^ Was she efficient at her work? 
Seven of Nine
- Thread starter Praetor
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No, not really. She was what I would call an "ideas person," rather than a "get the job done" person. She had great shoes, though.
TBH, I preferred her outfit in "Tsunkatse", where she had no high heels at all!
Way more interesting then she had any right to be. On paper she was just Data with giant boobs and a cold, bitchy attitude. Jeri Ryan was that good of an actress she was able to take what was essentially just a one-dimensional, sex-character and not only make her interesting, but cool and fun as well. My only problems were that she got overused at the expense of the other characters and every time she'd become "more human" and open up more and become an actual person, they'd hit the "reset button"(tm) and act like none of that character development had ever happened. Of course this was not the characters fault nor the actress's, but the writers who did this to everything that showed any potential of growth. Although I agree with Ron Moore's criticism of the character completely.
^ Y-e-e-e-e-s, but here's the thing. You're looking at the series as a whole - which is only natural since the series is over and we can all look at it from an overall perspective.
But my perspective as I watched it was pretty much as Thrall said - reset, reset, reset. I mean, there'd be an episode, and you could almost see Seven grow, partly because of Jeri Ryan's acting ability. But if, as happened to me, you happened to miss the next week's episode and didn't see Seven for a couple of weeks, when you tuned in the next time, she'd be right back to where she was the last time you saw her. And then there'd be another "Seven grows up episode," and a couple weeks later it would be just like it was before, and it would reset again. And again.
The result was that for most of the show, she was pretty much the same person as she had become soon after joining the crew, showing the new person only in fits and starts. I know that happens in real life - therapy is a long and hard process - but it sometimes made for some pretty unsatisfying television.
So the growth was there, but I don't think the writers did a very good job in showing it a lot of the time. They really only seemed to bother with it when it specifically fit into the plot. When it didn't, it was, I think, a lot more convenient to just slide Seven right back into her "Classic Trek Outsider" slot. If not, why not at least give the poor girl her own quarters?
But my perspective as I watched it was pretty much as Thrall said - reset, reset, reset. I mean, there'd be an episode, and you could almost see Seven grow, partly because of Jeri Ryan's acting ability. But if, as happened to me, you happened to miss the next week's episode and didn't see Seven for a couple of weeks, when you tuned in the next time, she'd be right back to where she was the last time you saw her. And then there'd be another "Seven grows up episode," and a couple weeks later it would be just like it was before, and it would reset again. And again.
The result was that for most of the show, she was pretty much the same person as she had become soon after joining the crew, showing the new person only in fits and starts. I know that happens in real life - therapy is a long and hard process - but it sometimes made for some pretty unsatisfying television.
So the growth was there, but I don't think the writers did a very good job in showing it a lot of the time. They really only seemed to bother with it when it specifically fit into the plot. When it didn't, it was, I think, a lot more convenient to just slide Seven right back into her "Classic Trek Outsider" slot. If not, why not at least give the poor girl her own quarters?
I don't necessarily see it as a reseting her growth. When people change, it usually happens gradually. So who's to say that she would instantly change after an episode of "growth" without ever turning back into her old ways?
In addition, I would like to have an example of such reset button in Seven's case. Because personally I have never paid any attention to this aspect of her character. So the claims of the "reset buttons" are left more or less in the air (for me).
In addition, I would like to have an example of such reset button in Seven's case. Because personally I have never paid any attention to this aspect of her character. So the claims of the "reset buttons" are left more or less in the air (for me).
Then again, the Doc may have convinced her she had to wear them to "fit in" to suit his erotic holodreams about her.
Hahaha! I think I'll stick to this version!
Well, as I mentioned earlier, I know that in real life, growth is difficult and moves in fits and starts. But it doesn't make for very satisfying television, and I don't really think it was done for reality reasons. I really think that, as they did for a lot of the Voyager characters, the writers only showed growth and change when it suited them. I like the show a lot and I love the characters - don't get me wrong - but that was one of its problems, IMO.
It would have been great if they'd allowed Seven to show changes in subtle ways even during episodes that didn't feature her. I'm not saying they never did, but I will say that I didn't notice it very often, and if they did so routinely, I confess that I missed it.
Then again, the Doc may have convinced her she had to wear them to "fit in" to suit his erotic holodreams about her
Hahaha! I think I'll stick to this version!
I think he's on to something!
I'd say there was a lot of development. Derivative of Data's? Sure. But it was still good. But it just seemed when she finally would understand what humans would be about, she'd start to be a little less of a cold, distant bitch to everyone by the end of the episode. Then, by the next episode she back to being The Ice Queen, 100% all the time. It was very subtle, but it was there. So again, Ryan was that good of an actress I could see the subtle changes in Seven by the end of a typical "Seven Learns To Be Human" episode. And when she'd be right back where she started, at the very next episode, it would greatly annoy me. I'd ask myself "Well that last episode was a waste of time. What was the fucking point?"
Tachyon, apparently I just didn't see what you saw. What I saw was pretty much as Thrall described: that Seven's growth was demonstrated only during episodes that focused on Seven's growth. The rest of the time, it was pretty much ignored.
I'm planning on watching Voyager again from the beginning sometime in the next few months, and maybe I'll see then what you saw. But while the show was being broadcast, I didn't see it, at all, and apparently I was not alone.
I'm planning on watching Voyager again from the beginning sometime in the next few months, and maybe I'll see then what you saw. But while the show was being broadcast, I didn't see it, at all, and apparently I was not alone.
Shallow.First, I doubt you'd ever see Jeri in a catsuit outside of a dance studio.
And second, I think you're all overthinking this costume.
Sometimes a costume is just a costume. And yeah, part of a costume's purpose is to make the actor look good.
But Teya, if we didn't debate minutia on the Trek BBS what in the heck would we talk about? I think everything that can possibly be said about TOS's miniskirts and Deanna's cleavage has already been said.
Anyway, call me shallow, but I find this discussion far more interesting than one about, say, nacelles, or how horrible/awesome a movie nobody's seen yet is going to be.
Hey, you asked for it.
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