Seeing Star Trek: Voyager’s Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine in the Star Trek: Picard trailer from SDCC was a big surprise. A new video provides some clues as to the size of the role Seven has in the first season.

Why Ryan said yes to Star Trek: Picard

In an official CBS video shot at SDCC and released this week, the returning Trek veterans talked about Star Trek: Picard and what they missed from their time with Trek. In it, Jeri Ryan talks about her initial reluctance to return to the role, and what it took for her to say yes:

Seven’s struggle was fun for me, and I missed sharing that with her and watching her learn how to be human again. I thought that journey was over. People asked at conventions are you going to do another one, another movie. No! We told her story. That was done. Are we going to see her on Earth becoming a housewife? I don’t want to see that. And then when I learned what they has planned for Seven in this new world, you can’t turn it down. It was too rich again, and too full of new adventures and new struggles and new discoveries.

Subsequent to SDCC, Ryan has confirmed she will appear in more than one episode of Picard, but her comment above indicates she may have a more substantive role in the show, with an arc for Seven of Nine. And with the recent revelation that Ryan’s Voyager co-star is in early talks to appear in a possible second season, there may be more connections between Picard and Voyager.

This isn’t the first time Ryan has had a chance to return to the role of Seven. The actress turned down an offer to appear in the 2002 movie Star Trek Nemesis. Ryan has said she didn’t feel there was a good enough reason for her to be part of the film, noting that Seven had never interacted with any of the characters from TNG. But Picard is set years later, and from the way she talked to Jean-Luc in the trailer, it appears they have got to know each other in the intervening time.

Watch videos below

Here is the full video with Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, and Jeri Ryan talking about what they missed most from their earlier time with Star Trek.

Another video features the group talking about the gratitude they have for being part of Star Trek.

Keep up with all the news on the Picard show and other upcoming Star Trek TV shows here at TrekMovie.com.