13. Seven of Nine Rebooted

In this episode, Janine Engelbrecht discusses the version of Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) that we see in Star Trek: Picard. Janine considers Seven’s new look, her humanity, her status as mother, and her relationship with Raffi.

The Sci-Fi Feminist - A Feminism and Pop Culture Podcast
The Sci-Fi Feminist - A Feminism and Pop Culture Podcast
13. Seven of Nine Rebooted
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Welcome back

Janine welcomes back listeners and thanks everyone for the support up to now. She also introduces the topic of this week’s episode, Seven of Nine as she appears in Star Trek: Picard.

Seven is back!

Janine fangirls over Jeri Ryan’s reprising of Seven in Star Trek: Picard. She then gives a brief overview of the key topics she will be discussing in today’s episode.

Seven’s appearance

Janine starts off the discussion by looking at Seven’s new outfit and her new appearance. She also speculates on why the Voyager writers introduced Seven into Voyager and why she is so sexualized.

Janine explains here how Seven’s alternative personality is not undermined by a sexualized body in Star Trek: Picard. The similarity between Seven’s new outfit and Sarah Connor’s is also noted by Janine.

In this discussion Janine also mentioned Seven’s scars, that can be seen for the first time in Star Trek: Picard. Janine considers how it is different from Voyager, which fetishises Seven’s technological implants.

Seven’s humanity

Janine explains that Seven’s more realistic appearance is a move in the right direction for the representation of women. She moves on to explain how Seven is more human in terms of her personality too.

Janine recaps how Seven is hesitant to embrace her humanity in Voyager. She then explains how Seven’s attitude towards her humanity changes in Star Trek: Picard.

Seven’s emotions

Janine moves on to a discussion of Seven’s display of emotion in Picard. This is quite different from the Seven’s attitude towards emotions in Voyager. She discusses the Voyager episode, One, here.

Star Trek: Picard and technology

Janine then explains the political background of Star Trek: Picard. What ‘being human’ entails becomes more complicated for Seven, Janine explains.

Janine also explains how Seven does not embrace technology in Star Trek: Picard as she does in Voyager.

What does this mean for feminism?

Janine explains how these changes relate to Seven as a cyberfeminist character. For Janine, Seven now embodies the ideal cyberfeminist subject. Janine briefly explains how Seven reveals our attitudes towards technology in contemporary society as well.

Seven as a mother

Janine talks about Seven’s relationship with her adopted ‘son’, Icheb. Here Janine explains how adoptive motherhood could be considered empowering for Seven.

Janine also notes that there are many adoptive mothers in pop culture these days. She mentions Emperor Georgiou and Captain Janeway briefly.

Seven’s sexuality

The last topic Janine discusses is Seven as a queer character. She talks about Seven and Chakotay’s relationship, which forced Seven into heterosexuality. Janine also briefly recaps the Voyager episode, Endgame, here.

Janine speculates what happened between Seven and the Voyager crew after Endgame. She then finally considers how Seven, as a cyborg, is empowered through her new LGBTQ status.

Wrap up

Janine thanks listeners and wraps up the episode.

Episode Credits

Host

  • Janine Engelbrecht

Editor

  • Janine Engelbrecht

Small Print

The theme music is "Dashboard Light" by One Two Feet, and is licenced by Holosuite Media through Epidemic Sound.

This podcast is a fan production. All views made are that of the individual(s), and may not represent that of the podcast, or the Holosuite Media network.

The Sci-Fi Feminist - A Feminism and Pop Culture Podcast
The Sci-Fi Feminist - A Feminism and Pop Culture Podcast
13. Seven of Nine Rebooted
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