As with most new entries in the saga created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek: Voyager was a controversial series amongst fans. After seven seasons, four with the unassimilated Borg character Seven of Nine, the series finale remains a classic in the franchise’s history. However, the romance between Seven of Nine and Commander Chakotay, the ship’s first officer, was a massive mistake for narrative reasons. The continuation of the characters’ stories in Star Trek: Prodigy and Picard corrected it, but it’s worth examining why the choice was the wrong one.Of course, Seven of Nine’s story could’ve been much worse. In The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From the Next Generation to J. J. Abrams: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, executive producer Brannon Braga said his only regret about Seven of Nine was not killing her in the finale. He wrote an episode revealing a Borg implant prevented her from loving another person, which takes on a new layer when considering he, at the time, was dating actor Jeri Ryan. So, an ill-foreshadowed romance with a problematic power dynamic isn’t as bad as it could’ve gone for the future captain of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-G. Both Ryan and Beltran also detail in the book their dissatisfaction at the lost opportunities for their characters to have built an authentic relationship. In one episode, “Human Error,” Seven falls for a holographic simulation of Chakotay. While filming “Natural Law,” where Seven and Chakotay crash on a planet together, they asked if they should play it as romance. She said they were told not to. Yet, there’s a two-part episode in Season 7 called “Workforce,” that makes the romance even worse.Season 7’s stories worked against the relationship, but it was the longer arc of Seven of Nine’s development standing in the way. The premise of “Human Error” found Seven of Nine using holographic simulations of the crew to “practice” social interaction. The ex-Borg drone had reached a point of emotional maturity in which she began to care what others thought about her. Practicing how one behaves in social situations is an exercise teenagers across the world undertake without holographic assistance. Seven of Nine was a classic Star Trek hero almost immediately, brilliant, capable and brave. Assimilated by the Borg as a child, her emotional growth was that of a girl getting ready to start her freshman year in high school. The normally dedicated Voyager crewmember fell behind in her work because of her first crush on the holographic Chakotay. In fact, it makes sense that’s who she’d fall for.RELATED: The Past 30 Years of Star Trek Movies Are Missing This Key Ingredient
As with most new entries in the saga created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek: Voyager was a controversial series amongst fans. After seven seasons, four with the unassimilated Borg character Seven of Nine, the series finale remains a classic in the franchise’s history. However, the romance between Seven of Nine and Commander Chakotay, the ship’s first officer, was a massive mistake for narrative reasons. The continuation of the characters’ stories in Star Trek: Prodigy and Picard corrected it, but it’s worth examining why the choice was the wrong one.
Of course, Seven of Nine’s story could’ve been much worse. In The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From the Next Generation to J. J. Abrams: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, executive producer Brannon Braga said his only regret about Seven of Nine was not killing her in the finale. He wrote an episode revealing a Borg implant prevented her from loving another person, which takes on a new layer when considering he, at the time, was dating actor Jeri Ryan. So, an ill-foreshadowed romance with a problematic power dynamic isn’t as bad as it could’ve gone for the future captain of the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-G. Both Ryan and Beltran also detail in the book their dissatisfaction at the lost opportunities for their characters to have built an authentic relationship. In one episode, “Human Error,” Seven falls for a holographic simulation of Chakotay. While filming “Natural Law,” where Seven and Chakotay crash on a planet together, they asked if they should play it as romance. She said they were told not to. Yet, there’s a two-part episode in Season 7 called “Workforce,” that makes the romance even worse.
Season 7’s stories worked against the relationship, but it was the longer arc of Seven of Nine’s development standing in the way. The premise of “Human Error” found Seven of Nine using holographic simulations of the crew to “practice” social interaction. The ex-Borg drone had reached a point of emotional maturity in which she began to care what others thought about her. Practicing how one behaves in social situations is an exercise teenagers across the world undertake without holographic assistance. Seven of Nine was a classic Star Trek hero almost immediately, brilliant, capable and brave. Assimilated by the Borg as a child, her emotional growth was that of a girl getting ready to start her freshman year in high school. The normally dedicated Voyager crewmember fell behind in her work because of her first crush on the holographic Chakotay. In fact, it makes sense that’s who she’d fall for.
#Star #Trek #Voyagers #Chakotay #Romance #Mistake
Note:- (Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor. The content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.))
