Think 'Resistance is futile.' came from Star Trek? Think again.

Think "Resistance is futile." came from Star Trek? Think again. It's from Space 1999 decades before (as well as Dr. Who).

It's from the episode "The Dorcons" back in 1977, not from The Borg.

[elviakerlick]

"Resistance is futile" was a cliche by the time "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" first aired. The lumbering Vogon guard quipped that saying it was a fun part of his job.

[Franciszek]

Check Lost in Space episode "Wreck of the Robot" when the saticons inside of Jupiter 2 said to robot B9 "Resistance is Futile!" I think the saticons were pre-borg.

[TonyP]

I loved Space 1999 when i was a kid!
Still not sure how an explosion on the far side of the moon can push it away from Earth, but it's 70's sci-fi! I was fascinated by the Eagle spacecrafts.

[qjo]

The Borg assimilated the motto. It's what they do.

[ai]

Mr. Spock also said any attempt to resist the V'Ger tractor beam was futile in
_Star Trek: The Motion Picture_ .

[DavidLS]

Maya was also shapeshifting decades before Odo and the Dominion.

[CptColumbo]

The Daleks and Cybermen said it a few times in Doctor Who.

[ForceFieldsTrack]

I loved Space 1999. Season one was the most under rated Sci-fi programs on TV. Season two was really bad and it was a product of inside politics and the reason for the show’s cancellation. Good catch now you just need to do the Modern Day gesture and Slang “Talk to the hand”. You will find that this was started by Perry White in the 1977 Superman The Movie.

[RenePeraza]

I would so much love to see this reborn/rebooted - a la 'For All Mankind.' Imagine the Challenger disaster never happened '86 and our space program gained momentum towards 1999 storyline.

[RenePeraza]

Love this series, specifically Season 1 - the more cerebral one!

[pjincho]

I think it’s perfectly understandable that several science fiction properties all independently arrived at this phrasing.

[FishKungfu]

"Resistance is feudal." ~Sun Tzu :-|

[orzelw]

Also, "I got a bad feeling about this" was used in "Battle of the Bulge" (8 years before "Star Wars").

[paulmayon]

this just got put into my saved folder. thanks for the find and upload

[fredafredano]

Check Star Trek TOS Mirror Mirror - Kirk tells the planet inhabitants who have the dilithium crystals: “It is futile to resist us. We will take what we like and level your planet.” I believe that is the first one. Great topic and I loved Space 1999!

[stevenlowe]

Actually, it goes right back to E.E. 'Doc' Smith's Lensman series of books, much, much earlier. In "Triplanetary" published in 1948, after the hero blasts away at the villain without any effect he's told "I permitted that as a demonstration of futility"

[mjd]

Leaves spy show and Martin Landau still finds himself in an "Impossible Mission" 🤔😏

[Orlando_from_The_Bronx]

I've heard "resistance is futile" in one place or another my entire life and long before the Borg where invented.

[walmartpimp]

Also the episode “The Measure of a Man” was very reminiscent of The Outer Limits (1964) episode titled “I, Robot”. In Fact that episode and it’s remake stared Leonard Nemoy.

[Aetila]

I lament that they never made "Space 2099" despite that it was announced around 2012 and we could already see new, rendered Eagles on some pictures. Jace Hall (the producer) ruined everything and was lying like hell, telling that the show was "on its way"...a month later he deleted the whole "Space 2099" homepage and everything connected to it.