic material that the transporter could detect. (Also, Murf’s age is explicitly said to be unknown.)
In 2401, Rok would be about 26 (not including the time spent in the slowdown in “Time Amok”). For her to be affected by the Borg assimilation, I think we’d have to make a few assumptions:
- She’s still in Starfleet
- Either her brain development takes slightly longer than in humans, or the estimates are off and she’s a bit younger than 26
- The algorithms in Starfleet transporters that recognize common species DNA (which is what the Borg code hijacked to install the receiver) specifically recognizes Brikar like it does for other, more commonly seen species
Number 1 seems likely. Number 3 seems plausible - Rok wore an appropriately-sized environmental suit in (I believe) “Crossroads”, although that was likely created by a replicator - perhaps the vehicle replicator, if the ordinary ones weren’t large enough.
To me, number 2 seems the most unlikely; Prodigy a show aimed (in part) at teenagers, and - in the absence of any reference to these species differences in the show - it seems logical to me to assume these characters are intended to be at similar state in development as humans of the same age. And the estimate for Rok’s age seems to put her just over the age where she would be affected. Part of me wonders if the writers for “Võx” were thinking about this.
Anything I missed (at least prior to Prodigy season 2)? Or any other characters we’ve seen who might be young enough to be assimilated in 2401?
Rok would still be considered an adolescent, if the lore from Star Trek: New Frontier applies, from which her species was largely fleshed out.
At that age, she would be very gruff and moody, only after molting in her 30’s (I think?) would she regain her more bubbly personality.