Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) finally joins Starfleet in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but it makes sense that the reclaimed Borg isn't a Captain. Seven has saved the galaxy twice alongside Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his motley crew in Star Trek: Picard, and the Admiral granted Seven a field commission during the Borg crisis in season 2's finale. After waiting two decades since returning to Earth from the Delta Quadrant aboard the USS Voyager, Seven of Nine is now a part of Starfleet, and Star Trek: Picard season 3 will explore what that means for Seven and for the interstellar armada.
Seven of Nine was one of the most popular characters in Star Trek: Voyager. Born Annika Hansen, Seven was assimilated by the Borg as a child and was reclaimed by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the USS Voyager's crew as an adult. Seven became a key member of Voyager and made many friends while she was mentored in regaining her humanity by Janeway. But Seven revealed to her girlfriend, Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), in Star Trek: Picard that after Voyager returned to Earth, she was met with prejudice, mistrust, and hostility as a reclaimed Borg. To help Seven join Starfleet, Admiral Janeway offered to put her career and influence on the line but, instead, Seven opted to leave Earth and join the Fenris Rangers. Seven spent many lonely and unhappy years fighting beyond the Romulan Neutral Zone with the Fenris Rangers until she found a new family among Jean-Luc Picard and his ragtag crew of misfits aboard the starship La Sirena.
Admiral Picard's field commission in Star Trek: Picard season 2's finale left Seven of Nine's actual Starfleet status ambiguous. The fact that Picard did so to allow Seven to serve as acting Captain of the USS Stargazer during Starfleet's team-up with the Borg Queen (Alison Pill) to stop a temporal anomaly naturally led the audience to assume that Seven automatically became a Captain. Adding to this assumption is that Seven took over as Captain of La Sirena when Cristobal Rios (Santiago Cabrera) returned to Starfleet to become Captain of the Stargazer in the interim between Star Trek: Picard seasons 1 and 2. However, Star Trek: Picard's showrunner Terry Matalas confirmed on Twitter that Seven of Nine is a Starfleet Commander in season 3. The promotional images of Jeri Ryan as her iconic character bear this out since Seven wears three Commander's pips on the collar of her Starfleet uniform.
Picard Season 3 Will Explore How Seven of Nine Fits In Starfleet
More important than Seven of Nine's actual rank is how the former Annika Hansen feels about finally joining Starfleet, which Star Trek: Picard season 3 will explore. Seven integrated with Voyager's Starfleet crew during her years aboard Captain Janeway's starship, and by her own account, she wanted to join Starfleet, but she was disheartened by how she was treated because of Seven's visible Borg implants. Admiral Janeway's willingness to risk her career for Seven obviously meant a great deal, but Seven opted to leave Earth instead, although she encountered the same prejudice no matter where in the galaxy she went. Seven spent so many years as a loner prior to Star Trek: Picard that she became as wary about other people as they are about the former Borg.
However, Seven's experiences in Star Trek: Picard season 2 changed her, and Starfleet may have also changed, as well. When Seven saw that she was President of the Confederation in the dark alternate reality caused by Q (John de Lancie), she realized that she has a great natural capacity as a leader. In addition, the alliance forged between the Borg and Starfleet at the end of Star Trek: Picard season 2 may have thawed some icy feelings toward the Borg, and Seven in particular. It's rare for someone to become a Commander in Starfleet without attending Starfleet Academy and traditionally rising through the ranks so Seven of NIne may continue to encounter pushback in Star Trek: Picard season 3, but she will rise to the occasion when her mettle is tested. One day, Seven of Nine may become a Starfleet Captain, but Commander is the right rank for her.
Star Trek: Picard Season 3 premieres in 2023 on Paramount+.