Seven of Nine’s Star Trek Experience: What Really Happened Behind the Cameras?
They may have hired Jeri Ryan for her looks, but Seven of Nine became one of the best characters in all of Star Trek.
Watching her walk around Voyager in her tight suits was interesting, but her character was even more fascinating.
But did you know she had a secret enemy on set?
The reason Jeri Ryan became a star
When Jeri Ryan joined Star Trek: Voyager in 1997, the show was struggling. The ratings were going down, and the producers needed something—or someone—to bring viewers back. That’s when they introduced Seven of Nine.
She was a former Borg drone, separated from the Collective. Her character was cold and logical but had a hidden humanity. She was a mystery that fans wanted to solve.
When she joined in season four, things changed fast. Ratings shot up by 60%. The network had hoped her presence would attract more viewers—and it worked.
But what they didn’t expect was how talented she was. She wasn’t just a beautiful actress in a tight outfit. She brought real depth to Seven of Nine, showing glimpses of emotion under her controlled surface.
One episode showed her switching between different personalities, revealing her range as an actress. Many believed she deserved an award for her performance.
The network hired her to save the show. Instead, she became something even bigger.
Why she rejected the role four times
Jeri Ryan, born Jeri Lynn Zimmermann on February 22, 1968, in Munich, Germany, moved to Los Angeles after college to chase her acting dream.
By 1997, she wasn’t well-known, but Voyager producers wanted her for Seven of Nine. Surprisingly, she said no—four times.
Why didn’t she want the role? In a 2020 interview, Ryan said she had never watched Star Trek: Voyager before. So, she decided to check it out.
She regretted it instantly. She thought it was “the worst hour of television” she had ever seen.
“They gave me a copy of First Contact so I could see what a Borg was,” Ryan explained. “They also gave me a huge Star Trek encyclopedia so I could learn more about the world.”
Eventually, executive producer Jeri Taylor convinced her to take the role. Seven of Nine, the Borg who was freed from the Collective, became her most famous character.
The off-screen battle
Before the cameras even started rolling, Jeri Ryan could feel the tension in the air. It wasn’t stage fright. It was something worse—something personal.
Her co-star Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Janeway, did not get along with her.
The Voyager cast noticed it, too. The tension was real. Ryan was the new star, stealing the spotlight as the beautiful former Borg drone. Mulgrew had worked hard to create a strong, independent female captain. She had fought against making Janeway a romantic character.
Then, the network introduced Seven of Nine—clearly a sexualized character meant to boost ratings.
At first, Mulgrew’s frustration wasn’t personal. She simply didn’t agree with making a female character overly sexualized. But her anger grew.
For years, the tension never went away. Ryan focused on acting, delivering strong performances, while Mulgrew struggled with her feelings about the situation.
But with time, things changed. Mulgrew later admitted she had been unfair. She took responsibility for making things difficult for Ryan.
Then, she did something unexpected—she apologized.
“You did a marvelous job in a very difficult role,” she told Ryan.
The past was over. The tension, the cold stares, the frustration—it was done.
Now, they appear at Star Trek conventions together, laughing and reminiscing. Looking at them today, it’s hard to believe they once didn’t get along.
She destroyed her own costume
Seven of Nine’s famous catsuit looked sleek on screen, but behind the scenes, it was a nightmare.
The corset was so tight that Ryan had trouble breathing. Between takes, she often had to lie down just to catch her breath.
Since the suit had no zipper, Ryan couldn’t get in or out of it alone. The costume team had to sew her into it every time.
Bathroom breaks were a nightmare. Getting out of the suit took 20 minutes, so she often had to “hold it” to avoid slowing down filming. The crew even had a special radio code for it: “Code Jeri-Twenty.”
By the time Voyager ended, Ryan had enough. She burned the costume to make sure she would never have to wear it again.
The invisible wall
On Star Trek: Voyager, actors had to pretend that force fields were real.
One of the most awkward moments happened in The Gift. Seven of Nine was supposed to throw herself at a force field. But of course, there was nothing there—just empty air.
“You do a lot of acting with nothing,” Ryan said. “There’s a lot of special effects, so you’re just reacting to thin air.”
The result? A hilarious, awkward performance where actors had to fling themselves forward, suddenly stop, and pretend to be in pain—while the crew tried not to laugh.
“Force field acting” became an inside joke.
But that’s sci-fi. One day, you’re battling aliens. The next, you’re throwing yourself at nothing and hoping the CGI team fixes it later.
What Seven of Nine really meant to Voyager
Jeri Ryan has a lot to say about the character she played.
Seven of Nine wasn’t just another crew member—she changed the show. Before her arrival, Voyager had become too peaceful. The tension between Starfleet and the Maquis was gone. Everyone got along.
Then came Seven. She was a former Borg who had to learn how to be human. She wasn’t just another character; she was a challenge to the crew. And that was exactly what the show needed.
Looking back, Ryan believes Seven played an important role in Star Trek’s legacy.
“Seven brought conflict to the show—something that was missing,” Ryan said. “Once the Maquis made peace with Janeway, everything became too happy.”
But it wasn’t just about conflict. Seven of Nine fit into a classic Star Trek character type—the outsider. Like Spock, Data, or Odo, she made the audience question what it really meant to be human.
Why Seven of Nine wore high heels
Have you ever wondered why Seven of Nine wore high heels on Voyager? Fans have debated this for years, but Ryan has a simple answer: everyone wore them!
“All the female characters wore boots with heels,” she said. “And if you’re going to wear a body suit, you’re not going to walk around in flats.”
The heels weren’t meant to be practical—they were just part of her stylish look.
The hardest part of playing Seven of Nine
We know Jeri Ryan’s costume was uncomfortable, but there was another challenge—keeping a straight face.
“The two hardest things about playing Seven were keeping a straight face and dealing with my co-stars,” Ryan joked.
Seven of Nine had emotions, but she wasn’t supposed to show them. She had to keep her face calm, hiding her feelings under a controlled surface.
But while she was trying to stay serious, her co-stars were always joking around.
Staying in character while surrounded by pranksters? Not easy.
Still, Ryan loved playing Seven of Nine. “This character was a gift,” she said. “Everything was new to her, everything was a discovery.”
Seven of Nine remains one of Voyager’s most beloved characters. And for Ryan, playing her was both a challenge and a joy.
The AI illusion of Seven
You probably clicked on this article because of a picture. But here’s the twist—it isn’t real.
The image was created by AI, not Hollywood. If you look closely, something feels off. The uniform doesn’t quite match Voyager’s style. The details seem just a little wrong.
It’s funny in a way. Seven of Nine, a character caught between humanity and artificial intelligence, is now being recreated by an AI trying to look human.
It’s like the Borg meets Photoshop—and honestly, that’s kind of hilarious.
