Who created and crafted 7 of 9?

[M.A.C.O.]

Was it Jeri Taylor, Brannon Braga or did they collaborate on on the character together?

My recollection is fuzzy regarding 7's inception and other things with regard to her handling. I seem to recall Taylor being the one for 7's catsuit, and Braga being the one pushing for a more Borg centered show. However it's been so long and I don't have the VOY dvds anymore with the special features.

If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[Lynx]

I do think that the sex-obsessed Braga had a lot of influence in this.

 

[hux]

What's wrong with being sex-obsessed?

It should be noted that they put Kes in the catsuit first so the idea of a catsuit was clearly being bandied about long before Jeri's arrival. The fact that Jeri looks like she was poured into it certainly would have helped her get the job but the idea was clearly kicking about for a while.

 

[Tosk]

From what I recall, the creation of Seven stems from several events. In order to find the earliest instance of what would eventually become the character of Seven of Nine as we recognize her, you'd need to trace backwards from the first script reading that Jeri Ryan attended. Before that came the scripting itself, the costuming sessions, the designing of the look of Seven, and finally we come to the true genesis of the character. Jeri auditioned for the producers and after she left the room, Braga wrote "Would Bang" on her 8x10.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Braga wanted a dude, wrote it all up, gave the idea to network, and the one note that came back from the suits was "Put tits on it".

Would Dude 7 of Nine have worn a catsuit that tight?

Sure.

What did One (from Drone) wear?

Space Armour.

Hmmm.

30 years of Star Trek has brainwashed me into believing that there is nothing sexual about Seven of Nine (or T'Pols) wardrobe on Star Trek, and I'd guess most of you are dealing with similar issues.

 

[Mudd]

Young, successful men generally are sex-obsessed.

I don't guess the suits would have willing to swap a female character for a male after they canned Lien. Demographics.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Why not?

That is what was supposed to have happened.

Wang was supposed to have been fired.

Suddenly he was protected by People Magazine, so they had to fire the elf instead.

It's probably why they paired off Tom with that Klingon woman.

Roxanne was going to pay a bigger part in the series?

If she was Tom's number two instead of Harry in all their boys own adventures, of course she had more to do, or at least 7 wouldn't have have eaten away so well at her line count.

Season Four Harry and Tom episodes that would have fallen to B'Elanna to pick up...

Wow.

Demon.

Harry gets one episode in the limelight, where 50 percent of the story he's been replaced by a quicksilver duplicate, and it's half cut with Tom... Actually Demon isn't really a Harry & Tom story more than an everyone story.

Wang was obviously being punished because Berman was angry that he couldn't fire the sexy little man.

Further along did they utilize him well as a featured actor, considering he was hypothetically such a massive ratings draw?

Season 5 = Timeless and the disease

Season 6 = Nada.

Season 7 = Nightingale.

WTF!? No one wanted to write Harry stories or no one could write Harry stories.

What about earlier?

Season 1 = Emanations.

Season 2 = Non Sequitor.

Season 3 = The Chute and favourite son.

#### me.

He only ever got one or two stories to himself a season?

How did I never notice this?

No wonder they were going to fire Wang.

Why would they want to keep a bloke around who they can't and won't use?

 

[stardream]

Why not?

That is what was supposed to have happened.

Wang was supposed to have been fired.

Suddenly he was protected by People Magazine, so they had to fire the elf instead.

It's probably why they paired off Tom with that Klingon woman.

Roxanne was going to pay a bigger part in the series?

If she was Tom's number two instead of Harry in all their boys own adventures, of course she had more to do, or at least 7 wouldn't have have eaten away so well at her line count.

Season Four Harry and Tom episodes that would have fallen to B'Elanna to pick up...

Wow.

Demon.

Harry gets one episode in the limelight, where 50 percent of the story he's been replaced by a quicksilver duplicate, and it's half cut with Tom... Actually Demon isn't really a Harry & Tom story more than an everyone story.

Wang was obviously being punished because Berman was angry that he couldn't fire the sexy little man.

Further along did they utilize him well as a featured actor, considering he was hypothetically such a massive ratings draw?

Season 5 = Timeless and the disease

Season 6 = Nada.

Season 7 = Nightingale.

WTF!? No one wanted to write Harry stories or no one could write Harry stories.

What about earlier?

Season 1 = Emanations.

Season 2 = Non Sequitor.

Season 3 = The Chute and favourite son.

#### me.

He only ever got one or two stories to himself a season?

How did I never notice this?

No wonder they were going to fire Wang.

Why would they want to keep a bloke around who they can't and won't use?

Interesting observations.

To answer the OPs question I thought the idea had been kicked around since the beginning of the show. They were in the Delta Quadrant, they would eventually encounter the Borg. It was just always there. I could of course be wrong.

I wonder if they had gone with the male drone if it would have 'upped' the female viewership? Or did they already think they had them because of Janeway/Torres? Or did they care? I have read articles about how the creator of the show Supernatural intended that to be a show that guys would want to watch with the muscle car and guys fighting demons and all that but for some odd reason the show appealed to women. Reading about that has made me wonder about what would have happened with a male seven of nine.

But I'm happy with how things turned out. Jeri is great, Seven was great yadda yadda. I just wonder sometimes.

I think there would have been some anger in the Trek fandom if they had killed Harry off but it would have been mostly fans of the 'bromance' . We had The Chute in Season 3 and I think there would have been fans who would have seen more potential there but they of course did not have the benefit of clairvoyance.

Now that I think about it...Tom only had one episode a season....none in Season 3 unless you count Worst Case Scenario (which apparently some people do) and in season 7 he 'shared' episodes with Torres. I count Caretaker as his Season 1 ep. Ex Post Facto has been touted as a Paris episode but I think it could be argued that its more of a Tuvok episode but that's just me and my opinion.

I think Chakotay had more episodes than Tom and B'Elanna certainly did but the difference is Tom was the sort of character that can easily be placed with other characters. Paris and Tuvok, Paris and Neelix Paris and the Doctor and of course with B'Elanna. I suspect he was probably in more B plots than any of the other actors. The next time I go through this series I'm going to take notes.

 

[Drone]

Young, successful men generally are sex-obsessed.

I don't guess the suits would have willing to swap a female character for a male after they canned Lien. Demographics.

The Man, come on!!!! Being renowned for your precision of thought and presentation, you should know full well she wasn't canned. Semantics though it may seem to some, her contract simply wasn't renewed.

 

[Lynx]

What's wrong with being sex-obsessed?

It should be noted that they put Kes in the catsuit first so the idea of a catsuit was clearly being bandied about long before Jeri's arrival. The fact that Jeri looks like she was poured into it certainly would have helped her get the job but the idea was clearly kicking about for a while.

That's the point!

I think it was Braga who were obsessed with catsuits. First Troy, then Kira, Kes, Seven and T'Pol.

And I thought that Star Trek was about good stories, good characters and space exploration.

 

[hux]

And I thought that Star Trek was about good stories, good characters and space exploration.

It is about that... but it's also about hot women in cats suits (or hot green women... or hot non-corporeal women).

The sooner we have a show where all the characters are hot women, the better.

Hot captain: Those people need our help.
Hot lieutenant: Yes captain.
Hot First Officer: I think if we cover ourselves in oil and wrestle, that will help them rebuild their society.
Hot engineer: Hot first officer is right, I'll get the oil.
Hot Doctor: I'll get some pillows we can hit each other with as we frolick in our lingerie.

 

[stardream]

I don't care if all the women are hot...as long as they also kind of...you know...smart. They should be able talk science and it still be believable.

I never had a thought one way or the other about Seven's catsuit except when I thought it might be uncomfortable for her but then I lived in a weird bubble. I didn't know that we women were supposed to be some kind of competition with each other.

 

[Lynx]

And I thought that Star Trek was about good stories, good characters and space exploration.

It is about that... but it's also about hot women in cats suits (or hot green women... or hot non-corporeal women).

The sooner we have a show where all the characters are hot women, the better.

Hot captain: Those people need our help.
Hot lieutenant: Yes captain.
Hot First Officer: I think if we cover ourselves in oil and wrestle, that will help them rebuild their society.
Hot engineer: Hot first officer is right, I'll get the oil.
Hot Doctor: I'll get some pillows we can hit each other with as we frolick in our lingerie.

But there have always been a bunch of good looking women i Star Trek:

Kes, Ezri Dax, Jadzia Dax, Troi, Ro Laren, B'Elanna Torres and many more. They don't have to be dressed up in catsuits.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Jeri and Jennifer are the same subcategory of hotgirl.

Thin, young, white and blond.

It's almost like they returned Jennifer to the shop for a slightly hotter, thinner, blonder, taller, boobier model.

 

[RoJoHen]

The only annoying thing about hot women in catsuits is that they almost always look hotter when they're wearing anything other than a catsuit.

 

[stardream]

I was surprised to find out that suit Jeri wore was padded. That wasn't all her. Saw a picture of the 'thing' she had to wear underneath it. They didn't need to do that to her...she was fine as she was. Poor Woman.

I was also surprised to find out that many of the male actors had to wear 'muscle' suits under their uniforms...and some of them had to wear girdles. Mulgrew had to wear a girdle and she was already a tiny little thing. With all that padding and constriction it's a wonder people weren't passing out right and left.

 

[hux]

The only annoying thing about hot women in catsuits is that they almost always look hotter when they're wearing anything other than a catsuit.

True.

Jeri looked most stunning in Relativity when she finally got to wear the Starfleet uniform.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

I bring up the catsuit, because I recall the irony of Jeri Taylor defending Jeri Ryan wearing one on VOY, but having previously lobbied that Deanna Troi shouldn't wear one on TNG season 6. Saying something to the effect that no one would take Troi seriously as a counselor if she strutted about the Enterprise in a bunny suit. Seven was different because she was a rescued Borg drone and the suits helped "regulate" her body functions.

 

[stardream]

I bring up the catsuit, because I recall the irony of Jeri Taylor defending Jeri Ryan wearing one on VOY, but having previously lobbied that Deanna Troi shouldn't wear one on TNG season 6. Saying something to the effect that no one would take Troi seriously as a counselor if she strutted about the Enterprise in a bunny suit. Seven was different because she was a rescued Borg drone and the suits helped "regulate" her body functions.

I could buy that if we were told that there were sensors or something worked into the fabric.

I seem to remember from one of the books (or mabye it was a short story) where the former drone Marika ( Survival Instinct) wore a 'cat suit' but she wore it under her regular clothes.

 

[Nerys Myk]

What's wrong with being sex-obsessed?

It should be noted that they put Kes in the catsuit first so the idea of a catsuit was clearly being bandied about long before Jeri's arrival. The fact that Jeri looks like she was poured into it certainly would have helped her get the job but the idea was clearly kicking about for a while.

That's the point!

I think it was Braga who were obsessed with catsuits. First Troy, then Kira, Kes, Seven and T'Pol.

And I thought that Star Trek was about good stories, good characters and space exploration.

What does Braga have to do with the costuming of Troi or Kira? He didn't start writing for TNG until 1990, some three years after Troi's creation and didn't become a producer for the show until 1993. He never worked on DS9. So I don't see how he could influence costume choices.