The Star Trek Battle Begging To Be Turned Into An Entire Movie
All Trek fans have fantasy Star Trek movies we wish were made, focusing on our favorite aspects of the universe. But in all seriousness, they should make a feature film devoted to the epic Battle of Wolf 359. As many Trekkies will tell you, this fight between the United Federation of Planets and the Borg Collective represents an enormously important instance of conflict, loss, and resilience–yet somehow, we’ve seen precious little of it on screen.
The Battle of Wolf 359 Was An Unthinkable Disaster For Starfleet
The battle occurred in early 2367 in the Wolf system—only eight light-years from Earth—and amounted to one of the Federation’s most devastating encounters before the Dominion War.
The battle’s magnitude is hard to overstate. In fact, an early story outline of “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II” described it as the most severe military defeat in recorded history since the sinking of the Spanish Armada.
In Spite Of Its Importance, We’ve Seen Precious Little Of It
In spite of how much the Battle of Wolf 359 shaped everything that came afterwards in Star Trek, we’ve seen almost none of it on the screen. When the Enterprise arrives at the battle site, the violence is long over, with nothing but the destroyed ships left behind.
We see just a few minutes of the Battle of Wolf 359 in “Emissary” — the series premiere of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — but beyond that this epic clash can’t be seen outside each respective fan’s imagination. That makes it that much more tempting to pitch for an entire film dedicated to it.
The Best Of Both Worlds
When the USS Enterprise-D happened upon the obliteration of the New Providence colony—a devastation serving as a harbinger of the impending Borg invasion. Admiral J.P. Hanson and Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth Shelby guided The Federation’s efforts to prepare for the Borg at the time–both braced for a major showdown, albeit unaware of the horrors ahead.
Maybe Hanson and Shelby should have known better. After all, the impending engagement—however brutal—was not the first hint of the Borg’s destructive capabilities; prior encounters had showcased their ability to wipe entire civilizations off the map.
The Borg Assimilate Picard
With Earth perilously close and the Borg cube approaching ever nearer, the Battle of Wolf 359 seemed unavoidable. The Enterprise desperately engaged the Borg to halt its trajectory. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was assimilated during the engagement, thus becoming Locutus of Borg. A pivotal moment, Picard’s assimilation signaled more than a personal tragedy for the captain: it amounted to a tactical disaster for the Federation, as Locutus enjoyed intimate knowledge of Starfleet strategies.
The Battle
From there, the fighting unfolded in a brief yet cataclysmic way. A force of 39 starships intercepted the Borg cube at Wolf 359. Starfleet promptly and bravely resisted the Borg’s demand to disarm–this decision, however, led to a quick and brutal decimation of the assembled force.
Starship after starship fell victim to the unrelenting Borg onslaught during the Battle of Wolf 359. Vessels that perished, among the first to be destroyed, include the USS Melbourne and the USS Saratoga.
The battle, tragically, ended in staggering losses for the Federation: 39 starships were destroyed, and the loss of almost 11,000 lives.
It Left Lasting Scars
Understandably, the battle imparted a lasting impact on the Federation. First and foremost, it significantly depleted its defenses, leaving the Federation vulnerable to future threats. The calamity of the Battle of Wolf 359 also eventuated major changes within Starfleet itself– alterations like the advent of Defiant-class starships designed to directly counter the Borg menace.
More subjectively, survivors like Commander Benjamin Sisko and Captain Liam Shaw emerged with deep psychological scars—underscoring the immense personal toll of the battle.
Ultimately, while terrible loss for the Federation and a grisly affair overall, the battle remains compelling source material for a film-length epic, however hard to watch.
