Who is Seven of Nine After 20 Years? Jeri Ryan of STAR TREK: PICARD Does the Complex Character Calculations

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Jeri Ryan was momentarily taken aback when it was suggested to her that Seven of Nine is one of the most famous and beloved characters in the history of science fiction. “I don’t think I’ve ever verbalized it quite that way,” said Ryan with a humble chuckle. “I mean, it’s a huge gift to be given a character that people are even interested in seeing 20 years later. That’s kind of crazy. But I’m really incredibly grateful.” Seven has re-emerged in the first season of STAR TREK: PICARD, which airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on CTV Sci-Fi Channel. The former Borg drone, who became well known to TV viewers on STAR TREK: VOYAGER in the 1990s, had a particularly big story line in Episode 5 last week. We caught up with Ryan to hear her thoughts on diving back into the STAR TREK universe after almost two decades (SPOILER ALERT: While the following interview avoids specific plot points, some generalities about what occurred in the past two episodes of STAR TREK: PICARD are discussed). Q: When did Seven become an action hero? JERI RYAN: (Laughs) “It’s pretty cool. She’s a lot of fun. I love who she has become. I never, ever expected that I would be playing this character again, never in a million years. But I’m so glad that I get to tell her stories and be who she is.” Q: What an acting journey from where Seven began to where she is now. JERI RYAN: “It really is, and it was scary, bringing her back 20 years later. I mean, it would be scary to bring back any character after 20 years, but especially in this kind of situation, with this kind of franchise, with this kind of fan base, which is so passionate and so knowledgeable. You really feel an extra sense of responsibility because you don’t want to let the fans down.” Q: Changes in the character notwithstanding, was it tough to get back into the role? JERI RYAN: “When I got the first script, I panicked, because I couldn’t hear her voice when I read it – like, at all. And Episode 5 was the first script I saw, they wrote Episode 4 later. I was really freaking out. My husband even commented that he had never seen me so worked up about a role – especially one that I had already played before. And so Jonathan Del Arco, a dear friend who plays Hugh, had just gone through something similar finding his character. He came over and I made lunch and we read through the scenes and he patiently watched me pace around and say, ‘Oh my God, I’m so scared.’ And after a couple of hours, he said, ‘Okay, this is crazy, but just try it: What if Seven makes a conscious choice to be as human as possible to survive?’ Such a simple thing, and it should have been the most obvious thing to grab onto as an actor. But as soon as he said that, it’s like a little lightbulb went up – ding!” Q: One of the most notable developments in Episode 5 is that Seven lies to Picard, more than once, to get what she wants. JERI RYAN: “Yeah, I mean, what’s more human than that?” Q: But at the end of the day, why was it important to Seven to keep Picard’s hope alive? JERI RYAN: “She doesn’t have a lot of respect for him when she first encounters him, because she views him as a representation of the institutions that are responsible for the mess the entire galaxy is in. He gave up, he quit, and she calls him on that. But ultimately she realizes she may never see him again, so this could be the last time she can ask him if he’s experiencing the same thing she is. And she feels sorry for him. You know, he’s an old guy – not Patrick Stewart by any means, but the Picard character is supposed to be 92, right? – so he doesn’t have a chance in hell of a) staying alive, or b) managing to do whatever he’s trying to do. But she doesn’t have the heart to disillusion him. Somebody out here should have a little hope.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv