The cameo appearances of two Star Trek: Voyager actors in Star Trek: First Contact helped pave the way for Voyager to tackle major Borg storylines. Star Trek: First Contact was the eighth film in the Star Trek movie franchise, and the second film to feature the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The movie's plot included the Borg as the main antagonists, revolving around Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew traveling back in time in order to prevent the Borg from stopping the birth of the Federation by changing Earth's past.
Star Trek: First Contact was released in November 1996, at the same time that Star Trek: Voyager was airing its third season. Throughout its first three seasons, Star Trek: Voyager struggled to create good villains, cycling through less-than-memorable antagonists such as the Vidiians and the Kazon. However, in the season 3 finale, "Scorpion, Part I", Voyager made the decision to fall back on an already-established Star Trek villain and brought the Borg in as main antagonists for the rest of the series. Interestingly, this decision was foreshadowed several months earlier by the cameos of two Voyager actors in Star Trek: First Contact.
