AStar Trekshow starringJeri Ryan as Seven of Nineis the franchise’s biggest unfulfilled wish. Seven of Nine being inStar Trek: Picard’s first season seemed unusual at first, since Seven of Nine was fromStar Trek: Voyagerand notStar Trek: The Next Generation. While Seven’s undeniable popularity as aStar Trekcharacter helped pique interest inStar Trek: Picard’s first season,the original plan forStar Trek: Picardexplains why, out of all potentialStar Trekcharacters, Seven of Nine joined Admiral Jean-Luc Picard(Patrick Stewart) on a new adventure.
After seeing Seven of Nine serving as a Starfleet Commander on the USS Titan-A inStar Trek: Picardseason 3, the potential for aStar Trekshow focused on Seven of Nine became much clearer.Picardseason 3’sepilogue featured Captain Seven of Nine taking command of the Titan, now rechristened the USS Enterprise-G, with Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) as Seven’s First Officer, Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) as Special Counselor to the Captain, and Lieutenant Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharp Chestnut) at the helm.Star Trek: Legacy, as the spin-off would be known, seemed ready to take flight but was not ordered as a series by Paramount+.
Star Trek Wanted A Seven Of Nine Show Before Picard
Without Patrick Stewart, The Next Star Trek Show Could Have Been A Borg Spin-Off
BeforeStar Trek: Picardcame together, the first live-actionStar Trekspin-off afterStar Trek: Discoverybrought the franchise back to life could have featured Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine as a lead character. In an interview withTrekMovie.com, Jonathan Del Arco, who first appeared as Hugh the Borg inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 5, episode 23, “I, Borg”, talks about howthe show that becameStar Trek: Picardwould have centered on the Borg, had Patrick Stewart not signed onto reprise his role as Jean-Luc Picard.
Jonathan del Arco: “There was noPicardyet. It was a spin-off of Star Trek. Alex Kurtzman, James Duff, and I believe maybe one other writer was involved at the time, and James really wanted it to be a Borg spin-off. That’s why he talked to Jeri and I, and really started talking to them about it being this Borg storyline. And somewhere within that he discussed it with us maybe a year before it even happened. And they didn’t have Patrick yet. So I think then they went and made the pitch to Patrick. But had Patrick not done it, some kind of show about the Borg would have happened. It would not have beenPicard, it would have been a show about the Borg.”
According to Del Arco, plans for a newStar Trekshow about the Borg with a late 24th century setting were already in motion as early as 2018. That means thata Seven of Nine show led by Jeri Ryan could have happened much earlier, if the potential Borg show hadn’t evolved intoStar Trek: Picard. Vestiges of that original plan are still present in the story line forStar Trek: Picardseason 1, with the involvement of the Artifact and the XBs, catching up with Del Arco’s Hugh, and of course, Jeri Ryan’s return as Seven of Nine.
We’re Still Waiting For Seven of Nine’s Star Trek: Legacy Show
Paramount Won’t Greenlight Another Star Trek Show Right Now
Unfortunately, we’re still waiting for Seven of Nine’sStar Trek: Legacyshow. The epilogue ofStar Trek: Picardseason 3 perfectly teed up a spin-off following the adventures of the USS Enterprise-G. The cast was in place, and a potential story arc was set up with the return of John de Lancie’s Q, putting Picard’s son, Jack Crusher, on humanity’s never-ending trial.Fan demand grew in the wake ofStar Trek: Picard’s 3rd season finally hitting all the right notes, and showrunner Terry Matalas encouraged viewers to make their desires forStar Trek: Legacyknown on social media.
AStar Trek: Legacygreenlight is unlikely to shine any time soon.
Fan demand launchedStar Trek: Strange New Worldsafter Anson Mount’s Captain Christopher Pike and Ethan Peck’s Spock appeared inStar Trek: Discovery' season 2, sotheoretically, enough voices could getStar Trek: Legacyoff the ground. However, Paramount’s budget concerns and other factors of the streaming business meanta swath ofStar Trekcancelations, includingStar Trek: Discovery,Star Trek: Lower Decks, and the unceremonious disposal ofStar Trek: Prodigy. This signaled that aStar Trek: Legacygreenlight is unlikely to shine any time soon. With Terry Matalas signed on for Marvel’sVisionand Netflix’sEnemy Mine, the window forLegacywas pushed to 2026 or later, if it happens at all.
Why Seven Of Nine Deserves Her Own Star Trek Show
Seven Of Nine’s Story About Self-Acceptance Must Continue
Amid budgetary concerns and evolving plans forStar Trekas a franchise, Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine still deserves her ownStar Trekshow. Before the modern age ofStar Trek, few characters could lay claim to the incredible character arc that Seven of Nine has had. From an antagonistic Borg drone at odds with Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to a woman discovering her lost humanity,Seven of Nine’sStar Trek: Voyagerjourney is impressive enough, but Seven grows even more onStar Trek: Picard, from an independent Fenris Ranger to aStarfleet Captain commanding the USS Enterprise.
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Star Trek: Picardhinted at what Seven of Nine’s Borg show could be by showing Seven of Nine struggling to prove herself as human just to survive in a naturally Borg-phobic Alpha Quadrant. Instead,Star Trek: Picardworked as a prelude to theStar Trekshow about a self-actualized Captain Seven of Nine, and opens a new chapter of Seven’s story. It would be a disservice to leaveStar Trek: Legacyon the table when the opportunity is right there to finally fulfill the wish for theStar TrekSeven of Nine show that was planned back in 2018.
