A hive mind is the collective sharing of minds into a single consciousness, serving and driving the goals of its entire population. As such, individuality in a hive mind is sacrificed for the whole, and its members and resources are assigned tasks according to how to best achieve those goals. Hive mind societies encountered by the Federation include:

• The Body of Landru (TOS: "The Return of the Archons")
• A species of neural parasite that infested Deneva in 2267 (TOS: "Operation -- Annihilate!")
• The androids of planet Mudd (TOS: "I, Mudd")
• The Borg Collective (TNG: "Q Who")
• The Borg Cooperative (VOY: "Unity")