Summary
- Picard's experience as a reclaimed Borg in TNG paved the way for Seven of Nine.
- Crusher and Data's efforts to save Picard provided knowledge to save Seven.
- Seven and Picard's friendship in Picard makes sense due to shared Borg assimilation trauma.
Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) was able to be reclaimed from the Borg thanks to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) on Star Trek: The Next Generation. After their introduction in TNG, the Borg became one of Star Trek's most frightening villains. With their structure of drones within a hive mind, the Borg could not be reasoned with and they constantly adapted to new technology. Throughout TNG, the second live-action Star Trek show, Captain Picard and his crew learned more about the Borg, and the cybernetic drones later became major antagonists on Star Trek: Voyager.
As Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the USS Voyager traveled through the Delta Quadrant on their way back home, they encountered the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson) and numerous Borg ships. To safely travel through Borg space, Captain Janeway formed a temporary alliance with the Collective, and Seven of Nine was sent aboard Voyager to help develop a weapon to fight Species 8472. When the Borg broke the alliance and attempted to assimilate Voyager, Janeway permanently severed Seven from the Collective. The Doctor (Robert Picardo) then removed most of Seven's cybernetic implants.
Picard As A Reclaimed Borg In Star Trek: TNG Made Seven Of Nine Possible
Picard & Hugh Walked So That Seven Could Run.
In the iconic Star Trek: The Next Generation two-parter, "The Best of Both Worlds," the original Borg Collective captured and assimilated Captain Picard. As Locutus, Picard served as the mouthpiece for the Borg, delivering the message that "resistance is futile" to the entire Federation. In command of the Enterprise, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) sent a team to rescue Picard from the Borg cube. Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) then worked together to save Picard, severing him from the collective and removing his cybernetic implants.
If Crusher and Data had not figured out how to save Picard, Voyager's crew would not have known how to save Seven of Nine. The Enterprise crew learned more about reclaiming Borg drones when they encountered Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco) in TNG season 5, episode 23, "I, Borg." After being severed from the Collective, Hugh began to develop a sense of individuality.
With help from Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) and others among the Enterprise crew, Hugh learned that resistance was not, in fact, futile. Thanks to Picard and Hugh, the Enterprise gained information that Janeway and the Doctor later used to save Seven of Nine.
Seven Of Nine & Jean-Luc Becoming Friends In Star Trek: Picard Made Perfect Sense
Very Few People Can Say They Survived Borg Assimilation.
As both Picard and Seven shared the unique experience of being assimilated by the Borg, their friendship in Star Trek: Picard makes perfect sense. Seven may have been a part of the Collective for much longer than Jean-Luc, but she remains one of the few people who could understand the most traumatic experience of Picard's life. By the time of Star Trek: Picard, Jean-Luc has become disillusioned with Starfleet as an organization, although he still believes in its mission. Seven, too, felt abandoned by Starfleet when they denied her a commission after Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant.
Seven and Picard had bonded over their similar past traumas and developed mutual respect as they worked together to save the galaxy.
After the events of Picard season 2, Picard used his still-considerable sway with Starfleet to grant Seven a field commission. She later officially joined Starfleet as First Officer aboard the USS Titan as Commander. Seven and Picard had bonded over their similar past traumas and developed mutual respect as they worked together to save the galaxy. When Picard boarded the Titan under false pretenses in Picard season 3, Seven helped him despite the risk to her career. Jean-Luc Picard and Seven of Nine will always be two of Star Trek's most iconic characters, and their friendship just makes sense.
