Here’s Why ‘Star Trek: Picard’ Brought Back Jeri Ryan’s 7 of 9

Last week’s episode of Star Trek: Picard reunited Star Trek fans with one of the franchise’s most beloved — and controversial — characters. Jeri Ryan‘s Seven of Nine, or 7 of 9, beamed aboard La Sirena, the main starship in Star Trek: Picard, leaving us all wondering…why? Why is 7 of 9 on Star Trek: Picard?

Star Trek: Picard follows the later adventures of Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) when he’s roused from retirement to save Dr. Soji Asha (Isa Briones), the “daughter” of Data (Brent Spiner). He pulls together a ragtag team of Starfleet dropouts and allies to track down the person responsible for creating Soji after Data’s death: Dr. Bruce Maddox (John Ales). After journeying to the planet Vashti to recruit Romulan warrior Elnor (Evan Evagora), La Sirena runs afoul of Kar Kantar’s Bird of Prey. Picard and his friends are aided by a mysterious ship that sacrifices itself to save them. The pilot is beamed aboard La Sirena for safety revealing that their guardian angel is none other than Seven of Nine.

…but what is the Star Trek: Voyager character doing on Star Trek: Picard? What has 7 of 9 been up to in the years leading up to Star Trek: Picard? And, uh, who is 7 of 9, or Seven of Nine? Here’s everything you need to know about the hottest ex-Borg in history.

WHO IS 7 OF 9, or SEVEN OF NINE? ALL ABOUT STAR TREK: VOYAGER‘S BORG BREAKOUT STAR

Seven of Nine, or 7 of 9 if you love Arabic numerals that much, is the Borg designation given by the Collective to the human woman born Annika Hansen. She was born to a family of space explorers and when she was four years old she accompanied her parents on a Starfleet-sanctioned journey into deep space. Over the course of their three year voyage, little Annika’s family and comrades encountered the Borg and followed them via a transwarp conduit into the dreaded Delta Quadrant (aka one of the most distant and unexplored quarters of the galaxy). Eventually, the Borg captured and assimilated Annika and her family.

Because she became a Borg drone as a child, Seven of Nine was unique in a lot of ways — which come up in Star Trek: Picard, Episode 5, “Stardust City Rag.” Because she was born human, she is chosen by the Borg to help form a makeshift alliance with the crew of the USS Voyager, led by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). When their common enemy is eliminated, Seven attempts to assimilate the Voyager crew, but she is stopped. Not only that, but they succeed in removing 70% of her Borg implants, leaving her cut off from the Collective and struggling to make sense of herself as an individual.

Seven of Nine joined the cast of Star Trek: Voyager in Season 4 to replace the character of Kes (Jennifer Lien), a telepathic alien with a crazy short life span (and a kind of weird dating life). Her addition helped boost the ratings, seemingly in large part thanks to her controversially tight catsuit. However, the character herself added nuance to the bridge. She was a complex character and Ryan played her so. She has since become a fan favorite — although she never appeared on Picard’s “flagship” show, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

WHAT IS 7 OF 9 DOING ON STAR TREK: PICARD? WHY IS SEVEN OF NINE ON STAR TREK: PICARD? (MILD SPOILERS FOR STAR TREK: PICARD EPISODE 5, “STARDUST CITY RAG”)

Since we last saw her return to the Alpha Quadrant at the end of Star Trek: Voyager, Seven of Nine’s life has not calmed down. We learn that she’s now employed as a Fenris Ranger, a sort of vigilante aiding the weak in the less savory parts of the galaxy. When Picard criticizes her for taking the law into her own hands, she asks back, “What law?” This suggests, like a lot of other details in Star Trek: Picard, that the Federation might not have things as under control as they have in the past.

Seven of Nine learns that La Sirena is going to Freecloud and agrees to hitch along. Even though she hates the place, the Fenris Rangers do financial deals there. However, when she learns that Picard and company will be dealing with a boss lady named “Vajazzle” — I swear, without subtitles it sounds like vaginal bedazzling — she stiffens. The two have unfinished business, mainly over Vajazzle’s obsession with torturing ex-Borg for their implants. One victim was a young man Seven considered to be a son.

That’s the narrative explanation for why Seven of Nine has shown up, but her appearance fits with a lot of the thematic threads showrunner Michael Chabon has been weaving throughout this first season. Like Hugh, she is one of the few characters who can commiserate with Picard about the experience of being ex-Borg. Moreover, there is a connection brewing between the Borg, the ban on synthetic life, the Romulan religion, and Soji’s fate. Her appearance just stresses the importance of the Borg to the narrative, and she offers a window to how the Borg are hated, feared, and even reaped for their implants.

Star Trek: Picard Episode 5, “Stardust City Rag” is now streaming on CBS All Access.

Where to stream Star Trek: Picard