After becoming a main character on Star Trek: Picard so many years after Star Trek: Voyager ended, Jeri Ryan's Seven of Nine was solidified as one of the best characters from the sci-fi franchise, but Ryan has actually given an even better performance as a different Star Trek character. When the Star Trek: Voyager cast disbanded after the show ended in 2001, Ryan wasn't part of the franchise until her 2020 return as Seven in the Star Trek: Picard cast. However, she actually played another Star Trek character 24 years ago, and she did an incredible job.
Ryan made her franchise debut in Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 1 "Scorpion Part II." Although she quickly became a replacement for Kes after Jennifer Lien's departure, Seven was initially introduced as one of the show's many villains. She slowly regained certain human traits, but it wasn't until Star Trek: Picard that Seven notably shook her Borg demeanor and was able to conduct herself more naturally. That being said, Ryan was able to flex different acting muscles in Star Trek: Voyager by stepping into the shoes of another character.
Why Jeri Ryan's Best Star Trek: Voyager Performance Isn't Seven Of Nine
Seven became the Doctor in "Body & Soul"
Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 7, "Body and Soul," briefly allowed Jeri Ryan to play Voyager's EMH - a role usually filled by Robert Picardo. Interestingly, Picardo was available and does feature in certain scenes of the episode, as the recasting was a fun gimmick rather than a necessity. As the Doctor, Ryan was able to behave far more flamboyantly and gave a thoroughly convincing performance as Voyager's holographic doctor as he inhabited Seven's form. Until then, Ryan's acting choices as Seven had generally been understandably subtle, so it was great to see such a left turn for the actress.
Under the control of the Doctor, Seven's body indulged in delights and sensations not usually afforded to his character due to being a hologram, and Ryan had to react as Seven later in the episode.
The Doctor had taken refuge within Seven by uploading his program into her Borg implants without warning and initially without her consent as he hid from a race of anti-holographic beings. Under the control of the Doctor, Seven's body indulged in delights and sensations not usually afforded to his character due to being a hologram, and Ryan had to react as Seven later in the episode. It was a creative premise that resulted in a surprising level of comedy. Speaking with the BBC, Ryan has stated it was, "really fun to play something so different from Seven."
How Jeri Ryan As The EMH Also Helped Robert Picardo's Doctor
Voyager's Doctor had his arc added fleshed out throughout the show
Huge portions of the script of "Body and Soul" are written to make the audience laugh, and Jeri Ryan imitating Picardo's Doctor so perfectly and in such a bizarre scenario really helps accentuate all the comedic moments. Alongside the laughs, the episode also engages in a surprising amount of worldbuilding. Specifically, how the Doctor's program integrates and interacts with biological matter via a Borg interface is an incredibly compelling aspect of the story.
Of course, the Doctor's character arc is something that progresses throughout the entirety of Star Trek: Voyager. On the other hand, with "Body and Soul" falling in the final season of the show, the writers were running out of ways to continue the Doctor's growth, as he was already about as human as he could realistically become. Thankfully, Star Trek: Voyager found a way to add a new wrinkle to Picard's character before the show ended, while also adding to Seven's experiences many years before her franchise comeback in 2020.
