“Every good story has danger in it.”
With her return to TV earlier this year in Star Trek: Picard, we have gotten used to seeing Annika Hansen having recovered a great deal of her previously lost humanity, and fighting the good fight as part of the Fenris Rangers, helping to keep the peace near the Romulan Neutral Zone. In Star Trek: Voyager – Seven’s Reckoning, we see Annika at the start of that long journey as Seven of Nine, having not long been rescued from the Borg Collective.
Although still quite coldly logical and analytical, Seven does differ from her unemotional Vulcan shipmate Tuvok in that she is simply not used to working as an individual, or being a team player, instead of just being part of a hive. Her learning curve is rather steep, as she struggles to fit in with the crew of the USS Voyager, as well as adjusting to her independence from the Borg, and striving to discover who she is. Star Trek: Voyager – Seven’s Reckoning sees Seven being faced with a quandary which pushes her in unexpected ways.
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While still appearing rather detached and dispassionate, she finds herself struggling with the empathy which she feels for the oppressed worker caste aboard the stricken Ohrdi’Nadar vessel, to whose aid Voyager has come. In seeing an obvious injustice being perpetrated here, Seven feels compelled to become involved, even though doing so will put her at odds with her shipmates – the Prime Directive clearly prohibits any of Starfleets’s people from carrying out interference in the normal development of any society.
Even though Seven is not part of Starfleet, she is expected to abide by the house rules while aboard a Starfleet vessel, and this appears set to put her on a collision course. Having been used to seeing things in binary terms when part of the Borg, Seven is learning about nuance and shades of grey, instead of everything being seemingly so straightforward. Dave Baker’s story sees Seven’s perceptions being challenged, potentially causing cracks in the already rather fragile trust being held in her by Captain Janeway and her crew.
Although Voyager may seem rather cosy compared to some modern Star Trek, it should be remembered that the vessel was cast over 70,000 light years away from home. Lost and alone, there was no cavalry to come to their rescue if things got difficult, and no resupplies possible without trading or cooperation. The new species they met were unknowns, and it would take all of their first contact and diplomatic skills to navigate this uncharted territory, whilst trying to find a way back to the Alpha Quadrant.
Trying to uphold all the principles of the Federation in such a precarious position would be challenging enough, without a former Borg drone thrown into the mix, her unpredictability at risk of causing major issues. Baker presents Seven with an ethical dilemma, which leads to the Voyager crew placing her under observation, as they suspect that her motives could be problematic. Things are set up here for a deeper exploration of Seven’s character, as well as a potential conflict arising on multiple sides.
Star Trek: Voyager – Seven’s Reckoning # 2 is out now from IDW Publishing.
