Keith DeCandido in his review for Tor.com gave the episode a score of 8 out of 10, and described Goldberg's appearance as "particularly good", while Del Arco was said to be "spectacular" in his "subtle, powerful performance". DeCandido criticised the "defanging" of the Borg, but understood why the writers took the approach they did as a near-unstoppable enemy is difficult to write for. He praised the characterisations, specifically for Crusher, and added "it’s never a bad thing when "TNG" actually remembers its character continuity". James Van Hise, in his book "The Complete Trek: The Next Generation", said that the episode "enriched the creative tapestry of the series" and gave the writers a number of possibilities for following it up.