‘Star Trek’ Icon Said She Wouldn’t Miss This About Playing Her Beloved Character
‘Star Trek’ Icon Said She Wouldn’t Miss This About Playing Her Beloved Character
Nicole MooreSat, February 28, 2026 at 2:19 AM UTC
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Jeri Ryan first joined the Star Trek franchise during the fourth season of Star Trek: Voyager, which premiered in 1997. Ryan reprised her beloved Star Trek character, Seven of Nine, for Star Trek: Picard, which had a three-season run until 2023.
Ryan opened up about playing the former Borg as the series finale for Star Trek: Voyager approached in a 2001 interview with Entertainment Tonight. She shared that she would miss the character, whom she described as "a joy to play."
"Now I can look back and really applaud the writers and producers for the way that they've developed Seven and the remarkable restraint that they've shown in developing her character," said the actress in the 2001 interview.
She said, however, that she wouldn't miss wearing Seven's costume, which consisted of a tight bodysuit and facial prosthetics.
"I won't miss the corset. I won't miss having the rubber glued to my face every day," said Ryan.
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Ryan also said that she had grown attached to her Star Trek: Voyager castmates, which included Kate Mulgrew, Roxann Dawson, Tim Russ, Robert Picardo, and Robert Duncan McNeill.
"You really do become like a family, because you see them more than you see your family. And I don't think i've ever laughed as hard in my life as I have working on this show," said Ryan while speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2001. "That's the single most difficult thing about my character is having to keep a straight face playing with these guys because it really is a fun, warm, goofy, insane group of people."
Jeri Ryan Shared Her Thoughts About Returning as Seven of Nine
Ryan shared her thoughts about returning as Seven of Nine for Star Trek: Picard in a 2020 interview with HeyUGuys. She said it was "terrifying" to step back into the role. She explained that she was well aware of how much her character means to Star Trek's passionate fanbase.
"You want to make sure that you do it justice for them. You feel a real responsibility," said Ryan in 2020.
She said that while she felt a sense of panic "when [she] first saw the script" for Star Trek: Picard, she was able to find Seven's "voice again." She clarified that her character went through quite a few changes between Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard.
"She's completely different. She's much more human in every way, her clothes, her talk, her demeanor, which was great. That's a great challenge as an actor is to find it through line, to make it the same person, not just the same prosthetics and the same actor playing her, but make it that character, so that was a fun challenge," said Ryan.
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
