Posted in: Paramount+, Star Trek, streaming, TV | Tagged: jeri ryan, paramount, seven of nine, star trek, Star Trek Picard, star trek: voyager

Star Trek: Picard Star Jeri Ryan After "Voyager" Run: "I Was Done"

Star Trek: Picard star Jeri Ryan on how "Voyager" left her feeling "done" with the franchise and hesitant about returning as Seven of Nine.

Any time any actor joins the cast of a popular TV show, there's always that pressure to keep up, not to mention the stigma and uphill battle of trying to gain the respect of existing fans. Such was the case with Star Trek: Picard star Jeri Ryan, who started her franchise journey on the UPN series Voyager introduced in the season four episode "Scorpion Part II." Similar to co-star Patrick Stewart who plays the title character of the Paramount+ series, the actress was initially reluctant to revisit the franchise following her less-than-stellar experience in Voyager, opening up to Cinemablend about those times.

Why Jeri Ryan Was Ready to Leave Star Trek Behind

"I didn't have a great experience on 'Voyager.' The working experience was not super pleasant for me," Ryan recalled. "So that kind of colored my perception in a lot of ways. Because that was a tough four years, but I was always acutely aware of how good a character Seven was from an acting perspective and how rich she was. So this continuation of her story and starting out with the Fenris Rangers, I love it. I love everything about the way she's been developed. I truly do. This season especially, I think it hits all the right notes. It, it's just so true to the character, and I think that across the board for all the characters. And I think it's ultimately just a really nice payoff for the fans and for this character for this journey."

Ryan was cast as the former Borg drone to improve ratings on the struggling UPN series, which worked. By the time Voyager wrapped in 2001 after seven seasons, the actress was ready to put the franchise behind, "I mean, I was done. I was completely done. I was sure of it. I said goodbye to the character. I had no interest in continuing. Fans were saying, 'Oh, I want to know what happens after you get back to earth.' I'm like, 'Why?' I don't want to see her set up housekeeping and married to Chakotay [Robert Beltran] and be a wife. I didn't want to see that. I didn't want to play that."

While Kate Mulgrew and Beltran reprised their respective roles as Janeway and Chakotay in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy and Robert Duncan McNeill reprising his role on the animated series Lower Decks in a cameo, Ryan joined the cast of Picard. Initially scoffing at Starfleet, given their rigid ways & joining the Fenris Rangers, things would change after meeting Jean-Luc Picard. For Seven, it would be a new love interest in Michelle Hurd's Raffi and eventually coming around for season three, taking up a Starfleet commission and becoming the first officer of the U.S.S. Titan-A.

To date, we saw our five Voyager cast members return to the Paramount+ era, with Tim Russ reprising his role as Tuvok in the Picard episode "Dominion" and in the upcoming series finale "The Last Generation." While Ryan remains mum on her character's future since nothing's been announced, the actress is happy to be along for the ride. For more, including why Picard has become a refreshing experience, you can check the rest of the interview here.

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