Star Wars' Death Star Vs. Star Trek's Borg Cube - Which Is More Powerful?

When it comes to "Star Wars'" and "Star Trek's" biggest threats, the Death Star and Borg Cube, trying to figure out which one would annihilate the other is riddled with nerdy conditions. However, as you'll see, the Death Star is the overall winner here when compared to the Cube. A lot of the Borg's capabilities rely on them surviving the barrage of weaponry littering the moon-sized Death Star, and even making it onboard. Plus, Borg cubes are really small in comparison.

Let's break down the competitors. The Death Star was introduced in "Star Wars" as the final obstacle for Luke and friends to overcome. A planet-sized space station with a planet-killing laser, it was blown up by Luke Skywalker after the Rebels discovered a small shaft that could be bombed. It was partially rebuilt in "Return of the Jedi," but a collective effort saw it destroyed again.

Meanwhile, the Borg Cube was first introduced in "Star Trek: The Next Generation's" second season in the episode "Q Who," when the benevolent Q hurls the Enterprise across the galaxy to meet the Borg. Unable to do any damage or reason with the Borg, they escape after Captain Picard begs for Q's help. The Borg reappear in the classic Season 3 two-parter, "The Best of Both Worlds," where Picard is assimilated into the Borg collective as Locutus. As the franchise expanded, "Voyager" would pit its cast of characters against the Borg and even manage to un-Borgify fan-favorite crewmate Seven of Nine.

The original Death Star had a diameter of 100 miles (160 kilometers). In comparison, the Borg Cube, despite being one of the most powerful in "Star Trek," is minuscule, coming in at 3,036 meters in length and height. In a one-on-one fight, if the original Death Star were to fire off the superlaser, it would destroy the Borg Cube on impact. We've already seen how little damage a Borg Cube can handle when first dealing with a fight, with the Enterprise's crew witnessing the Cube get damaged and then repair itself while in pursuit.

Should the Death Star only manage to wipe out one Cube, and the Borg return, it might not work again. This also goes for the massive amount of armory littered all over the Death Star itself. If the green laser-firing turrets don't destroy a Cube before it has a chance to learn and adapt, the Borg will have the upper hand. The closest comparison within "Star Trek" to "Star Wars'" Death Star is probably the forces of Species 8472 from "Voyager."

In several episodes dealing with the Borg and the unknown faction, they use the Borg to wipe the floor, eliminating an entire planet and several cubes in the ensuing carnage. Facing off with the Borg is terrifying, but not because of the giant floating cubes they pilot; if the Cube managed to transport drones onboard, assimilation of the Death Star's crew is almost inevitable — even with Vader or the Emperor onboard.

Once the Borg begin assimilation, it's a difficult process to deal with. It doesn't even take that long, with just a few hours for new beings to be folded into the collective. From here, the Borg would inevitably assimilate the Death Star itself and take over the technology onboard. Smaller ships sent to fight the Cube wouldn't stand much of a chance, as the Battle of Wolf 359 saw one cube destroy 39 of 40 ships in the ensuing battle, only undone by the ingenuity of the crew of the Enterprise-D itself.

Ultimately, the Borg, which are technologically able to adapt to situations when needed, aren't very creative. The binary nature of the Borg Collective means that there's a particular lack of imagination, leaving them tactically at a disadvantage against the crew of the Death Star. It's likely that someone onboard the thousands stationed on the Death Star would figure something out and gain the upper hand outside of sheer size and force.

Our money is on the Death Star in this fight; it's a worrying bet, one that could be upended by one singular Borg drone. However, when pitting the two spacecraft against each other, it's not much of a competition when it comes to outgunning the Cube. Moreover, if the two were judged purely on their capabilities and not on fighting each other, the Death Star can destroy an entire planet, leaving an asteroid field in its wake. The Borg Cube can't do that.