Jeri Ryan says Seven of Nine is "very much hardened" in Star Trek: Picard
"Seven's gotten pretty jaded over the last 20 years," reveals the Voyager actress
Star Trek: Picard will see two icons of the franchise come face-to-face in the form of The Next Generation's Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Voyager's Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) – but don't expect their run-in to be all that friendly.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Ryan revealed that the pair initially share an "interesting" dynamic that's not all that amicable.
"Initially, I wouldn't say there's a huge affinity, because Seven's gotten pretty jaded over the last 20 years," she explained.
"She's seen a lot of bad stuff – she's very much hardened from when we saw her 20 years ago. The universe has kind've gone to hell in a hand-basket and she holds Starfleet and the Federation in large part responsible for that, and so initially I think she sort of sees Picard as a representative of that.
"So she's not in the 'idol worship, he's a hero, we love him' mode when we first meet her, which I think makes it more interesting."
Ryan last played Seven - a former Borg drone who joins the crew of a Federation starship - almost two decades ago, in the 2001 series finale of Star Trek: Voyager.
For his part, Patrick Stewart has described his now-retired character as "discontented, angry, and guilty" in Star Trek: Picard.
"Picard's world is so different," he said "He is no longer part of Starfleet, and the Federation also has been undergoing changes... there are conflicting bodies within the Federation, and Starfleet seems to have some subterranean plans of how it's fleet should be used.
"Picard has walked away from it all, and is living on his chateau, growing grapes, living with the two wonderful people who care for him, and his dog, but he is discontented, angry, and guilty."
Star Trek: Picard is set 18 years after Nemesis and finds its lead character mourning not just the death of Data but also the destruction of Romulus, as referenced in the 2009 film Star Trek.
Stewart and Ryan will be joined by fellow franchise veterans Brent Spiner (Data), Jonathan Frakes (Will Riker) and Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), as well as new cast additions Santiago Cabrera (Cristobal ‘Chris’ Rios), Isa Briones (Dahj), Alison Pill (Dr Agnes Jurati), Harry Treadaway (Narek) and Michelle Hurd (Raffi Musiker).
Star Trek: Picard launches on Friday 24th January on Amazon Prime Video
Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
