Hugh

Hugh was a Borg drone discovered in a crashed Borg scout ship by the crew of the USS Enterprise-D in 2368. Originally designated "Third of Five", his individuality began to assert itself when cut off from the Borg Collective and exposed to the Enterprise crew. He was given the name "Hugh" by Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, a pun on the word "you."

Captain Jean-Luc Picard initially planned to use Hugh to deliver a destructive invasive program into the Borg Collective. However, he had moral qualms once he realized Hugh had become an individual. He allowed Hugh to be returned to the Collective, with the hopes that his newfound individuality would have a comparable effect on the Borg. (TNG episode: "I, Borg")

Hugh's sense of individuality did spread to his fellow drones. However, once this was discovered by the Collective, they cut off Hugh's ship, leaving them directionless and in a state of chaos. Not long after, the android Lore found their ship, and restored order by established himself as their leader. Hugh and a number of fellow Borg opposed Lore's leadership, and split away from the main group.

Hugh re-encountered members of the Enterprise crew in 2370, as they were searching the rogue Borg's planet for Data. Upon learning La Forge was one of the captives of Lore's faction, Hugh aided the Starfleet officers in entering the main compund, and in stopping Lore. (TNG episodes: "Descent, Part I and II")

He later, along with a fellow free Borg called Miko, travelled to the Central Node which had been destroyed by James T. Kirk. Encountering the Starfleet officer, they found the human to be slowly dying from nanites within his body. He taught Kirk several techniques that healed him and together they recovered those Borg that survived the Node's destruction and freed them as well. (Star Trek novel: Avenger)

With Lore dead, Hugh assumed leadership of the individualized Borg, who became known as the Independent Nation of Borg. Hugh, taking the title of "Primary", endeavored to have his group recognized as distinctly different from the Borg Collective, but with little success. He and the Nation retreated into the Delta Quadrant to avoid conflict, and also to run a covert campaign to restore the individuality of other Borg.

Circa 2376, Hugh approached Seven of Nine, to help in his goals. Given her largely human appearance, Hugh proposed that Seven serve as the Independent Nation of Borg's ambassador to the Federation. Though Seven declined to join Hugh, she did agree to speak on his behalf when Voyager reached Earth. (VOY short story: "Seventh Heaven")

External Link

• Hugh article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.