There are dozens of us, dozens! In all seriousness, though - it's less "this" particular relationship, than not really caring about what PIC does with any of our familiar characters in general, because everything is so absolutely over-the-top extreme anyway. Riker & Troi having lost a child would have taken an extreme punch on TNG or the movies. Here, that makes them some of the "happy" people, who got better off. Same for Seven - it's not so much that I was a fan of her and Chakotay. It just seems odd to have her, 20 years later, be on one merciless revenge-plot after another, on the emotional brink like the Punisher, after whe spend 4 years before with her discovering what it is to be human, in steps like "talk about your feelings", "what is friendship", "go on dates" and "learn what individuality is".
Did Seven and Raffi share a single scene before the finale? Did they have a single conversation one on one?? Out of the blue is an understatement. That said, they were just holding hands and although the implication is clear as day, I know very touchy feely people not unlike Raffi who given half a chance will be cuddled up to you by the end of a regular pleasent conversation
When I saw the Seven and Raffi scene, I felt as though there should have been a voiceover that said: "Tune in Next Year for Gay Representation!" Honestly, it felt as though the purpose of the image was to serve as an advertisement that there will be a WLW storyline in Season 2. Hmmmm...Michael Chabon is not serving as showrunner next season. I wonder if the main reason he included this scene was because he wanted to make sure that his successor had no choice but to provide a queer story for Seven in 2021. No take-backsies!
Oh, goody. I knew someone like you would show up sooner or later. I predicted it in the episode thread, even.
It was just...weird. How it came out of absolutely nowhere. Like, if that drinking scene between Seven and Rios had been between Seven and Raffi instead.... maybe? Also, I'm probably alone with that, but - considering Raffi had a serious drinking problem, I was appalled of her just doing shots with Seven in a teenager-thinks-that's-cool kind of way.
That's why it floored me. Not that they make Seven gay/bi or whatever, just that there was no buildup to this relationship to Raffi at all. It was just stuck in that last shot out of nowhere. Unless there's just something i completely missed, from her earlier interactions with the La Sirena crew.
Raffi knew a good deal about Seven when she was introduced. Picard knows her and Raffi. Raffi knows Picard. People talk about folks in common and over shared situation. We didn't see it but they have been together enough to think they'd have conversations. to think they haven't talked before is like thinking they've never taken a shit before because we haven't seen it. Besides, holding hands isn't till death do us part. For all the jokes about Lesbians moving in together quick they do actually talk to each other. They might even just hold hands and chat before getting anywhere near sex. One might think LGBT people act like any average person. Incredible as that might seem.
It does raise a smile, reading earlier posts in this thread, that people were sure that Seven and Bjayzl were platonic friends, even after their dialogue made it screamingly obvious that they were vengeful exes. I also saw a LOT of this on Twitter, too. A bunch of heterosexual people are willing to twist themselves like pretzels not to see the gay.
I saw something recently where a lesbian says to straight lady "No, I'd never have thought that you were a lesbian. Look at your nails, they are way too long." Seven's exoskeleton might be frightening to a lesbian.
It's heavily implied that Seven has a drinking problem, also. I...hope they don't both become enablers of each other...
I guess Scotty, Chekhov, and Kirk had a drinking problem. Downing a shot being synonymous with that and all. I'd look the same way at Picard did at anyone that downed a shot of good bourbon like that. Savor it. Shotgunning is for vodka. A pointless alcohol.
None of them had their own kid breaking up contact with them over their drinking problem. (Btw how they made that synonymous with her "conspiracy theory obsession" was a whole other level of problematic in "Stardust City")
Wait, what?! Because she downed two whiskeys in "Stardust"? Sorry, she might use alcohol to cope with feelings, which isn't good and may lead to addiction if done on a regular basis. We have yet to see proof she does do it on a regular basis. Neither did Seven. Sooo, what will this ship be called? Saffi R7 Raven...? Aaand... this has to be a record, the fist R7 fic already up, and tries to provide sorely missed leadup scenes: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23334967
I may go to my grave arguing the opposite, but it's pretty moot at this point in time. I am one that didn't mind C7 and kind of liked the two together; it wasn't the best option for a pairing in VOY (J7 hello?), but it was one of the safer options. It also didn't come out of nowhere... in fact there was far more (visible to the audience) buildup than Seven-Raffi, which I also like and find believable (enough, per Star Trek norms, anyway).
How do we know that? Kirk had his issues, Scotty too. Besides, what makes having a shot a drinking problem? This is like the holding hands thing. One small item blown out of all proportion.
We saw the straight couple holding hands, and we figured out that they were together. We'd seen them bang weeks ago. And now they are boyfriend/girlfriend. Seconds later, Raffi and Seven are identically holding hands. If the lesbians are not hooking up, then neither are the breeders.