Did Star Trek: Voyager’s Seven Of Nine Have Borg Powers?

Did Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) have any special Borg powers in Star Trek: Voyager? Many of Star Trek's alien characters have special abilities that set them apart from humans. Star Trek: The Original Series started this trend by establishing Vulcans' telepathic abilities with Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Star Trek: The Next Generation characters with superpowers, like the empathic half-Betazoid Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), outnumber those without. Even humans can have enhanced abilities with the aid of technology, like Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge's (LeVar Burton) VISOR granting him the ability to see much more of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Of course, there's no better example of a tech-enhanced organic being in Star Trek than the Borg. Beginning in Star Trek: Voyager season 4, ex-drone Seven of Nine provided insight into the previously inscrutable Borg. According to Seven, the Borg prized efficiency in their quest for perfection. Starfleet methods, like research and communication, were inefficient when the Borg could simply use their technology to understand alien societies. Assimilated Borg drones were physically changed to become more perfect and more efficient, and in return, the Borg spread the knowledge of assimilated cultures throughout the Collective.

What Abilities Being A Borg Gave Star Trek: Voyager’s Seven of Nine

Seven Of Nine Thought She Was Superior ... And She Was Right

Because Seven of Nine's Borg implants couldn't be completely removed, Seven retained Borg traits that optimized her body for efficiency. With an enhanced muscular system, heart, and lungs, Seven of Nine had greater strength and stamina than her human counterparts. Seven was immune to certain types of radiation deadly to other USS Voyager crew members in Star Trek: Voyager's cast, and she resisted injury more easily. Instead of sleeping, Seven regenerated in a Borg alcove, so she healed relatively quickly. Seven's ocular implant gave her better vision, including the ability to see irregularities in spacetime.

Seven of Nine's latent connection to the Borg Collective could also be considered a power in its own right. Memories from the Collective made Seven a de facto guide to Borg space, though Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) didn't always agree with Seven's guidance. Seven of Nine's Borg nanoprobes, usually used in the assimilation process, could be modified to help others, giving Star Trek: Voyager an easy narrative solution to difficult problems. Borg adaptability meant Seven could also connect with other technologies via her Borg implants, like hosting the Doctor's (Robert Picardo) program.

Why Seven Of Nine Is Such A Great Star Trek Character

Seven Of Nine Reckons With Believing In Borg Superiority

Seven of Nine is such a great Star Trek character because of how she's written, and the character arc that's inspired by other Star Trek outsiders. Like Spock, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), and Odo (Rene Auberjonois) before her, Seven of Nine is a Star Trek character who can easily comment on humanity because of her outside perspective. Seven's relationship to her humanity is almost as fraught as Spock's, but Janeway's insistence and the Doctor's guidance push Seven of Nine towards reclaiming what makes her human instead of rejecting it for perceived Borg superiority.

Seven of Nine's Borg superpowers are a small part of Seven of Nine's Star Trek: Voyager character arc, but they matter to Seven's development through her Star Trek story. When Seven returns in Star Trek: Picard, Seven confesses to feeling the constant reminder of how her visible Borg parts set her apart from humanity, no matter how much she tries to fit in. Seven of Nine's Borg past and powers break down Seven's belief in her superiority instead of fueling it, like they did on Star Trek: Voyager, so Seven can reconstruct her confidence on her own terms.