Star Trek: Picard’s Jeri Ryan Teases a Deeper Dive into Seven of Nine’s Story in Season 2

And the place Season 1 revealed an intriguing new path – and potential new love – for Seven, her story was instructed in tantalizing glimpses. Season 2, nevertheless, leans closely into Seven’s headspace as she as Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his new allies contend not solely along with his longtime agitator the Q (John de Lancie) however their shared tormentor the Borg Queen (Annie Wersching), who as soon as assimilated them each into the Collectiive, as properly. And as Seven’s romance with Raffi (Michelle Hurd) hits a rocky patch, she’s additionally – by means of some time-bending plot twists – confronted with what her life might need been like had she by no means encountered the Borg and remained absolutely human.

As Ryan reveals to TV Information after a quarter-century with Seven of 9, she’s nonetheless excited to dig deeper – and play with extra friends from her prolonged Trek household – as her story continues to unfold in sudden methods.

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We obtained a style of the place Seven is at this level in her evolution in Season 1, however for Season 2 it seems like we will go down rather more highway along with her. Inform me what was thrilling to you about attending to proceed to see her story by means of and the facets of it that you just get to play this time round.
Jeri Ryan: Effectively, simply basically that is such a uncommon reward to get as an actor, to have the ability to take a personality by means of this a lot of her life’s journey and this a lot development and improvement and alter. Over a 20-year interval – that is virtually remarkable. She’s at all times, from the start, been such a wealthy character to play anyway, as an actor, as a result of she did not even begin out human. So actually each facet of life has been an training for her and a battle and a problem. It is actually been a cool journey that she’s been on.

I like this season. They’re exploring and giving her a bit of style of what life might have probably been like had she by no means been assimilated. As a result of that is the expertise that she’s by no means had: simply being human, absolutely human. That the very first thing that any person notices about her after they meet her is not the steel implant over her eye, for instance, and treating her with, immediately, dread or worry or loathing or mistrust, or no matter, any of these feelings that The Borg carry out in individuals.

So that is, for her, as a result of that is at all times been her battle, is looking for the steadiness between her Borg half and her human half, and figuring who she really is and the place she suits in and the place she feels most comfy and discovering the place she belongs.

One of many nice new additions to the Star Trek universe is Michelle Hurd and her character, Raffi. Inform me about that dynamic between Seven and Rafi and between you and Michelle, that has actually introduced an additional layer of enjoyable and pleasure to what you are attending to do with Seven now?
Ryan: Effectively, on a private degree, Michelle is simply an absolute delight to work with. The 2 of us actually simply actually clicked and hit it off. And we have now the identical work type and we’re roughly the identical age. We have been round a very long time. We have seen quite a bit on this trade and we simply take pleasure in being collectively a lot.

And so the connection for the 2 of them is simple. That got here very, very simply in a lot of Season 2. Partly for story however I feel that was partially an lodging to COVID as properly. Beginning again to work on the peak of this pandemic, many of the characters are paired off, one or two characters in most storylines. We get collectively, however for probably the most half, our tales are separated out. So principally my total Season 2 was with Michelle and we had a ball. We simply had a lot enjoyable.

And I like these two characters collectively. These are two very robust, very sensible, very absolutely realized ladies who’ve obtained their lives. And so now they’re attempting to…it is a very mature relationship, you already know what I imply? It is a very mature illustration of a relationship. And I like that. It isn’t, “Oh, this is the white picket fence and so they’re so pleased, pleased, pleasure, pleasure. And the whole lot’s nice.” As a result of neither one among us wished to see that for these characters. It is simply not proper. The way in which this story is enjoying out is, I feel, excellent and actual and makes excellent sense.

And naturally, Seven is extremely impartial. Rafi, I feel much less so. She’s obtained a bit of extra codependency, I feel, taking place, which is a little bit of a battle for Seven as a result of she’s fiercely impartial and she or he’s been on her personal for therefore lengthy. And it is that battle of, additionally we’re dropping into the center of this relationship. So on the finish of Season One, you noticed the very first glimmers of the start, in that final episode of Season One. And now we have jumped a yr plus into the long run. So we’re into the center of this relationship.

And it is not the honeymoon section – we’re not seeing that. We’re seeing, “How do I make this work? Can I make this work? What number of lodging am I keen to make in my life? And the way a lot am I keen to surrender and keen to sacrifice and keen to compromise?” Which you need to do in each relationship. Nevertheless it’s figuring that out and what they’ll do, what they’re keen to do, what they want for themselves. And it was fairly enjoyable to discover all of that.

It is attention-grabbing to see how in the identical means that Spock was within the unique, Seven’s at all times been a proxy for the outsider and the misunderstood. And he or she nonetheless grapples with that. After which this present not solely depicts that for her as a personality however can be going again to the fundamentals of holding up a mirror a bit of bit to social issues which are very modern. Is that the type of Trek that stored you enthusiastic about your involvement within the franchise at first? And what’s it prefer to get again to telling these sorts of tales?
Ryan: Effectively, completely! When Gene Roddenberry began Star Trek, he was very open about saying that is what it was right here to do. And that is what it is performed so efficiently: it holds a mirror as much as society and exhibits us what we will obtain if we get our crap collectively, and the place we’re screwing it up. And this, as a result of we’re touring again to present-day Los Angeles, it is a bit of extra in your face, I’d say, of holding it up.

And it is a extra direct mirror. We do not have the gap of claiming, “Oh, that is a whole lot of years sooner or later. This is what it could possibly be.” That is exhibiting us very a lot the place we are actually. And these characters touch upon the place we as a society are discovering ourselves proper now. I like that. That is what Star Trek has at all times performed so properly, is present us what we will and will do higher.

I do know your showrunner Akiva Goldsman is Star Trek Fan Quantity One, and I am certain got here with a level of openness to your enter, so far as what was going to occur this season. Did you get to contribute quite a bit to the form and type of Seven’s story for Season 2?
Ryan: I am in a reasonably distinctive place, I’d say. I at all times have been with this character in that I have not needed to have numerous enter. I have not needed to request numerous modifications or issues like that as a result of she’s at all times been so superbly developed and superbly written and I’ve actually liked her journey. So I have not felt like I wanted to step in that always. Definitely, the doorways are at all times open.

The one factor that Michelle and I each weighed in on is, with the connection, we wished to make it possible for it did not get too earnest and happy-happy joy-joy, and sunshine and puppies and wrap them up in a neat bow and so they’re fortunately married. That is not who these ladies are. That is not how this relationship, I feel, would go in actual life. So we wished to make it possible for was a practical depiction of a relationship. And I feel it’s. I feel they actually wrote it superbly.

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Seven and Picard have a novel connection of their relationship with The Borg. And this season looks like it is actually going to dive deep into that. Inform me a bit of bit that perspective for the 2 of you on this season’s storyline.
Ryan: Sure, Picard and Seven share a really distinctive expertise. And I feel from characters that we might’ve seen, those that we all know of within the Trek universe, and that we have now gotten to know, I feel Hugh was perhaps the one different character who’s been on this kind of state of affairs that we have seen, that they actually had been assimilated by The Borg – a bit of in a different way for Seven as a result of her total life she grew up as a Borg. She was assimilated at age seven.

That connects them. And that battle and that preventing the decision of The Borg is one thing that they very a lot have in frequent. And so having to cope with that enemy that I feel they each, at this level of their lives had thought was completely prior to now and so they would not need to cope with anymore. After which to understand that you just not solely need to cope with The Borg Queen, you need to work along with her, is a reasonably cool battle, I feel, to handle for these two.

Within the unique Voyager episodes, we noticed little glimpses of the Annika Hansen which may have been, and that comes round in a recent means this time. Do you may have a means that you just consider the Annika facet of Seven and the way they, though they’re the identical individual, relate to at least one one other?
Ryan: No, I do not actually compartmentalize it that means a lot after I’m getting ready or after I’m fascinated by the character. However that is positively a brand new expertise for her, this season. That is actually, the primary time that she’s ever gotten to only expertise this life as a human. So individuals simply see an individual in entrance of them and so they relate to you as simply, “Oh, it is okay. It is simply one other individual.” And it is such a brand new expertise for her. And that is what she’s at all times so desperately craved. And I feel she handles it with various levels of grace.

As Seven at all times does. I do know you guys are, if not absolutely accomplished filming, proper on the finish of taking pictures Season 3.
Ryan: Sure, we’re.

Did you come out of Season 2 understanding what was forward or was there a pause after which Season 3 was found out? How a lot continuity was there for you, in making the present, between the 2 seasons?
Ryan: There was no pause. We didn’t get a break between Seasons 2 and three. They shot them repeatedly and not using a hiatus. So we simply broke for the vacation and that was it.

I feel it was a weekend, perhaps, between Season 2 and three I feel that is all it was. There was no precise hiatus. So whereas we had been most likely two-thirds, three-quarters of the best way by means of taking pictures Season Two, we had been having the discussions with the producers about what Season 3 goes to be and what the arc of the characters could be. However there was no downtime. It was a really uncommon taking pictures schedule.

I will not hit you up for Season 3 spoilers, however I’m curious, having the chance to finish a full new section for Seven – perhaps not the final, however hopefully we’ll see her once more – inform me the way you got here out of that have after getting three seasons to revisit this character. Was {that a} actually satisfying factor for you?
Ryan: It is extremely satisfying – and I am unable to give something away for Season 3, however I feel the followers might be very happy with Seven’s arc and the send-up that every one these characters are getting on the finish of this collection.

It is such an attention-grabbing and thrilling house for Star Trek, which is admittedly one of many first franchises that kicked off these continuations of established collection afterward: now you’ve got obtained this ever-expanding universe by means of the streaming service, and the probabilities are limitless. As a result of I do know you’ve got made mates with individuals from all throughout the franchise over your time with it, does it excite you, the totally different permutations now which are on the market? That you just would possibly get to do one thing with, say, Michael Dorn or a few of your Voyager castmates? What does that imply to you, so far as the prospects for persevering with sci-fi storytelling with this household of individuals?
Ryan: Effectively, sure, completely. Oddly sufficient, I feel Patrick [Stewart] was the one member of the Subsequent Gen forged that I did not know properly once we began Picard, as a result of I am good buddies with all of these guys, and Patrick I would solely ever met as soon as through the years earlier than we began taking pictures collectively, which is humorous. However my Voyager castmates and my mates that I’ve met from the opposite collection – it is at all times a deal with if you get the prospect to work with your pals in any context, whether or not it is Star Trek or the rest. So, that risk is at all times super-exciting. So who is aware of?

Picard Season 2 drops new episodes each Thursday on Paramount+.

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