Category: Movies/TV Shows

The Sopranos
Genre	Crime drama Serial drama Psychological drama Black comedy[1][2][3]
Created by	David Chase
Starring	James Gandolfini Lorraine Bracco Edie Falco Michael Imperioli Dominic Chianese Steven Van Zandt Tony Sirico Robert Iler Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Opening theme	"Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One Mix)" by Alabama 3
Ending theme	Various
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	86 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	David Chase Brad Grey Robin Green Mitchell Burgess Ilene S. Landress Terence Winter Matthew Weiner
Production locations	New Jersey New York City (Silvercup Studios)
Cinematography	Alik Sakharov Phil Abraham
Editors	Sidney Wolinsky William B. Stich Conrad M. Gonzalez
Camera setup	Single camera[4]
Running time	43–75 minutes
Production companies	Chase Films Brad Grey Television HBO Entertainment
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	January 10, 1999 (1999-01-10) – June 10, 2007 (2007-06-10)

The Sopranos is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster who struggles to balance his family life with his role as the leader of a criminal organization, which he reluctantly explores during therapy sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco). The series also features Tony's various family members, Mafia colleagues, and rivals in prominent roles—most notably his wife Carmela (Edie Falco) and his protégé and distant cousin Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli).

Having been greenlit in 1997, the series was broadcast on HBO from January 10, 1999, to June 10, 2007, spanning six seasons and 86 episodes. Broadcast syndication followed in the United States and internationally.^[5] The Sopranos was produced by HBO, Chase Films, and Brad Grey Television. It was primarily filmed at Silvercup Studios in New York City, with some on-location filming in New Jersey. The executive producers throughout the show's run were Chase, Brad Grey, Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess, Ilene S. Landress, Terence Winter, and Matthew Weiner.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential television series of all time,^{[6][7][8][9][10][11]} The Sopranos has been credited with kickstarting the Second Golden Age of Television.^[12] The series won multiple awards, including Peabody Awards for its first two seasons, 21 Primetime Emmy Awards, and five Golden Globe Awards. It has been the subject of critical analysis, controversy, and parody; it has also spawned books,^[13] a video game,^[14] soundtrack albums, podcasts, and merchandise.^[15] Several members of the show's cast and crew were largely unknown to the public when it began, but have since had successful careers.^{[16][17][18][19]} In 2013, the Writers Guild of America named The Sopranos the best-written TV series of all time,^[20] while TV Guide ranked it the best television series of all time.^[21] In 2016 and 2022, the series came in first place on the Rolling Stone list of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.^[9][22]

In March 2018, New Line Cinema announced that they had purchased a film detailing the show's background story, set in the 1960s and 1970s during and after the Newark riots. The film, The Many Saints of Newark (2021), was written by Chase and Lawrence Konner and directed by Alan Taylor.^[23][24] It starred Gandolfini's son Michael Gandolfini as a young Tony Soprano.^[25]

Premise[edit]

The series follows Tony Soprano, a North Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, who tries to balance his family life with his role as the boss of the Soprano family. Suffering from anxiety-induced panic attacks, he reluctantly engages in therapy sessions with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi throughout the series. He puts his life at risk on multiple occasions and finds himself at odds with his uncle Junior, his wife Carmela, other Mafia members and non-Mafia criminals, and New York City's Lupertazzi family.

Production[edit]

Conception[edit]

David Chase had worked as a television writer and producer for more than 20 years before creating The Sopranos.^[26][27] He had been employed as a staff writer or producer for several television series, including Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Switch, The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure.^[28] He had also co-created the short-lived original series Almost Grown in 1988.^[29][30] He made his television directorial debut in 1986 with the "Enough Rope for Two" episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He also directed episodes of Almost Grown and I'll Fly Away in 1988 and 1992, respectively. In 1996, he wrote and directed the television film The Rockford Files: Punishment and Crime. He served as showrunner for I'll Fly Away and Northern Exposure in the 1990s. Chase won his first Emmy Award in 1978 for his work on The Rockford Files (shared with fellow producers) and his second for writing the 1980 television film Off the Minnesota Strip.^[31][32] By 1996, he was a coveted showrunner.^[33]

The story of The Sopranos was initially conceived as a feature film about "a mobster in therapy having problems with his mother".^[29] Chase got some input from his manager Lloyd Braun and decided to adapt it into a television series.^[29] He signed a development deal in 1995 with production company Brillstein-Grey and wrote the original pilot script.^[27][31][35] He drew heavily from his personal life and his experiences growing up in New Jersey, and has stated that he tried to apply his own "family dynamic to mobsters".^[34] For instance, the tumultuous relationship between series protagonist Tony Soprano and his mother Livia is partially based on Chase's relationship with his own mother.^[34] He was also in psychotherapy at the time and modeled the character of Jennifer Melfi after his own psychiatrist.^[36]

Chase had been fascinated by organized crime and the mafia from an early age, witnessing such people growing up. He also was raised on classic gangster films such as The Public Enemy and the crime series The Untouchables. The series is partly inspired by the Richard Boiardo family, a prominent New Jersey organized crime family when Chase was growing up, and partly on New Jersey's DeCavalcante family.^[37] He has mentioned American playwrights Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams as influences on the show's writing, and Italian director Federico Fellini as an important influence on the show's cinematic style.^[33][38][39] The series was named after high school friends of his.^[26][36]

Chase and producer Brad Grey pitched The Sopranos to several networks; Fox showed interest but passed on it after Chase presented them the pilot script.^[35] They eventually pitched the show to Chris Albrecht, president of HBO Original Programming, who decided to finance a pilot episode^[27][31] which was shot in 1997.^[41][42] Chase directed it himself. They finished the pilot and showed it to HBO executives, but the show was put on hold for several months.^[27]

During this time, Chase, who had experienced frustration for a long period with being unable to break out of the TV genre and into film,^[27] considered asking HBO for additional funding to shoot 45 more minutes of footage and release The Sopranos as a feature film. In December 1997, HBO decided to produce the series and ordered 12 more episodes for a 13-episode season.^[27][31][43] The show premiered on HBO on January 10, 1999, with the pilot, The Sopranos.

Baer v. Chase[edit]

North Jersey prosecutor and municipal judge Robert Baer filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Chase in Trenton, New Jersey federal court, alleging that he helped to create the show. Baer lost the suit, but he won a ruling that a jury should decide how much he should be paid for services as a location scout, researcher, and story consultant. Baer argued that he had introduced Chase to Tony Spirito, a restaurateur and gambler with alleged mob ties, and Thomas Koczur, a homicide detective for the Elizabeth, New Jersey police department. Chase had conducted interviews and tours with both, which strongly inspired some characters, settings, and storylines portrayed in The Sopranos.^[44][45] On December 19, 2007, a federal jury found against Baer, dismissing all of his claims.^[46]

Casting[edit]

Many of the actors on The Sopranos are Italian American from the New York metropolitan area, like the characters they portray, and many appeared together in films and television series before joining the cast of The Sopranos. The series has 27 actors in common with the 1990 Martin Scorsese gangster film Goodfellas, including main cast members Lorraine Bracco, Michael Imperioli, and Tony Sirico.^[47]

The casting directors were Georgianne Walken and Sheila Jaffe.^[48][49] The main cast was put together through a process of auditions and readings. Actors often did not know whether Chase liked their performances or not.^[27] Michael Imperioli beat out several actors for the part of Christopher Moltisanti; he said that Chase had "a poker face, so I thought he wasn't into me, and he kept giving me notes and having me try it again, which often is a sign that you're not doing it right." Chase said that he wanted Imperioli because of his performance in Goodfellas.^[27]

James Gandolfini was invited to audition for the part of Tony Soprano after casting director Susan Fitzgerald saw a short clip of his performance in the 1993 film True Romance.^[27] Lorraine Bracco played the role of mob wife Karen Hill in Goodfellas, and she was originally asked to play the role of Carmela Soprano. She took the role of Dr. Jennifer Melfi instead because she wanted to try something different and felt that the part of the highly educated Dr. Melfi would be more of a challenge for her.^[50] Tony Sirico had a criminal history,^[51] and he signed on to play Paulie Walnuts so long as his character was not to be a "rat".^[52] Sirico had originally auditioned for the role of Uncle Junior with Frank Vincent, but Dominic Chianese landed the role.^[53]

Chase was impressed with Steven Van Zandt's humorous appearance and presence after seeing him induct The Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and invited him to audition.^[54] Van Zandt, a guitarist in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, had never acted before. He auditioned for the role of Tony Soprano, but HBO felt that the role should go to an experienced actor, so Chase wrote a new part for him.^[50][54] Van Zandt eventually agreed to star on the show as consigliere Silvio Dante, and his real-life spouse Maureen was cast as his on-screen wife Gabriella.^[55][56][57]

The cast of the debut season of the series consisted of largely unknown actors, with the exception of Bracco, Chianese, and Nancy Marchand, but many cast members were noted for their acting ability and received mainstream attention for their performances.^[27][58] Subsequent seasons saw established actors Joe Pantoliano, Robert Loggia, Steve Buscemi, and Frank Vincent^[59] join the starring cast, along with well-known actors in recurring roles such as Peter Bogdanovich, John Heard,^[60] Robert Patrick,^[61] Peter Riegert,^[62] Annabella Sciorra,^[59] and David Strathairn.^[63]

Numerous well-known actors appeared in one or two episodes, such as Lauren Bacall, Daniel Baldwin, Annette Bening, Polly Bergen, Sandra Bernhard, Paul Dano, Charles S. Dutton,^[64] Jon Favreau, Janeane Garofalo, Hal Holbrook, Tim Kang, Elias Koteas, Ben Kingsley, Linda Lavin, Ken Leung,^[65] Julianna Margulies, Sydney Pollack, Wilmer Valderrama, Alicia Witt, and Burt Young.^[66] Ray Liotta, who was eventually cast as two of the Moltisanti brothers in The Many Saints of Newark film prequel, was approached by Chase at one point to appear in the third or fourth seasons of the show, but the plan didn't work out.^[67]

Crew[edit]

Series creator and executive producer David Chase served as showrunner and head writer for the production of all six seasons of the show. He was deeply involved with the general production of every episode and is noted for being a very controlling, demanding, and specific producer.^[26][32] He wrote or co-wrote between two and seven episodes per season and would oversee all the editing, consult with episode directors, give actors character motivation, approve casting choices and set designs, and do extensive but uncredited rewrites of episodes written by others.^[58][68][69] Brad Grey served as executive producer alongside Chase but had no creative input on the show.^[70] Many members of the creative team behind The Sopranos were handpicked by Chase, some being old friends and colleagues of his; others were selected after interviews conducted by producers of the show.^[27][59]

Many of the show's writers had worked in television before joining the writing staff of The Sopranos. The writing team and married couple Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess worked on the series as writers and producers from the first to the fifth season; they had previously worked with Chase on Northern Exposure.^[71] Terence Winter joined the writing staff during the production of the second season and served as executive producer from season five onwards. He practiced law for two years before deciding to pursue a career as a screenwriter, and he caught the attention of Chase through writer Frank Renzulli.^[33][72]

Matthew Weiner served as staff writer and producer for the show's fifth and sixth seasons. He wrote a script for the series Mad Men in 2000 which was passed on to Chase, who was so impressed that he immediately offered Weiner a job as a writer for The Sopranos.^[73] Cast members Michael Imperioli and Toni Kalem portray Christopher Moltisanti and Angie Bonpensiero respectively, and they also wrote episodes for the show. Imperioli wrote five episodes of seasons two through five, and Kalem wrote one episode of season five.^[74][75]

Other writers included Frank Renzulli, Todd A. Kessler (co-creator of Damages), writing team Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider who worked with Chase on Northern Exposure, and Lawrence Konner, who co-created Almost Grown with Chase in 1988. In total, 20 writers or writing teams are credited with writing episodes of The Sopranos. Of these, Tim Van Patten and Maria Laurino receive a single story credit, and eight others are credited with writing a sole episode. The most prolific writers of the series were Chase (30 credited episodes, including story credits), Winter (25 episodes), Green and Burgess (22 episodes), Weiner (12 episodes), and Renzulli (9 episodes).

Many of the directors had previously worked on television series and independent films.^[59] The most frequent directors of the series were Tim Van Patten (20 episodes), John Patterson (13 episodes), Allen Coulter (12 episodes), and Alan Taylor (9 episodes), all of whom have a background in television.^[59] Recurring cast members Steve Buscemi and Peter Bogdanovich also directed episodes of the series intermittently.^[76][77] Chase directed the pilot episode and the series finale.^[78] Both episodes were photographed by the show's original director of photography Alik Sakharov, who later alternated episodes with Phil Abraham.^[79] The show's photography and directing is noted for its feature film quality.^[80][81] This look was achieved by Chase collaborating with Sakharov. "From the pilot, we would sit down with the whole script and break the scenes down into shots. That's what you do with feature films."^[79]

Music[edit]

The Sopranos is noted for its eclectic music selections and has received considerable critical attention for its effective use of previously recorded songs.^{[82][83][84][85]} Chase personally selected all of the show's music with producer Martin Bruestle and music editor Kathryn Dayak, sometimes also consulting Steven Van Zandt.^[82] The music was usually selected once the production and editing of an episode was completed, but on occasion sequences were filmed to match preselected pieces of music.^[68]

The show's opening theme is "Woke Up This Morning" (Chosen One Mix), written by, remixed and performed by British band Alabama 3.^[86] With few exceptions, a different song plays over the closing credits of each episode.^[84] Many songs are repeated multiple times through an e

Look up Lost or lost in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Lost or LOST may refer to getting lost, or to:

Geography[edit]

• Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
• Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US

Arts, entertainment, and media[edit]

Films[edit]

• Lost (1950 film), a Mexican film directed by Fernando A. Rivero
• Lost (1956 film), a British thriller starring David Farrar
• Lost (1983 film), an American film directed by Al Adamson
• Lost! (film), a 1986 Canadian film directed by Peter Rowe
• Lost (2004 film), an American thriller starring Dean Cain
• The Lost (2006 film), an American psychological horror starring Marc Senter
• Lost (2023 film), an Indian Hindi-language thriller film

Television[edit]

• Lost (2001 TV series), a short-lived American and UK reality television series
• Lost (2004 TV series), an American drama series about people who become stranded on a mysterious island
• Lost (South Korean TV series), a 2021 South Korean television series
• "Lost" (Stargate Universe), an episode of science fiction television series Stargate Universe
• "Lost", an episode of Unleashed!
• "Lost", an episode of the Canadian documentary TV series Mayday
• "Lost", an episode of Disney's So Weird
• "The Lost" (Class), an episode of the first series of the Doctor Who spin-off series Class

Literature[edit]

• Lost (Maguire novel), a 2001 horror/mystery novel by Gregory Maguire
• Lost (Robotham novel), a 2005 Michael Robotham novel
• Lost, a novel by Alice Lichtenstein
• Lost: A Memoir, a 2009 memoir by Canadian author Cathy Ostlere
• The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million, a 2006 memoir by Daniel Mendelsohn
• The Lost (Durst novel), a 2014 fantasy novel by American author Sarah Beth Durst

Music[edit]

Groups and labels[edit]

• Lost (band), an Italian pop rock band
• The Lost (band), a Boston garage rock band

Albums[edit]

• Lost (8Ball album), 1998
• Lost (Carpark North album), 2010
• Lost (Cool Calm Pete album), 2005
• Lost (Died Pretty album), 1988
• Lost (Elegy album), 1995
• Lost (RTZ album), 1998

Songs[edit]

• "Lost" (The Badloves song), 1993
• "LosT" (Bring Me The Horizon song). 2023
• "Lost" (Cold Chisel song), 2015
• "Lost" (Faith Hill song), 2007
• "Lost" (Frank Ocean song), 2012
• "Lost" (Gorilla Zoe song), 2008
• "Lost" (Hunter Brothers song), 2018
• "Lost" (Lasgo song), 2009
• "Lost" (Linkin Park song), 2023
• "Lost" (Menudo song), 2008
• "Lost" (Maroon 5 song), 2021
• "Lost" (Michael Bublé song), 2007
• "Lost" (NF song), 2021
• "Lost" (Roger Sanchez song), 2006
• "Lost" (Skin song), 2003
• "Lost" (Vassy and Afrojack song), 2017
• "Lost!", by Coldplay
• "Lost", by Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra from Theatre Is Evil
• "Lost", by Annie Lennox from Songs of Mass Destruction, 2007
• "Lost", by Anouk from Hotel New York
• "Lost", by Avenged Sevenfold from Avenged Sevenfold
• "Lost", by the Box Tops from Cry Like a Baby
• "Lost", by BTS from Wings, 2016
• "Lost", by Chance the Rapper featuring No name from Acid Rap
• "Lost", by The Church from Starfish
• "Lost", by Clockwork Radio from State of Mind EP
• "Lost", by the Cure from The Cure, 2004
• "Lost", by Dead by April from Incomparable
• "Lost", by Delain from April Rain
• "Lost", by Dusty Springfield from A Brand New Me
• "Lost", by Edge of Sanity from The Spectral Sorrows
• "Lost", by Katy Perry from One of the Boys, 2008
• "Lost", by Killswitch Engage from Killswitch Engage (2009 album), 2009
• "Lost", by Korn from Life Is Peachy
• "Lost", by Kreator from Cause for Conflict
• "Lost", by Kris Allen from Horizons, 2014
• "Lost", by the Meat Puppets from Meat Puppets II
• "Lost", by Nevermore from The Politics of Ecstasy
• "Lost", by Neurosis from Enemy of the Sun
• "Lost", by Nik Kershaw from You've Got to Laugh
• "Lost", by Orbital from Blue Album
• "Lost", a 2019 song by Onlychild
• "Lost", by Red from End of Silence
• "Lost", by Robbie Williams from XXV, 2022
• "Lost", by Stabbing Westward from Ungod
• "Lost", by Tristania from World of Glass
• "Lost", by Uriah Heep from Into the Wild
• "Lost", by Van der Graaf Generator from H to He, Who Am the Only One
• "Lost", by Will Haven from Voir Dire
• "Lost", by Within Temptation from The Unforgiving
• "Lost", a 2014 song by Irish musician The Eden Project from the EP Entrance

Video games[edit]

• Lost: Via Domus, a 2008 video game by Ubisoft based on the Lost TV series
• The Lost (video game), a 2002 vaporware game by Irrational Games

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• Local option sales tax
• Mustard gas, originally known as Lost
• Lost Generation, the social generational cohort that was in early adulthood during World War I
• Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have been created but has not survived to the present day

See also[edit]

• Loss (disambiguation)
• Lost Cause (disambiguation)
• Lost River (disambiguation)
• Lost Soul (disambiguation)
• Lost Souls (disambiguation)
• All pages with titles beginning with Lost
• All pages with titles containing Lost

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Beerfest
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jay Chandrasekhar
Written by	Broken Lizard
Produced by	Bill Gerber Richard Perello
Starring	Jay Chandrasekhar Kevin Heffernan Steve Lemme Paul Soter Erik Stolhanske Will Forte Ralf Möller Mo'Nique Eric Christian Olsen Jürgen Prochnow Cloris Leachman
Cinematography	Frank G. DeMarco
Edited by	Lee Haxall
Music by	Nathan Barr
Production companies	Legendary Pictures Gerber Pictures Cataland Films Broken Lizard
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	August 25, 2006 (2006-08-25)
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$17.5 million[1]
Box office	$20.4 million[2]

Beerfest is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by the comedy group Broken Lizard (Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske), who also star in the film alongside Nat Faxon, Will Forte, Ralf Möller, Mo'Nique, Eric Christian Olsen, Jürgen Prochnow, Cloris Leachman, and Donald Sutherland. The film was theatrically released on August 25, 2006.

The film's continual reference to a drinking game named "Das Boot" (drinking from a huge boot-shaped glass) is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the German co-star Jürgen Prochnow who was the star of the German film "Das Boot" (The Boat).

Plot[edit]

At the funeral of their German-born grandfather Johann von Wolfhausen, half-wit brothers Jan and Todd Wolfhouse discover that family tradition demands that they travel to Munich at Oktoberfest to spread his cremated ashes at the Theresienwiese. There, the brothers unintentionally start an altercation that takes down an entire Oktoberfest tent. They then get led to the location of and participate in Beerfest, an underground drinking game tournament run by Baron Wolfgang von Wolfhausen, after discovering that the von Wolfhausens are related to the Wolfhouses, with the German team angrily denying the family ties, revealing that Johann was a stable boy who stole the recipe for "ze greatest beer in all ze world" decades ago and ran away with his prostitute mother (the brothers' great grandmother), Great Gam Gam and then killing the man who brought them. Enraged by the mockery of their ancestors, Jan and Todd challenge the Germans to a drinking game. The brothers' defeat humiliates them in front of everybody, with Wolfgang pouring their grandfather's ashes on them and Jan gets punched in the eye.

Swearing to get revenge on the Germans, Jan and Todd return to Colorado where they recruit their drinking friends from college—binge drinker Phil "Landfill" Krundle, Jewish scientist Charlie "Fink" Finklestein, and male prostitute Barry Badrinath—to assemble an American Beerfest team, though they do not divulge this to Great Gam Gam. During the team's year of training, Jan and Todd find out that their grandfather did not steal the family beer recipe, but was actually the rightful heir to the family brewery in Bavaria. The team uses the rediscovered recipe to brew Schnitzengiggle Beer, whose delicious taste fills them with awe.

After the German team receive a bottle of Schnitzengiggle in the mail, the Wolfhausen clan goes to America to take the recipe back. Following a confrontation between the Wolfhausens and Jan and Todd, the Wolfhausens forge evidence that the brothers' restaurant has health issues to put them out of business. Fink quits the team, having been fired due to a slipping performance at the lab. Meanwhile, Landfill catches Great Gam Gam's caregiver Cherry stealing the beer recipe for the Germans. He overwhelms Cherry in a fight, but is pushed into a vat full of beer that drowns him due to the yeast ingredient submerging him. Minutes later, Jan discovers Landfill's body. Thinking Landfill committed suicide because of the strain that his involvement was putting on their marriage, the team decides to disband.

After the funeral, Great Gam Gam reveals that she knew about Beerfest the entire time. She then motivates the bereaved team with a rousing speech, and everyone except Barry change their minds. Barry explains that he cannot join due to a traumatizing incident years ago during a game of table tennis, in which the big end of a racket was forcefully shoved up his anus. Sympathizing with Barry, Great Gam Gam encourages him to rise above it, causing him to relent and join the team. Shortly after, Landfill's Southern twin brother Gil reveals himself to the group and offers to join the team, which they accept. Like his brother; Gil can drink copious amounts of beer, stating that he taught his brother everything he knew about drinking, and he even invites the other members of the team to call him "Landfill" in his memory.

In Germany, the team uses an empty wooden keg as a Trojan Horse to get inside, where they emerge to boos and jeers. The Americans are allowed to participate after Jan and Todd show how uncannily they resemble the two Beerfest founders, thus convincing the crowd of their von Wolfhausen ancestry. In the finals (bootline chug), Cherry gibes Gil about the death of his brother, causing him to crack and the Germans to win. Jan offers the Germans a double or nothing opportunity. The Germans tell Jan they already have the recipe and thus no need for a rematch, but Fink points out that Cherry only stole a recipe for a low-carbohydrate strawberry beer, prompting Wolfgang to have Cherry killed. When one of the von Wolfhausens knocks off Fink's yarmulke, he enters into a state of purely concentrated rage which allows him to coach the team to victory, barely gaining the win when the German team's anchor fails to finish "Das Boot" (Boot of beer) by one drop, breaking a tie between them.

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Beerfest was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. When asked about where the concept for the film came from, Jay Chandrasekhar said "We were at a Beer garden in Australia (wearing our police uniforms) and we went on stage and challenged the top five drinkers in the room to a chug off. The place exploded. We were winning, but then Paul Soter started drinking and we quickly lost. Then we had arm wrestling contests. Then Steve Lemme insulted national treasure, Russell Crowe and we had to be escorted out by security. We thought that would be a fun movie. The drinking beer part."^[4]

Release[edit]

Beerfest was theatrically released on August 25, 2006.^[5]

Two versions of the film have been released on home media: the theatrical version and an unrated version. The unrated version runs ten minutes longer and includes another eight brief scenes.^[6][7][8]

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 40% based on 107 reviews, with an average rating of 5.04/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Beerfest features some laugh-inducing gags, but is too long and the pacing too uneven to form a coherent, functioning comedy."^[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[10]

David Jenkins in Time Out magazine wrote it "appears to have been conceived on the back of a beermat and its trashy direction, nonexistent plot and dismal comic mugging would seem to suggest that preparations progressed no further".^[11] Jeannette Catsoulis of The New York Times disagreed: "Best viewed while sloshed, Beerfest is idiotic, tasteless and irrepressibly good-natured in other words, a frat-house classic".^[5]

Planned sequel[edit]

Despite the statement at the end of Beerfest that Potfest is "coming soon", Broken Lizard intended this as a joke to get publicity. They have stated both that fans were very supportive of the title and that Broken Lizard may decide to make an animated film of the same name.^[12] In July 2012, Broken Lizard member Jay Chandraskehar revealed the Smokefest might actually happen, and that Willie Nelson, Cheech of Cheech & Chong and Snoop Dogg agreed to appear in the movie.^[13] In June 2013, it was confirmed that the movie would be released after Super Troopers 2.^[14] In 2014, it was confirmed that it would be a live action film rather than the proposed animated film. It was later announced, in 2016, that a Beerfest TV series will air on CW Seed.^[15] Beerfest: Thirst for Victory was released as a television film in 2018, with no involvement from Broken Lizard.^[16]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

• Official website
• Beerfest at IMDb

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War is an armed conflict^[a] between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular or irregular military forces. Warfare refers to the common activities and characteristics of types of war, or of wars in general.^[2] Total war is warfare that is not restricted to purely legitimate military targets, and can result in massive civilian or other non-combatant suffering and casualties.

While some war studies scholars consider war a universal and ancestral aspect of human nature,^[3] others argue it is a result of specific socio-cultural, economic, or ecological circumstances.^[4]

Tomb Raider
The Tomb Raider logo from 2022 onwards
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Developer(s)	Core Design (1994–2006) Crystal Dynamics (2006–2017, 2021–present) Eidos-Montréal (2015–2019) Square Enix Montréal (2015–2016) Aspyr (2024)
Publisher(s)	Eidos Interactive (1996–2009) Square Enix (2010–2021) Microsoft Studios (2015–2016) Aspyr (2024) Amazon Games (TBA)
Platform(s)	Android Arcade Dreamcast Evercade Game Boy Color Game Boy Advance GameCube iOS Linux macOS Microsoft Windows Mobile phone J2ME MS-DOS N-Gage N-Gage 2.0 Nintendo DS Nintendo Switch PlayStation PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 PlayStation Portable Sega Saturn Stadia Wii Windows Mobile Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series S Xbox Series X
First release	Tomb Raider 25 October 1996
Latest release	Tomb Raider I–III Remastered 14 February 2024

Tomb Raider, known as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise is currently owned by CDE Entertainment; it was formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, then by Square Enix Europe after Square Enix's acquisition of Eidos in 2009 until Embracer Group purchased the intellectual property alongside Eidos in 2022. The franchise focuses on the fictional British archaeologist Lara Croft, who travels around the world searching for lost artefacts and infiltrating dangerous tombs and ruins. Gameplay generally focuses on exploration, solving puzzles, navigating hostile environments filled with traps, and fighting enemies. Additional media has been developed for the franchise in the form of film adaptations, comics and novels.

Development of the first Tomb Raider began in 1994; it was released two years later. Its critical and commercial success prompted Core Design to develop a new game annually for the next four years, which put a strain on staff. The sixth game, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, faced difficulties during development and was considered a failure at release. This prompted Eidos to switch development duties to Crystal Dynamics, which has been the series' primary developer since. Other developers have contributed to spin-off titles and ports of mainline entries.

Tomb Raider games have sold over 95 million copies worldwide by 2022.^[1] while the entire franchise generated close to $1.2 billion in revenue by 2002.^[2] The series has received generally positive reviews from critics, and Lara Croft has become one of the most recognisable video game protagonists, winning accolades and earning places on the Walk of Game and Guinness World Records.

Titles[edit]

The first six Tomb Raider games were developed by Core Design, a British video game development company owned by Eidos Interactive. After the sixth game in the series was released to a mixed reception in 2003, development was transferred to American studio Crystal Dynamics, who have handled the main series since.^[3] Since 2001, other developers have contributed either to ports of mainline games or with the development of spin-off titles.^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Main series[edit]

The first entry in the series Tomb Raider was released in 1996 for personal computers (PC), PlayStation and Sega Saturn consoles.^[9][10] The Saturn and PlayStation versions were released in Japan in 1997.^[11][12] Its sequel, Tomb Raider II, launched in 1997, again for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation. A month before release, Eidos finalised a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to keep the console version of Tomb Raider II and future games exclusive to PlayStation until the year 2000.^[9][10] The PlayStation version was released in Japan in 1998.^[13] Tomb Raider III launched in 1998.^[10] As with Tomb Raider II, the PlayStation version released in Japan the following year.^[14] The fourth consecutive title in the series, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, released in 1999. In 2000, with the end of the PlayStation exclusivity deal, the game also released on the Dreamcast.^[9][15] In Japan, both console versions released the following year.^[16][17] Tomb Raider: Chronicles released in 2000 on the same platforms as The Last Revelation, with the PlayStation version's Japanese release as before coming the following year.^[9][15][18]

After a three-year gap, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was released on Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 2 (PS2) in 2003. The PlayStation 2 version was released in Japan that same year.^[15][19] The next entry, Tomb Raider: Legend, was released worldwide in 2006 for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable (PSP), GameCube, Game Boy Advance (GBA) and Nintendo DS.^[8][20][21] The Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions were released in Japan the same year.^[22] A year later, a remake of the first game titled Tomb Raider: Anniversary was released worldwide in 2007 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 and the Wii.^[23] The next entry, Tomb Raider: Underworld, was released in 2008 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.^[24][25][26] The PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Wii versions were released in Japan in 2009.^{[27][28][29][30]}

In 2011, The Tomb Raider Trilogy was released for PlayStation 3 as a compilation release that included Anniversary and Legend remastered in HD resolution, along with the PlayStation 3 version of Underworld. The disc includes avatars for PlayStation Home, a Theme Pack, new Trophies, Developer's Diary videos for the three games, and trailers for Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light as bonus content.

A reboot of the series, titled Tomb Raider, was released worldwide in 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.^[31][32] Its sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, was released in 2015 on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.^[33][34] The game was part of a timed exclusivity deal with Microsoft.^[35] Versions for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows were released in 2016.^[36] Another sequel, Shadow of the Tomb Raider,^[37] was released worldwide on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows in 2018.^[38] An arcade game based on this incarnation was released by Bandai Namco Amusement in Europe in 2018.^[39]

Game Boy spin-offs[edit]

Core Design developed two Game Boy Colour titles in the early 2000s. The first, a side-scrolling game simply titled Tomb Raider was released in 2000.^[7][40] The second, its sequel, Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword, was released in 2001.^[7][41] A Game Boy Advance title called Tomb Raider: The Prophecy, was released in 2002. Unlike the first two Game Boy titles, this was developed by Ubi Soft Milan and published by Ubi Soft, adopting an isometric perspective and moving away from the side-scrolling platform-based gameplay.^[7][42]

Lara Croft subseries[edit]

From 2010 to 2015, a subseries simply titled Lara Croft was in development at Crystal Dynamics, with different gameplay than the main series and existing in its own continuity.^[43][44] The first game, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, was released in 2010 as a downloadable title for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.^[43] It was followed by Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, released for retail and download in 2014 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.^[45] Both titles were released in a compilation entitled The Lara Croft Collection for Nintendo Switch in 2023.^[46] An entry for mobile devices, an endless runner platformer titled Lara Croft: Relic Run, was released in 2015.^[44] Square Enix Montreal also released a platform-puzzler for mobile devices, Lara Croft Go in 2015.^[47]

Other spin-offs[edit]

In 2003, four Tomb Raider titles for mobile phones were released.^[48] Developed by Emerald City Games for iOS and Android devices, Tomb Raider Reloaded is an action arcade and free-to-play game released by CDE Entertainment in 2022.^[49]

Cancelled games[edit]

After the release of The Angel of Darkness in 2003, Core Design continued working on the franchise for another three years, but both of the projects under development in that period were cancelled. A sequel titled The Lost Dominion was undergoing preliminary development that year, but the negative reception of The Angel of Darkness caused it and a wider trilogy to be scrapped.^[9][50] With Eidos's approval, Core Design then began development of an updated edition of the first game for the PSP called Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary in late 2005, with a projected release date of Christmas 2006. Development continued while other Core Design staff were working on the platformer Free Running. When Core Design was sold to Rebellion Developments in June 2006,^[51] Eidos requested the project's cancellation. It was suggested by staff that Eidos did not want to let outside developers handle the franchise.^[52][53] An Indiana Jones "reskin" of the game was never completed, and Free Running was ultimately the studio's final title in 2007. Core Design—by then named Rebellion Derby—shut down in 2010. A January 2006 build of 10th Anniversary was leaked online in 2020, and remains available on the Internet Archive.^[54][55][56]

Common elements[edit]

Lara Croft[edit]

Lara Croft is the main protagonist and playable character of the video game series. She travels around the world in search of many forgotten artefacts and locations, frequently connected to supernatural powers.^[59][60][61] While her biography has changed throughout the series, her shared traits are her origins as the only daughter and heir of the aristocratic Croft family.^[59][62][63] She is portrayed as intelligent, athletic, elegant, fluent in multiple languages, and determined to fulfil her own goals at any cost. She has brown eyes and brown hair worn in a braid or ponytail. The character's classic outfit consists of a turquoise singlet, light brown shorts, calf-high boots, and tall white socks. Recurring accessories include fingerless gloves, a backpack, a utility belt with holsters on either side, and twin pistols. Later games have multiple new outfits for her.^{[58][64][65][66]}

Lara Croft has been voiced by five actresses in the video game series: Shelley Blond, Judith Gibbins, Jonell Elliott, Keeley Hawes, and Camilla Luddington. In other media, Croft was also voiced by Minnie Driver in the animated series and portrayed by Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander in feature films. Multiple models and body doubles have portrayed Croft in promotional material until the reboot in 2013. Eight different real-life models have portrayed her at promotional events.^[67][68]

In January 2023, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Phoebe Waller-Bridge was set to write a TV show adaptation^[69] of the video game franchise for Amazon. It was also reported that this would involve a tie-in video game and film in an interconnected universe, likened to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.^[70]

Continuity[edit]

The circumstances of her first adventures, along with the drive behind her adventures, differ depending on the continuity. In the original continuities, she is on a plane that crashes in the Himalayas: her journey back to civilization against the odds help to begin her journey towards her adult life as an adventuress and treasure hunter.^[59][62] In the original continuity, after her ordeal in the Himalayas, she left behind her privileged life and made a living writing about her exploits as an adventurer, mercenary, and cat burglar. Shortly after these books she was disowned by her family.^[71][72] In The Last Revelation, Lara was caught in a collapsing pyramid at the game's end, leaving her fate unknown: this was because the staff, exhausted from four years of non-stop development, wanted to move on from the character.^[67] Chronicles was told through a series of flashbacks at a wake for Lara, while The Angel of Darkness was set an unspecified time after The Last Revelation, with Lara revealed to have survived. The circumstances of her survival were originally part of the game but were cut due to time constraints and the pushing of the publisher Eidos.^[67][73]

In the Legend continuity, her mother Amelia was involved in the crash, and she is partially driven by the need to discover the truth behind her mother's disappearance and vindicate her father's theories about Amelia's disappearance.^[74] This obsession with the truth is present in Anniversary, and ends up bringing the world to the brink of destruction during the events of Underworld.^[75][76] Her father is referred to as Lord Henshingly Croft in the original games and Lord Richard Croft in the Legend continuity.^[59][62] The Lara Croft subseries take place within their own separate continuity, devoting itself to adventures similar to earlier games while the main series goes in a different stylistic direction.^[44]

In the 2013 reboot continuity, Lara's mother vanished at an early age, and her father became obsessed with finding the secrets of immortality, eventually resulting in an apparent suicide. Lara distanced herself from her father's memory, believing like many others that his obsession had caused him to go mad. After studying at university, Lara gets an opportunity to work on an archaeology program, in the search for the mythic kingdom of Yamatai. The voyage to find the kingdom results in a shipwreck on an island, which is later discovered to be Yamatai, but the island is also home to savage bandits, who were victims of previous wrecks. Lara's attempts to find a way off the island lead her to discover that the island itself is stopping them from leaving, which she discovered is linked to the still-living soul of the Sun Queen Himiko. Lara tries to find a way to banish the spirit of the sun queen in order to get home. The aftermath of the events of the game causes Lara to see that her father was right, and that she had needlessly distanced herself from him. She decides to finish his work, and uncover the mysteries of the world. The game's sequels portray Lara Croft in conflict with an ancient organization Trinity, in their quest to obtain supernatural items for their world domination.

Gameplay[edit]

The gameplay of Tomb Raider is primarily based around an action-adventure framework, with Lara navigating environments and solving mechanical and environmental puzzles, in addition to fighting enemies and avoiding traps. These puzzles, primarily set within ancient tombs and temples, can extend across multiple rooms and areas within a level. Lara can swim through water, a rarity in games at the time that has continued through the series.^{[20][67][77][78]} According to original software engineer and later studio manager Gavin Rummery, the original set-up of interlinking rooms was inspired by Egyptian multi-roomed tombs, particularly the tomb of Tutankhamun.^[67] The feel of the gameplay was intended to evoke that of the 1989 video game Prince of Persia.^[79] In the original games, Lara utilised a "bulldozer" steering set-up, with two buttons pushing her forward and back and two buttons steering her left and right, and in combat Lara automatically locked onto enemies when they came within range. The camera automatically adjusts depending on Lara's action, but defaults to a third-person perspective in most instances. This basic formula remained unchanged through the first series of games. Angel of Darkness added stealth elements.^{[77][78][80][81]}

For Legend, the control scheme and character movement was redesigned to provide a smooth and fluid experience. One of the key elements present was how buttons for different actions cleanly transitioned into different actions, along with these moves being incorporated into combat to create effects such as stunning or knocking down enemies. Quick-time events were added into certain segments within each level, and many of the puzzles were based around sophisticated in-game physics.^{[20][67][82][83]} Anniversary, while going through the same locales of the original game, was rebuilt using the gameplay and environmental puzzles of Legend.^[84] For Underworld, the gameplay was redesigned around a phrase the staff had put to themselves: "What Could Lara Do?". Using this set-up, they created a greater variety of moves and greater interaction with the environment, along with expanding and improving combat.^[85]

The gameplay underwent another major change for the 2013 reboot. Gameplay altered from progression through linear levels to navigating an open world, with hunting for supplies and upgrading equipment and weapons becoming a key part of gameplay, yet tombs were mostly optional, and platforming was less present in comparison to combat. The combat was redesigned to be similar to the Uncharted series: the previous reticle-based lock-on mechanics were replaced by a free-roaming aim.^[86] Rise of the Tomb Raider built on the 2013 reboot's foundation, adding dynamic weather systems, reintroducing swimming, and increasing the prevalence of non-optional tombs with more platforming elements.^[87]

History[edit]

Original series at Core Design (1994–2006)[edit]

The concept for Tomb Raider originated in 1994 at Core Design, a British game development studio.^[88] One of the people involved in its creation was Toby Gard, who was mostly responsible for creating the character of Lara Croft. Gard originally envisioned the character as a man: company co-founder Jeremy Heath-Smith was worried the character would be seen as derivative of Indiana Jones, so Gard changed the character's gender. Her design underwent mult

The Borg
Star Trek race
Borg insignia designed by Rick Sternbach. It first appeared in the episode "Q Who".[n 1]
Created by	Maurice Hurley
In-universe information
Base of operations	Delta Quadrant
Leader	Borg Queen

The Borg are an alien group that appear as recurring antagonists in the Star Trek fictional universe. The Borg are cybernetic organisms (cyborgs) linked in a hive mind called "The Collective." The Borg co-opt the technology and knowledge of other alien species to the Collective through the process of "assimilation": forcibly transforming individual beings into "drones" by injecting nanoprobes into their bodies and surgically augmenting them with cybernetic components. The Borg's ultimate goal is "achieving perfection."^[1][2]

Aside from being recurring antagonists in the Next Generation television series, they are depicted as the main threat in the film Star Trek: First Contact. In addition, they played major roles in the Voyager and Picard series.

The Borg have become a symbol in popular culture for any juggernaut against which "resistance is futile" – a common phrase uttered by the Borg.

Concept[edit]

The Borg represented a new antagonist and regular enemy which had been lacking during the first season of TNG; the Klingons were allies and the Romulans mostly absent. The Ferengi were originally intended as the new enemy for the United Federation of Planets, but their comical appearance failed to portray them as a convincing threat. The Borg, however, with their frightening appearance, their immense power, and their sinister motive, became the signature villains for the TNG and Voyager eras of Star Trek. In Voyager episode "Q2", even the near-omnipotent Q tells his son, "Don't provoke the Borg!"

Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) writers began to develop the idea of the Borg as early as the Season 1 episode "Conspiracy", which introduced a coercive, symbiotic life form that took over key Federation personnel. Plans to feature the Borg as an increasingly menacing threat were subsequently scrapped in favor of a more subtle introduction, beginning with the mystery of missing Federation and Romulan colonies on both sides of the Neutral Zone in "The Neutral Zone" and culminating in the encounter between Borg and the Enterprise crew in "Q Who".^[3]

Depiction[edit]

The Borg are cyborgs, having outward appearances showing both mechanical and biological body parts.^[4] Individual Borg are referred to as drones and move in a robotic, purposeful style, ignoring most of their environment, including beings they do not consider an immediate threat. Borg commonly have one eye replaced with a sophisticated ocular implant. Borg usually have one arm replaced with a prosthesis, bearing one of a variety of multipurpose tools in place of a humanoid hand. Since different drones have different roles, the arm may be specialized for myriad purposes such as medical devices, scanners, and weapons. Borg have flat, grayish skin, giving them an almost zombie-like appearance.

Borg are highly resistant to energy-based weapons, having personal shielding that quickly adapts to them. In various episodes, phasers and other directed energy weapons tend to quickly become ineffective as the Borg are able to adapt to the specific frequencies on which these weapons are projected once a ship or an individual drone is struck down by them. Later attempts to modulate phaser and other weapon frequencies have had limited success. Borg shields are ineffective protection against projectile or melee weapons, and several have been defeated in this way, or through hand-to-hand combat.

Borg possess a "cortical node" that controls other implanted cybernetic devices within a Borg drone's body; it is most often implanted in the forehead above the organic eye. If the cortical node fails, the drone eventually dies. Successful replacement of the node can be carried out on a Borg vessel.

Borg Collective[edit]

Borg civilization is based on a hive or group mind known as the Collective. Each Borg drone is linked to the collective by a sophisticated subspace network that ensures each member is given constant supervision and guidance. The mental energy of the group consciousness can help an injured or damaged drone heal or regenerate damaged body parts or technology. The collective consciousness gives them the ability not only to "share the same thoughts", but also to adapt quickly to new tactics.^[5] Individual drones in the Collective are rarely seen speaking, but a collective "voice" is sometimes transmitted to ships.

"Resistance is futile"[edit]

Individual Borg rarely speak, although they do send a collective audio message to their targets, stating that "resistance is futile", often followed by a declaration that the target in question will be assimilated and its "biological and technological distinctiveness" will be added to their own. The exact phrasing varies and evolves over the various series episodes and film.

In Star Trek: First Contact, the voice of the Borg is spoken by Jeff Coopwood. The Borg's warning is:

We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile.^[6]

Nanoprobes[edit]

Nanoprobes are microscopic machines that inhabit a Borg's body, bloodstream, and many cybernetic implants. The probes maintain the Borg cybernetic systems and repair damage to the organic parts of a Borg. They generate new technology inside a Borg when needed and protect them from many forms of disease. Borg nanoprobes, each about the size of a human red blood cell, travel through the victim's bloodstream and attach to individual cells. The nanoprobes rewrite the cellular DNA, altering the victim's biochemistry, and eventually form larger, more complicated structures and networks within the body, like electrical pathways, processing and data-storage nodes, and ultimately prosthetic devices that spring forth from the skin.^{[citation needed]} In "Mortal Coil", Seven of Nine says the Borg assimilated the nanoprobe technology from "Species 149". In addition, the nanoprobes maintain and repair their host's mechanical and biological components on a microscopic level, imparting regenerative capabilities.

Though used by the Borg to exert control over another being, reprogrammed nanoprobes were used by the crew of the starship Voyager in many instances as medical aids.

The capability of nanoprobes to absorb improved technologies they find into the Borg collective is shown in the Voyager episode "Drone", where Seven of Nine's nanoprobes are fused with the Doctor's mobile emitter, which uses technology from the 29th century, creating a 29th-century drone existing outside the Collective, with capabilities far surpassing those of the 24th-century drones.

The Borg do not try to immediately assimilate any being with which they come into contact; Borg drones tend to completely ignore individuals that are identified as too weak to be an imminent threat or too inferior to be worth assimilating. Captain Picard and his team walk safely past a group of Borg drones in a scene from the film Star Trek: First Contact while the drones fulfill a programmed mission. In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Mortal Coil", Seven of Nine told Neelix the Kazon were "unworthy" of assimilation and would serve only to detract from the Borg's quest for perceived perfection.

Travel[edit]

The Borg are a spacefaring race, and their primary interstellar transport and combat vessel is known as a "Borg Cube" due to its shape. A cube was first seen during the Borg's introduction in the Next Generation episode "Q Who", which established the vessel as vastly exceeding the capability of the Enterprise – the main ship of the series and Federation flagship – to defend against or escape it without outside intervention. The episode "The Best of Both Worlds" and the film Star Trek: First Contact both depict single cubes as critical military threats, capable of fighting or defeating an entire fleet of ships.

Common capabilities of cubes include high speed warp and transwarp drives, self-regeneration and multiple-redundant systems, adaptability in combat, and various energy weapons as well as tractor beams and cutting beams. As with most other Star Trek races, the Borg have transporter capability. Cubes are also distinguished by their immense size and lack of streamlined aesthetic.^[7]

Different types and sizes of cubes have appeared, as well as Borg spheres and some smaller craft.^[8]

Assimilation[edit]

Assimilation is the process by which the Borg integrate beings, cultures, and technology into the Collective. "You will be assimilated" is one of the few on-screen phrases employed by the Borg when communicating with other species. The Borg are portrayed as having found and assimilated thousands of species and billions to trillions of individual life-forms throughout the galaxy. The Borg designate each species with a number assigned to them upon first contact, humanity being "Species 5618".

When first introduced, the Borg are said to be more interested in assimilating technology than people, roaming the universe as single-minded marauders assimilating starships, planets, and entire societies to collect new technology. They are discriminating in this area, finding certain races, for example the Kazon, to be technologically inferior and unworthy of assimilation. The Borg then place the assimilated children into maturation chambers to quickly and fully grow them into mature drones.

In their second appearance, "The Best of Both Worlds", they capture and assimilate Captain Jean-Luc Picard into the Collective, creating Locutus of Borg (meaning "he who has spoken", in Latin).

The method of assimilating individual life-forms into the Collective has been represented differently over time. The Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation assimilate through abduction and then surgical procedure. In Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Voyager, assimilation is through injection of nanoprobes into an individual's bloodstream via a pair of tubules that spring forth from a drone's hand. Assimilation by tubules is depicted on-screen as being a fast-acting process, with the victim's skin pigmentation turning gray and mottled with visible dark tracks forming within moments of contact. After assimilation, a drone's race and gender become "irrelevant". After initial assimilation through injection, Borg are surgically fitted with cybernetic devices. In Star Trek: First Contact an assimilated crew member is shown to have a forearm and an eye physically removed and replaced with cybernetic implants.

The Borg also assimilate, interface, and reconfigure technology using these tubules and nanoprobes. However, in "Q Who" a Borg is depicted apparently trying to assimilate, probe, or reconfigure a control panel in engineering using an energy interface instead of nanoprobes.

Some species, for various reasons, are able to resist assimilation by nanoprobes. Species 8472 is the only race shown to be capable of completely rejecting assimilation attempts. Other species, such as the Hirogen, have demonstrated resistance to assimilation as well as Dr Phlox, who was able to partially resist the assimilation process in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Regeneration".^[9]

Borg Queen[edit]

Before the film Star Trek: First Contact (1996), the Borg exhibited no hierarchical command structure. First Contact introduced the Borg Queen, who is not named as such in the film (referring to herself with "I am the Borg. I am the Collective... I am the beginning, the end, the one who is many") but is named Borg Queen in the closing credits. The Queen is played by Alice Krige in this film, in the 2001 finale of Star Trek: Voyager "Endgame", the Star Trek: Lower Decks second season episode "I, Excretus" and the last two episodes in the final season of Star Trek: Picard. The character also appeared in Voyager's two-part episodes "Dark Frontier" (1999) and "Unimatrix Zero" (2000), but was portrayed by Susanna Thompson.^[10] Whether or not these appearances represent the same queen is never specified. The queen appeared to be killed in both First Contact and "End Game", so there may be a total of three queens throughout the series. In First Contact, the Borg Queen is seen during a flashback of Picard's former assimilation, establishing she was present during the events of "Best of Both Worlds".

The Borg Queen is the focal point within the Borg collective consciousness and a unique drone within the Collective, who brings "order to chaos", referring to herself as "we" and "I" interchangeably. In First Contact, the Queen's dialogue suggests she is an expression of the Borg Collective's overall intelligence, not a controller but the avatar of the entire Collective as an individual. This sentiment is contradicted by Star Trek: Voyager, where she is seen explicitly directing, commanding, and in one instance even overriding the Collective. The introduction of the Queen radically changed the canonical understanding of the Borg function, with the authors of The Computers of Star Trek noting: "It was a lot easier for viewers to focus on a villain rather than a hive-mind that made decisions based on the input of all its members."^[11] First Contact writers Brannon Braga and Ronald D. Moore have defended the introduction of the Queen as a dramatic necessity, noting on the film's DVD audio commentary that they had initially written the film with drones, but then found that it was essential for the main characters to have someone to interact with beyond mindless drones.

The Borg Queen returned in the second season of Star Trek: Picard, played by Annie Wersching and Alison Pill.^[12] This Borg Queen was from an alternate timeline created by Q's manipulations and she merged with Doctor Agnes Jurati. After being convinced to create a Collective based on free will, she departs in Agnes' body in 2024. In 2401, the same Queen reappears at the head of a Borg faction seeking to join Starfleet and defend the galaxy from an unknown threat that is coming. After recognizing the Queen as Agnes, Picard allows her to proceed.

In the third season of Star Trek: Picard, the Borg Queen, this one representing the main faction of the Borg, returns in the penultimate episode where she assimilates Jack Crusher and is revealed to have been behind the Changelings' actions throughout the season, using them for a plan to infiltrate and take over the Federation. In the series finale, the Queen reveals that the Borg were decimated following the events of Star Trek: Voyager and she now seeks to evolve and propagate her race while annihilating all other life forms in the galaxy, having cannibalized many of her remaining drones to survive. After Picard rescues Jack, the Borg Queen is killed when her Cube is destroyed by the Enterprise-D, freeing Starfleet from her assimilation.

Borg appearances[edit]

The Borg were introduced on syndicated television on May 8, 1989, in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Q Who", and rose to further prominence in the two-part cliffhanger "Best of Both Worlds, Part I",^[13] which aired on June 18, 1990, with the sequel airing on September 24, 1990. In the Star Trek in-universe timeline, the earliest the Borg have been displayed is in 1996's Star Trek: First Contact.

Overall, Borg aliens appear in a total of about a hundred episodes of various incarnations of Star Trek.^[14] This number includes all episodes featuring Seven of Nine, a former Borg drone;^[14] discounting these appearances, the Borg appear in six episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, one episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, 23 episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, and one episode of Star Trek: Enterprise.^[14]

The Next Generation[edit]

The Borg first appear in the Star Trek: The Next Generation second-season episode "Q Who", when the omnipotent life-form Q hurls the Enterprise-D across the galaxy to challenge Jean-Luc Picard's assertion that his crew is ready to face the galaxy's dangers and mysteries. The Enterprise crew is overwhelmed by the Borg, and Picard begs for and receives Q's help in returning the ship to its previous coordinates.

The Borg next appear in The Next Generation's third-season finale and fourth-season premiere, "The Best of Both Worlds". Picard is abducted and assimilated by the Borg and transformed into Locutus (Latin for "he who speaks"). Picard's knowledge of Starfleet's strengths and strategies is gained by the Collective, and the single cube destroys the entire Starfleet armada at Wolf 359. The Enterprise crew manages to capture Locutus, gain information through him that allows them to destroy the cube, and then reverse the assimilation process.

In the fifth-season episode "I, Borg", the Enterprise crew rescues an adolescent Borg they name "Hugh". The crew faces the moral decision of whether or not to use Hugh (who begins to develop a sense of independence as a result of a severed link to the Collective) as a means of delivering a devastating computer virus to the Borg, or return to the Borg with his individuality intact.^[15] They decide to return him without the virus, but in the sixth-season episode "Descent", a group of rogue Borg who had "assimilated" individuality through Hugh fall under the control of the android Lore, the "older brother" of Data. Lore also corrupts Data through the use of an "emotion chip", simultaneously deactivating Data's ethical subroutines and projecting only negative emotions to it. Under this programming, Data participates in the capture of Picard, La Forge and Troi, but they are able to reactivate Data's ethical subroutines, allowing him to recognize that his current actions are wrong and leading him to deactivate Lore. Data recovers the emotion chip and the surviving Borg fall under the leadership of Hugh.

In 2017, SYFY listed "I, Borg" among the 25 best science fiction episodes of the last 25 years.^[16]

First Contact[edit]

The Borg return as the antagonists in the Next Generation film Star Trek: First Contact. After again failing to assimilate Earth by a direct assault in the year 2373, the Borg travel back in time to the year 2063 to try to stop Zefram Cochrane's first contact with the Vulcans, change the timeline, and erase Starfleet from existence. The Enterprise-E crew follows the Borg back in time and restores the original timeline. First Contact introduces the Borg Queen as played by Alice Krige, who later reprised the role on United Paramount Network for the finale of Star Trek: Voyager.

Deep Space Nine[edit]

There is only one appearance of Borg in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in the series premiere "Emissary".^[14] The episode's prologue depicts Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) as First Officer on the USS Saratoga, in the Starfleet armada dispatched to confront the Borg at Wolf 359. The Saratoga is destroyed by the Borg, killing Sisko's wife, Jennifer. Later in the episode, Sisko's meeting with Picard is tense, as he blames Picard for the actions of Locutus. Throughout the remainder of the series, references to the Borg are made occasionally, including the design of their ship, USS Defiant, and the battle from Star Trek: First Contact being used as a plot point in the fifth season, when Starfleet is spread too thin to deal with a Dominion incursion.

Voyager[edit]

The Borg make frequent appearances in Star Trek: Voyager, which takes place in the Delta Quadrant. The Borg are first seen by Voyager in the third-season episode "Blood Fever" in which Chakotay discovers the body of what the local humanoids refer to as "the Invaders"; which turns out to be the Borg. In "Scorpion", the Borg are engaged in a war of attrition against Species 8472, whose biological defences are a match for the Borg's nanoprobes. In one of the few instances of the Borg negotiating, in exchange for safe passage through Borg space, the Voyager crew devises a way to destroy the otherwise invulnerable Species 8472. A Borg drone, Seven of Nine, is dispatched to Voyager to facilitate this arrangement. After successfully driving Species 8472 back into their fluidic space, Seven of Nine is severed from the Collective and becomes a member of Voyager's crew. Seven of Nine's rediscovery of her individuality becomes a recurring theme throughout the series.

The Hollywood Reporter ranked "Scorpion" as the 4th best episode of Voyager in 2016,^[17] and the 37th best Star Trek episode.^[18] In 2017, Den of Geek rated "Scorpion" among the top 50 Star Trek episodes overall.^[19]

In the fifth season, we see the Borg in "Drone", where an advanced Borg drone is created when Seven of Nine's nanoprobes are fused with the Doctor's mobile emitter in a transporter accident. The Borg play a peripheral role in "Infinite Regress", when Seven of Nine is exposed to a weapon against the Borg that essentially causes her to suffer from multiple personality disorder (MPD), being taken over by the personalities of other assimilated beings, such as a small child, a Klingon and a Vulcan. In "Dark Frontier", Voyager steals and uses a transwarp coil to both rescue Seven of Nine from the Borg Queen and then cut another fifteen years off their journey home before the coil burns out.

Juliette Harrisson, writing for Den of Geek in 2017, gave actress Susanna Thompson and Alice Krige as Borg Queens an honorable mention in a ranking of best guest stars on Star Trek: Voyager.^[20]

In the sixth-season episode "Collective", the crew of Voyager encounter a damaged cube that is holding Tom Paris, Neelix, Harry Kim and Chakotay hostage. With all the adult drones dead, the ship is run by five Borg children who are saved by Voyager and deassimilated. The later episode "Child's Play" reveals that the cube was infected by a pathogen that Icheb, one of the children, had been engineered to act as a host for by his parents, but the crew rescue Icheb before he can be sent back to the Borg. The crew encounter the Borg again in "Unimatrix Zero", a two-part cliffhanger between seasons six and seven.

In "Q2", Q's son brings several Borg cubes and drones into conflict with Voyager for his own amusement, before Q rescues them and warns his son not to provoke the Borg. In "Shattered", a freak accident allows Chakotay to travel to various time periods in the ship's history, including the events depicted in "Scorpion", where he interacts with the full drone Seven. In the series finale, "Endgame", a future Admiral Janeway tries to bring Voyager back to Earth using a Borg transwarp hub. During this episode, she infects the Borg with a neurolytic pathogen which infects the collective and kills the Queen.

There are 26 major episodes featuring the Borg in Voyager; however, there are about 100 if counting those with Seven of Nine.^[14]

Enterprise[edit]

In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Regeneration", the remnants of the destroyed sphere from Star Trek: First Contact are discovered in the Arctic along with two frozen drones. The Borg steal a research ship and send a transmission toward the Delta Quadrant before they are destroyed, creating a perpetual time loop/predestination paradox.

Picard[edit]

The first season of Star Trek: Picard included four recovering ex-Borg characters: Picard, Seven of Nine, Hugh (featured in "I, Borg" and "Descent"),^[21] and Icheb. The Borg are described as "hobbled" and "decimated", with many Borg drones being de-assimilated and Borg cubes and vessels dismantled for their valuable technology. However, they remain a potent threat, with Seven even briefly assuming the role of a Borg Queen to reactivate several inactive drones and use them against the Tal Shiar.^[22]

In the second season, a damaged Borg Queen is recruited by Picard to help him and his crew travel into the past and prevent the creation of the xenophobic and totalitarian "Confederation of Earth".^[23] The Queen, taking an interest in Picard's friend Agnes Jurati, assimilates her and takes control of her body while plotting to steal an advanced space shuttle so she can assimilate the galaxy before the birth of the Federation. However, Agnes persuades the Queen that the Borg will always be defeated because their collective is built on fear and domination rather than trust. Intrigued by the possibility of finally attaining perfection, the Queen departs Earth to test Agnes' theory.^[24]

Upon returning to the 24th century, towards the end of the Season 2 finale, it is revealed that a volatile trans-warp conduit threatens to destroy part of the galaxy. Picard orders the fleet to comply with the Borg Queen’s wishes to take control of all vessels in order to create a force field. After the successful containment of the emissions from the conduit, it remains open but nobody knows where it leads. Fearing it may attract belligerents, the Borg Queen volunteers the Borg to protect the conduit, expressing her wish to align the Borg with Starfleet and join the Federation with Agnes as the human counterpart of the Borg Queen.^[25]

In the third season, it is revealed that the original Borg had allied with Changelings to infiltrate Starfleet and assimilate it by stealth. They did so by stealing the original body of Picard from Daystrom Station^[26] and extracting a part of his brain matter that had been altered during his transformation into Locutus. What had been mistaken for a defect in Picard's brain had actually been the Borg alterations which turned Picard into a receiver for the Collective, allowing him to hear them even without implants and eventually causing his physical death. The Changelings then infiltrated Starfleet and sabotaged its transporter systems, overwriting parts of the transporter code with code created from the genetic material, with the effect that it would implant Borg genes into everybody who used transporters. However, only those who did not have a fully-developed frontal cortex (those under age 25) would be affected when the Borg send a signal that activates the assimilation process.

The Borg hijack Frontier Day and order the death of everyone who has not been assimilated. The Borg also show an interest in Jack Crusher, the son of Picard and Beverly Crusher, as he also carries Borg DNA inherited from his father, although his more developed genes make him a transmitter instead, resulting in Jack hearing the Collective in his head throughout his life. He is also assimilated, becoming Vox.

With Starfleet compromised by the Borg, the crew of The Next Generation press the rebuilt Enterprise-D—the only functional ship immune to the Borg takeover—back into service.^[27] Locating the Queen's ship above Jupiter, Picard confronts her, and the Borg Queen explains that following the events of "Endgame," the Borg were decimated to the point of near destruction by the future Janeway's pathogen, leaving only the Borg Queen, a handful of drones and a single Borg Cube by the time that Picard meets the Queen again. Driven insane by loneliness and forced to resort to cannibalism of her own drones to survive, the Borg Queen no longer seeks assimilation, but rather evolution, propagation and the annihilation of all other lifeforms in the galaxy. However, Picard is able to break Jack out of the Borg Queen's control while the Enterprise destroys the Borg Cube and with it, the Borg Queen and all of the remaining Borg drones.^[28] Destroying the Borg Cube breaks the Borg's control over Starfleet and Beverly Crusher is able to come up with a solution to remove the Borg DNA from those afflicted with it.^[28]

Origin[edit]

The origin of the Borg is never made clear, though they are portrayed as having existed for hundreds of thousands of years (as attested by Guinan and the Borg Queen). In Star Trek: First Contact, the Borg Queen merely states that the Borg were once much like humanity, "flawed and weak", but gradually developed into a partially synthetic species in an ongoing attempt to evolve and perfect themselves.

In TNG's "Q Who", Guinan mentions that the Borg are "made up of organic and artificial life [...] which has been developing for [...] thousands of centuries." In the later episode of Star Trek: Voyager, "Dragon's Teeth", Gedrin, of the race the Vaadwaur, says that before he and his people were put into suspended animation 892 years earlier (1482 A.D.), the Borg had assimilated only a few colonies in the Delta Quadrant and were considered essentially a minor nuisance. Now awake in the 24th century, he is amazed to see that the Borg control a vast area of the Delta Quadrant. Seven of Nine comments that the Borg's collective memories of that time period are fragmentary, though it is never established why that is.

Non-canon origin stories[edit]

The Star Trek Encyclopedia speculates that a connection could exist between the Borg and V'ger, the vessel encountered in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. This idea of a connection is advanced in William Shatner's novel The Return. The connection was also suggested in a letter included in Starlog no. 160 (November 1990). The letter writer, Christopher Haviland, also speculated that the original Borg drones were members of a race called "the Preservers", which Spock had suggested in the original series episode "The Paradise Syndrome" might be the reason why so many humanoids populate the galaxy. It was confirmed in the TNG episode "The Chase" that an ancient species seeded hundreds, if not thousands of planets with their DNA, creating the Humans, Vulcans (and Romulans as they are a Vulcan offshoot race), Cardassians and others.

Star Trek: Legacy game version[edit]

The extra section of the game Star Trek: Legacy contains the supposed "Origin of the Borg", based on a scene in Star Trek: The Motion Picture which tells the story of V'ger being sucked into a black hole. V'ger was found by a race of living machines that gave it a form suitable to fulfilling its simplistic programming. Unable to determine who its creator could be, the probe declared all carbon-based life an infestation of the creator's universe. In order to prevent the destruction of Earth by the V'ger probe, Commander Decker volunteered to merge with it so that it could fulfill its purpose, albeit a purpose which space and time had corrupted to the point that only fusing with its creator could satisfy it. From this, the Borg were created, as extensions of V'ger