Star ‘Treks’ back
Jeri Ryan returns as Seven of Nine in ‘Picard'
Seven of Nine is back in the final frontier.
But don’t expect to see Jeri Ryan slip back into those skintight outfits that sent nerds’ hearts aflutter on “Star Trek: Voyager.”
“Fortunately we were all on the same page from day one that that was not gonna be,” the 52-year-old actress told the Daily News with a laugh.
In fact, that was one of the talking points brought up by her friend, “Star Trek: Picard” writer and executive producer James Duff, when he first approached her about reprising the role more than two years ago.
“We were at the Hollywood Bowl drinking champagne, as we do in the summer,” she explained with a chuckle. “He waited until we were a few glasses of champagne into the evening to bring it up.”
Initially, she thought it was just a joke.
“I dismissed it out of hand, and said, ‘No, not interested, thank you,’ ” Ryan recalled.
Not that she had any reason to jump back into space. It’s well known, at least among Star Trek fans, that Ryan did not enjoy her experience on “Star Trek: Voyager.” The attention her character got from the media, fans and the show’s writers led to a very contentious relationship with series star Kate Mulgrew, who played Capt. Kathryn Janeway.
“It really was a very difficult four years,” Ryan said. And “my knee-jerk reaction was, ‘No. Hell no, I’m not doing that again,’ because that experience was not fun.”
As the creators of “Star Trek: Picard” made it clear they were very interested in her coming back, Ryan knew things would be different this time around.
For starters she’s sharing the screen with Sir Patrick Stewart.
“He’s a lovely, lovely human being,” she said warmly. “He’s hilarious, a very giving and open actor, [and] superfun to work with.”
Like their characters, former Starfleet Capt. Picard and Seven of Nine, Stewart and Ryan didn’t know each other, despite both having been part of the Star Trek universe for decades.
“I know the entire ‘Next Gen’ cast extremely well. I’m actively friends with a lot of [them],” Ryan said. “But I’d only met Patrick once briefly, at an event years and years ago.”
“Star Trek: Picard,” which airs on CBS All Access on Thursdays, also reunited her with Jonathan Frakes. The actor-turned-director, who played Cmdr. Riker on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” helmed her first episodes on “Picard.”
“He’s amazing, I love, love, love working with him,” she said.
When we first meet Seven of Nine in “Picard,” she is in a dark place. The former Borg has lost any faith she once had in Starfleet and the Federation, which has seemingly turned its back on the rest of the galaxy. As a result, lawlessness has consumed much of it, which leads Seven to become something of a vigilante by the time she encounters Picard.
“I was so surprised in how interested I was when they explained the character to me,” Ryan said, adding that the “Picard” writers took an already “rich character” and made her “even cooler.”
Ryan believed she had said goodbye to Seven of Nine and Star Trek as a whole back when “Star Trek: Voyager” ended in 2001.
She moved on, appearing on many other television shows, including “Boston Legal” with William Shatner and the Amazon Prime original series “Bosch.”
When she was told what was in mind for Seven in the new show, she could no longer say, “Hell no.”
“It’s still very surreal to be back in his world with this character again, but I’m thrilled,” she said. “I love who she has become.”
Ryan hopes Star Trek fans will embrace Seven of Nine’s return.
“That was a big concern of mine,” she said.
“You feel an extra responsibility, I think, to not let the fans down.”