Jeri Ryan connected more with her character, Seven of Nine, in Star Trek: Picard than she ever had on Star Trek: Voyager. Ryan joined the cast of Voyager in season 4 as the former Borg drone Seven of Nine, and the character quickly became a fan favorite. Born with the name Annika Hansen, Seven had been assimilated by the Borg at the age of six while her parents were studying the Borg in the Delta Quadrant. With the help of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the other crew members, Seven relearned how to be human and became an indispensable member of Voyager’s crew.

The cast of Star Trek: Picard season 3 gathered to watch the finale at a SAG Awards screening in Los Angeles, followed by a Q&A with Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Michelle Hurd, and Jeri Ryan. Of her time as Seven on Star Trek: Voyager, Jeri Ryan said that while she could relate to Seven through others, she didn’t have a “super personal connection to her.” Star Trek: Picard changed that, introducing a new Seven, who had grown and changed a lot since her time on Voyager, and Ryan found more to relate to with this version of the character. Read her quote and watch the Q&A below:

For Picard, and particularly in season 3, I was much more personally connected to her, her struggles, her working experience that she had with Shaw and feeling disrespected and feeling not valued. And those are things that personally, I could completely relate to, and I’m sure most of you working actors can as well. I think we’ve all had those experiences. And her perseverance and her strength, and she’s gonna get it done, and she’s determined and she’s gonna figure it out and I was celebrating for her and with her.

Star Trek Picard Cast & Character Guide: All 3 Seasons

Star Trek: Picard season 3’s cast includes several new characters and the return of some of the biggest names and iconic characters in Star Trek.

Seven of Nine’s Star Trek Story Needs To Continue

Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine would headline Star Trek: Legacy, if it happens

In Star Trek: Picard season 1, Seven of Nine returned as a member of the Fenris Rangers, a group of vigilantes who fought for justice in places outside of Federation space. Because of her Borg past, Seven had been rejected by Starfleet, despite protests by now Admiral Janeway. Throughout Picard’s first two seasons, Seven worked alongside Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and was eventually granted a Starfleet field commission. Seven later became First Officer on the USS Titan-A, under the command of Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick), before being promoted to Captain after Shaw’s death.

Picard season 3 ended with Seven of Nine as Captain of the newly rechristened USS Enterprise-G, with Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) as her First Officer. The new Enterprise-G crew also consists of Ensign Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers), the son of Admiral Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), as well as Sidney La Forge (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut), the daughter of Commodore Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). This cast of compelling characters is just begging for their own show, but the long-rumored Picard spin-off, Star Trek: Legacy, still shows no signs of moving forward. Star Trek: Picard season 3 showed that Seven of Nine and Jeri Ryan are as great as ever, and the character’s story seems far from over.