SFDebris’ notion of different Queen models that provide a certain strategic ‘flavour’ is about the most that saves the concept for me. Barely.

First Contact and Endgame are steady, focusing more on precise moves between periods of steady growth. Scorpion to Unimatrix Zero guided the Collective towards aggressive and expansionist moves.

Less ‘in control’ and more like setting the faction policy in a 4X game for example.