Seven of Nine Finds a Borg Romance as Star Trek: Voyager Tries to Return Home

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It’s fascinating when stories connect two separate points in a franchise, like the end of Star Trek: Voyager – where the ship almost made it home – and the beginning of Star Trek: Picard, where Seven of Nine has changed a lot. Writers can choose to explain what happened in between, but they all have different ideas about how to do that.

It’s interesting to compare this situation to a story from the Untold Tales of Spider-Man comic book series. Kurt Busiek and Pat Olliffe wrote new stories that took place during Spider-Man’s high school years, building on the original work of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Later comics revealed that Mary Jane Watson actually knew Spider-Man was Peter Parker back then. Busiek cleverly explored what that would have been like in a particularly memorable issue, showing Mary Jane keeping that secret.

The story was compelling because it connected the past with newer narratives, even altering established character motivations. For example, when Seven of Nine appeared in Season 1 of Picard, it hinted at a new direction for her character, a thread that continued into Season 2. In the original Star Trek: Voyager, Seven of Nine’s romantic interests were always male, so seeing a different possibility explored felt like a smart and intriguing setup for her future relationships.

Issue #4 of Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming, written by Susan and Tilly Bridges with art by Ángel Hernández, colors by Charlie Kirchoff, and lettering/design by Neil Uyetake, continues the story of Captain Janeway’s difficult choices. She’s working with former Borg drones, trying to use their technology to get them home without risking a new Borg attack on Earth. Alternatively, she could ally with Species 8472 to eliminate the Borg, but that relies on trusting a species that has already broken a treaty and possesses the key to returning from the dangerous fluidic space – information Janeway previously destroyed to keep Earth safe, even if it meant Voyager couldn’t return.

Why does Janeway choose the Borg?

I often discuss the difficult choices Starfleet captains face, and it’s something we should always consider. But in this case, Captain Janeway’s decision seems pretty straightforward. Another Starfleet ship might react differently if they hadn’t met someone like Seven of Nine. However, after getting to know Seven, how could you justify ignoring other former Borg who are clearly in the same situation she was?

Working with Species 8472 would be the easiest solution, assuming they stick to their agreement. However, it would also mean letting them destroy former Borg who are now innocent, simply because of their past. Janeway likely wouldn’t be able to make such a difficult choice.

She’s prepared to make difficult choices involving loss of life, but only if there’s a logical reason behind them – she won’t order innocent people to be killed just as a favor. Therefore, she directs Voyager to attempt to rescue the Borg and utilize their weaponry against Species 8472.

Ángel Hernández and Charlie Kirchoff truly excel in crafting the action sequences, bringing them to life on the page. Depicting dramatic aerial combat with Starfleet ships can be challenging, given their design often suggests slower-paced battles. However, Hernández and Kirchoff handle these scenes brilliantly, making them exciting and visually impactful.

How does Seven of Nine develop a Borg romance?

Nine, a former member of the Borg, is rediscovering human emotions after leaving the collective. This becomes especially complicated as she develops a romantic connection with Seven of Nine.

Okay, so putting myself in Seven of Nine’s shoes, this whole situation really hits home for her. It’s like, she was ripped away from the Collective and had to figure out how to be an individual, right? Seeing this other person struggling to adjust feels super familiar. It just makes sense that she’d be drawn to help them fit in – she totally gets what it’s like to rebuild a life, and honestly, she wants to help, no matter how weird it might seem.

She’s also developing new feelings for Nine, and those are different than anything she’s felt before, which the show portrays really well. It’s incredibly confusing for Nine, too! He’s getting used to interacting with people again, and now there’s a potential romance on top of it? How can he navigate that without being totally overwhelmed?

It’s good stuff.

The Species 8472 Problem

As I mentioned previously, Species 8472 broke their peace agreement initially because Voyager started using advanced Borg technology. This was a valid worry for them, understandably.

Captain Janeway had direct orders not to accept assistance from her future self. Choosing to break Starfleet regulations to bring Voyager home years ahead of schedule was a difficult call, and it understandably made Species 8472 question whether they could rely on Starfleet’s trustworthiness.

That’s what makes the conflict between Janeway and Species 8472 so interesting – both sides have a valid perspective.

Wow, what an ending! The Borg Cube is finally destroyed – thankfully they managed to save the individual Borg who were freed from the Collective. But things took a really bad turn when Voyager was captured! It was a huge relief to find out that Tom Paris’s dad and all the other humans who were being impersonated are still alive, but their situation looks pretty grim. Still, it’s Star Trek, so you just know they’ll find a way out of this, and I’m totally on the edge of my seat to see how it happens!

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2026-01-12 18:40