Did Star Trek’s Borg Civilization Already Predict A Blockchain Future?

By Dmitriy

BTC Wires: Although comments have already been made on how Blockchain technology could have been inspired from Science fictions of the past, we bring to you a collective of serious observations that will make you reconsider the matter. We’ll need all the Star Trek fans to raise their hand now! Don’t sweat if you’re not into the whole Sci-fi series, we’ll break it down for you.

Remember the Borg civilisation in the Star Trek series? Of course you do, if you have followed the series. But in case the Borg reference is French and Greek to you, the Borg civilisation is a fictional alien race that function as a collection of drones, linked as a collective hive mind. They came to life by the amalgamation of knowledge and technology, that they attained from all the species which they encountered on their interstellar journey. Borgs make all their decisions unanimously and aim for sever precision and perfection. This civilisation has featured as a main threat in several Star Trek episodes and movies, owing to their ingenious background story.

How can Blockchain be considered the think-tank of The Borgs? We picked out some stark possibilities that make the Borgs seem to be the originators of the Blockchain. Here are some points that might make you take our observations more seriously:

• The Hive Mind Concept

The Borgs function as a collective, linked to a hive mind. Blockchain is a decentralised ledger that is developed using smart contracts, building a definite network. This network is made up of fragments of codes that require simultaneous execution across all nodes to derive the same outcome. Basically, it cannot function without a unison in decision. The one difference between Borgs and Blockchain tech is that the Borgs had a certain consciousness of their own due to the assimilation of several species which had a conscious mind. However, with the rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence, we don’t see how that is too farfetched. Brace yourself!

• The Genesis Of Borgs

As the story goes, the Borgs established their race by combining borrowed technology and knowledge from various species. Similarly, the blockchain is basically a combination of a lot of preexisting technologies like:

1. Distributed Knowledge 

2. Consensus Algorithm

3. Cryptography

4. Databases

So people may feel that the Blockchain is a lot more than just this, and is undergoing extensive research individually. But think again, would blockchain exist if these aforementioned technologies were not brought together.

• The Disruptive Nature

Due to their obsession with perfection and unison, the Borgs have been highlighted as the main threat on many Star Trek storylines. Much the same way, decentralisation and disruptive tendencies of the Blockchain technology have also been perceived as a threat by several governments across the globe. The fear here is that the technology might reform and overhauls how governments, businesses and financial institutions have been functioning so far. Despite the resistance, an array of blockchain developers and organisations are pushing limits even as we live and breathe.

• The Inevitability Factor

Remember that creepy tagline that symbolises the Borgs; ‘Resistance is futile’? For the less informed, this is the one claim which the Borg civilisation takes pride in. Meaning that it is inevitable and is all-encompassing. Blockchain works under a similar hypothesis. Although cryptocurrency was its first feat, but gradually blockchain technology has been able to integrate itself in several innovative use cases that make it seem like an ultimate solution. So if you thought that blockchain technology is a soda-water-fizz affair, we wish that you live long and prosper, because blockchain ain’t going anywhere.