The game behind Jeri Ryan\u2019s success\n

When Jeri Ryan stepped onto the set of\u00a0Star Trek: Voyager\u00a0in 1997, the show was teetering on the edge. The ratings were slipping, the stakes were high, and the producers knew they needed something \u2014 or someone \u2014 to turn things around. Enter Seven of Nine.\n

\n
\n\n
A former Borg drone severed from the Collective, her character was a fusion of cold precision and buried humanity, a puzzle waiting to be solved.\n
And when she appeared in season four, the effect was immediate. Ratings skyrocketed \u2014 by a staggering 60%. The network had gambled on her, banking on her striking presence to pull in viewers. And it worked.\n
$\"\"$
\n
But what they might not have anticipated was just how good she truly was. Not just a mesmerizing figure in a skintight uniform, but an actress of remarkable depth. She didn\u2019t just play Seven; she\u00a0became\u00a0her, layer by layer, letting glimpses of vulnerability slip through the steel.\n
One episode, in particular, stands out\u2014one where Seven, fractured by a cascade of personalities, shifts from one identity to another in rapid succession. It was a performance that should have earned her an award, a showcase of sheer talent that transcended the show\u2019s sci-fi trappings.\n
\n
\n
They hired her to save\u00a0Voyager. What they got was something far greater.\n
Why she turned down the role\u00a0four times\n
Jeri Ryan, born Jeri Lynn Zimmermann on February 22, 1968, in Munich, West Germany, moved to Los Angeles after college to pursue acting full-time.\n
In 1997, she was relatively unknown when the creators of\u00a0Star Trek: Voyager\u00a0set their sights on her for the role of Seven of Nine. Surprisingly, Ryan turned down the part not once, but four times.\n
But, why didn\u2019t she want to join? In a January 2020 interview, Jeri Ryan revealed that when producers first approached her about\u00a0Star Trek: Voyager, she had never seen the show. Curious, she decided to watch an episode \u2014 and quickly regretted it. She described it as \u201cthe worst hour of television\u201d she had ever seen.\n
\u201dThey gave me a copy of First Contact, the movie, so I could at least see what a Borg was. They also gave me a copy of the Big Star Trek encyclopaedia, whatever it is, so that I could bone up on my Star Trek knowledge,\u201d Ryan\u00a0explained.\n
It was only after relentless persuasion from executive producer Jeri Taylor that she finally agreed to take on the iconic role as\u00a0Seven of Nine, a\u00a0Borg\u00a0drone who was freed from the Borg\u2019s collective consciousness.\n
The fight the camera didn\u2019t catch\n
Jeri Ryan would feel it before the cameras even rolled \u2014 a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach at the mere thought of sharing a scene with co-star Kate Mulgrew. It wasn\u2019t nerves. It wasn\u2019t stage fright. It was something heavier, an unspoken tension that hung in the air whenever they worked together.\n
Most of the\u00a0Voyager\u00a0cast had noticed it. The friction between them wasn\u2019t just rumor; it was real, and for years, it remained unresolved. Ryan, the newcomer, had been thrust into the spotlight as Seven of Nine, the undeniably striking former Borg drone. Mulgrew, the show\u2019s seasoned lead, had spent years crafting Captain Janeway as a strong, independent figure, resisting every attempt to shoehorn her character into a romance. And now, suddenly, all eyes were on Seven.\n
\n
\n
For Mulgrew, it wasn\u2019t personal \u2014 at least, not at first. She had wanted to shift\u00a0Star Trek\u00a0away from overt sexualization, to make it about intellect, leadership, and exploration. But the network had other plans. They had brought in Ryan, a beautiful and undeniably sexualized character, to revive the show\u2019s ratings. And it worked.\n
The strain between them lingered for years, a quiet storm beneath the surface. Ryan kept her head down, delivering performance after performance, while Mulgrew wrestled with her own frustration.\n
$\"\"$
Jeri Ryan and Kate Mulgrew at the 14th annual official Star Trek convention in Las Vegas\u00a0\n
In time, though, something changed. Mulgrew, with the wisdom of hindsight, saw the bigger picture. She later admitted her resentment, acknowledged how difficult she had made things for Ryan, and owned her part in their troubled dynamic.\n
And then, she did something unexpected \u2014 she apologized.\n
\u201cYou did a marvelous job in a very difficult role,\u201d she told Ryan. The past was the past. The tension, the cold looks, the unspoken frustrations\u2014it was over.\n
Since then, they\u2019ve shared the stage at\u00a0Star Trek\u00a0conventions, laughing, reminiscing, and proving that even the deepest rifts can be healed. Looking at pictures from today, it\u2019s quite hard to believe these two didn\u2019t get along on set?\n
She burned her own catsuit\n
Seven of Nine\u2019s iconic catsuit may have looked sleek and futuristic on screen, but behind the scenes, it was a nightmare. Seven of Nine\u2019s corset was so tight that Jeri Ryan struggled to breathe while wearing it. Between takes, she often had to lie down just to regain her breath before stepping back in front of the camera.\n
And the skintight, one-piece design meant Jeri Ryan couldn\u2019t get in or out of it without help from the costume department. Since the suit was a one-piece with no zipper, Jeri Ryan had to be sewn into it every time she wore it, and getting out of it was no easy task\n
Even something as simple as a bathroom break turned into a time-consuming ordeal, forcing her to \u201chold it\u201d for long stretches just to avoid delaying filming. A simple bathroom break on set turned into a 20-minute ordeal, which led to her own radio code: \u201cCode Jeri-Twenty.\u201d\n
\n
\n
Ryan\u2019s frustration with the outfit grew over the years, and by the time\u00a0Voyager\u00a0wrapped, she had only one thing left to do \u2014 get rid of it for good. With no hesitation, she burned the costume, making sure she would never have to squeeze into it again.\n
The invisible Wall of Shame\n
On the set of\u00a0Star Trek: Voyager, where the magic of sci-fi meets the absurdity of pretending, actors often found themselves engaged in the fine art of \u201cforce field acting\u201d \u2014 a skill that required throwing oneself against absolutely nothing and making it look convincing.\n
Take, for example, the infamous moment in\u00a0The Gift, one of the early episodes featuring Seven of Nine. With all the seriousness of a Starfleet officer facing imminent doom, the actor had to hurl themselves at the brig\u2019s force field \u2014 except, of course, there was no force field. No shimmering energy barrier. No resistance. Just the cold, unfeeling air of a soundstage.\n
\u201dYou do a lot of acting to nothing, because there is a lot of special effects, so you\u2019re acting on a green screen or a blue screen, which means you\u2019re acting to nothing and reacting to nothing,\u201d Ryan once explained.\n
$\"\"$
\n
The result? A spectacularly awkward performance where they flung themselves forward, only to stop mid-motion, arms flailing, face contorted in mock pain \u2014 while the crew tried (and sometimes failed) to stifle laughter behind the camera.\n
\u201dForce field acting\u201d quickly became an inside joke. It wasn\u2019t just about selling the illusion \u2014 it was about doing it with a straight face while knowing that, in reality, you looked absolutely ridiculous.\n
But that\u2019s the magic of sci-fi. One day, you\u2019re battling intergalactic threats. The next, you\u2019re throwing yourself at nothing and hoping the CGI team has your back.\n
What did Seven of Nine stand for in Voyager?\n
If you ask Jeri Ryan herself, she has plenty to say about the character she grew to love.\n
\n
\n
Seven of Nine wasn\u2019t just another addition to the crew\u2014she was a force of change. Before her arrival,\u00a0Voyager\u00a0had settled into a comfortable rhythm. The tension between Starfleet and the Maquis had faded, leaving little internal conflict. Everyone got along. Too well, perhaps.\n
But then came Seven. A former Borg drone, severed from the hive mind and forced to navigate individuality for the first time. She wasn\u2019t just a crewmate; she was a challenge. A disruptor. And that, Ryan believed, was exactly what the show needed.\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
Julia Roberts\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n
Looking back, Ryan has reflected on what made her character so important, not just to the series but to the broader\u00a0Star Trek\u00a0legacy.\n
\u201dHumanity, in general, was one of the things Seven allowed them to explore,\u201d she reflected. \u201cShe brought conflict to the show \u2014 something that was sadly lacking. Once the Maquis made up with Janeway and company, it was just one big happy family.\u201d\n
But it wasn\u2019t just conflict that made her addition so compelling. Seven of Nine fit into a classic\u00a0Star Trek\u00a0archetype: the outsider who forces humanity to examine itself. Much like Spock, Data, or Odo before her, Seven provided a unique lens through which the series could explore deep philosophical questions about identity, morality, and free will.\n
Why Seven of Nine wore high heels\n
Ever wondered why Seven of Nine strutted around\u00a0Voyager\u00a0in high heels? Fans have debated the practicality of it for years, but Jeri Ryan has a simple answer:\u00a0everyone\u00a0wore heels!\n
\u201cAll the female characters wore boots with heels,\u201d she explained. \u201cAnd if you\u2019re going to walk around in a body stocking, I want to see you pad around in flats\u2014it\u2019s not happening!\u201d\n
The heels weren\u2019t necessarily a character choice, but rather a design decision to create a sleek, elongated silhouette.\n
\n
\n
So while it may not have been the most practical footwear for a former Borg drone, it certainly made for an unforgettable look.\n
The hidden challenge of playing Seven of Nine\n
We know that Jeri Ryan\u2019s\u00a0Star Trek: Voyager\u00a0costume was one of the toughest parts of her time on set. But there was another challenge \u2014 one that isn\u2019t as obvious when watching the series but becomes amusingly clear when looking back at behind-the-scenes photos.\n
Keeping a straight face.\n
\u201cThe two biggest challenges with Seven were keeping a straight face and working with all those guys who were absolutely nuts,\u201d Ryan\u00a0once admitted.\n
Seven of Nine, for all her Borg precision and stoic demeanor, was still human. She had emotions \u2014 just like everyone else \u2014 but she lacked the ability to express them. More than that, she was terrified to. Every feeling was carefully locked away, hidden beneath a surface of calm detachment.\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a fine line between being unemotional and showing too much,\u201d Ryan explained. \u201cThat challenge was really fun to play as an actor.\u201d\n
And yet, in the middle of all this restraint and subtlety, she was surrounded by a cast full of pranksters. While Seven stood rigid, delivering lines in her signature controlled tone, chaos was often unfolding just out of frame. Keeping a straight face in the middle of it all? Easier said than done.\n
$\"\"$
\n
Despite the difficulty, Ryan has often described Seven as one of the greatest roles of her career. \u201cThis character really was a gift as an actor,\u201d she said. \u201cEverything was new to Seven, everything was a discovery.\u201d\n
\n
\n
For fans, Seven of Nine remains one of\u00a0Voyager\u2019s\u00a0most fascinating and beloved characters. And for Ryan, she was both a challenge and a joy\u2014whether she was battling the Borg or just trying not to crack up on set.\n
So now we\u2019ve gotten a glimpse into Jeri Ryan\u2019s fantastic performance in\u00a0Star Trek: Voyager! Her portrayal of Seven of Nine brought depth, strength, and a touch of vulnerability to the series, making her one of the most iconic characters in\u00a0Star Trek\u00a0history.\n
The AI Illusion of Seven\n
So, you clicked on this article because of\u00a0that\u00a0picture, didn\u2019t you? No shame in that\u2014 we all love a striking image. But here\u2019s the twist: the picture isn\u2019t real.\n
That\u2019s right! What you\u2019re looking at is the work of AI, a digital illusion crafted by algorithms rather than Hollywood magic. And if you take a closer look, the signs are there\u2014perhaps the uniform looks\u00a0almost\u00a0right, but something is\u2026 off.\n
\n
\n\nThe details don\u2019t quite match the sleek Starfleet designs we know from\u00a0Voyager. Maybe it\u2019s the fabric, the fit, or the fact that it looks more like\u00a0Star Trek: Alternate Reality Edition\u00a0than anything we saw on screen.\nIt\u2019s almost poetic in a way. Seven of Nine \u2014 a character defined by her struggle between human identity and artificial precision \u2014 now being reimagined by an AI that\u2019s trying its best to replicate reality. It\u2019s like the Borg meets Photoshop, and honestly? That\u2019s kind of hilarious.\nWhat do you think? Do you have a favorite Seven of Nine moment? Share your thoughts and let\u2019s spark a debate! And if you enjoyed this, feel free to share it with fellow\u00a0Star Trek\u00a0fans!\u00a0\ud83d\ude80\u2728\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"  They may have hired Jeri Ryan for her beauty, but Seven of Nine turned out to be one of the best characters in the entire Star Trek franchise. Watching … \n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8933"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8935,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8933\/revisions\/8935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/momentsunfolded.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}