Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Picard Season 1, Episode 4.
Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) joins the crew of Star Trek: Picard in episode 4, "Absolute Candor", but did she arrive to help Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) or to try to stop his mission before it's too late? Seven, the former Borg who was reclaimed by the crew of Star Trek: Voyager, saved Picard from Romulans attacker and beamed aboard Cristobal Rios' (Santiago Cabrera) ship at the conclusion of "Absolute Candor". But now that Seven of Nine has joined Picard's mission, her arrival opens up a slew of questions and intriguing possibilities.
For Trekkers, Seven of Nine's inclusion in Star Trek: Picard is arguably even more fascinating than the guest appearances by Star Trek: The Next Generation's cast members because Seven and Jean-Luc had never interacted before. Picard has met Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), who relayed Shinzon's (Tom Hardy) invitation to visit Romulus in Star Trek: Nemesis, but Picard working alongside Seven is a more exciting crossover and pure fan service. In the 1990s, while the TNG crew was making movies, Seven of Nine became Star Trek: Voyager's breakout character. Seven allowed Voyager to integrate the Borg into the series and she also provided a compelling foil for the Starfleet crew and for Captain Janeway - as well as some undeniable sex appeal. As Seven, whose real name is Annika Hansen, gradually reaffirmed her humanity, she also began a romance with First Officer Chakotay (Robert Beltran). But Seven's final appearance was in Star Trek: Voyager's series finale, "Endgame", when she returned to Earth along with the rest of the lost starship's crew, and fans have wondered what became of Seven ever since.
In "Absolute Candor", Seven chooses an opportune time to save Picard and his new crew. She was even somehow aware that Rios' ship, which was headed to Freecloud so Picard could find Dr. Bruce Maddox, took an unexpected detour to the Romulan colony planet Vashti. Seven's timely arrival allowed her to cripple the TOS-era Romulan bird-of-prey before the ex-Borg beamed aboard Rios' ship. Now, the question is, why did Seven risk her life to find Picard? While her appearance in the episode was brief, a few things can already be gleaned by the fact that Seven is not in uniform and she isn't wearing a Starfleet combadge - so she has apparently gone rogue just like Picard. But what is Seven of Nine's true mission?
There are two clear possibilities: Either Seven of Nine has come to help Picard or to stop him. If it's the former, which is the most likely scenario, then Seven is a perfect ally for Picard. As a reclaimed Borg, Seven has personal stakes in how the Romulans are selling Borg technology. It's not known yet what Seven has been doing for the last 20 years or whether she is still part of Starfleet but, as a Borg expert, she may be aware of what Picard is not: that Data's synthetic daughter Soji Asha (Isa Briones) is aboard the Romulans' Borg Artifact. Since Picard's mission will likely lead him to the Cube, Seven is invaluable because of her knowledge of the Borg. It's also just plain cool to see Seven of Nine and Locutus of Borg (Picard's assimilated alter ego) team up.
But Seven of Nine could also be coming to stop Picard from making a grave mistake. Again, it's unknown if Seven is working for Starfleet but she could be aware that Picard is flying into some kind of trap. Further, Seven might even know that Starfleet Security's Commodore Oh (Tamlyn Tomita) is keeping tabs on what the former Admiral is up to (and Oh may have planted a spy on Picard's mission). After all, Seven was a rebellious presence on Star Trek: Voyager and it's not a slam-dunk that she joined Star Trek: Picard just to fall in line and cheer Jean-Luc on. Of course, Trekkers will have their ears perked for any info Seven drops about the whereabouts of the U.S.S. Voyager's crew but there's no doubt Seven of Nine is an exciting wildcard introduced into Star Trek: Picard.
Star Trek: Picard streams Thursdays on CBS All-Access and Fridays internationally on Amazon Prime Video.