Adding Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) to theStar Trek: Voyagercast was undoubtedly a net positive for the fourth live-actionStar Trekshow, but it blew my mind when I realized how much of an impact Seven had on the entireStar Trekfranchise. Like other young women who were drawn toStar Trek: Voyagerwhen it first aired, I looked up to Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) as positive female role models. I was sad whenJennifer Lien’s Kes leftStar Trek: Voyager, and highly skeptical about Seven of Nine.
My doubts about Seven of Nine faded quickly, because a single episode—Star Trek: Voyagerseason 4, episode 2, “The Gift”—proved that Jeri Ryan wasn’t only there to boostVoyager’s ratings as a sex symbol. Instead, Seven’s appearance in “The Gift” was almost grotesque; and Ryan’s performance was raw and desperate. Seven of Nine rescuedVoyagerfrom the ratings heap not just because Ryan was gorgeous, but becauseSeven of Nine’s character arcexplored the essentialStar Trektheme of what makes us human. So what wouldStar Trekbe like now if Seven of Nine never joinedStar Trek: Voyager?
Star Trek: Voyager Without Seven Of Nine Is Hard To Imagine
Star Trek: Voyager Could Have Been More Stagnant—Or Much Darker
It’s hard to imagineStar Trek: Voyagerwithout Seven of Nine, butVoyager’s last four seasons might have been more stagnant without Jeri Ryan being added to theVoyagercast. Kes would still have left, but without Seven replacing Kes, the Doctor’s (Robert Picardo) character growth might have stalled without anyone to learn from or teach. Few others on the USS Voyager were as willing to risk conflict with Captain Janeway as Seven was, so Janeway’s character development might also have stagnated. And without Seven aboard, the Borg Queen probably wouldn’t have become one ofJaneway’s greatest enemies.
These 7 Star Trek: Voyager Episodes Hinted Seven Of Nine Would Be Captain One Day
These 7 Voyager episodes laid the groundwork for Seven of Nine’s future as a Starfleet Captain with her own command in Star Trek: Picard.
IfStar Trek: Voyagerreached seven seasons likeStar Trek: The Next GenerationandStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,Voyager’s ratings would have continued to drop without a renewed focus. If that wasn’t Seven of Nine, season 4’s “Year of Hell” might have covered an entire season instead of being reduced to a2-partStar Trek: Voyagerepisode.Star Trek: Voyagerwould have been a lot darker and more desperate.That worked forDS9, but makingVoyagerjust as dark as the Dominion War would have steered theStar Trekfranchise away from its optimistic roots—maybe for good.
No Seven Of Nine Would Have Totally Changed Star Trek: Picard
Seven Of Nine Understood Admiral Picard’s Borg Trauma
Despite appearing in only three episodes ofStar Trek: Picardseason 1, Seven of Nine had a major impact on Admiral Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) continuing story. Before the USS Voyager’s 2378 homecoming, Picard’s ordeal as Locutus inStar Trek: The Next Generationwas the only exception to Borg assimilation being a death sentence. But becauseSeven was a former drone who had been assimilated as a child and still fully reclaimed her humanity, it was possible for other Borg drones to be saved, too. Without Seven, the Borg Reclamation Project inPicard’s first season may not have existed at all.
Star Trek: Picard’s Borg Reclamation Project allowedStar Trek: The Next Generation’s Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco) to return toStar Trekas a fully liberated drone, even if Hugh’s return was too brief.
Star Trek: Picardseason 3would also have been radically different without Seven of Nine playing pivotal roles in Starfleet’s ultimate victory against the Borg. A new character on the USS Titan-A might have helped enact Admiral Picard’s plan—first taking the Titan where it’s needed, and ultimately rallying the remaining crew members to defeat the Changeling-Borg Alliance.While Picard also dealt with Borg-inflicted trauma, the Borg ruined Seven’s entire life: stealing her childhood and marking her as different, even after being liberated. A different character in place of Commander Seven of Nine wouldn’t have the same emotional impact.
Star Trek Needed Seven Of Nine & Would Be Lesser Without Her
Seven Of Nine Influenced Star Trek After Voyager
Star Trekwould have been radically different afterStar Trek: Voyagerwithout Seven of Nine, and I’d argue the franchise would have actually been much lesser. There’s no doubt Seven of Nine helped raiseStar Trek: Voyager’s ratings, soVoyagermight not have run for a full seven seasons without Seven of Nine.If interest inStar Trek: Voyagerwaned enough to justify an early cancelation, we probably wouldn’t have gottenStar Trek: Enterprise.And if we did,Subcommander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock)would have been different without the template that Seven created.
Seven Of Nine Getting Her Own Show Is Star Trek’s Biggest Unfulfilled Wish
Star Trek’s planned show starring Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine morphed into Star Trek: Picard. Could that Borg show could still happen?
Without Seven of Nine,Star Trekwould have had one less iconic female character, and likely wouldn’t have any characters who represent the outsider experience from a female perspective. UnlikeStar Trek: The Original Series' Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who denies his humanity, orStar Trek: The Next Generation’s Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), who yearns for it, Seven has to understand humanity before deciding to claim it for herself or not. With Seven of Nine,Star Trek: Voyagercreated an impressive and quintessentiallyStar Trekcharacter who continues to impact the franchise to this day.
