Last year, Star Trek: Picard came to an end after three seasons, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve seen the last of its starring characters. Not only does it sound like Patrick Stewart is preparing to reprise Jean-Luc Picard for a movie, there have been calls from fans and Star Trek talent alike for a spinoff called Star Trek: Legacy to be greenlit. Michelle Hurd, who played Raffi Musiker for the entirety of Picard, is among this project’s supporters, and she shared her hopes for her character if Legacy happens, which thankfully involve more of Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine.
After meeting each other in Picard Season 1, Raffi and Seven of Nine became a couple prior to Season 2, then broke up before the events of Season 3, though they still cared for one another. Now these two are set to spend a lot more time together, as the Picard series finale’s ending revealed that Seven is still captain of the Titan, which has been rechristened the USS Enterprise-G, and Raffi is her first officer. While speaking with IGN, Hurd summarized her thoughts on how things stand between the characters as follows:
I absolutely think that Raffi loves Seven of Nine. I think she would be a happy person to just be on a journey with Seven, whether they’re in a relationship or not. And I shouldn’t say whether they’re in a relationship or not. They are. They’re in a relationship because they’re in each other’s lives.
So as far as Hurd is concerned, whether or not things are still romantic between Raffi and Seven, these two are definitely still have a relationship going, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. As such, the Blindspot actress wants them to continue being by each other’s sides in Star Trek: Legacy. I’m with her on this 100%, because if Legacy moved forward and either of these women were missing, my interest in the spinoff would significantly diminish.
Along with Seven and Raffi calling the shots on the Enterprise-G, Star Trek: Picard’s final episode, titled “The Last Generation,” saw Ed Speleers’ Jack Crusher, who’s now a Starfleet ensign, being named a special counselor on the ship. So Legacy already has quite the leading trio lined up, but with Raffi now specifically being in a command position, Michelle Hurd wants to explore how her character’s past struggles with addiction inform how she makes decisions that affect the wellbeing of an entire crew. In her words:
I really want to see how Seven, Raffi, and Jack Crusher navigate the universe, but I also think that it’s important to continue to tell the journey of people who are or who have been addicts. Because once we have it, we’re there forever. What’s a better way to put that pressure on her than to be Number One and know that she has a responsibility not only to her captain and somebody who she cares very deeply for, but to Starfleet as well?
Hurd then turned her attention in the interview squarely onto Seven of Nine, whom Jeri Ryan originally played on Star Trek: Voyager’s latter four seasons. The actress welcomes the opportunity for the character’s queerness to be explored on Legacy without it needing to be front and center, and then used that as a springboard for how she hopes Legacy could point the spotlight on other underrepresented demographics, saying:
I think we could also continue to push and explore what it’s like having Seven of Nine as the first queer Star Trek captain without it being the focus. It should just be life and see how we navigate in it. Just like me talking about being dyslexic. I’d love for us to be able to reveal more of the things that people who look like they are presenting as ‘neurotypical normal’ are actually struggling with and going through. I think it would be phenomenal because you’ll get an audience that is finally seeing themselves represented.
While our own Mick Joest theorized back in January that Star Trek: Legacy is already in the works, officially speaking, it’s hard to tell where things stand with the proposed project. Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas admitted that the Picard series finale “wasn’t designed” to set up a spinoff, and Q actor John de Lancie doesn’t think such a show will happen. Still, there was a time when Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was simply a pipe dream among the fans, and it managed to become a reality. Maybe the same can happen with Legacy.
Rest assured that if Star Trek: Legacy does get announced, we’ll let you know about it as part of our coverage on upcoming Star Trek shows. Until then, stream Picard and the franchise’s other series with a Paramount+ subscription, with the exception of Prodigy, which is now accessible with a Netflix subscription.