Discovery’s 10-C Could Be Star Trek’s Next Borg (If Done Right)

Unknown Species 10-C have the potential to become Star Trek: Discovery‘s first truly iconic villains – perhaps even the next Borg. Star Trek‘s age old ability to permeate mainstream cultural consciousness is almost as impressive as Captain Kirk’s toupee, and villains have always been at the forefront of that franchise recognition. Star Trek fan or not, everybody knows the Klingons, the Romulans, the Borg, Khan, Q, and even the Cardassians (though only because they landed an E! reality series). Star Trek has struggled to create villainous icons in more recent years and, given the sheer volume of shows currently airing or in production, that’s a problem.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 4, the 32nd century Federation finds itself under attack from Unknown Species 10-C. Boasting technology Starfleet can barely dream of, the 10-C use a Dark Matter Anomaly (DMA) to mine boronite, and this process destroys any planet in its path. Even when Ruon Tarka defies orders and destroys the DMA, Species 10-C replace their sabotaged equipment with frightening immediacy. Sonequa Martin-Green’s Captain Burnham is now on her way to negotiate, but Star Trek: Discovery has revealed nothing about the 10-C. From their physical appearance to their social structure, all is shadow. Should Star Trek: Discovery handle Unknown Species 10-C properly, however, season 4’s antagonists could become Star Trek‘s newest iconic recurring villains – arguably the first since the Borg.

Since the DMA arrived in our galaxy, Species 10-C has been the wizard behind Star Trek: Discovery‘s curtain. They’re hugely powerful, capable of mass destruction, and seemingly unconcerned by the deadly consequences of their mining. The 10-C are also a faraway threat, stationed beyond the Galactic Barrier, transporting the DMA into our Milky Way via a wormhole. It’s an origin story that feels sufficiently Borg-esque. When Star Trek: The Next Generation first made resistance futile in season 2’s “Q Who,” Captain Picard’s Enterprise was thrust into uncharted territory, where they found a highly-advanced species who couldn’t be reasoned with, and a trail of destruction in its wake. This species turned out to be the Borg, and has since become integral to Star Trek‘s mythology. Nowadays, the Borg are barely an inconvenience, but Species 10-C offer the same qualities that initially made Picard’s cyborg foes so exciting. Like Picard, Burnham is heading into unfamiliar territory, hopelessly outgunned, and following a trail of destruction. Like the Borg, Species 10-C is an inconceivably dangerous and technologically astute threat from the deepest reaches of space.

Whether or not Unknown Species 10-C become Star Trek‘s next overarching villains depends on what Burnham finds beyond the Galactic Barrier. As things stand, the 10-C are the Star Trek equivalent of Schrödinger’s cat. On one hand, they might be a super-reasonable civilization that engages fully with the Federation’s diplomacy, happy to move their DMA someplace else. All hopes of being Star Trek‘s new Borg would then disappear faster than those gray uniforms from season 3’s finale. On the other, Unknown Species 10-C may advise Burnham to surrender or be destroyed, declare the Milky Way their own personal mining field, and challenge the Federation to stop them if it can.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 has done the hard work. The mystery, intrigue, and sense of foreboding have all been established, leaving Unknown Species 10-C carrying bags of villainous potential. Requiring only an intimidating, marketable design and a clear philosophy (i.e. Klingons conquer, Q meddles, Borg assimilate), the 10-C stand one well-executed debut away from writing the next chapter in Star Trek history, and could become Discovery’s main enemy heading into season 5 and beyond – the kind of recurring antagonist species Star Trek has sorely lacked in its modern era. Or, the 10-C could be nothing more than a cat-shaped super-intelligence that finds boronite tasty and poops out dark matter. At this point, the pendulum could swing in either direction, but Star Trek: Discovery has certainly generated enough ominous intrigue to turn Unknown Species 10-C into a Borg for the 2020s… should it choose to follow through.

Star Trek: Discovery continues Thursdays on Paramount+.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3631 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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