Starfleet is structured along military lines (they use military ranks and enforce military discipline).
Lots of organisations have military structures and ranks, that does not necessarily make them a military though, does it.
She's all of that AND a soldier.
I never said that Seven is not or cannot be a fictional soldier, just that from her past character traits and development I never imagined her being one. I would prefer Seven to have been inspiration for aspiring scientists or technologists as well as being a strong leader eventually as Captain of a starship, preferably the Enterprise - a ship that in some episodes she may need to lead in to battle if the story calls for it. As I have also mentioned before, *all* Starfleet crew may have to be soldiers one day if faced with combat, but being a soldier is *not* the main job of people serving in Starfleet which is an organisation tasked with the mission of exploring space, seeking out new life and making new scientific discoveries.
I do not think that fictional make believe characters on a science fiction show should be painted as inspiration for people to become soldiers, such inspiration should come from *real* soldiers who are *real* role models having experienced life on the field, both the good and the bad sides of the profession - inspiration from *real* heroes who may have even seen the true horrors of war. Also, inspiration from belief in a real life cause which an aspiring soldier may want to sign up for because they truly believe in what they may one day have to fight for, whether that cause be patriotism or the desire to take part in peacekeeping or humanitarian missions… not inspiration from battling the Borg or the Dominion.
Star Trek is all about the imagination, imagination inspires creativity and invention.
Real life should inspire people to enter in to a profession such as the military, in my opinion. People such as
@fireproof78 ’s friend mentioned above should be inspiration and role models. People should not build up fantasy ideas about what the military is based on from what they see on a sci-if TV show, or they may be very disappointed when they find out that the real military is nothing like what they saw on TV.
I myself have *never* imagined Seven as a soldier, only as a strong minded woman and a scientist. I did in no way say that soldiers themselves or their real life stories cannot be inspiration. Neither Jeri Ryan or Seven of Nine are real soldiers, though I do know that Jeri Ryan’s father was a Sergeant in the US army so she probably has a lot of insight in to what a soldier and a leader is as an actress.