Jeri Ryan’s iconic portrayal of Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Voyager and later in Star Trek: Picard captivated audiences and left a lasting impact on the franchise—so much so that many fans hope to see a series centered around her character. But did you know that a Seven of Nine series, separate from the highly anticipated Star Trek: Legacy, was pitched to the actress? Ryan revealed this during a recent fan convention. While that sounds exciting for all Seven of Nine fans out there, she ultimately decided to pass on the project.
The Seven of Nine series that could have been
In the last weekend of October, Jeri Ryan was reunited with many of her Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Legacy co-stars at Spacecon in San Antonio, Texas. Appearing as a headline guest, Ryan participated in multiple panels during the event. At a Voyager panel, she received many inquiries regarding the future of Seven of Nine, with one question being, “Has there ever been any talk of a Captain Seven show?”
According to TrekMovie.com, Ryan candidly answered the query, telling the audience, “There has been talk. And there was an idea that was actually pitched to me after Picard ended, which was not the Legacy show that I know the fans are asking for, that I want to do. But it just wasn’t me… It didn’t feel like the right kind of thing… But there has been talk. And if there is one thing I have learned with this franchise it is: never say never. You never know.”
Ryan didn’t provide further details about the Seven of Nine series that was pitched to her. But like other members of the Picard cast, Ryan has been very vocal in her support for Star Trek: Legacy—the proposed series that would continue the story from the Picard series finale, with Seven of Nine commanding the USS Enterprise-G alongside Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), and Lt. Sidney La Forge (Ashley Sharpe Chestnut). If picked up to series, Jonathan Frakes’ William T. Riker would also return as a recurring character, and other legacy Star Trek stars are expected to make guest appearances.
Back in May 2023, Ryan even took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the new milestone reached by a petition calling Paramount+ to pick up Star Trek: Legacy to series.
Holy crap, over 50,000 signatures and climbing! You guys are unreal…! 👊🏼🖖🏼❤️#StarTrekLegacy https://t.co/5cf965SNqB
— Jeri Ryan (@JeriLRyan) May 17, 2023
Is Star Trek: Legacy still happening?
Although Star Trek: Legacy has yet to be officially greenlit, Paramount+ remains committed to its original plan—set in motion prior to Star Trek: Picard season 3—to launch Star Trek: Starfleet Academy as the next franchise series. The new show has already been renewed for two seasons, with the first season currently in production. Amid the apparent budget cuts at Paramount, there seems to be little room for additional Star Trek series, especially with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds also locked in for two more seasons.
Despite the belt-tightening at Paramount, George Cheeks, President and CEO of CBS previously said that Trekkies have nothing to worry about the future of the Star Trek franchise in general, as the network is working very closely with Star Trek franchise executive producer Alex Kurtzman to figure out a plan to deploy the various Star Trek shows and projects at the right time.
“Star Trek remains one of the most important franchises for Paramount Global, and Paramount+ specifically,” Cheeks told Vulture in March 2024. “There’s so much great opportunity with the franchise, and it’s really about the cadence and the timeline of it. We don’t want to offer up all these amazing premium drama series at once. We want to time it out appropriately. Luckily, we have this incredible partner in Alex Kurtzman, and we all work together to sort of manage long-range planning across many years, to figure out what’s the right cadence for dropping new Star Trek series. So, there’s a lot we’re focused on, but it should not suggest to you [a scaling back]. There is a tremendous amount of focus and prioritizing of the Star Trek franchise.”