Actress Jeri Ryan is right to say that Seven of Nine isn't a sexual character in Star Trek: Voyager. Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine was added to the Star Trek: Voyager cast in the 4th season to revitalize Voyager, which suffered from flagging ratings compared to earlier Star Trek shows. As an ex-Borg drone who frequently butted heads with Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Seven of Nine was a highly intelligent character who created much-needed dramatic tension on the USS Voyager. Those who didn't watch Voyager, however, might assume Seven of Nine was only there to be sexy.
Seven of Nine actress Jeri Ryan appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in 1999 to promote Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16, "Dark Frontier", on UPN. The 2-part episode was Star Trek: Voyager's second feature-length event after its premiere episode, "Caretaker", and aired as a 2-hour Star Trek: Voyager movie. On Conan, Jeri Ryan explains that Seven of Nine, while sexy, "is not a sexual character at all", and offers an explanation for Seven's skintight Borg suit. Star Trek: Voyager talk starts at 1:36 in the video clip of Jeri Ryan on Late Night With Conan O'Brien below.
Why Jeri Ryan Says Seven Of Nine Isn’t A Sexual Character In Star Trek: Voyager
Seven of Nine Can Be Sexy Without Being Sexual
On Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Conan says Seven of Nine is "one of the sexiest characters I've ever seen on TV", but Jeri Ryan explains the character of Seven of Nine was not inherently sexual. As Seven of Nine's body and mind healed from a lifetime as a Borg drone, Seven remained detached from human emotions. Any concept of sexuality that Seven of Nine had was purely academic since Seven still considered herself more Borg than human. The fact that Seven of Nine was sexy was purely incidental to Seven being an incredibly interesting Star Trek character.
Jeri Ryan: "Seven of Nine is not a sexual character at all."
Conan O'Brien: "[She's] a Borg ... And that means no emotion?"
Jeri Ryan: "It means she's part cybernetic, and she's part human. She has emotions, but she's not comfortable expressing them."
Seven of Nine's skintight costumes prove that Jeri Ryan's addition to the Star Trek: Voyager cast was a clear bid to draw in the young male demographic that Voyager had lacked compared to earlier Star Trek shows. Star Trek: Voyager was, by design, a smart, female-driven sci-fi show led by Kate Mulgrew's Captain Kathryn Janeway. That hard-won reputation could have been diminished by Seven of Nine being the purely sexual character that she appeared to be. Instead, Seven of Nine was beautiful and intelligent, and Seven's journey to discovering her humanity became one of Star Trek's best character arcs.
The Reason For Seven Of Nine’s Skintight Borg Uniform Explained
Jeri Ryan Explains Seven Of Nine's "Medicinal" Borg Catsuit
In the Late Night with Conan O'Brien clip, Conan asks Jeri Ryan if there's a "sci-fi reason" for Seven of Nine's skintight bodysuit. Ryan explains that Seven of Nine's attire is a "medicinal" healing agent that regenerates Seven's human skin. After Seven of Nine was severed from the Borg Collective, Seven's human physiology began to reassert itself, and rejected the Borg implants. To remedy this, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) surgically removed most of Seven's cybernetic parts and designed Seven of Nine's silver catsuit to act as a full-body bandage, with a corset that mimicked Seven's Borg exoskeleton.
Seven of Nine's "medicinal" silver catsuit was constricting and difficult for Jeri Ryan to move in, so Seven's iconic costume was quietly swapped for a brown bodysuit after the first few episodes of Star Trek: Voyager season 4. There was no explanation for the change, but it's likely the Doctor's original silver suit successfully healed the worst of Seven of Nine's injuries. Jeri Ryan says Seven of Nine's two-toned blue uniform is "a fashion choice", so Seven is more aware of her appearance as Star Trek: Voyager goes on, but that doesn't change Seven's attitude towards sexuality, and Ryan remains right to say Seven of Nine isn't a sexual character.
