Seven of Nine actor Jeri Ryan has revealed more details of her character’s burgeoning relationship with Raffi (Michelle Hurd) in an interview with SFX Magazine.
Where Picard’s first season finale planted the seeds of a relationship between the two women, by the time we arrive in Picard season 2 – complete with what Ryan calls a "time-cut" – they’re officially an item. Like all relationships, the 'settling in' part can prove complicated. It’s here where Picard picks things up.
"It’s an unusual thing, in Star Trek, to pick up in the middle of a relationship," Ryan says. "This is not the beginnings and the flirtation and all of that – you see that just for a glimmer in the finale of season one. Then there’s a time-cut, and we’re dropped into the middle of this relationship."
Ryan continues, "We skip the whole honeymoon phase, and we are into the complexities of an adult relationship, in the trenches, you’re in the middle of it. How do you navigate a whirlwind romance that’s born from primarily adrenaline, and now you have to navigate the day to day while you’re also saving the world? It’s fun and we’re able to tell more inclusive stories that really reflect society."
The Seven of Nine actor also spoke of early discussions during her time on Star Trek: Voyager regarding the character’s sexuality.
"I know that Jeri Taylor, who was one of the showrunners at the time, was very interested in making Seven gay or bi or pansexual, and that was shut down," Ryan says. "But it’s the character that would have made perfect sense – absolute perfect sense – from the get-go because she didn’t even grow up human."
Picard season 2 is set to hit Paramount Plus in the US and Amazon's Prime Video service in the UK on March 3.
For more on SFX’s interview with Jeri Ryan, plus a blowout feature on The Batman including interviews with Robert Pattinson and director Matt Reeves, then be sure to pick up the latest issue of SFX – available now. You can also take advantage of our cut-price digital and print bundles and take SFX wherever you go.
