The Excelsior-class USS Roosevelt (NCC-2573) engages the Borg cube at Wolf 359.
In-universe, the Battle of Wolf 359 was fought between the United Federation of Planets and the invading Borg at the start of the year 2367. A single Borg cube invaded the Federation, destroyed the colony on Jouret IV and drew out the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) into a confrontation, during which the Borg boarded the ship and kidnapped Captain Jean-Luc Picard, converting him into a Borg drone called "Locutus," who could serve as a spokesman and communicator to demand Starfleet's surrender. The Borg left the damaged Enterprise behind and engaged a hastily-assembled Starfleet taskforce at Wolf 359, just 7.9 light years from Earth. The taskforce consisted of forty Federation starships under the command of Admiral Hanson. The battle was not seen on-screen, at least initially. When the Enterprise-D finally arrived at the site of battle, they found only a graveyard of destroyed and devastated ships. Later episodes would confirm that thirty-nine Federation starships were eliminated and over eleven thousand lives were lost, Starfleet's most crippling defeat in its history. The Enterprise crew later rescued Captain Picard and used his knowledge gained from the Borg to disable the Borg cube just before it attacked Earth. Fearful of capture, the Borg ship self-destructed.
Later episode would reflect on Wolf 359, particularly the Deep Space Nine pilot episode Emissary which shows a brief part of the battle in its opening moments, and the CD-ROM video game Star Trek: Borg, in which the Q entity rescues a Federation starship during the battle for his own inscrutable purposes.
YouTuber JTVFX has spent well over two years creating a new, fuller account of the battle. The fourth and final part has now been released. The first parts depict the build-up to the battle, with the Borg attacking Jouret IV, the Enterprise engaging the Borg and Hanson assembling the fleet. The latter two parts depict the battle in two stages, with an initial engagement followed by Starfleet retreating, getting some unexpected reinforcements and rejoining the fight. There's also some moments of hope as even the Borg struggle to hold off the sheer volume of enemy firepower.
There are some limitations, particularly with live-action footage: the only footage available is from the original episodes (Best of Both Worlds Part I and Part II, and DS9's Emissary) and the full motion video filmed for the CD-ROM video game Star Trek: Borg. There are other voice overs and some use of filmed actors in limited 2D shots.
The star of the show is the stunning CGI, which is based very heavily on the aesthetic used for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Voyager. The 4K quality is amazing and the attention to detail is remarkable: the Starfleet vessels' phaser colours are fluctuating as they rotate their frequencies, and each starship at the battle is correctly named and registered based on the various material and lists out there. Even obscure lines of dialogue are taken from other references. Seasoned Trek fans will also spot some tributes to some famous effects shots, like a number of shots inspired by Deep Space Nine's Way of the Warrior battle between the Klingons and Federation. Doctor Who fans may also want to keep an eagle eye out for an unexpected cameo at a certain point.
The result is lengthy (about the length of a full TNG episode when all is done), but very impressive.
The videos can be found here:
- Wolf 359: The Prelude - Part 1
- Wolf 359: The Prelude - Part 2
- Wolf 359: The Massacre - Part 1
- Wolf 359: The Massacre - Part 2
JTVFX has a bunch of other videos reimagining the CGI from various Trek episodes and movies, their channel is well worth checking out.
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