Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine is one of the most beloved Star Trek characters, and she may even be the next Star Trek captain – if Star Trek Legacy happens. While Voyager was a well-liked series during its late 90s run, not every decision the showrunners made was met with enthusiasm by the audience, and also the cast. In a 2011 interview with StarTrek.com, Ryan says that she found the last-minute romance between Seven of Nine and Chakotay (Robert Beltran) baffling.
After nearly 170 episodes across seven seasons, Star Trek Voyager reached its conclusion in series finale Endgame, which aired in 2001. The episode depicted an alternate reality future which puts Chakotay and Seven in a relationship.
Ryan said; “My problem with that relationship was that it came out of the blue. They had started the set-up of the relationship a few episodes earlier, in the episode (Human Error) where Seven was experimenting with her humanity on the holodeck. And so she sort of fell in love with Chakotay there. They said someone like her could never have these sorts of relationships because she would die, or whatever.”
Ryan continued; “The next episode that we shot after that (Natural Law), Seven and Chakotay were stranded on some planet together. We specifically asked the producers – Robert and I – ‘Now, are we going to play this? Is this going to go somewhere?’ And they said, ‘No, no, no, no! Absolutely not. Don’t play any of that. Nothing’s going to happen.’ So, after that one episode we never played any sort of attraction or anything between the two characters.”
Ryan concluded; “And then, out of the blue, all of a sudden, they’re dating (in Endgame). That was a little annoying, especially when you’ve specifically asked about it and they said, ‘No, absolutely not.’ Then, suddenly they’re in love. That was a little… It’s one of the frustrations of network television. And it’s how you learn, also. You have to try to be the babysitter and the protector of your character.” Ryan’s commitment to Seven of Nine undoubtedly helped make her one of the best Star Trek characters.
In Star Trek Picard, Seven of Nine is in an on-off relationship with Raffi, which Ryan is much happier with. Check out our guide to the best Star Trek starships. See if you agree with our Star Trek series, ranked and our Star Trek movies, ranked.