Star Trek The Motion Picture-A Complete History of V'Ger Origins
At over 97,000 meters in length, the entity known as V'Ger is not something any race can ignore. When it entered Federation space, it eliminated everything that scanned or approached it. Though, its origins would not be discovered until the climax of the movie.
Although did you know that further media would reveal more about this lifeform's strange creation? We have collated the information available about all the V'Ger origins and how they unfold into its story. Below, you can learn everything there is to know, so when you see it on-screen, you can do so with a full understanding of the events that led to its arrival.
V'Ger's Canon Origins
In the real world, the entity called V'Ger first appeared in the movie Star Trek: The Motion Picture. A Director's Edition 4k streaming version of which is currently available on Paramount Plus.
By the end of this movie, you discover V'Ger's fictional origins. In the universe of Star Trek, the Voyager spacecraft missions did not end with Voyager 2. Instead, the probes continued for at least six iterations, with the last launching in 1999.
Voyager 6, the last of the probes, traveled as the others did through the solar system before Earth lost all contact. The Earth governments of the time did not realize that it was not destroyed. It had in fact, fallen through a black hole and re-emerged in another area of the universe.
Star Trek canon is unsure of where this area is. Speculation suggests that it could be anywhere from the other side of the galaxy to a different, extragalactic space.
First Contact
After emerging from the other side of the black hole, V'Ger encountered a planet of what it described as "living machines." These beings saw that Voyager was damaged and, seeing only the letters V, G, E, and R on its side, called it "V'Ger." The other letters were not visible due to damage to the spacecraft.
The living machines saw V'Ger as a primitive machine, but a member of their own kin. They also read Voyager's programming and understood that its creators had programmed it to learn everything that it could. These living machines took these instructions literally.
They rebuilt V'Ger, giving a sense of sentience as they understood it. They also reformed V'Ger's metal "body." This gave it highly advanced sensory equipment and data storage devices.
To protect it, these living machines also augmented V'Ger with the capability to defend itself. This would allow it to travel in relative safety.
As V'Ger began its long journey, it began to think for itself. As a machine, it could not think in terms of emotion, but only logic, and began to question its existence. It decided that it must find its creators to answer this question, and so started its journey back to Sector 001, the Terran system, and Earth.
As V'Ger encountered the beings of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, it caused immense damage in its attempts to learn more. It considered carbon-based life to be an infestation. As such, it would remove it from its path as it continued inexorably towards the capital of the Federation.
Because of this, and not knowing what the entity was, Starfleet ordered the USS Enterprise to intercept and stop it. The Enterprise's V'Ger mission is cataloged in the events of Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
The Borg Theory
Several places in Star Trek lore suggest that V'Ger and the Borg share a connection. You should note that these sources are not the same as the canon of Star Trek movies or TV. As such, they may be contradicted elsewhere.
The Return
In the 90s and 00s, William Shatner penned a series of Star Trek novels alongside a team of other writers. These "Shatnerverse" stories depict events after Star Trek: Generations. Despite his death in that movie, they deal with the ongoing legacy of Captain James T. Kirk.
Within them, we learn that V'Ger landed on the Borg homeworld of the Delta Quadrant. Here, an early iteration of the Borg are the ones who create V'Ger and sent it back towards the Alpha Quadrant.
Star Trek: Legacy
While not an origin of V'Ger per se, this depiction does contradict other depictions of the Borg and V'Ger. In the video game "Star Trek: Legacy" - V'Ger created the Borg.
After Captain William Decker merged with V'Ger, it moved out into the galaxy. Here, it used this merging as a pattern for the creation of more cybernetic creatures.
As V'Ger's Borg expanded, they needed a single unifying voice to calm their collective consciousness. Out of that need, a Borg Queen was born who soon overruled V'Ger's demands.
Star Trek: Nero
Shortly before the movie "Star Trek" was released in 2009, several prequel comics emerged that talked about the character Nero. Nero, a Romulan, along with the help of the Tal Shiar, had retrofitted his mining vessel Narada with Borg nanoprobes.
While not specifically confirmed in the TV show, Star Trek: Picard did reveal that the Romulans had access to Borg technology. This was in the form of a disabled Borg cube that they performed research on.
After the Narada is upgraded, it takes Nero to V'Ger in this alternate timeline. V'Ger recognizes the Narada as kin, suggesting that the Borg connection is more than only due to being electronic in nature.
Many fans have taken this to mean that these apocryphal sources are accurate. Thus, they believe the Borg are the "living machines" that V'Ger encounters.
More on V'Ger Origins and Other Trek Facts
As a Star Trek fan, you should now have a much denser understanding of Star Trek theories and lore. Maybe now you are a big fan of V'Ger or the original Constitution-class Enterprise. Either way, you probably want to show off your love for the Trek universe.
We supply memorabilia from every corner of the world. You may even want your own V'Ger model now that you understand the V'Ger origins. If so, we have them available, so grab one today.