Jonathan Del Arco played a former Borg drone named Hugh in Star Trek: The Next Generation and returned years later in Star Trek: Picard. The Borg first debuted in TNG second season and became one of the franchise’s most formidable villains. All over TNG, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) defeated the Borg several times, most notably in the iconic two-parter, “The Best of Both Worlds.” After the Borg assimilated Picard and turned him into their mouthpiece, Locutus, the Enterprise-D captain developed an understandable fear and even hatred of the Borg.
Hugh appeared Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 23, ‘I, Borg’, and completely changed the way Captain Picard and his crew understood the Borg. Jonathan Del Arco landed the role of Hugh in 1992 after a series of guest roles on other popular television shows. Del Arco continued to appear regularly on television during the 1990s and 2000s, before getting the most significant role of Dr. Fernando Morales in The closest, a role he continued to play Serious Crimes. More recently, Del Arco appeared in episodes of Criminal Minds and Station 19.
Who was Jonathan Del Arco’s Hugh in Star Trek: TNG
Hugh became the first sympathetic Borg character
In Star Trek: The Next GenerationIn “I, Borg”, the crew of the USS Enterprise-D found a crashed Borg ship with a single surviving drone. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) refused to leave the drone to its fate, despite Captain Picard’s apprehension about bringing a Borg to the Enterprise. While Dr. Crusher and Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) healed and repaired the Borg drone, he finally began to think of himself as an individual. Although Picard initially wanted to infect Hugh with a virus that would destroy the Borg Collective, he changed his mind after interacting with Hugh.
Despite the suffering Picard experienced at the hands of the Borg, he recognized that Hugh had become something different. Hugh wanted to stay on the Enterprise, but he was afraid the Collective would come after him. After Hugh returned to the Collective his sense of individualism spread to the other drones in his Borg cube. The Collective disconnected their Cube and left it adrift in space, where it was found by Data’s evil twin brother, Lore. Lore took control of the drones and began performing cruel experiments on them. This led Hugh to form a resistance movement that later helped the Enterprise-D crew against Lore.
Jonathan Del Arco returned as Hugh in Star Trek: Picard
Admiral Picard briefly reconnected with his old friend
Hugh is back Star Trek: Picard season 1, now an xB (ex-recovered Borg) working as executive director of the Romulan-operated Borg Recovery Project in the abandoned Borg cube known as the Artifact. Hugh did his best to help the ancient Borg drones get their lives back, but he became increasingly frustrated with the dismissive way the Romulans treated the xBs. When Admiral Picard arrived at the Artifact in search of Soji Asha (Isa Briones), Hugh didn’t hesitate to help his old friend.
Hugh told Picard about the Romulan spy named Narek (Harry Treadaway), who had recently arrived at the Artifact. Narek was working with his sister, Narissa (Peyton List), a Romulan Tal Shiar colonel and member of the Zhat Vash. Hugh helped Picard and Soji escape by transporting them to the planet Nepenthe. Hugh was captured by Narissa, but refused to reveal Picard’s location, even when Narissa began executing xBs. When Hugh attempted to activate the Artifact’s Queencell and awaken the remaining drones, Narissa killed Hugh.
Why Star Trek: Picard Killed Hugh
Many Viewers Think Hugh Was Killed Off Too Soon
Hugh’s death in Star Trek: Picard the first season was not only brutal, but it felt like a shockingly abrupt ending for a character who had just returned. Although Star Trek: Voyager would later delve deeper into the reformed Borg with Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), Hugh was the first Borg to become an individual. In many ways, Hugh represented hope for the Borg. Not only did he find his own sense of individualism, but he also worked to help other Borg reclaim their lives. Because of this, Hugh’s death hit particularly hard and cut the character’s story short before it could really begin.
Star Trek: Picard Season 1 showrunner Michael Chabon spoke about the decision to kill off Hugh, saying that the season’s plot “led to what seemed like a dramatic way of serving the character’s end.” However, Hugh’s death was not part of the show’s original plan and Jonathan Del Arco didn’t find out about his character’s death until he read the script for the episode. Del Arco has said in interviews that while she doesn’t regret coming back, she would have loved to see Hugh reconnect with Geordi, his first friend, or meet Seven of Nine.
Could Jonathan Del Arco’s Hugh return to Star Trek?
Star Trek characters return from the dead all the time
Despite Hugh’s death, there are always ways for characters to return in the future. Star Trek universe. All over Star Trek long story, several characters have returned from the dead in various ways. Although Hugh appeared to have died on screen in Star Trek: Picard, it’s possible he was revived somehow. In Star Trek: Voyager Season 4 Episode 12 ‘Mortal Coil’ Seven Revealed Borg Drones Can Be Reactivated “until seventy-three hours after what you would call death.” It worked on Neelix (Ethan Phillips), so perhaps a similar process could have been used to revive Hugh off-screen.
There are several ways Hugh could return.
Modern Star Trek embraced the multiverse, opening the door for characters from alternate realities to visit Star Trek Prime Universe. This means Jonathan Del Arco could return as a different version of Hugh without undoing his death in Picard season 1. It’s also possible that someone will travel back in time to rescue Hugh, or that a future Star Trek project could revisit it in flashbacks. Whether it involves Borg nanoprobes, alternate universes, or time travel, there are a number of ways Hugh could return, and many fans would no doubt love to see more of it. Star Trek: The Next Generation guest star.