Information, history, and symbolism regarding the Liberated Borg Cooperation's seal and flag symbology
In both compliment and contrast to the die-struck metal of the Reclamation Project badge, the seal and flag of the Liberated Borg Cooperation is simple, striking, and bold with its flags' three colors and its seal's silver and gold hues. Bearing the same black and gold color scheme from the Reclamation Project's cubical insignia, there are many layers of symbolism to this seal, supplemented by the various types of flags it's displayed on. Finalized for the UFP's database during the Ohniakan Accords of 2379, the LBC's iconography has not changed since its initial submission, but its meanings are as fluid as the individuals that populate the Cooperation.
Liberated Borg Cooperation Seal, as compared to the Reclamation Project Badge and Emblem.
Seal Symbology Breakdown
The following graphic briefly dissects the symbolism of the Liberated Cooperation's Seal (with visual key labels elaborated below):
a. Anchoring the four corners of the seal, the four bisected cubes represent the four departments of the Reclamation Project (Cybernetics, Consultation, Engineering, Medical) that the Cooperation is supported and maintained by.
b. At the Cubesfall Memorial Site, the Queen 49 Plaza hosts a 50 meter tall obelisk that meets Cube 5219's highest-rising point. While this forward stroke represents this "needle," it can also signify xBs venturing into the stars once more for exploration and Reclamation.
c. Also present on the Reclamation Project badge's "rising cube," this star was designed to stand for many elements: an individual, Ohniaka III's sun, or even a cortical node found within almost all xBs.
d. Not only does this "wave" represent the coastal culture of Ohniaka III's xBs and the planet's inoculated wildlife, but it also signifies the bridge xBs made from their crater-like crash into the planet: "moving away" from Cube 5219's crater, but always linked to the initial impact.
e. While these large bodies represent the Ohniakan solar system's four planets, they also stand for the four components of an individual: all mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual that the xB will foster and nurture on their journey into individuality.
f. A geographical symbol that stands for not only Cube 5219's deep impact crater, but also Ohniaka III's unique and striking plateaus that line the Capitol City's horizons.
g. While these two circles were initially designed to represent Ohniaka III's twin moons Platos and Eros, xBs have recently begun associating the symbology to at least one of the spheres being the xB megastructure vessel Atlas.
h. This encompassing void not only signifies the Ohniakan solar system, but also the surrounding void that xBs must all pass through (and is filled by both community and supportive surroundings).
Ocular implants (or remnants thereof) are extremely common among xBs; the Cooperation seal resembling an ocular implant, therefore, was no coincidence. "The sigil was created to be perceived by those who are outside of us," I was told by Progenitor xBs, "and we all come from a Collective that watched many things with its many eyes. Doesn't it feel appropriate, then, that the Cooperation's seal watches you, in return?"
Flag | Banner Breakdown
The following graphic briefly dissects the symbolism of the Liberated Cooperation's various flags and banners (with visual key labels elaborated below):
a. Gold is a very significant metal and color to xBs, as it is not often found in either Borg architecture or implants. Ohniaka III's natural quartz veins have allowed its residents a wealth of the malleable material that they often fashion into either jewelry or other arts, and occasionally affix to augmentations. The framing and border of green, then, signifies a "regrowth over replacement" philosophy, and travels along the same vein of green that symbolizes Ohniaka III's flourishing society.
b. While this gold carries over the previous article's meaning, this backing can also signify "Tethering," as it connects both the life as a separate, yet unified body.
c. Once again, this black expanse represents both the vastness of space, as well as the "vacuum of silence" that the Cooperation's seal also repeats in its central motif. It can also signify the commonality of xBs' once massively-shared consciousness, the darkness of the augments that once enveloped their bodies, or even service more visually-impaired xBs that require low visual stimulation, color blindness accommodations, or must negate bright colors to avoid eye strain.
d. Common association with the Borg notwithstanding, the vivid green represents Ohniaka III's skylines as well as its emerald oceans. It is an organic signifier that anchors the seal and cuts through the vastness, ensuring that the seal supports the life connected to it (and the Tether it may be fostering with the gold).
e. The Liberated Borg Cooperation's Seal, as explained above.
If flags are made in preparation for Cooperation-participating or allied events, Ohniakan Board Committee Members request the gold coloration be replicated with a special light-reflective fabric capable reflecting both silver and gold.
a. This flag is reserved only for vertical displays when banners are not in use.
b. NOTE TO DIPLOMATIC CORPS: please ensure the Cooperation Seal is rotated at 90° to correspond with the adjusted tilt and vertical stripes.
c. Lacking the green-and-gold stripes, the simplified flag is used primarily to designate temporary settlements or signify off-world micro-communities.
d. While the background elements imply the physical distance between the simplified flag's peoples and Ohniaka III, the reflective material of the Cooperation seal shines against the black expanse of space.
NOTE: Simplified flags are also hung, requested, and displayed by all Liberated Borg Cooperation embassy offices.
The first flag given to the United Federation of Planets during the Ohniakan Accords of 2379's signing still hangs in San Francisco's Starfleet Headquarters.
Longevity, Conclusion
Similar to the longevity the Reclamation Project's insignia has enjoyed, xBs have expressed little interest in updating the Cooperation seal and/or flags since their introduction in 2379. Despite the population's rapidly-swelling numbers, a new insignia would be a massive, community-wide undertaking, in part due to the Cooperation's anarcho-collectivism nature. But there also seems to be a sentimental connection to the seal that many now associate with a new home: whether they arrived to Ohniaka III by way of the Reclamation Project's shepherding, or by their chosen immigration to a place more welcoming of former Borg. Considering the adaptability of the seal's symbology (as well as the unique meanings each xB can interpret out of the emblem), it doesn't appear to be changing any time soon, and so it shall remain as a symbol for "Individuality's Needs, Community's Many."
Flag | Seal Gallery
AN: The seal and flag gallery hosts the raw files of the above flags/sigils, and is free for any and all to use or download! Please simply credit the original author/designer, and who knows: maybe I'll make some flags, banners, or pins one day of this design, but for now: like the rest of this site, it's all free to use for your own xB worldbuilding!
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